We'll get to that reason in a second.
So, I was a little down on nursing in my last post and it's amazing what a better day/attitude can do for you. For example, if you're not stuck in a room with two patients, but instead, have two patients in different rooms and can roam the halls, it's a much better day. On Saturday I worked again and had, among others, a patient from the Canary Islands with whom I practiced my Spanish (increasing my vocabulary to: "Change sheets. Pain, scale, 1 to 10. 10 times an hour. Sit. Walk. Do you want anything? Do you want anything else?").
However, the real reason that I'm posting this is to assure you all that diarrhea sometimes does not ruin a day. Pair it with the right nurse and it can become a real bonding experience.
Case in point: another nurse on the floor was working with a woman who had sudden onset diarrhea (or so she said). I helped the nurse get her cleaned up a couple of times. Even though the woman could get up and could move around, she insisted it was less of a mess if we took care of it (which is probably true, frankly). After a very busy morning, the nurse and I finally commence a late lunch break. Five minutes into it, we hear from Diarrhea who needs to be cleaned up again. So we clean her up, change her sheets, get her ready and as we're walking out of the room, she says, "It's come again." So, we clean her up and as we're changing the sheets, she warns us, "It's comin' back!" Three times in fifteen minutes. It is veeeery important to maintain a sense of humor in these situations.
And to be grateful that when you return to the lounge to finish your lunch, you brought a peanut butter sandwich, unlike the rest of the staff... who ordered Mexican...
So, I was a little down on nursing in my last post and it's amazing what a better day/attitude can do for you. For example, if you're not stuck in a room with two patients, but instead, have two patients in different rooms and can roam the halls, it's a much better day. On Saturday I worked again and had, among others, a patient from the Canary Islands with whom I practiced my Spanish (increasing my vocabulary to: "Change sheets. Pain, scale, 1 to 10. 10 times an hour. Sit. Walk. Do you want anything? Do you want anything else?").
However, the real reason that I'm posting this is to assure you all that diarrhea sometimes does not ruin a day. Pair it with the right nurse and it can become a real bonding experience.
Case in point: another nurse on the floor was working with a woman who had sudden onset diarrhea (or so she said). I helped the nurse get her cleaned up a couple of times. Even though the woman could get up and could move around, she insisted it was less of a mess if we took care of it (which is probably true, frankly). After a very busy morning, the nurse and I finally commence a late lunch break. Five minutes into it, we hear from Diarrhea who needs to be cleaned up again. So we clean her up, change her sheets, get her ready and as we're walking out of the room, she says, "It's come again." So, we clean her up and as we're changing the sheets, she warns us, "It's comin' back!" Three times in fifteen minutes. It is veeeery important to maintain a sense of humor in these situations.
And to be grateful that when you return to the lounge to finish your lunch, you brought a peanut butter sandwich, unlike the rest of the staff... who ordered Mexican...
Comments
i love your new place, and i'll look forward to more picnics in the living room. :-)