Respiratory Therapy 101: Just Keep Breathing

A few moments from last week that stuck with me. Sometimes a snapshot in time just sticks with you, and for me the best way to get it out is by sharing the joy with others.

The first snapshot is a moment in time involving the trache-needing catatonic guy that I had in the unit. He was (is?) on heavy duty precautions because of his sepsis, and I was standing in the doorway of the room downing my protective gear when I saw his wife standing near the head of the bed. She was a short lady and he was in a big bed, so when she stood she was at his ear level. I watched her for a moment as she stroked his thin hair and whispered in his ears, talking endlessly to him about nothing at all and desperately trying not to think too much about the moment that she was in. Throughout it all the patient’s eyes stared off at nothing at all, his brain a puddle of mush beneath his skull. Denial is the saddest phase.

The second snapshot was a long moment as I was walking by a room. I did not have the patient in question, but looking into the room I could see a middle-aged man supine on the bed, ET tube and chest tubes stuck into his body. A woman of about his age was draped across his body, arms thrown awkwardly across him in a loving embrace. I watched for a moment as she held him and sobbed silently into his bedsheets, and then I turned away, unsure of what to do. Part of me wanted to comfort her, and part of me…wanted nothing to do with it.

Just a couple of moments. Had to share before bed. Hope y’all have a lovely day.