A nurse's story

[firstmickey]

found this diary (complete with pictures) on one of my nursing boards......


written by a nurse working before/during and after the hurricane.

It's incredible.



A nurse's story



(if you click the "NEXT" at the top (in the purple part) you get to the next entry.

 

[MScott1851]

That woman is my personal hero!!!!

I'm going to send this to everyone I work with, so the next time they're *****ing about having 25 people in the waiting room and we're out of half and half for their coffee, I can scream, "You could be in this situation!!"

 

[firstmickey]

I know. Im printing it now to take to work with me!

 

[Free4Life11]

Thanks for the link. Great read.

Edited: Wow this is an amazing story! I might send it to my mom who is a nurse.

 

[firstmickey]

there aren't any oxygen hookups in the hallways and oxygen tanks only last so long. plus...how many beds do you think would fit in a hallway? These were pretty sick patients...on dialysis, etc. They couldnt just lay them in the hall.

 

[Free4Life11]

Ok I don't know much about it, but they did end up moving them I just hadn't read much of the story.

 

[catherine]

I've just been reading in one of out Nursing Journals here in the UK, that nurses caught up in the hurricane will get financial help from the American Nurses Foundation, which has established a fund for 'nurses to take care of their own'. It will also provide assistance for nurses who have opened their homes to homeless and evacuated families. So if you know any nurses that were involved in this tragedy that don't know about this assistance please let them know.

 

[wvrevy]

Thank you SOOO much for posting that link ! Truly an amazing story, and an amazing bunch of people at that hospital !

 

[laurie31]

there aren't any oxygen hookups in the hallways and oxygen tanks only last so long. plus...how many beds do you think would fit in a hallway? These were pretty sick patients...on dialysis, etc. They couldnt just lay them in the hall.

We move patients into the hall every time there's a tornado warning. Most patients are not on oxygen and for those who are, we put extension tubing on, so it will reach out in the hall from their room. It's a big undertaking and what's really bad is when there is bad weather and we have 2 or 3 tornado warnings during the shift...so you move the patients out, then you move them back, then you move then out again, it's like the hokey pokey...only a lot more work. Nothing compared to what they did in NOLA of course.

Anyway, it's not at all unbelievable that they moved all the patients into the halls. I can't imagine working in those conditions. It's amazing that they were able to save as many patients as they did. I hope she finds a new job and gets her life back together. How sad that she will likely not ever be with her co-workers any more.

Laurie

 

[PRINCESS VIJA]

wow, that was truly amazing.

 

[Disney-Kim]

I read all her posts thru Sept 11th and there weren't anymore (I got an error). how unbelievably sad.

 

[Virgo10]

Thanks for posting that link. I just sent it to a bunch of people.

I was going to add a comment or two but actually I'm speechless thinking about what she and her coworkers went through during that storm and the days that followed.

 

[Robinrs]

Simply unbelievable.... I was rivetted! Thanks for the link.

 

[luvthatduke]

I'm speechless.

 

[minkydog]

If you go to livejournal.com and do a search for auryn24, you'll get the rest of her story... This woman is amazing. She makes me proud to call myself a nurse.

 

[SueM in MN]

We move patients into the hall every time there's a tornado warning. Most patients are not on oxygen and for those who are, we put extension tubing on, so it will reach out in the hall from their room. It's a big undertaking and what's really bad is when there is bad weather and we have 2 or 3 tornado warnings during the shift...so you move the patients out, then you move them back, then you move then out again, it's like the hokey pokey...only a lot more work. Nothing compared to what they did in NOLA of course.

Anyway, it's not at all unbelievable that they moved all the patients into the halls. I can't imagine working in those conditions. It's amazing that they were able to save as many patients as they did. I hope she finds a new job and gets her life back together. How sad that she will likely not ever be with her co-workers any more.

Laurie

Here too.
We have a whole floor of respiratory patients - one 16 bed unit with mostly patients on vents and a 20 bed unit with some on vents and some on oxygen or trach weaning. (Vents are ventilators, machines that breath for the patient. There are portable ones that are battery powered and smaller and there are non-portable machines that are larger and are not meant to go out of the patient's room).
For tornado or sever storm warnings, as many as possible are taken out in the hallways. We don't have oxygen hookups in the hallways, but do have some emergency power outlets in the hall (and tubing can go pretty far).
Most of the patients go out in the hall right in their beds.
We've got lots of portable liquid oxygen tanks and a couple of huge tanks to refill from.
For those patients who can't get out of their rooms; the shades, window curtain and bed privacy curtain are pulled. It would at least slow down some small debris.

 

[Rozzie]

I was questioning my reasons for being a nurse. This Lady has stirred in me my old desire. Thanks for the Link. I don't think I will complain about getting out of report late anymore.

During Ivan, we also had to "redbag" it and nursed in shorts with no AC. But we had water, and food. And never felt our lives were in danger by visitors. I cannot even imagine the fear the staff had. I will be thinking and praying for this nurse for a long time.

 

[DawnCt1]

My SIL is a nurse serving in Mississipppi for DMAT (yup, FEMA) She has been deployed since the day before the hurricane made land. She was due home tomorrow but will be there for another eleven days.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Good God, what a nightmare! It's understandable but sad she's having so many problems now with all the good she and the other staff did during the week after Katrina. I wouldn't be surprised if they all suffer from PTSD.

Thanks for sharing the story, I may also print it and post it in our break room as well.