Miracles happen
I have seen miracles happen at work, some so special and sacred to me that I rarely share them but think of them often. This week I saw a miracle occur in the life of one of my patients. The patient who's story I shared a few weeks back when I was bedbathing her has had a miracle in her life that I have to tell you about.
She is battling two kinds of cancer currently, and was on her way home from chemo when she got in a car accident that had her bedridden and barely able to speak two words together. She touched a special place in my heart, because she is staying in the same room that was previously occupied by another cancer patient who recently passed away who I loved dearly, so it is hard for me to watch this patient deteriorate in a similar way.
One night as I was taking care of her and was emptying her catheter I saw that the tubing was red. Not only was it red with blood, but there were blood clots about a foot long, about five of them in it. I panicked. I went quickly for the nurse, who then summoned the other nurse, and they decided they would be calling the doctor stat and possibly shipping her to the emergency room. As an aide a helpless feeling is common when you are about to ship someone to the hospital because there is not much you can do besides stand beside the bed and hold their hand, keeping them calm while the nurses quickly assess and EMTs and paramedics swarm the room.
After a phone call to the doctor and some instruction on what to do, we got her comfortable and I had to leave, as my shift was ending. I wasn't going to be working for three days afterwards, and braced myself that she would probably have passed away by the time I got back. Distancing yourself once the diagnosis isn't something I do unless I won't be seeing them right before they go. I went home, cried a little, and was ready for the news. I got back to work a few days later and saw that not only was she improving, but she was no longer bedridden, sitting up in her wheelchair, and telling stories and even joking occasionally!
I was so happy to see her new quality of life, I spent several minutes talking with her family and sharing in their joy in her improvement. It won't last forever, and she will decline again at some point, but what a miracle to witness. It reminded me that there is a Heavenly Father who is aware of our needs, whether it's for the patient, her family, or even her insignificant little aide who needed to see a miracle that day.
She is battling two kinds of cancer currently, and was on her way home from chemo when she got in a car accident that had her bedridden and barely able to speak two words together. She touched a special place in my heart, because she is staying in the same room that was previously occupied by another cancer patient who recently passed away who I loved dearly, so it is hard for me to watch this patient deteriorate in a similar way.
One night as I was taking care of her and was emptying her catheter I saw that the tubing was red. Not only was it red with blood, but there were blood clots about a foot long, about five of them in it. I panicked. I went quickly for the nurse, who then summoned the other nurse, and they decided they would be calling the doctor stat and possibly shipping her to the emergency room. As an aide a helpless feeling is common when you are about to ship someone to the hospital because there is not much you can do besides stand beside the bed and hold their hand, keeping them calm while the nurses quickly assess and EMTs and paramedics swarm the room.
After a phone call to the doctor and some instruction on what to do, we got her comfortable and I had to leave, as my shift was ending. I wasn't going to be working for three days afterwards, and braced myself that she would probably have passed away by the time I got back. Distancing yourself once the diagnosis isn't something I do unless I won't be seeing them right before they go. I went home, cried a little, and was ready for the news. I got back to work a few days later and saw that not only was she improving, but she was no longer bedridden, sitting up in her wheelchair, and telling stories and even joking occasionally!
I was so happy to see her new quality of life, I spent several minutes talking with her family and sharing in their joy in her improvement. It won't last forever, and she will decline again at some point, but what a miracle to witness. It reminded me that there is a Heavenly Father who is aware of our needs, whether it's for the patient, her family, or even her insignificant little aide who needed to see a miracle that day.
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