What being a nurse is really like…

 I’ve had a few repeat offenders since starting bedside hospital nursing, but there’s one who might be my strangest patient ever. They came in with a wound covered in maggots. Seriously the craziest thing I’ve seen during my 10 year nursing career. They refused an amputation, against the doctor’s advice. They get discharged. Three weeks later, I get them back with sepsis. They refused their meds. Refuse to eat. Refuse to drink. And refuse to wear clothes. Their family starts coming out of the woodwork. I’m talking people that haven’t seen this person in 5-10 years. The family causes a scene in the hospital for days. Refuse to make the patient a DNR even though there’s no coming back from their current state. Finally the family gives in, takes away the option for CPR, and the person dies at shift change- 0700. The family spends the next FIVE HOURS crying over the cold dead body. I’ve never been hugged by so many toothless people who smell like cigarettes. At this point, rigor mortis has really started setting in. The family leaves and I get tasked with helping tend to the ice cold, stiff body. Along with 3 women who don’t know anything about me. First time working with these coworkers.  We have to get the body into a body bag to take it to the morgue. It’s a rough task but I was finally able to zip up the bag. The. I proceeded to break the zipper off the bag. Finally get the body downstairs to the fridge where I stumbled upon a box of amputated limbs. If you know me, you know I laughed through all of this. My new coworkers think I’m weird and heartless. Can’t wait to go back tomorrow.