Loss, greaving and removal

There's been a lot of all these things going on lately in my life. Last week seemed like funeral central between the funerals, wakes, and news of people we know (or know their families) dying.

On the removal topic, my one patient of the day Friday got his halo removed. It was not a painless procedure, either. I had to go with him to Washington to see the neurologist. It involved unscrewing some pretty deeply seated screws and my (and his family's) attempts at diversion weren't always the best. I premedicated him for the trip, but by the time we got to the removal, he could have used another PRN dose of morphine.

We found out from the neurologist that the halo and its rods were actually made from carbon fiber. The patient's family took one of the rods (and one screw--the clean one) home as a souvenir. He didn't want anything else--just to get rid of it. As a replacement, he got a Miami J collar and he has to get used to that. I washed his hair once we got back, cleaned the pin sites and he ate some lunch. He can shower on Monday, which he's really looking forward to doing. On a related note, I found this great post from a woman who described her own halo removal happiness in an ABC format. I'm thinking about passing it along to him.

The actual procedure and x-rays didn't take very long, but the whole trip to Washington and back surely did. I was happy to get back at about 1300, so I could finally sit down. I charted and straightened up his room, and before I knew it, it was time to go home.

I'm off this weekend, so more goodies next week. Stay tuned.