Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Oh, now I see...

We recently got a new night nurse added to our schedule. She's competent enough, but there's something about her I haven't liked since her first night....and last night I finally figured out what it was.

Most nurses come into our house and say, "how is Acorn?" We usually give some brief answer to that, and they respond with, "Any problems or changes?"

This nurse comes in, and her response to, "oh, he's fine, he had a good day" is something like last night's response: "Did he have a BM today?"

I'm told she's a good nurse, that she's really a great person.

But seriously, her biggest concern is whether he pooped today? Frankly, if he hadn't (because we typically get 2-3 a day), I wouldn't say he's fine - I'd say, "well, we think he's constipated," or, "you know, we were just talking, and none of us has changed a poopy diaper today, so I think we should be watching that closely."

When she saw me changing his speaking valve for a trach nose after I carried him up last night, she asked, "So how long did he wear that today?" Acorn's been wearing it all day for weeks now - actually, for about 2 months. So...if he hadn't worn it all day, I wouldn't have said he was fine, I'd've said, "Oh, he was extra mucousy today - maybe catching a cold - and the valve just was too much, so be prepared to sit there and suction all night."

I dunno. I understand how nursing shift hand-offs work in the hospital, but even those are more personal than this.

2 comments:

  1. Oh sorry hun, I hope she gets better. I know what you mean, it's awful when those we care about are treated like a "case". I hate that word. It made me feel like we weren't talking about people.

    I hope all is well with Acorn.

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  2. Oh sorry hun, I hope she gets better. I know what you mean, it's awful when those we care about are treated like a "case". I hate that word. It made me feel like we weren't talking about people.

    I hope all is well with Acorn.

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