I recently finished a stint in the Intensive Care Unit and boy was it an experience.. If you don't know much about the ICU, it's the part of the hospital where the sickest of the sickest patients are, or patients who need close monitoring. Residents like to sometimes call it " the dungeon"; once you go in in the morning to work, you don't leave until the end of your shift. The hours are long, the cases can be quiet complex, and the emotions run high. I started the ICU with the expectation that I would be run ragged- and I left 10 pounds lighter and with a breath of knowledge. Here's what I learned:
Dr. William Mosenthal (head of the bed on right) created the first ICU in the USA
1. You Can't Save Everyone
Death is inevitable for all of us and the patients in the ICU are no exception. When I began I would get very emotional when we lot a patient especially if they were very young or had small children. Then a much wiser senior sat me down and explained that sometimes there is a point where
the human body is so sick that no matter what we do, we can't save a person from the natural cycle of life and death. At times death is even welcomed, especially if the individual has been suffering for quite some time.
2. Crack is Wack
Somebody lied to me when they said America had won the war against drugs. The number of patients coming in with cocaine or other inhalants in their lungs (chemical pneumonitis), heart attacks from cocaine use, or overdosing on heroine is alarming . I find myself asking "did these people not watch the after school specials on drugs?!" Local and state wide governments need to increase their efforts to combat the alarming drug issue in this country.
3. The Will to Live is Amazing
To see people on the brink of death walk out of the hospital is a testimony to the resilience and strength of the human body. I remember times where I would wonder if certain patients would be alive when I came to work the next day and lo and behold I would walk in and they would be wide awake and responding.
4. Breathing is a Gift
When you can wake up and not have a machine breathing for you, you are blessed. I never realized how much we take for granted taking in breaths on our own until I entered the ICU and had to deal with ventilator machines. And from what I hear, having that tube down your throat is no fun. So go ahead, take a deep breath!
5. I'm Alot Stronger Than I Thought
I initially dreaded the ICU for the long hours I would have to work and the non stop action I would be facing. When I look back, I don't know HOW I worked 14 hours daily with sometimes only 2 bathroom breaks and 20 minutes to eat lunch. It truly is only the grace of God that got me through and will get me through the next time I'm in The Unit.
Stay tuned for more posts and the Ohemaa's MD recap of Intern Year of residency!
