Small Business Men

At work, there are patients that are more pleasant to work with then others, of course, and some that I actually get kind of attached to when they've been there a while. Jim was one of those patients.

Jim had been in several times, all lengthy visits, for complications related to diabetes and dialysis, plus a bunch of other stuff. The first time I met him, he didn't really talk, moaned because of pain, but wasn't communicative word-wise. Over the next couple of days he seemed to become more responsive. Since I only work weekends, often the next weekend is when I see the biggest changes, improvements or declines. So the following weekend I was back, and he was like a totally different guy. I'm not saying he was up doing Fred Astaire impressions, but he was talking, and he was better able to help us move him around in bed. This was a pretty big improvement. Then the following weekend, an even bigger change. While he still wasn't terribly mobile, his pain was much better, and this guy was cracking jokes with me. Most of the time his humor was pretty dry, I'd have to look for a twinkle in his eye to tell if he was pulling my leg, but a couple of times it he made some real knee-slapping jokes.

I had been walking past his room on my way to do something, as there is always something to be doing, and noticed his gown and sheets weren't meeting, giving passersby in the hallway a peep show. I walked in, started pulling up his sheet, and said, "Hey Jim, just pulling up the blankets, your business is showing." Or something to that effect, I think it came out more like "Bidness." He looked at me with that eye-twinkle and said, "Well, I am a small business man." We had a good laugh, a really good laugh. His daughter came in a few minutes later, the story was retold, and another good laugh was had. It was obvious she cared a lot for her dad, smiling even at his bad jokes.

Yesterday, I ran into his daughter, also an employee at the hospital. While it seemed like I ran into her all the time while her dad was a patient, I hadn't seen or talked to her on the phone in a couple of months. Of course, I asked about her dad, told her I had been thinking about him, and had just recently told the "small business man" story to a friend. To my surprise and sadness, she said he died in April following another lengthy hospitalization.

She told me about taking him home, which was another story in itself. Apparently, while waiting to be discharged, he asked what he had to do to get out of there, anxious to get on the road. His daughter told him he had to finish the milkshake he was drinking, and then they'd leave. In Jim fashion, he took the cup from her and started eating it with his fingers, yes, the milkshake. And she told me this with a smile on her face. I'm thankful she was left with happy memories of her dad.

Due to the nature of my work, I run into patients that are dying, and typically don't get upset, but this news really hit me. The last time I had seen him in February he was doing so much better. His passing, while an inevitably expected outcome of his multiple diseases, came too soon for this wonderful family, and my heart goes out to them. Jimmy Boy, it wasn't just a pleasure, it was also fun taking care of you. I hope you're cracking up everyone in the afterlife.

Got me a new car!

And lost the ability to speak gooder english. Traded up from a 13 year-old Jeep, which I more or less donated to a friend starting nursing school this fall (well, sold it for REALLY cheap anyway). For 8 years I drove the crap out of the Jeep, doubled the miles on it, and it still ran like a champ. Only, the gas mileage sucked. 15 mpg on a good day. Sigh.

Despite loving my Jeep, I made the sacrifice to get a car with better gas mileage, and am getting about 30 mpg now, but there sure is a difference in size! While the side-by-side comparison doesn't make the new one look a whole lot smaller, on the inside it is, I feel a little cramped when compared to the Jeep.

In the end, I think it's worth it. I almost went with a Prius but couldn't quite justify the cost, or the higher car payments. I want to be an eco-sponsible person, but have to stick within my budget... If only I were a millionaire. At any rate, I'm happy with my new XD. It's fun to drive and, at under 300 miles on the odometer, it's still relatively clean. Let's see if I can keep it that way!