First post: A Death

One of my patients died last week.

He was very sick. He was on a type of comfort care - he had end stage heart failure, and he was receiving an IV infusion over 6 hours once a week that helped his heart pump better. This gave him more energy. Well, up until the very end.

He was a good guy, although he had a gruff exterior. Many of the nurses on our unit did not like to be assigned to him because he would be negative, and get upset and raise his voice a bit. It didn't bother me that much. He could also be kind.

He lived a good life and from what he told me, he did some wonderful things while here. He had a big family and a good wife. He was in the military in WWII. When he came back from the Pacific, he went to college and became a lawyer. He worked with the left wing liberal groups and hippies of the 1960s and 1970s. It says in his obituary that many of these same people grew up to be radical right wing Republicans.

It's tough to be a Liberal.

I know.

I liked having him as a patient. He was cranky to me sometimes, but he was never out right mean. On a couple of occasions, I had some time to talk with him about his life. He gave me his magazines to read when he was done with them - because I commented that they were good ones..."The Nation" and "The Atlantic Monthly."

I may go to his visitation this afternoon. Unfortunately, I have a medical appointment this afternoon as well and I might not be able to go...that, and the weather is supposed to be stormy this afternoon. Snow and ice.

I will miss him.