The night nurse came on today at 1930 to receive report from me. She thanked me because before my vacation recently she had shown up for work in a burgundy scrub outfit, and I had joked "Oh, you must have your period!" because I always wear colors like that when I'm mensturating. She told me "Oh I haven't had my period for two years since my tubal ligation"
I was concerned, and asked her if she had been evaluated for that. She answered "Oh no, that's normal after a tubal, right?". I told her that it was absolutely not normal and that she needed to get in to be seen about that.
So tonight she told me that she was grateful I had said something, that she had gone to the gyno. Her TSH was 64 and her thyroid practically non-functional! She had gained 8 lbs lately (she's very slim), hadn't had a period in 2 years, her hair was brittle, she'd been depressed and low energy, but had attributed all these signs to other causes. Most surprising of all is that she thought it was normal to stop mensturating after a tubal. And, the other nurse coming on, an older woman, said she would have thought the same.
She said that the doctor had asked her if she had any questions, but she hadn't thought to ask that one, and when her period didn't return after she stopped nursing her baby, she thought it was normal.
We had a good laugh about it. I'm glad she'll be getting this straightened out! We all agreed, even nurses need patient education!
Even Nurses Need Pt Education for their Healthcare Needs!
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