Close to home

The longer I study nursing, the more I am forced to deal with the potential and actual illnesses of friends and family. Sometimes the things I learn give me hope, at other times they sadden me.


I have long been one to 'mother' and offer advice to people with whom I have a close relationship, now I must restrain my urge to grip some of them by the shoulders, shake them and beg them to change their lifestyle to preserve their current quality of life before it deteriorates further.


For example, unmanaged hypertension has a horrific effect on the kidneys. Many of the patients I met on my hemodialysis rotation are there because they did not manage their hypertension. I now understand why it is called the silent killer. Most patients have no symptoms and do not treat it. The tiny vessels of the kidneys are the first affected and loss of kidney function follows. This may take months or decades. I shudder at the thought of my friends and family members becoming dependant on a machine and chemicals three times a week to sustain their lives.