Regrets and Regards
I'm starting to find myself in what I would imagine as a far off place. I seem to think through someone else's eyes. I walked past room 320 and Mr. G was on the floor face up with his genitals exposed. He had a large tattoo of a happy face on one inner thigh and a yin-yang on his other inner thigh. He also had numerous tattoos of naked women on his back. He'd gone into a full code and had been down five minutes. All efforts to resuscitate him were exhausted. When the fire department paramedics arrived he had been down too long. They shocked him several times but it resulted in a flat line and a barbecue.
They called time and he was left on the floor for a few hours blocking the door to his room. His roommates were in the room sitting in their wheelchairs staring at the floor drooling. After a few hours his body was moved to the bed, covered with a sheet and the curtain drawn. After several more hours and severe distress on the part of the roommates, the bed containing the body was wheeled out of the room and placed in one of the facility's empty rooms and the door shut.
Approximately eight hours later, the morgue arrived to pick up the body. A change of shift had occurred and the body was nowhere to be found. After a search of the facility the body was discovered, although during preparation for removal, the I.D. tag was missing. The facility was unable to locate the tag, so the morgue worker left. He came back a few hours later when the I.D. tag was found and picked up the body.
Mr. G. was 45 years old.
Mr. G. had AIDS Dementia.
Mr. G. had Hepatitis C.
Mr. G. had a history of I.V. heroin use.
Mr. G. had End Stage Renal Disease.
Mr. G.'s last words were "Oh shit."
They called time and he was left on the floor for a few hours blocking the door to his room. His roommates were in the room sitting in their wheelchairs staring at the floor drooling. After a few hours his body was moved to the bed, covered with a sheet and the curtain drawn. After several more hours and severe distress on the part of the roommates, the bed containing the body was wheeled out of the room and placed in one of the facility's empty rooms and the door shut.
Approximately eight hours later, the morgue arrived to pick up the body. A change of shift had occurred and the body was nowhere to be found. After a search of the facility the body was discovered, although during preparation for removal, the I.D. tag was missing. The facility was unable to locate the tag, so the morgue worker left. He came back a few hours later when the I.D. tag was found and picked up the body.
Mr. G. was 45 years old.
Mr. G. had AIDS Dementia.
Mr. G. had Hepatitis C.
Mr. G. had a history of I.V. heroin use.
Mr. G. had End Stage Renal Disease.
Mr. G.'s last words were "Oh shit."