"intubated" poems - Hello Poetry

a wacko version of hamlet the patient came up to us raving GOODNIGHT, GOODNIGHT a naked swollen giant his basketball ***** his endless belly every system failing we prepared to put him out so we could stick a tube down his throat plug him on a ventilator and insert lines for safekeeping GOODNIGHT, I LOVE YOU he tried to lean off the bed take it easy man, i said, restraining him SUSAN who’s susan? asked the nurse GOODNIGHT, GOODNIGHT, GOODNIGHT good night, sweet prince, i said as we gave him the drugs GOODNIGHT, I LOVE YOU, GOODNIGHT we intubated him and took him down to the OR where he passed twenty minutes later

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Aug 13, 2018

Aug 13, 2018 at 6:08 AM UTC

the-dirty-poet

GOODNIGHT

a wacko version of hamlet the patient came up to us raving GOODNIGHT, GOODNIGHT a naked swollen giant his basketball ***** his endless belly every system failing we prepared to put him out so we could stick a tube down his throat plug him on a ventilator and insert lines for safekeeping GOODNIGHT, I LOVE YOU he tried to lean off the bed take it easy man, i said, restraining him SUSAN who’s susan? asked the nurse GOODNIGHT, GOODNIGHT, GOODNIGHT good night, sweet prince, i said as we gave him the drugs GOODNIGHT, I LOVE YOU, GOODNIGHT we intubated him and took him down to the OR where he passed twenty minutes later

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I am a -9 Glasgow Scale, even in life, I should be intubated, someone should breathe for me .... Someone should live for me ... This life is not mine anymore ... It is just breathing and waking up and breathing and waking up ... and breathing ... and waking up One T w o T H r e e F O U r F I V E times in one day ... Let someone else live this life! Let someone else die this daily death! ... I cannot do this anymore I need other means to breathe

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Jun 7, 2017

Jun 7, 2017 at 6:05 PM UTC

alessandra-vargas

Glasgow Scale

I am a -9 Glasgow Scale, even in life, I should be intubated, someone should breathe for me .... Someone should live for me ... This life is not mine anymore ... It is just breathing and waking up and breathing and waking up ... and breathing ... and waking up One T w o T H r e e F O U r F I V E times in one day ... Let someone else live this life! Let someone else die this daily death! ... I cannot do this anymore I need other means to breathe

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I remember the Fall I remember the bokeh Placed in a vase and kept by our bedroom window It took your breath away, fed off your lungs and grew so monstrous by dark We tried in vain to replace what was lost with the artificial: Albuterol haze, Gaussian distribution It failed, as you know And I too fell within the blur of the rebound effect, struggling to keep from panic Then rang alarums that lay-in-wait, then came red lights, then came shouting for help You laid on the livingroom floor, intubated Life nearly snuffed out Me in tremors, two cats hiding You would survive, but neither of us would ever be the people before Clearly, not all blur is equal, each has its own aesthetic quality Mine tends to fall under the umbrella of disturbing thought patterns We each reflect on different things about that day My fail-safe is trying not to remember at all

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Aug 20, 2020

Aug 20, 2020 at 4:07 PM UTC

Carlo-C-Gomez

Within the Blur

I remember the Fall I remember the bokeh Placed in a vase and kept by our bedroom window It took your breath away, fed off your lungs and grew so monstrous by dark We tried in vain to replace what was lost with the artificial: Albuterol haze, Gaussian distribution It failed, as you know And I too fell within the blur of the rebound effect, struggling to keep from panic Then rang alarums that lay-in-wait, then came red lights, then came shouting for help You laid on the livingroom floor, intubated Life nearly snuffed out Me in tremors, two cats hiding You would survive, but neither of us would ever be the people before Clearly, not all blur is equal, each has its own aesthetic quality Mine tends to fall under the umbrella of disturbing thought patterns We each reflect on different things about that day My fail-safe is trying not to remember at all

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No real connections and no restraints… I watch you breathing and feeling faint. I hold your hand and ask you to fight. I will tell you, your attitude can save your life. I know you’re alone, please know I am here. I see you starving for oxygen, I feel your fear. Please listen to the doctor trying to prescribe, their knowledge and experience can save your life. Please try my darling, you’re just too young. Starving for oxygen can leave you high strung. Don’t you understand the BiPAP can save your life? Or should we start the process and notify your wife? Sweetheart, I get that this is hard! You can’t breathe deeply, your lungs are scarred. I know that I will always ask for too much. We need to get you out of bed and sit you up. But, let me tell you the other route. If you give up, unfortunately, we have our doubts. We might end up having to intubate… And leave those strong wrists in soft restraints. This is something we as nurses know, Unfortunately, once intubated your prognosis is low. Most Covid patients never wean off of the vent, So say goodbye to your family and friends. I’ll hold your hand no matter what you decide, I’ll hold the phone to your ear listening to your families last goodbyes… We will all cry and all of our hearts will break, You’ll just just be another statistic the media will define as “fake.” … please know I’ll always remember you by heart, I’ll remember your story from end to start, I’ll never forget what you’ve been through, because that’s what we as nurses do.

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Aug 23, 2021

Aug 23, 2021 at 4:25 PM UTC

SweetCalamity

Alone 😷

No real connections and no restraints… I watch you breathing and feeling faint. I hold your hand and ask you to fight. I will tell you, your attitude can save your life. I know you’re alone, please know I am here. I see you starving for oxygen, I feel your fear. Please listen to the doctor trying to prescribe, their knowledge and experience can save your life. Please try my darling, you’re just too young. Starving for oxygen can leave you high strung. Don’t you understand the BiPAP can save your life? Or should we start the process and notify your wife? Sweetheart, I get that this is hard! You can’t breathe deeply, your lungs are scarred. I know that I will always ask for too much. We need to get you out of bed and sit you up. But, let me tell you the other route. If you give up, unfortunately, we have our doubts. We might end up having to intubate… And leave those strong wrists in soft restraints. This is something we as nurses know, Unfortunately, once intubated your prognosis is low. Most Covid patients never wean off of the vent, So say goodbye to your family and friends. I’ll hold your hand no matter what you decide, I’ll hold the phone to your ear listening to your families last goodbyes… We will all cry and all of our hearts will break, You’ll just just be another statistic the media will define as “fake.” … please know I’ll always remember you by heart, I’ll remember your story from end to start, I’ll never forget what you’ve been through, because that’s what we as nurses do.

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