Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Death still affects me. I’m not numb. I’m human.

Maseray S. Kamara, MD
Physician
September 29, 2020
Share
Tweet
Share

It had been a long day. Our progress notes were done. The last scheduled case in the operating room was done, and it was time to wrap up loose ends and sign out my patients to the night team.

But that’s when Room 4 died.

I walked onto the Burn Unit. The nurses were frantic. Can you page the Intensive Care Resident? He’s bradying down. The patient’s heart rate was steadily declining towards 0. The man was dying. His family, eyes wide, unsure, scared, was quickly rushed into the waiting room because they had been standing there, watching our organized frenzy, helpless.

A crash cart was opened in it were the supplies to save his life.

Pulse check.

Negative.

He was dying.

Start chest compressions. We, nurses, physicians, medical students, got in line while the attending physician stood at the foot of the bed, directing the code.

Like clockwork, it was my turn in line. I clasped my fingers and locked my elbows, and thumped on his chest to the beat of the song Staying Alive.

“Ah, ah, ah, ah, staying alive, staying alive.”

My song willing him to live. Willing him to stay with us.

We injected rounds of epinephrine, atropine: medications capable of jumpstarting his heart. There were temporary pauses in the mayhem to assess for a pulse, the return of a heartbeat. A bedside ultrasound was brought to the room to check for any cardiac activity – nothing.

Despite our efforts, there was no pulse. Nearly 30 minutes had passed, and it was finally called 19:06, time of death.

One by one, we left the room our hearts heavy. His nurse was the first to cry. Mascara dripping, eyes drenched, she was surrounded by fellow nurses.

Someone should let the family know; they’re in the waiting room, some stated thought aloud, overwhelmed with the recent events.

Another resident went to deliver the news. She was the second to cry. ‘It’s always hard telling the family,’ she whispered and wiped a lone tear as she rejoined us. Our medical student cried. She had never seen a code.

ADVERTISEMENT

And, there I was. My eyes dry like a desert. I didn’t feel anything. I wasn’t sad, but I did feel compelled to comfort those around me. As I left the hospital that night, I thought, “This is it. Residency has changed me. I have no emotions anymore. I am numb.”

I drove to the grocery store, grabbed some food. I drove home. I felt fine. I was surprised that everyone else cried. Was I broken? I took a shower and began singing a song to myself. As the water cleansed my body, the death slowly began to hit me.

My sister called me. I answered. And, then, I lost it: “He died. He died,” I repeated. “Our patient died. I literally did CPR on this guy. We tried to save his life, and he died,” I repeated over and over. The tears streaming down my cheeks were cathartic. More than signifying a loss, the tears signified that I was still human, that I haven’t lost touch with reality. Residency hasn’t changed me. Death still affects me. I’m not numb. I’m human.

My tears were confirmation that I haven’t changed in that way. I was not calloused. He died. And I still felt it. I had a heart.

Maseray S. Kamara is a general surgery resident and can be reached on Instagram @drkamara.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Where’s Waldo: Finding what’s important in the medical record

September 29, 2020 Kevin 4
…
Next

The children of COVID

September 29, 2020 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Critical Care, Surgery

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Where’s Waldo: Finding what’s important in the medical record
Next Post >
The children of COVID

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Maseray S. Kamara, MD

  • 10 colorectal pearls for Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

    Maseray S. Kamara, MD
  • The pain of doctoring and a call for change

    Maseray S. Kamara, MD
  • Stop letting delayed gratification steal your joy

    Maseray S. Kamara, MD

Related Posts

  • The medical student who had a genuine human profile

    DrizzleMD
  • I challenge you to discuss death

    Emily S. Hagen, MD
  • My grandfather’s death: What I’ve learned about life

    Munera Ahmed
  • Death and Dvořák

    Daniel Song, MD
  • Medical error is not the third leading cause of death

    Skeptical Scalpel, MD
  • Be a human first and a doctor second

    Sarah Murad

More in Physician

  • The shocking risk every smart student faces when applying to medical school

    Curtis G. Graham, MD
  • The physician who turned burnout into a mission for change

    Jessie Mahoney, MD
  • Time theft: the unseen harm of abusive oversight

    Kayvan Haddadan, MD
  • Why more doctors are leaving clinical practice and how it helps health care

    Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA
  • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

    Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD
  • Why starting with why can transform your medical practice

    Neil Baum, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

      Callia Georgoulis | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • The shocking risk every smart student faces when applying to medical school

      Curtis G. Graham, MD | Physician
    • Clinical ghosts and why they haunt our exam rooms

      Kara Wada, MD | Conditions
    • High blood pressure’s hidden impact on kidney health in older adults

      Edmond Kubi Appiah, MPH | Conditions
    • Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How declining MMR vaccination rates put future generations at risk

      Ambika Sharma, Onyi Oligbo, and Katrina Green, MD | Conditions
    • The physician who turned burnout into a mission for change

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

      Callia Georgoulis | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • The shocking risk every smart student faces when applying to medical school

      Curtis G. Graham, MD | Physician
    • Clinical ghosts and why they haunt our exam rooms

      Kara Wada, MD | Conditions
    • High blood pressure’s hidden impact on kidney health in older adults

      Edmond Kubi Appiah, MPH | Conditions
    • Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How declining MMR vaccination rates put future generations at risk

      Ambika Sharma, Onyi Oligbo, and Katrina Green, MD | Conditions
    • The physician who turned burnout into a mission for change

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...