Are things maybe getting better where I work?
We had a good weekend. Not too crazy, not so slow that time drags: enough time to actually take care of patients, to get to know them and talk to them and be pleasant, instead of running around like crazy, flinging medications and treatments at them. I really feel as if I made people feel better. (Corny, I know!)
And the icing on the cake for me was when a woman approached me and said, "You probably don't remember me, but you saved my life." It took a second, but I did recognize her. She had come in with excruciating abdominal pain with referred pain to her shoulder, having syncopized--her blood pressure was 75/40 and she was pale. Yup, ruptured ectopic. We got her up to the OR in about 18 minutes flat, emergent transfusion running all the while. I actually recognized her husband first; he had been so worried about her, was crying, and wouldn't leave her side. They both told me that I made them feel so safe, that everything was going to be OK. And everything did turn out to be all right (whew)!
It was really, really nice to hear. Ok, I'm happy to be a nurse again.
About Me
- GuitarGirlRN
- Guitar (and now bass)-playin' rock-and-roll emergency room RN. I pulled the trigger and now I have a public blog. Scary.
Just so you know...
Also:
If you really want to...
I love these guys!
- Addicted to Medblogs
- Ambulance Driver
- Backboards and Bandaids
- Blissful Entropy
- Code Blog
- Crass-Pollination
- DisappearingJohn RN
- Emergiblog
- ERnursey
- Fingers and Tubes in Every Orifice
- Hallway Four
- Happy Hospitalist
- Head Nurse
- Highly Trained Monkey
- Just Peachy!
- M.D.O.D.
- Madness: Tales of an ER Nurse
- March of the Platypi
- Medicine for the Outdoors
- MedicMarch
- Movin' Meat
- Nurse Ratched's Place
- NY Emergency Medicine
- Rogue Medic
- Scalpel or Sword
- Ten out of Ten
- Urostream
- WhiteCoat Rants
I love these guys too!
Subscribe!
Followers
the Lemonade Award
from CheapByChoice
10 comments:
Good for you to remember! I had folks come up to me with similar stories but I can't remember...my memory is aweful yet I truly care about every patient I took care of...but I wonder if they thought I don't recall because I didn't really care! Ah....early signs of Alz...ugh!
Everyone once in a while, this is a great career.
All it takes is one, to make the other bazillion pale in comparision!!
Life as a Nurse is good.
That is why we do what we do
Try and remember this patient next time you are having a sh-t shift. It will make it all seem worthwhile.
Wow - what a fantastic thing to hear from a patient! : ) And for every patient that has the chance to tell you, there are ten more who feel the same.
Thanks for sharing that, made my morning! : )
Nice blog, well done. I loved the post on the guy trying to barricade himself and his wife into a single room. It's like the people in Chicago who dig their car out of a parking spot and then try and leave lawn chairs etc. to save the spot!
I hope you did not just jinx yourself.
Hey, Where are you? Wish you could blog more and work less cuz I love your blog. Toni
Very cool.
I got a chance to thank a random anonymous-to-me blood donor yesterday, because of the shirt he happened to have decided to put on before heading to the hardware store where I happened to go to too. I told him seven blood donors had saved my life in January.
And then got to watch his reaction.
Isn't it wonderful when we get a chance to say thank you or be thanked?
Post a Comment