When it became apparent that her health was declining, I could not get her to go to the doctor. When I found out she had stopped her meds, I was horrified.

I began to see signs of kidney failure, altered mental status and CHF. She would not listen to me. I finally was able to drag her to the ER and everything I had feared was confirmed. I am certain she would have died by the end of the week had I not intervened. Her kidneys were destroyed.

I was nurse and she would not listen to me. That is a terrible feeling. I begged her to go to the doctor and then, later, I flat out told her she was going to die and I was going to be the one to find her.

She is very compliant with her treatment now. She's fanatical about it, but she still doesn't understand how it all happened. She actually blamed it on the fact that she quit smoking! I think it's denial that she did this to herself. She did not know better than the doctor, after all.

When I see how she struggles with concepts that are so clear to us, as nurses, I truly understand how some patients can be so non-compliant. The main culprit is ignorance and denial.

Sorry for the essay. It's been a rough year.