Taking A Glimpse at the Portrait of a Life

"I never knew a man could fall so far
'til I landed here....

Come to me, Hannah,
Hannah, won't you come home to me
And I'll lay down this bottle of wine,
If you'll just be kind to me....

I'd walk one mile on this broken glass
to fall down at your feet..."

--lyrics from the song,"Hannah," by Ray LaMontagne--

Last night at work, I took care of a patient named Mr. Lewis.*

Mr. Lewis has been a heavy alcohol user for most of his life. He came to us after being in an motor vehicle accident. Upon initial hospitalization, doctors and nurses treated his withdrawals from the alcohol, which, he informed me, "was like going through hell." Now he's sober, with some broken vertebrae, and coping with real life.

His wife came by our hospital to serve him divorce papers yesterday. By the time I came on shift, nobody was home behind the beautiful blue eyes that covered his face. He was absent, lost somewhere in regret and shock.

He told me about the divorce papers, after I let him know I'd be his nurse for the evening and spent a few minutes talking with him. He looked everywhere but into my eyes, as he talked about those papers and how he'd been married to his wife for over twenty years.

I asked him if he needed anything on my way out his room, and he said, "Unless you can buy me back my life, I guess not."

Time is a thief. It doesn't give back what it takes. The years roll by and they take our lives right along with them.

You can sell your soul to the devil, but he takes what you give him and doesn't look back.

------

Ms. Rivers* was my other patient last night in room 308B. She is 90 years old and has several tubes and lines attached to her presently, as she sits in a hospital room in her wheelchair.

"I wish they'd take this tube outta me," she said. "It's ridiculous. I'm 90. I thought I'd die here last week, and I just want to enjoy what I've got left."

She smiled at me and then took me by the hand and told me to enjoy my youthful beauty and soak up life for all it is worth.

"It goes by too fast," she said. "Slow at the same time, but at the end of all things, you realize, it went by entirely too fast---and you only get one shot. Make it count," she said, as she looked into my eyes and smiled.

That smile told me a million stories about the life Ms. Rivers has lived. It didn't house regret- it housed fullness, like she had a secret of something sly and wonderful hidden behind her wrinkled, cherry red lips; her smile resembled something like a wink of the eye.

I often say being a nurse is like walking into wisdom's classroom each night I go to work.

Last night was no different :)

Discover That Ye May Burst! :)

I've been a bit of a slacker around these parts of late :)

What can I say- life is busy these days- as Bethany Dillon wrote in one of her songs, "I'm a dealer in my time."

Wanted to leave you with a Word for the weekend:

"Dear friends, listen well to my words; tune your ears to my voice.  Keep my message in plain view at all times.  Concentrate!  Learn it by heart!  Those who discover these words live, really live; body and soul, they're bursting with health." 

Proverbs 4:20, The Message

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Strawberry Salad

This Strawberry Salad sounds delightful :)

It's light and sweet- always a winning combination.

I saw it on Bethany Dillon's blog, so simply click HERE to enjoy a healthy, light, warm weather meal.

Hope you enjoy!

Ms. O'Malley

Ms. O'Malley* was my patient last night in room 303.

Ms. O'Malley is a very frail, pint-sized little lady.  She is so small, we have to use a pediatric blood pressure cuff to fit her little arms.  Disease and illness have shrunk her body to it's bear frame.  Her face seems hard, as her cheekbones protrude through.  But there was something about Ms. O'Malley that drew me into her presence as a nurse.  I found myself wanting to linger a little longer at her bedside.  She was spunky, polite, and resolute about her hip pain, not demanding or needy.  She always met me with a smile and a humble "thank you" each time I was in her room. 

I went by her room every hour or so to check on her and found her watching "Turner Movie Classics" on television.  Last night was the kind of night at work that entailed never sitting down- until after I'd given report to the nurse coming on after me.  My patients were a busy group, constantly needing pain meds, help to the bathroom, another blanket, etc. 

So whenever I'd head into Ms. O'Malley's room to check on her and she was fine, I took the opportunity to sit in the chair beside her bed for a few minutes to rest my legs and visit with her. 

At one point she was watching a bio on Henry Fonda, so I sat down and watched images of Mr. Fonda flash by on the screen.  We watched Henry dance with his leading ladies, and Ms. O'Malley spoke of how handsome he was and what a classy guy she always thought he was.

Later in the evening, she was watching snippets from "On Golden Pond." 

"Have you seen this movie?"  she asked me.

"I haven't," I responded.

She looked at me long and hard, shook her head then, and made me promise I'd go out and rent it this weekend.

It's on my "to do" list :)

Ms. O'Malley was a breath of fresh air to my evening last night.  The last time I went to check on her, as I rose out of my chair at her bedside and told her good night, she said, "Thank you for taking care of me tonight in such a loving way.  I enjoyed you and hope you have a safe drive home."

Truth is, I simply sat beside Ms. O'Malley and "chewed the fat" with her, as they say here in Texas :)  I enjoyed her immensely, and she provided welcome relief to me that night in the midst of all the busyness and running around.

Ms. O'Malley reminded me of something last night in my work as a nurse: she reminded me of the importance of presence.

The precious gift of simply being present with one another in this busy world, is a very valuable thing :)

(*name has been changed to protect confidentiality)

Smoothie Recipes

Here are a few of my favorite Smoothie recipes, involving the use of protein powder.  I try to have one protein drink a day, as I am a big believer in it's energy, strength, and immunity-building benefits.  I use Spirotein protein powder, but there are many other kinds.  I like Spirotein because they make so many different flavors.

