All things are connected:why I love being nurse

[HisTreasure, BSN, RN]

Yesterday was my first evening shift in a very long time. I am attempting to go back to nursing full time before I start my PA program~ don't ask why~ and while I am waiting to hear back from the agency about the CD position I figured I would start getting my body accustomed to the rigorous world of nursing once again. Thankfully my agency was able to slot me into a detox position. I wasn't able to do many of the tasks required of a nurse because I haven't received my CASAC yet, so instead I was in more of a support role.

So I was on this unit with a very nice young lady in her mid thirties. She was very depressed, having come from the detox unit down to the rehab unit. She sat in the corner most of the evening, not willing nor wanting to talk to any of the support staff or other patients.

Towards the end of the evening, about 9ish, one of the aides asked me if I could please talk to the woman and coax her into bed. The aide stated that this was only her third day on the unit (which I had known from report and reading her file) but what I didn't know was that every one of the past three nights she had been refusing to sleep and had been up most of the night.

Again, I know nothing about CD yet so when I heard this I assumed it was related to rehab, and possibly being depressed, coming to grips with reality now that the drugs weren't there to mask her problems. I guess I was sort of right.

I spoke with the young lady for a while, shot the stuff, nothing really important for about 20 minutes. I did most of the talking, she just stared at the tv as she had done most of the evening. Finally she said "I need something for the pain." I began into my spiel about the drugs only masking the problems, that now that she had gone through the detox portion on rehab we could continue working on the underlying problems through counseling and community support.

She says, "no, not my emotional pain. My physical pain. I have IBS. I was diagnosed a few years ago. Back then it was a new diagnosis and I didn't get treated properly. Now I hurt a lot; all the time. I can't make love because I feel as though I am going to pass gas. The pressure builds up so much that I spend half the time trying to enjoy sex and the other half trying not to break wind...my boyfriend left me because of it, so I started talking to Brenda. She doesn't understand even though she's a woman too...just assumed I meant cramps and lost patience with me. I'm alone. I'm lonely, and really, all I need is something to stop the pain."

As quickly as she divulged herself she clammed up and went back to her show. I thanked her for being honest with me, a person whom she had never laid eyes on before, but trusted simply because I was a nurse. I told her that I would notate her chart and make sure that the day staff was aware of her diagnosis so we could collaborate with her PCP to get her treated properly. She sat there for a few more minutes, said thank you, and went to bed.

And that is why I love being a nurse!

[Jaguar Boy]

A:heartbeatwesome!

[nyapa, RN]

You must have presented yourself in some way to allow her to feel comfortable to trust you.

[imanedrn]

It definitely is the little moments like this that make nursing matter.

I'm a new grad, and I noticed them less frequently than when I was in school. I think it's because I'm so busy learning the business of being a nurse and time management, that I have less time actually to spend with my patients. That's broken my spirit a bit... I'm waiting to get better at my time management, so I can actually enjoy the reason(s) I became a nurse - such as this one.