When I think of my favorite memory, I can't help but think of 105-year-old Olga. She was a very large-boned, strong-accented, and very confused German lady that I just loved. She had a wicked sense of humor when it was least expected, and her eyes twinkled when she was up to no good. She was so confused that the poor thing didn't recognize her own family half the time and she believed she had to leave to milk cows every afternoon. It's always so difficult for families when their loved one has dementia. But when she wasn't confused, she was downright witty.
I was about 2 months pregnant, not showing at all and only a few of my coworkers even knew I was pregnant. I had gone in to take Olga's vitals and she sat patiently while I took her apical pulse. She had "the look" in her eye that told me something funny was coming next.
When I was done, she asked me with great and unusual interest about her pulse rate. As I started to explain she argued with me that I was wrong and only she knew how to count heartbeats and she insisted on having my stethoscope (now those eyes were lighting up with delight, but I had no clue what she was up to). It was easier and quicker to just go along with her, so I handed over the stethoscope. Next thing I know she is shoving the bell under my shirt and wanting to count my pulse. Just as I started to stop her from being inappropriate, she landed the bell right on my stomach and smiled...
"This little heartbeat is the one I want to count!"
I will never understand how she knew I was pregnant, but I loved her even more from that moment on. Caring for patients with dementia can be challenging, but I have to admit, the day she returned from activities laughing hysterically with 2 gigantic balloons shoved under her shirt to look like huge boobs was a riot too!
There are some patients that we never forget!
For more stories like this one, check out Johanna's Story and Cheryl's Story
here on nursingoffthechart.com
And be sure to pick up a copy of my favorite patient care stories (and more!)
in Off the Chart A Nurse's Journey of Heart and Humor at ​https://amzn.to/3RHn0nm
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