I call this one, the "Chunky Monkey" smoothie:

-1/4 glass full of ice
-1/2 glass full of milk
-a few scoops of peanut butter
-a scoop of chocolate protein powder
-a banana sliced up

Blend all ingredients together and Enjoy!

This one is my "Granola Goodness" one:

-1/4 glass of frozen strawberries
-a banana sliced up
-a few scoops of peanut butter
-1/2 glass full of milk
(sometimes I'll throw in a little strawberry yogurt, too)

Blend all ingredients and top with granola (this can be any kind- I use my granola cereal alot).

**If you want to be super-healthy, use organic peanut butter and soy/almond milk.  I have to confess I'm a regular milk-drinking gal, so I actually haven't tried soy milk in these to see how that would taste.  I simply don't like the taste of soy milk and can't bring myself to drink it.  These recipes are using skim milk.

My secret smoothie-making weapon is one very important item:

The Magic Bullet.

Some of you may have seen these on television.  I did, too, and was skeptical.  Then one of my roommates owned one, I tried it, and have decided it's the best thing since sliced bread.  I make protein shakes, smoothies, and even chop veggies in it from time to time.  Bed, Bath, and Beyond carries them, and I only mention that store because they put coupons in your mail so often, you can get one for 20% off if you have one of their coupons.  I'm a huge fan of the Bullet and would recommend it if you are a regular smoothie/protein shake drinker.

The reason I love it is because you put all your ingredients in the Magic Bullet cup, blend it with the cup, screw the top off, and go.  You only have one small part to wash after the blending, which makes preparation and clean-up a whiz.  I am on-the-go often, so if I'm going to be making smoothies, I need them to be easy to make.  And the Magic Bullet makes it oh-so-easy.

Enjoy the beautiful spring day, everyone!

The Bible: It Will Pump. You Up.

"A sound mind makes for a robust body, but runaway emotions corrode the bones."  Proverbs 14:30

The Bible tells us to be "transformed by the renewing of our mind"- we do this by the reading of God's Word. 

Want another tool to help you have a "robust body?"  Another way to prevent bone erosion and runaway emotions?

Spend time in God's Word today.  It really is the best medicine for what ails you :)

10 Ways to Avoid the Emergency Room

Over the holidays, The Post in Tennessee ran an article one day entitled, "Top 10 ways to avoid emergency room visits."

As a nurse, I believe prevention is key, so I was excited to read the article.

After reading I thought I would share the article's tips with you.  Dr. Kevin Beier, the chairman of emergency medicine at Middle Tennessee Medical Clinic, shared these tips:

1. Use appropriate protective equipment with tools and use tools only for indicated and directed use.  (You can bet if this is the good doctor's numero uno tip, there's a reason.  You would not believe the things that come though an E.R. every day).  Dr. Beier said, "Especially important is use of eye protection with power equipment, hammering, and lawn equipment."  Aye, Aye, Cap'n- we only get one set of eyes in this life!

2.  Use seat belts while driving and especially with heavy equipment operation, such as bulldozers and tractors.  Yes!  The nurse agrees!  I've seen too many people banged up and with head injuries to not advocate the seat belt.  Put it on!

3.  Ladder and height-related injuries are one of the most common causes of serious limb and life-threatening injuries.  'Nough said.

4.  Use great care with pools and use child-protective equipment and close supervision of children and those with heart and neurological problems with pools to avoid drowning.  (That was a very long run-on-sentence, wasn't it?  Glad to see I'm not the only one who writes those now and again :)

5.  Mandate safety classes with firearm use, and don't take loaded firearms indoors.  Now Texas, I know around here carrying and owning your own handgun is like carrying your wallet every day, but this is critical.  Gun safety is just plain smart.

6.  Consult professionals for home repairs outside of your scope of expertise, especially electrical and roof-related repairs.  Yes, Tim the Toolman Taylor is fictional- remember that- he was the figment of a writer's imagination- don't go tryin' it at home if you aren't skilled. 

7.  Avoid high-risk activities such as 4-wheeler, all-terrain vehicle use, and recognize and avoid potentially catastrophic injuries, such as camping/hiking situations that expose one to bear attacks or hypothermia.  Not that y'all would go pitch a tent next to a bear in sub-zero temperatures, but it's a good reminder :)

8.  Be especially careful and aware of kids while mowing the lawn to avoid projectiles hitting kids or backing over kids.  (I know it is entirely not okay that this one made me laugh, but it did.  Nurses have horrible senses of humor sometimes, forgive me).  But do remove all projectiles and small children from your lawn before proceeding with your lawn-cutting duties, please.  :)

9.  Falling on stairs commonly causes head and extremity injuries.  Many of these can be avoided by holding on to the railing and turning on lights.  Yes!  I can't tell you how many hip and knee replacement patients I have at work on a weekly basis due to a fall on stairs.  Usually these are involving more the elderly population, due to those brittle bones I mentioned a few posts ago, so stay up on taking your vitamins, and turn those lights on!

10.  Don't use waders while duck hunting or fishing in boats.  I have absolutely nothing to say about this one, because I have no idea what waders even are.  I'm assuming they are some item of clothing one wears in outdoor pursuits, so just remember to take them off around the ducks or while on the boat.  Apparently, this is important.

--We often joke at the hospital that the reason silly warnings are placed on things is because someone actually did something warranting the warning.  If these are an E.R. doc's top 10 tips, then he has probably had many patients doing things that warrant these tips.  Therefore, we'd all be wise to take heed!

Happy Monday, everyone!

(--Taken from The Murfreesboro Post, January 3, 2010).