The local news had a segment on the stolen bone last night.

Every time this resurfaces, the incredible story of people harvesting bones and tissue illegally from mortuaries...from people who died of things such as cancer,

I think of Brian (Hook) as he walks around with pieces of these bones in his neck, fusing, and becoming part of him.  He had his surgery in August of 2005.

There has been one confirmed case of Hepatitis C contracted from the bone in a man from Omaha.

 

How can things like this happen in this day and age, it is truly terrifying!

 

Parts of a story from the Washington Post dated January 28, 2006.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/27/AR2006012701569.html

NEW YORK -- Hundreds of very live Americans are walking around with pieces of the wrong dead people inside of them. A macabre scandal has spread from a body-harvesting lab in New Jersey to hospitals as far away as Florida, Nebraska and Texas as hundreds of people discover that they have received tissue and bone carved from looted corpses, not least the cadaver of Alistair Cooke, the late and erudite host of PBS's "Masterpiece Theatre."

 

The former dentist came to funeral homes, investigators say, and extracted bone, tendons and skin from corpses without the consent of relatives. Later, Biomedical Tissue Services shipped coolers full of tissue to hospitals for surgeries. A dead body can be worth tens of thousands of dollars when it is dissected for parts.

 

I know you're thinking..."CAN THIS BE REAL??" Sadly, it is.

 

The scandal raises questions about the safety and proper supervision of a billion-dollar-a-year industry that supplies skin and tissue for 1 million tissue transplants each year. But patients are most confounded by the skin-crawling fact that no one knows from whom the bone and tissue was harvested.

 

The Daily News broke the scandal in October, fingering several Brooklyn funeral home operators who had harvested patients without the permission of family members. In one case, reporters found that the English Brothers Funeral Home had forged consent and cause-of-death documents and allowed Biomedical Tissue Services to harvest the cancer-ridden body of Michael Bruno, a 75-year-old former cabbie.  

The New York City medical examiner's office in the past few months has exhumed three bodies from cemeteries in Brooklyn and Queens. Investigators discovered one female cadaver missing about half its body.

The New Jersey biomedical firm shipped large coolers filled with tissue to five suppliers across the nation. No one knows how many patients are affected.

But the examples uncovered so far are suggestive: Between early 2004 and September 2005, 60 surgical patients at Shore Memorial Hospital in Somers Point, N.J., received implants said to have originated with the corpse-snatching ring. Another 74 patients in Nebraska received stolen bone tissue during surgeries in the same period.

 

Brian found out he was a part of this thing with a phone call from his surgeon about 2 months after his surgery. He was tested for Hepatitis, AIDS, and several other things, so far everything has come up negative.

 

As we fill out the countless forms and paperwork that will someday be part of a lawsuit you have to wonder if there is any punishment suitable for such a crime.

 

Thanks for reading.

Joy

 

People are like stained-glass windows.

They sparkle and shine when the sun is out,

but when the darkness sets in,

their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.

 -Elizabeth Kubler-Ross-

 

Going through old stuff.

My Nursing School Pinning Ceremony

Where's Alz?? (Hint: My feet NEVER touch the ground!!)

 

The past week I worked during the day, catching up on nursing things which I can't do in the middle of the night. It was nice to see everyone up and about. Talk with the staff. It was actually very enjoyable.

One of the tasks I was catching up on was doing Mini Mental Status Exams.

The MMSE is a brief, quantitative measure of cognitive status in adults. It can be used to screen for cognitive impairment, to estimate the severity of cognitive impairment at a given point in time, to follow the course of cognitive changes in an individual over time, and to document an individual’s response to treatment.

Cognitive-relating to or involving the act or process of knowing, including both awareness and judgement. Cognition is characterized by the following: attention, language/symbols, judgement, reasoning, memory, problem-solving.

The Mini Mental Exam

ORIENTATION

What is the: (year) (season) (date) (day) (month)

Where are we: (state) (county) (town) (facility) (floor)

REGISTRATION

Name three objects and have person repeat them back. (apple, table, penny)

ATTENTION AND CALCULATION

Count backwards from 100 by 7's.[ 93 86 79 72 65 ]

Or spell "world" backwards. [ D - L - R - O - W ]

 RECALL

Ask for the names of the three objects learned above (apple, table penny)

Identify a watch and a pencil.

Repeat the following: "No ifs, ands, or buts"

Follow a three-stage command:                                                                                              

"Take this paper in your [non-dominant] hand, fold it in half and put it on the floor".

Read to self and then do: "Close your eyes" is printed largely on a paper, they must read the message and close their eyes.

Write a sentence [subject, verb and makes sense]

Copy design 5 sided geometric figure; 2 pentagons interlocked.

The system of scoring is simple since it only involves adding correct answers given to the different items.

A maximal score is 30.

The overall score classifies the various levels of dementia:

Severe form of dementia = from 0 to 9 points

Moderate form of dementia = from 10 to 19 points

Mild form of dementia = from 20 to 24 points

A score higher than 27 is considered as normal.  

