Psalms 61;2b

When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I

Friday, September 19, 2008

My first CPR episode.

First, let me say, it definitely was an experience! I had heard people talk of what happens in CPR, heck, I even am a CPR instructor. I teach the class...and, I have seen it done in the ER with a healthy man on a stiff ER table....but nothing had prepared me for the experience I had last evening. Pressing on the chest of an old, debilitated body was nothing like compressing on the "Annie" dummy. So, here's the story..
I am at work, I hear someone yell, "Call it, Call the code" When I noted that it was my patient, I took off to the room...Another nurse had beat me there, and she immediately started CPR. As I stood and attempted to ask the resident if he was okay, I hear his ribs cracking....I expected that, but really didn't expect to "hear" them. She compressed about 4 times, and stepped away to reach the ambu bag...I start in compressing... I totally expected the bones to be already broken and no more to break...Unfortunately, I was wrong...Each time I compressed, I felt the bones crack and break, numerous times underneath the pressure. It was literally like I was crushing the person's bones into a million pieces!!!! I know, this is harsh, but after about 4 compressions, the other nurse was back and said, Sherry, do you want me to relieve you? I say, "yes, please...I have never done this before..!" I didn't have time to think of the feelings I was having, as I continued the ambu bag, and other things waiting on the EMS. When they arrived, they hooked him up to the defibrillator...I thought, oh my gosh, am I gonna be able to watch this?? Am I gonna be able to watch as his body comes off the bed???? When they say all clear, I am thinking, okay, do I look or turn away?? What do I do??? Fortunatly, they had some sort of rhythmn so I didn't have to see that... But I will tell you a funny part...they asked for a suction machine... so I ran out the door to get them one from our crash cart...came back in, wasn't in the room for no more than 1 minute and they asked for a different tip for the suction...so, I ran back out to get it, was looking up the hallway, grabbed for the drawer to pull it open, and already had my body in a backward motion when I realized that the cart had been moved... so down I went, right on my butt in the middle of the hallway....It was totally hilarious!!!

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