Comments on: How do you suppose being coded feels?

By: Allison

Allison — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 04:43:27 +0000

i have worked in the nursing area for years…here is a few things that i have to add regarding the “code”

to add to this tidbit…
we may place a tube in your nose that goes into your stomach to suction out stomach contents so you don’t vomit during the cpr or aspirate your own contents into your lungs causing pneumonia and a whole other host of problems…
also please don’t think that you will just wake up from the code and all of the machinery is gone like the tv shows illustrate…this is very rare and should not be expected…
we apologize for the goop, glue, and goo that is on your chest and other areas of your body but that came from the gel used on the defib paddles, electrodes, and other stuff we may have needed to use on you during your incident…
lastly please do not curse us out or threaten us upon regaining consciousness, we did this for you because you specified you wanted it done, we apologize for your pain and discomfort.

who said medicine was pretty anyways? and our own doctors wonder why we make such horrible patients!

By: Corey RN

Corey RN — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 22:54:41 +0000

I know this is a few years old, but thank you, thank you, THANK you for writing this. Everything you have said is 100% true and appropriate, and the naysayers really have no idea what it is like to work in our environment. By the way, I am a med-surg nurse, and I love the floor, and we deal with this just like ICU RNs do.

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 21:44:11 +0000

I totally agree with Geena. As a critical care nurse of 27 years, I have made family members “no codes” and have also coded my disabled 45 year old husband. Yes, I discovered him at home, accidently electrocuted while trying to work after a social security denial, started CPR, called 911, lived through hypothermia protocol and now live with a 46 year old brain injured man. He has made remarkable progress, but is not the same as before, and never will be. I also will never be the same. Would I do it again? You bet. Would I have done it to my 89 year old mother? Never in a million years. Cudos to you Geena for bringing a much needed topic to the surface. I wish all my patient’s family members could read it.

By: Peggy

Peggy — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 16:18:45 +0000

I’m headed for major, major surgery next week and have signed all the documents making clear that I’ll be DNR, that means anything. Likely I’ll sail through, but one never knows. I’m old, and if this body says no more, I don’t want anyone standing in my way.

By: Rae

Rae — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 16:56:06 +0000

Thank you so much, Geena. I know *exactly* what you mean, and agree wholeheartedly.

As for Cathy, honey… as trite as it sounds, you just have no idea until you’re in our position, and you’ve been through what we have - hundreds of times. I’m truly sorry about your father, however the human heart and mind can only take so much tragedy (as seen through the eyes of medical professionals). Sometimes, you just have to find the painful or sarcastic humor in a situation to keep the unfairness from overwhelming you. Just because a patient is one of many does not mean that he’s a number to me, or anyone. It may not seem like it, but I care. God, do I care.

By: cw

cw — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 21:02:51 +0000

please do not lighten up those of us who have expereienced the end of life. We have a right to our perceptions.

By: Adrianne

Adrianne — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 22:26:17 +0000

I really liked the dry sense of humor you brought to your posting. Those of us who have been in medicine for a long time need humor to keep doing this job.I still shudder every time I think of the LOL (little old lady) that was my first code. One push on her chest and I felt the crack crack crack of those three osteoporetic ribs break. In the last 35 years, there have been good codes with good outcomes (mostly otherwise healthy and fairly young people) and lots of bad outcomes. Statistics are not good for surviving a code even after all these years of BLS & ACLS training for hospital staff. The civilian population out there need to be aware of exactly what a code entails, and the futility of giving drugs to a patient who does not have a pulse. The drug needs to get to the heart quickly if it is to have any effect. Giving 3 doses of epi that sits in the arm just so you can say you did “something” is a futile waste of time and money. Nurses today do not have any time to waste. Even with nursing ratios, our patient load is so much sicker than 25 years ago, that some days you can’t get through a 12 hour day and get all your work done on time. With administration pushing us to treat out patients as hotel guests and meet their every whim, it is impossible to finish charting in a timely manner. No nurse likes a code, but sometimes you can’t avoid it, and there is nothing worse then having a patient who is a DNR per their request, going to the great ICU in the SKY, and a family member insists that you have to do something to save them now that they are unresponsive and can’t protest. We recently had a patient in our unit for 3 months who did not want to be resusitated, but her family insisted we had to keep treating her despite 2 codes. We learned they were dependent on her social security check for income, and after she was transfered to a long term vent care facility, they continued to collect and spend her check. Our social worker had to report their fraud to the goverment. Since then, he found out they have never visited their mother, and she is now a DNR (she’s of no use to them any more). It’s crap like this that makes us cynical and wanting a new career. We need occassional levity to keep doing this year after year in more and more trying circumstances.

By: Susan

Susan — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 00:33:19 +0000

GREAT blog and wonderful account of a code…………life is so precious but the afterlife that I believe exists if still more awesome than anything we’ve ever experienced on this worldly plane.
Thank the good Lord that he has blessed some of us with the desire to truly care for and care about our fellow humans.
God Bless all the health care providers here and everywhere fighting for one more day for loved ones, or, fighting for peace and DNR’s for patients and family members.

By: pigula

pigula — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 12:09:43 +0000

Thank you for this story

By: Kelly RN

Kelly RN — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 06:51:53 +0000

I have been an oncology nurse for 9 years. I have been in many codes…What you have just read is what happens in a code. Not sometimes, every time. When code status is addressed (or should I say if it’s addressed) by a doc almost never is it in detail. I’m sorry if any of you candy asses that can’t handle the truth but let’s face facts…. It won’t be you in that room while I crack your loved ones ribs. You hear jokes that only others that are in, or have been in codes laugh at. Trust me people, it is to keep us sane and from bawling all day. That said I am one of those nurses that will be completely honest with you and your family. I will stay after my shift and sit with you hold your hand and explain your choices. This does include a blow by blow acct of what really happens in a code. I have done this more times than I know, and honestly only 1 pt remained a full code.
We as a whole treat our animals better than we treat people. I know I wouldn’t put my dog through what I have seen families put their “loved ones” through!

Anyway, my final thought on this is when the time comes…….and it’s me they are calling a code on…. They will pull up my gown to put that central line in my groin, and my groin will scream back my final wishes loud and clear….

The tattoo on the left side… DNR!!!! and on my right DNI!!!!

I will do this for 2 reasons………..

1. I don’t want any confusion on what I want.

2. I want the whole code team to laugh their asses off!!!!! and then tell everyone my story so they can have a laugh that day as well!!!!!