CP/DD kids exhaust me, am I a bad person?

[stacylethani, BSN]

Lately I've been getting put in this tough assignment pretty often where I have a well known severely delayed CP/DD kiddo on our floor. This kid is notoriously very difficult to take care of. Parents are super particular about care, the kid needs q2 turns and changes and is honestly as big as me. He gets agitated and cries very easily and is very difficult to calm down.

I find myself getting super frustrated very easily when taking care of him. He wears me out so badly emotionally, physically and mentally. I feel so exhausted after a night with him because it's nonstop crying and whining and it feels like nothing I do to help him calm down is good enough.

I feel like an awful nurse for feeling this way but I honestly just dread work when I get him in my assignment.

Moreover, I've been moved from my original assignment multiple times in the middle of my stretch to take care of him on my second day.

I dont know if I should talk to charge about it because I don't want to sound difficult or create problems or make them think I'm a bad nurse cause I'm asking for a different assignment.

I am just so so tired. 😩

[middleagednurse]

You are not bad, you are tired. With a challenging patient it's only fair that all staff take turns. Ask the charge nurse if someone can take this patient for a couple nights. You're only human, some patient's can be extra challenging.

[sergel02, BSN]

I used to be afraid to ask for a change I assignment but it got too much, and sometimes the charge nurses dont know or dont realize how taxing a patient or their family is. I think just asking for a break for one shift or so may do wonders.

[queencityRN]

I use to have a patient exactly like this on my floor and when he was admitted, he stayed for WEEKS. We ended up making it where no one had him more than 2 shifts in a row. It is so hard. Especially with the stress of the parents watching you. Talk to your charge. See if you can start rotating the chronic kids. It'll help.

[bananas1]

Oh it's totally understandable, we had a baby in our nicu for MONTHS longer than he should have been because the parents kicked up a stink whenever it was suggested he move to the kids unit (because children's units require parents to stay with their infant - this baby probably saw his mother twice a week while she went out and partied and smoked and slept) He was so painful to look after, he would get distressed and lose the plot, he constantly pulled his CPAP off and his NJ tube out, he was way beyond NICU stage care. He had to be rotated, no one liked to have him, he was horrible to look after and we all felt bad saying it but some patients are just way to taxing and it should be a given that the load is shared.