The Death of a Frequent Flyer

Generally, I make it a rule for myself that I write my posts prior to reading other posts from the blogosphere. I like my thoughts to be my own and not be reflective of someone else's thoughts. Comments left at their site should be enough to let them know my thoughts on their subject.

Today, I broke my rule. I read the blogosphere prior to writing this post. I did this because I have been very busy as of late doing things with Daughter #1 to get her medical practice up and running when she is ready to return.

The blog that is troubling me today is written by a nurse whose posts I quite enjoy. Her posts always reflect a part of the ER that is seldom seen by the general population; and sometimes ER nurses don't see what she sees until they take a step back and say... "hey, I know exactly what she's talking about." As I've mentioned before, the ER has a personality all it's own and is similiar to any one of ER's across the nation. This particular post was very disturbing to me.

Letter To A Frequent Flyer written by A Highly Trained Monkey spoke of the many reasons that patients become frequent flyers (those patients that are in the ER frequently.) While what she is saying true, that if patient's were complaint with their medications, go to their family doctors for their follow up visits, attempt to take care of themselves in a better way; they would be seen less often in any ER. Yes, it is frequently an accurate statement that most of the frequent flyers that are seen in the ER get their medical care for free from the state or some other federally subsidized system.

Unfortunately, the patients that are seen most often in the ER are the patients that are rude to staff, feel it is their absolute right to demand things from us that perhaps they wouldn't demand in their doctor's office. The medications the ER gives are generally more potent than what a doctor would prescribe. These patients get free food, a place to sleep, free medications and like to treat the nurses, secretaries and other staff as if they were their personal maids. Does this make me angry? Of course it does. Taking this kind of treatment each and every time a frequent flyer comes into the ER can get old and the nurse can loose a certain amount of compassion for them.

All of us, even the most healthy of us have vices as do the frequent flyers. Some of our vices are seen, some are unseen. All of us do things that we should not do but seem powerless to stop. This powerlessness can be anything from overeating, undereating, smoking, to biting our nails. The fact is that all of these things are vices. Yes, some are worse than others; and some are less detrimental to our health, but each habit is hard to break. I try hard not to pass judgement on others who *I* think should do this or that, but it's in the back of my mind that if they only did "this" than they would be much better. I am not them; and they are not me. I have not walked in their shoes nor have they walked in mine.

Now, you might be saying to yourself, "she's basically agreeing with everything Monkey Girl is saying," and basically I am; however, I can not rejoice in the fact that this woman, who may or may not have been a pain in the ass to so many people has left this earth forever. Somebody, somewhere loved this woman and is suffering at her death. Yes, this person may be saying to herself, "why didn't she just stop drinking, or why didn't she go to the doctor's and take her medicines," but she was a special person to someone.

I hope I never forget that everyone is special to someone. Every death is a loss; and it is more of a loss if we are not adversely affected by someone's death.