Bee~ Journal of then...

[Beekissed]

OT but...

Every time DD see's your avatart Bee she wants to know why the cow is licking me!! And she thinks it is so cute!

yeah, I catch a lot of flack for ol' Bessie's affectionate nature...but kids sure seem to like it!

 

[tfpets]

WOW! I don't feel like I deserve such an accolade, but thank you very much! I guess I never really thought it as being anything extraordinary...just my job, you know, but I guess it may have more far-reaching ramifications to the public.

You all sure know how to make a gal feel better!

I think your job is extraordinary - I lost both my mother and my brother to Lung Cancer - (my oldest son now suffers from Chronic lung issues that in the future will lead to serious complications) they both used Hospice services - for certain reasons (animousity with my sister in law included) I wasnt able to be by my brothers side in his last days. Knowing Hospice was there at times, and not just that woman, well, it matters, deeply to me. Thats what I mean about personal issues and agendas. Your personal care of the patients, each and every one, has meaning. Every single one matters. Thank you.
Yeah, the public appreciates you! You may not have cared for my mom or my brother directly, but you care for people like them, dont you? So again, Thank You! I'm sorry if you have to work on the Holiday, I still wish you a Merry Christmas!
Tina/tfpets

 

[Beekissed]

Thank you, Tina....you've done my heart good for the holidays!

 

[MorelCabin]

Bee, nurses are extra special people...not everyone is blesses with the ability to do that job...I know I sure couldn't! I have so much respect for thse who are so giving to the sick...and who have the stength to just keep giving of themselves heartbreak after heartbreak. Truly every nurse is an angel in disguise:>)

 

[Beekissed]

Well...some, that's for sure! The local nurses call us hospice ladies the "Angels of Death"....a little snide reference to the use of morphine in our type of nursing. :/

 

[MorelCabin]

I did alot of volunteering in nursing homes in my younger years...oh I still remember some of them, they just stick in your memory...Bubba, such a sweet king woman...she used to call me Bella:>)
I couldn't deal with the death and dying, but I so appreciate those that do thier best to make thier last months comfortable.
Yes I have heard alot of references to morphine in recent years, and how it is often used to quicken the death of elderly dying patients. There was a big 'war' about it here for a while. The rightness/wrongness of it. Who knows...but I think it is even more sinful to keep someone on life support just because the living aren't ready to let go of the loved one in question.
You, my dear, are wonderful to be able to deal with that all day and have the cheery nature that you have:>) Your patients must love you!

 

[Beekissed]

I have found, in the course of this job, that the morphine~in the doses we administer~ does not quicken the death. I have prayed, at times, that it would do that very thing, for it is hard to watch the body struggle to escape this mortal coil.

Its rather like watching someone being born...in reverse. I wish the morphine had the power to help the process along and ease the struggle...sometimes it seems to calm them down and help, but most of the time I feel very helpless to assist the people in one of the biggest transitions of their lives.

Funny that you should mention the cheery attitude...you would think it would be the opposite, but the people seem to appreciate the cheerfulness. Maybe they deal with a lot of people with sad faces in the end and I am a distraction from dealing with the inevitable...but they seem to like it. This does not endear me to the doom and gloom twins(my co-workers) very much. Oh, well! Can't stop being me, can I??

 

[dacjohns]

The hospice nurses that helped us care for mother-in-law were wonderful. They took such a heavy burden off of us with their support, explanations, and understanding. Thank you on behalf of someone else.

 

[Beekissed]

Now I don't know what to say! The Curmudgeon was sweet! Thank you, all, for lifting my sagging spirits for the holidays!

I wish I could return the favor in some great way....for now, I will say I hope your holidays are the warmest and brightest ever!

 

[dacjohns]

I am quite often sweet. I serenade people and say nice things all the time.

Do you think it is fun correcting spelling and grammar all the time.

I really do admire anyone involved in hospice and its related work. My cousin sat with a neighbor who was terminally ill. My daughter and son-in-law do similar work and he now plans to go into nursing.

You can return the favor by doing what you are doing. Comforting people in the last days of their lives.