Posts Tagged ‘The Little ICU Book’

The Little ICU Book [Paperback]

Paul L. Marino (Author), Kenneth M. Sutin (Contributor)

Image/text above from: http://www.amazon.com/Little-ICU-Book-Paul-Marino/dp/0781778239/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1300763953&sr=1-5

Thursday, March 24, 2011. Today I am grateful for my daughter, Tanya Meek Nielson RN, who does what I could not do.

She works the long 12-hour overnight shifts in the Neurological ICU (Intensive Care Unit) at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Steady nights. I could do the long hours. I could not do the constant battle with death, and death itself.

Such Neurological ICUs care for the most dramatically ill or injured patients, often victims of sudden severe accidents.

“The Three Things I Learned while working in the ICU,” by Tanya Meek:

(1) My life is not so bad.

I can walk, I can talk, I can think. I can move forward with my life, no matter how bad my personal problems are.

(2) Your life can change in an instant.

One minute you are a bright muscular young man/woman, thrilled with your work and your social life; the next minute you are a bag of fluids that may or may not survive the  night, let alone the week

(3) There are worse things than death.

Often the injury and damage to the patient is so great that, despite the fact everybody is initiating and voting for  medical miracles, and everybody is rooting for you like mad, death may be the greatest triumph.

After all is said and done.

Thank you, Tanya Meek Nielson, for sharing your critical care experience with us!

Doc Meek, Thurs, Mar 24, 2011, Sherwood Park, Alberta, CANADA