Nurses

I survived the loss of power for twenty-four hours, but with no power comes no internet.  So, this morning’s Freaky Friday doesn’t have as much research or backstory, but I hope you still find them interesting.

A few months ago, I wrote a Freaky Friday based on a book written by a doctor who had compiled some stories about spiritual and/or paranormal experiences he and other doctors had experienced.  A couple of weeks ago, someone guided me to a website for nurses.  It’s an open forum where nurses can talk about all aspects of their jobs.  One large thread in the forum was ghost stories or unexplained phenomena.  Here’s the website.

Here are some of my favorite stories:

“I used to work in a state institution for developmentally disabled. We were temp relocated to another building for remodeling of our bldg. Anyways…I was working one night, 2nd shift. We had a locked pica unit. I saw one of the residents walking down the hall. Very distinct gait and very distinct yellow t-shirt w/ a happy face on it. I went into the ward to let staff know that they had an escapee. This was a serious situation because this particular resident, Larry, would ingest absolutely anything (from clothing to pens to belts to “ugh” a bird’s head) …literally anything. He was also very reluctant to go back to his home ward (hence why I didn’t bring him back myself…he needed two escorts). When we got back into the hall, less than 15 secs later, Larry was gone!! We searched the entire building! Outside, downstairs, all wards…he was NO WHERE to be found!!! This whole search lasted less than 10 mins because I had all extra staff looking for him. I was just about to call the house supervisor to let her know that we “lost” someone when out from the bathroom walks Larry w/ one of the staff. He had been getting his bath in the bathroom for the last 30 mins or so. Kind of freaky! I absolutely, without a doubt, saw Larry in the hallway. I never would’ve short-staffed the wards like I did if I hadn’t seen him! Like I said, very distinctive gait, look, clothing. I took a lot of razzing that nite! They all thought that I was crazy. Anyways, come to find out the next day, after the story goes around that I am crazy (ha ha, giggle giggle, funny funny)…………..Larry had an identical twin brother who died in that building 10 years previously.”

“I heard a story once about a 5th floor neuro unit. This was told to me first person. nurse was at the desk and a guy in white nursing garb came through the double doors, walked into an empty room, and didn’t come back out.

Nurse thought it was weird so he went into the room, and it was empty. He went to the double doors and opened them and there were 2 resp techs talking at the entrance who swore they’d been there talking the whole time and that nobody came through the doors.

When one of his co-workers returned from lunch and he explained what happened, she was like, “Oh, that’s just Bob (actually I don’t remember the name, so the name was changed to protect my ignorance.) He worked here as an LVN years ago and was accused of molesting a child. He was sure he was about to be arrested so he jumped out the window in that room and killed himself. We see him all the time . . .”

“About twenty years ago, in a Long Term Care facility (before I was a nurse) I was going to assist the night nurse with vital signs. I told her I saw something white “floating” down the hall. She said it may have been a resident walking. I said “no, it was floating.”

About the area where I saw this, we had a linen cart covered with white and I assumed maybe that is really what I had seen. The first room we went into, of course, was near the “spot.” As I was putting the blood pressure cuff on the resident, the nurse said “never mind.” I didn’t get it, and continued to put on the cuff when the nurse said, “She’s dead, and I believe you saw her soul leaving.” Well, being easily spooked, that job didn’t last much longer.”

“My best friend’s grandfather died unexpectedly when we were in high school and her older sister, was very sad because she was 7-8 months pregnant and her child would have been his first great-grandchild. A few weeks after the baby was born, her husband was working 11-7 and she had the baby in a bassinet at the foot of her bed. She woke up suddenly and saw a figure at the end of the bed looking into the bassinet and she called out her husband’s name and asked, “Is that you?”

The figure looked up and she saw it was her grandfather, wearing the old plaid cap that he always wore and he said in his Scottish accent, “It’s ok – it’s just me, Granda. I just wanted to see my great-grandchild. He’s just beautiful.” And then he disappeared. The baby never woke up at all through all of this.”

“I work in LTC so we see a lot of deaths in our facility. One day we had a CNA on our wing who was walking with a resident from another wing. She hollered for me from down the hall that “Ann” was up in her room walking. (“Ann” had always been very unsteady on her feet and wore a pull alarm) I went down the hall quickly to see what was going on. “Ann” had passed away several days before. But this particular aid was unaware of it. Needless to say, there was no one in the room when I got there. But the feeling walking into the room was as if someone was there with you and a very distinct odor of her perfume. (Could have been left behind? Yes.) We both had goosebumps and the aid turned white as a ghost (no pun intended.) She swears to this day “Ann” was standing by the desk in her old room. Hmmmm.”

Happy Friday!!!

Like what you read?  Find more stories by Terri Reid here.