 A mild cognitive impairment or dementia is suspected if the score is equal or lower than 24 points.

 

The scores mean several things. It can give the doctor a clue as to whether the current treatment is still suitable, or if medications need to be adjusted. It tracks the disease process.

I usually do MMSE exams yearly, unless it's ordered to be done more frequently by their physician.

A sudden change in cognitive function can be as a result of an illness, a broken hip and surgery, pneumonia, even a urinary tract infection. Some will spring back after an illness, some will not.

The last 2 days were truly an eye opener. As I did my exams, I was amazed how some of my residents function even when their scores revealed they were suffering from severe dementia.

One resident scored a 4 on her MMSE and is still administering her own medications. (Since, the family has signed a waiver protecting the facility from liability, they insist on her continuing this activity.)

One resident is 95, a retired school teacher, found my test to be rather annoying and asked after every question...."Are there really people who don't know this stuff." She scored a 29.

One resident didn't know where she was or the date but could say the whole alphabet backwards. That was amazing. She scored a 20.

My last exam was heartbreaking. She struggled with every question I asked. People with mild to moderate dementia know there is something wrong. They search for words. They become frustrated and embarrassed. She was visibly uncomfortable and ashamed.

When it came time to write a proper sentence she wrote....

"I wish it were easier for me to answer your questions."

 I finished the exam, I went to the med room and cried.

 

 I'm back...I'm still alznurse929...I think they need me!!

 

Added Saturday

I finally took a picture of my beautiful mums....

 

 

The fall is so full of color.

I enjoy "The Stream."

 

Although I have only been a part of this family since May I have read several people who have inspired me, who have made me think, who have made me laugh, and made me sad.

I appreciate all the different opinions and respect that everyone is entitled to one. Agree or disagree, we all come from different places. We all are in different times in our lives. We all have overcome obstacles. Our pasts haunt us at times, as do our current situations.

 

We are human.

You can be anyone you wish on the net.

You can bare your soul.

You can create a saint.

You can share your imagination.

You can share your dreams.

You can be yourself.

You can be who you always wanted to be.

You can hurt people.

You can deceive.

.

 

One thing is certain, we have the power to accept what is presented or use that little (logout) button at the top right.

 

It's about choices.

No one can MAKE you feel anything. Feelings are something controlled by you alone. You have to own your feelings not try to make someone else accountable for them.

They belong to you.

 

 

 

Slowly, I'm running out of things to post as my passion for work is dwindling. It is not a place of fun and learning anymore. I do my time and go home. I'm not complaining, really, just haven't found my place at the new job. My residents are great. The staff continues to be challenging, to say the least.

 

 

Hook still isn't well. I worry every time he leaves the house. His settlements are promised soon. He hasn't decided what he wants to do. Driving has been all he's known his whole life. Starting a new business is risky. He really wants my input, but I find it hard to even point him in any direction. These will be his choices. He knows I will support him in any decision he makes.

 

My Family

 

I really don't talk about them much. They all live very far from me.

My dad says I'm stuck out here like a sore thumb.

 

My parents are divorced.

Dad lives in Florida 6 months out of the year and in Michigan 6 months. He makes the long journey twice a year. Again, I worry. He retired at the age of 55 and has enjoyed every minute of it. My dad was a social worker for the state of Michigan for many years.

My mom lives in Michigan, alone. Slowly, all of her children have become very tired with her. She lives in the house where we all grew up. No one is welcome there. She has a very bitter attitude. She drains you. I haven't talked to her for at least 5 years.

 

 

My oldest brother Ed. He's working for FEMA helping New Orleans. He lost his wife in 2002. They were driving down the road and she had some type of seizure and just died. He did CPR, but she was gone. She was in her early 40's. My brother was never the same, and until this year, and his new job, he kind of just wandered aimlessly. I think he's better now.

 

 

My brother Joe. He's 13 months older than I am. People always thought we were twins. Joe has always been the problem child. He has spent most of his adult life in and out of jail and prison. He's never really fit into society as a normal person. He moved to Florida to be with my dad about a year or so ago. He just got out of jail there...he hit someone with a stick.

 

 

My sister Betsy. She also moved to Florida to be by my dad a few years ago. She is also a nurse. She floated from job to job, then found a wonderful man a couple years ago and married. She's now back in school and working. Her new husband is retired and dotes on her. She is very lucky. I keep in touch with her regularly.

 

I miss my family. They remind me of who I really am, which at times can be brutal but I usually deserve it. My dad has always been such a rock to me, always letting me make my mistakes without judging. My mom is a perfect example of who I  never want to be, miserable and angry.

My sister has always been an inspiration to me. She's had several things in her life she's had to overcome and done so with such grace and strength, and she makes me laugh til my belly hurts.

My brothers work very hard. They have never went to college they both live life on their terms, which I respect. I don't talk to them very often. I do miss them.

My family is a bunch of nuts. There's always laughter and fun. There's always that sense of belonging. There's always good food and lotsa beer.

 

One of my biggest dreams is we all get together again, which hasn't happened since 2001, and take a family photo. I hope this can happen someday.