Last Days

The previous poem (down the page) I herald that I only have 5 shifts of scheduled work left.
Well today was that 5th shift (before the end) and it was a doozy!

Last Days

On my 5th day before the end
Listen to what went down,
A couple post-op sedation patients
Crumped in Recovery town,
They arrived, and went south quickly
At the moment of delivery, not later,
Therefore, I can't be blamed
All focus on the operator.

First it was the aging Ivan
At 91 years, he got a pacer,
Severly hypotensive and then he stopped breathing
We moved fast to avoid the eraser,
Called Code Blue, which brought a huge crowd
The room was a mess when it finally ended,
We saved Ivan, like the pro's that we are
Off to ICU he went, categorically ascended.

It was time to take a breather
Sweep the floors, assemble papers,
Visit the other patients
And replenish my vapors,
Until I got another report
To expect Betty Lou,
Another simple sedation
Hardly anything to do.

Round two disaster
How could I possibly know,
Betty arrived gasping for air
This time, a Rapid Response show,
With stat breathing treatments
And assisted ventilation,
Betty Lou, she turned blue
After AV Node ablation.

Two patients in a row
Surviving Code Blue,
The first with a cardiac tamponade
Then pulmonary edema, for number two,
We all responded quickly
In a fairly organized fashion,
Yes, humankindness was right there
With a spoonful of compassion.