So I worked last night (only a 4-hour shift, I am sick of working every damn weekend!), and about 2 hours into it we had a death on the other hallway.
Let's take a break and explain my work: The nursing home is divided into 2 halls for NOC shift, with 2 CNAs and a nurse at each hall. I work on East 95% of the time with Darth Vader, an older lady who is beginning to really get on my nerves... more on that another time. East is the more "stable" hallway, residents don't move halls often, they are there long-term. A lot of dementia here, which I prefer. West has the Medicare wing, which is all rehab patients (ones who are working towards going home) and there is a hospice room (people who are going to die soon, within 6 months). This isn't definite, there are medicare patients on East, long-term on West, and all that, but that is the general rule of thumb.
Moving forward: so we had a guy pass away last night, which we all knew was going to happen, as he took himself off of dialysis about a week ago, so he actually lasted longer than we all thought he would (Dialysis is what you do when your kidneys don't work and you need to go to the hospital 3 times a week to get your blood filtered). It was Darth Vader and I on East and K and T on West, BR came in at midnight to be float, which means she helps out both sides (it's a GREAT night when we have a float! Doesn't happen often). We all knew this guy was going to die, and very soon. The family was called, and I let them in while I was on break downstairs. They came inside and the wife says "This is our son, ____", and I say "Nice to meet you!" and that felt awkward. Like... is it really? It WAS nice, but... his dad died like an hour later. They were pretty good, then he died less than 5 minutes after they left. K had gone home at this point, a medical emergency with one of her moms (she has a bio mom and an adoptive mom I believe), so we were "down" to 4. Well, T comes over to East and asks me "_____ died, do you wanna clean him up or answer call lights?" I answered with a very calm "I'll clean him up with BR". He was flabbergasted! My reasoning was that I don't know the residents on West, how they transfer, who's on fluid restrictions, anything. I've cleaned up a dead body before, it's not a big deal, so I figured it was the lesser of two evils. Plus, BR was helping me. We got him all cleaned up, dressed in a fresh gown, eyes closed, mouth closed, got him as restful looking as possible, and the wife and son came back just as we left the room. Again, I have cleaned up bodies, I have helped coroners transfer bodies to gurnies, I have been around shortly before and after countless deaths of residents. But I have never seen a family member's reaction. It was absolutely heart-breaking. I am very glad that I went home about an hour later.
I have never really been around death. I have all 4 of my grandparents, even though I have never met 2 of them. I have never had a friend or family member die in my life. Exception: my mom's grandparents, Nan and Poppa. Poppa died around 2000 I believe, Nan died in March 2008, almost exactly 2 months before my daughter was born. Isabel (my daughter) would have been her 4th great-great-grandchild. She lived alone, drove herself everywhere, totally independent at 90 years old. Died in her sleep from CHF (congestive heart failure). I really hope I can inherit that. I already have most of the heart problems she had so.... *fingers crossed*. I have been to a couple visitations, but never a funeral. I would have gone to nan's if I weren't 7 months pregnant and already was off of work due to preterm labor. THAT was due to Isabel's piece of shit worthless father putting me under so much undue stress, threatening to take her from me and all that. Asshole.
I'd seen plenty of dead ANIMALS, on the other hand. Once, when my sister and I were little, we had 2 female cats that were ALWAYS pregnant, one always had 5 the other always had 6, within a week of each other. We kept them in the kennel that my mom used to use for her dobermans in the tack room in the horses' stall. My sister apparently felt bad that the poor little kittens had to be locked up, so she left the door unlocked. The next morning, we went out to go check on the kittens (as always), and there were kitten parts.... everywhere. A tom cat came in the night and killed... nay, SLAUGHTERED every male kitten in the batch. My mom was especially pissed because there was a male calico, very extremely rare. We were upset because it was one of the most brutal things I had ever seen, still is to this day. Around the same time, there was a runt kitten we were nurturing back to health, and it died on my sisters lap on her birthday while she was feeding it... perhaps that is the reason she is so cruel to animals these days. Interesting. Or cruel to you know, everybody. Something interesting to ponder I guess....
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