Sitting Down On The Job

Scooby needs three different antibiotics that make him nauseated if given too quickly, so I sit with him for 45 minutes while I slowly administer the medications

Sarah has just come out of surgery, is disoriented, and doesn’t know where she is. I sit with her until the effects of the anesthesia wear off.

Patches has been a patient for several years, but now the chemotherapy treatments have failed and the cancer has metastasized. I sit with him and his owner as he falls asleep, no longer feeling any pain.

Jumbo ate several things that he shouldn’t have. I sit with him, tell him that when he wakes up, all the pain in his belly will be gone because we will remove all the pieces of that toy he ate 3 days ago.

Stonewall’s owners always come to visit him right before my shift is over. Stonewall gets so anxious that I sit with him until he fades into an exhausted slumber or, another nurse takes pity on me and sits with him.

Marley is the happiest puppy I have ever met, and he can’t stop licking everything. He is scheduled for hip surgery and will be confined to a crate for many weeks afterward. The day before surgery, I take him out several times to play. After surgery, I will sit with him and try to get him to understand how to be “still.”

Cuddles can’t walk, but she needs the bedding in her kennel as I administer the drugs to help the thrombus dissolve. She likes to be petted and she “talks” to me as I sit and perform her range of motion exercises.

Smokey, a cat with kidney failure, is going home. I sit with her owners for about 45 minutes, showing them how to administer fluids and other medications that she needs to survive.

Muffin, who has a bad heart, needs an ultrasound. So, I sit in a dark room with her while the test is conducted.

Gumshoe decided to scramble over a few rocks and missed a step. He will need a laceration repair, so I sit with him and give him his anesthesia telling him he's a good boy and will be all fixed when he wakes.

Schultz has a typical land shark mouth... rotten to the core. Since Schultz is not a nice dog, I have to try to get him to cooperate as I sit near him trying to put his IV in so we can take out most of his teeth. When he wakes he will feel miserable because of all the bone surgery. I tell him that in a few days time he will feel like a new dog and maybe, just maybe, he will realize that he doesn't hurt anymore and will stop trying to maim us.

Hank can't breath properly and gets all worked up with happy anytime he sees us. Today I must sit with him after his soft pallet surgery which will enable him to breathe without passing out. He has to remain intubated until he is completely awake and even them I must sit with him to ensure the surgery site isn't swelling and causing his airway to obstruct.

Glenna got out during her cycle and the local playboy left the scene immediately thereafter. Glenna has been in labor too long and requires a C-section. I sit with her as her puppies are removed and revived from teh anesthesia.

As I prepare to leave for the day, my replacement is busy sitting down on the job. Her day starts much like mine.