Deaths doorstep

Day 10
Today I was sent to the Veterans Hospital. The man I am taking care of is in his final stages of Parkinson's disease and on top of that hes got pneumonia.

Talk about shitty luck.

i was asked by one of the nurses if I'd ever been with anyone who'd died. I said no and she told me it may happen. If I feel him slipping away, I am to walk up to a nurse and quietly inform them. She asked if I was nervous and I said yes. She told me I had nothing to worry about, it is actually a release to know I was holding his hand throughout the last few minutes of his life. I was to call the nurse if I saw any shortness of breath or gurgling. If the gurgling was not solved, he could drown.

It was a wonder that they didnt let him 'drown' as drowning is supposed to be one of the most peaceful deaths. Although the body struggles at first, the body eventually gives up and falls into a type of sleep. Id love to go out in my sleep as opposed to bewilderment and pain.

The nurses here are the nicest, right away they were incredibly comforting, the showed me around, offering me food and drink, telling me to not be afraid to take a break. You have to wonder what kind of comfort they are given. Day in and day out they are surrounded by the dying and the dead. They have to channel and direct all their energies to these people and deny themselves. Do they go home feeling empty or fulfilled? Is it just another day at work?

The room my patient is in looks like home, its extremely comforting for him. He has uncontrolled moments and he can hear well but cannot speak.

Parkinsons:
-The body decreases in dopamine which means acytyl choline takes over causing symptoms
-Dietary habits can affect treatment, its more a chemical inbalance rather than a brain deterioration (doesnt affect mental capacity)

Alzheimer's:
-below normal levels of acetylcholine and altered levels of neurotransmitters, somatostatin and norepinephrine
-There are higher deposits of aluminum in cerebral tissue (why people think aerosol and deodorant contributes to alzheimers), high numbers of antibodies have been found in etiology (inherited chromosome)