A Comedy of Errors; Funny but Not

It's time for a hospital story. You may remember this one from a few years ago.

c 1986 (The old days) "There's something wrong with Aunt Gertie!" A distressed couple ran to the nurses' station directly across from Aunt Gertie's room.  The unit was a general medical-surgical unit, and the day was a typical "IV's, medicine, bedpans, dressing changes, no time for the nurses to pee" kind of day.  Aunt Gertie was not my patient, but now we were all on alert.

An experienced RN scurried into the room, only to rush right back out, calling to the staff,
"Call the code!"  She ran for the crash cart.

Ehhhhh! This is NOT procedure!  She should have called the code from the room and started CPR!  I rushed into Aunt Gertie's room.  The woman in the bed closest to the door was reclining with the head of her bed at about a 45 degree angle. Her mouth was slightly open, eyes staring and unseeing, and her color ashen. I began to lower the head of her bed as I grabbed her wrist to check her pulse. Surprisingly, her skin was warm, and her pulse was strong.  "Are you OK?" I asked.

The woman responded, "I'm fine, but I think my roommate is having problems. I'm blind though, so I can't see what's happening." 
Yikes! Laugh or Cry?! I quickly moved to the bed on the other side of the curtain and began caring for Aunt Gertie.

Even though I haven't worked as an RN for many years, I still have the occasional stress dream of something going wrong on the nursing unit, but this event was no somnolent nightmare but like coca-cola, the real thing!

I never confronted the first responder in this situation as she was my boss, but I've sometimes wondered if it was fear or shock that caused her to act outside of the protocol.

The text for Brother Mick's message is John 5:1-13 where Jesus asks the sick man at the poolside if he wants to be healed. Mick will explore with us the man's response. "When confronted by what we might do or could do or perhaps even should do, we fall quickly back to a position of defensiveness on why we can't. How much of our spiritual growth or discipleship practices are hindered by our own actions or attitudes?"

Some of you college students have finished for the year while others of you are pushing toward the finish line. Either way, I'm praying for you and look forward to catching up with you soon. I plan to join you in the Upper Room. :)

The hummingbirds are here, and I heard an oriole this morning. YAY! Is anyone interested in enjoying a cup of coffee with me on my deck as the hummingbirds zip past our heads like light sabers?

A prayer for today: 
Creator God, be gracious to us and bless us and make your face shine upon us. May your ways be known on earth; your salvation among all nations.  Grant us courage to bear witness of your incredible grace and love to all the ends of the earth. Grant clarity and discipline to our friends still studying and taking exams. Grant healing and hope to those of us who are ill and lonely. Provide new understandings of you as we experience different cultures and locations.  Come Kingdom of God. Be done will of God. Here, on earth, as it is in heaven. In Jesus name. Amen. 

Without question or doubt, you are LOVED by GOD, and I love you too! 

Need to talk?  Contact me! 

Love and Light, 

Carol

http://www.ridgeviewmennonite.net/

"Always remember who you are, whose you are, where you are going, and what you believe, because it does make a difference! Oh, and don't forget to attend a church of your choice this weekend." jd