Cheyne Stokes
- by Ironmountain01, Feb 22, 2014, 8:57:18 PM
- Literature / Prose / Non-Fiction / Biography & Memoir / Stories & Vignettes
Cheyne Stokes
That was how it started at least. I was sitting in the chair next to his bed and all of a sudden (sudden? how could he have just... slipped?) he was in cheyne stokes.
I dropped the head of his bed down, checked his pulse (Tony! Where was Tony? This was supposed to be Telemetry!) and began...
One and two and three and ...
(Where is everyone? I shouldn't be here!)
Four and five and six and...
(Where is the cart?)
Seven and eight and -
Tony came falling through the door, took one look, called Code and went for the ambu-bag - which wasn't there.
Nine and ten and eleven and -
And Tony just began to breathe for the man lying there - no equipment, no protection, just mouth on mouth - basic, no bells & whistles, just life.
I felt the old man's ribs crack, saw him bounce on the hard mattress with each thrust of my palms, saw the sweat bead on Tony's forehead but none of that mattered - nothing mattered except keeping the blood flowing through the old man's heart and brain.
The team finally arrived (with the cart) and the doctor asked for the old man's history. He looked at each of his nurses expectantly and then settled on me, sweating in my light blue scrubs. (I really shouldn't be here.)
"Can you contribute anything or are you just going to stand there doing compressions?"
"This man is a Psychiatrist from Corpus Christi (two and three and), up for his 21st wedding anniversary(six and seven). He has a partial bowel obstruction (nine and) which is his chief complaint(eleven and twelve and). He's been on chemotherapy (fifteen) for the last 14 years as well as (two and three and) radiation therapy for throat cancer, lung cancer, (seven and) skin cancer, prostate cancer, bladder cancer stomach cancer and colon cancer(ten and eleven and). He has a clipped seventh cervical nerve. His admission was yesterday (one and)." Everyone stared at me as I kept doing compressions while I rattled out the old man's impressive but unfortunate history. WHY was I still there?
Finally someone tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I needed relief and I jumped! It was my chance to step back from the old man lying on that bed. I nodded, counted off, and began to quietly slip from the room.
I was almost to the doctor when he looked at me and said "Well, this man's fucked, just put on a good show for the family." It was the hardest thing to look him in the eye, then past him as I left the room.
"That was his daughter" the nurse said as I finally left the room.
That was how it started at least. I was sitting in the chair next to his bed and all of a sudden (sudden? how could he have just... slipped?) he was in cheyne stokes.
I dropped the head of his bed down, checked his pulse (Tony! Where was Tony? This was supposed to be Telemetry!) and began...
One and two and three and ...
(Where is everyone? I shouldn't be here!)
Four and five and six and...
(Where is the cart?)
Seven and eight and -
Tony came falling through the door, took one look, called Code and went for the ambu-bag - which wasn't there.
Nine and ten and eleven and -
And Tony just began to breathe for the man lying there - no equipment, no protection, just mouth on mouth - basic, no bells & whistles, just life.
I felt the old man's ribs crack, saw him bounce on the hard mattress with each thrust of my palms, saw the sweat bead on Tony's forehead but none of that mattered - nothing mattered except keeping the blood flowing through the old man's heart and brain.
The team finally arrived (with the cart) and the doctor asked for the old man's history. He looked at each of his nurses expectantly and then settled on me, sweating in my light blue scrubs. (I really shouldn't be here.)
"Can you contribute anything or are you just going to stand there doing compressions?"
"This man is a Psychiatrist from Corpus Christi (two and three and), up for his 21st wedding anniversary(six and seven). He has a partial bowel obstruction (nine and) which is his chief complaint(eleven and twelve and). He's been on chemotherapy (fifteen) for the last 14 years as well as (two and three and) radiation therapy for throat cancer, lung cancer, (seven and) skin cancer, prostate cancer, bladder cancer stomach cancer and colon cancer(ten and eleven and). He has a clipped seventh cervical nerve. His admission was yesterday (one and)." Everyone stared at me as I kept doing compressions while I rattled out the old man's impressive but unfortunate history. WHY was I still there?
Finally someone tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I needed relief and I jumped! It was my chance to step back from the old man lying on that bed. I nodded, counted off, and began to quietly slip from the room.
I was almost to the doctor when he looked at me and said "Well, this man's fucked, just put on a good show for the family." It was the hardest thing to look him in the eye, then past him as I left the room.
"That was his daughter" the nurse said as I finally left the room.
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