I arrived in the morning at Riverside Pavilion to spend the day with my husband. He was admitted to the hospital as a trauma patient after a fall resulting in 4 cracked ribs, 2 broken ribs, and trauma to his lung and torso. He was placed in the SICU unit for several days, moved to the ICU overflow for a few days, and to Medical-Surgical when the fluid and infection reared its ugly head.
Several attempts were made to clear the fluid from his chest using chest tubes to no avail and also tried medication turning him from side to side still no success. It was recommended that the VATS procedure be tried to get a better view of what was actually happening inside his chest.
We were moved back to the SICU unit. Dr. T attempted this procedure, but my husband went into cardiac arrest in the OR. They were able to revive him, but as a result, Dr. T could not explore the area as was needed or able to remove the amount of fluid he had hoped for. He was brought back to SICU with hopes of attempting his again days later.
I arrived at about 9:30 am which was my normal time. I went into his room and I knew he was not good. Several drips of medication were hanging for him, the vent was doing a lot of his breathing, blood pressure and oxygen would not come up, but his temperature was rising. I knew that was an infection. I was in shock and could only cry. I had no idea when he came in with a fall that he would not be coming home with me. After 54 years together I could not imagine my life without him.
As I sat in shock, his nurse Sam was absolutely amazing. She never slowed down either trying to make him comfortable, checking his vitals, verifying his meds, adding meds, watching the screens and monitors. Her dedicated compassion and try and do everything humanly possible to try to save him was certainly obvious and an example many nurses could learn from. Sam never gave up, but he was just too weak to fight all of the odds against him.
My husband passed away quietly and in no pain about 4:30 that afternoon. We were given our privacy for as much time as we wanted. Sam was so kind, gentle, and compassionate to me. I remember every detail of that dreadful day and I have the EKG tape of his last heartbeat in the little corked bottle that she gave me.
The doctors that worked on him and stood by me, I would like to give my deepest gratitude and thanks. They were there with me all the way, explaining things in terms I could understand and decisions that I had to make. They are an outstanding group of men and women that are in the right career based on my experience and their compassion not only for the patient but for the family.