It's Hard to Live with a Nurse because....

[nurz2be]

Please feel free to add more as you like. This is for all the spouses and loved ones of nurses.......

ENJOY

1) When you forget to flush the toilet, you get a complete analysis with a plan on how to correct any noted problems.

2) Thanksgiving dinner comes in pre-cut small pieces because he/she doesn't want to have to perform the Heimlich maneuver and be reminded of work on the only holiday he's/she's had off in years.

3) You've been awakened from a dead sleep in the middle of the night to find him/her shaking you because your breathing patterns were a little too close to a Cheyne-Stokes rhythm.

[santhony44, MSN, RN, NP]

You don't get a lot of sympathy for minor illnesses and injuries. A nurse's perception of "minor" is probably not the same as yours. In other words, bones sticking out or lots of blood might be necessary before you get much attention.

You may not be able to watch medical dramas with a nurse.She or he may really annoy you by yelling at the TV. "Oh, come ON! I've never seen a doctor do that!" "Somebody put the siderails up, for crying out loud!"

You really wil not want to discuss your nurse's work over dinner!

[MQ Edna]

Maybe this is just me, but I can agree with what santhony says about not giving a lot of sympathy for when the fam gets the sinffles. I get annoyed with my parents who have been sick for a week because of cold and complain all the time but when I suggeset to them that maybe they should go to the doctors to get an anti-biotic or something they look at me like I have three heads. So now I just tell them I dont' want to hear it unless you go to the PCP.

[callmekipling]

Along the lines of the sympathy..

You might bring home a stomach flu from work.. Your nurse S/O will bring home a superbug :uhoh21:

but honey, the lysol wipes were RIGHT THERE!

[cescvorrn]

My husband & I are both OR nurses - the kids LOVE our dinner conversations. Especially when they have friends over...!

[flightnurse2b, LPN]

my boyfriend is an RN, and he works nights.... im working days right now because of school... so every once in a while i'll get this phone call at 3 or 4am like "honey, whats the dose of activated charcoal on a 185lb man?", "you won't believe this, i just shocked this patient 9 times" or "can you bring me another pair of sneakers, my patient just pooped on mine".....

[maliat]

I only just finished my 3rd semester of nursing school, but I already annoy my dad. I'm always giving him diet advice that he doesn't take. And whenever he coughs I want to know if it's his ace inhibitor or is he getting a cold.

Malia

[mcmike55]

I'm the second of three generations of nurses, and let me tell you, I (we've) messed up many a meal with other "civilians".

My wife gave me an elbow to the ribs one night, pointing out that one of our dinner partners was turning green.

All I was doing was talking about a cervical fx pt I was taking care of, and how they put the Crutchfield Tongs in!!!!

Ok, Ok, the diagrams on the place mats was a wee bit overboard!!

But many time, mom, my daughter and I go off on a subject at the dinner table, and I know the others would be happy to get out of earshot!!!

Another problem, if you are at some sort of social gathering, say a grade school play, and a medical problem pops up.....do you get involved???

I've done it both ways, and my family gets upset.

The situation is under control, I keep my seat, and they get mad.

I get involved, and am busy for a while, miss the event, and they're mad.

Go figure!!

As I've gotten older, I hesitate to give a family member a "diagnosis". I'll give my opinion if asked, but I try to maintain an even keel as it were.

Not in an emergency mind you, but the basic, "what does this rash look like to you?" or "what does a TB cough sound like?" type stuff.

Mike

[bthynn]

My daughter thinks I am horrible....I never listen to her complain...when she says my head hurts I ask have you had any tylenol...

I ignored her 1x and she ended up with strep for christmas....

The next time she ended up with mono...I know I am bad...but just cannot stand to hear complaining...

She always tells me she will have to be half dead before I wil listen to her.

My sister who is not a nurse refuses to let my other sister who sia nurse and I discuss work at the table...she says we gross her out talking about the guy who got shot in the back and it came out his ear..

My mom was a nurse also so it does not bother her...i do have to watch my tongue when i am out on dates have scared a few off with my stories of the ER:lol2:

[MQ Edna]

I wonder how many nurses out there keep their own records/documentation on their families health, history and treatments haha.

[MSRN80]

I knpw what you all mean with the sympathy, I am a happy camper or a pt is great to me when they have a normal sinus rhythm, or even just a sinus rhythm. As long as they have that and breathing everything else can be fixed, or I can handle rather.It takes something really serious now to get sympathy, when you deal with the worse everyday the family cold or flu is a "why are you so whinny" situation.

[txspadequeenRN, BSN, RN]

i have a chart on every one of my kids..complete with nursing notes and wound care charts.. of course since i have 6 kids now things have kind of slipped but there was a time my kids got daily assessments. once i had to go to court over a abuse situation concerning my daughter. i brought her "chart " to court and layed it down told him her was her "chart" and he could review it ..lol he said "did the doctors office give this to you".... uhhh no this is her home medical record...lol i know he was thinking ..what the hell!!!!

i wonder how many nurses out there keep their own records/documentation on their families health, history and treatments haha.