Laughter really IS the best medicine

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Quite a day in clinicals! My patient has been so extremely depressed and withdrawn that it is almost impossible to get any reaction, even one of pain. She just lays there. I have played the most obvious nursing role by giving her all the medications and monitoring her status, but I also made it a point to really get to know her. This afternoon I finally had a breakthrough.

She was watching cartoons, and I started a conversation about my personal cartoon hero Slow-Poke Rodriguez, and she started smiling! I was eventually able to get this patient to even give a genuine laugh!

Her Sats increased, her BP dropped (a good thing in this case), her fever decreased, and her HR decreased!

It is so easy to get caught up in the world of lab values and drugs. Just remember that sometimes a real connection with a nurse and a heartfelt laugh can do a patient more good than any amount of medicine!

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Yay! You go girl - heal the body and soul! :icon_hug:

I truly agree with you... laughter has more power than we even know.

~*~kendra~*~

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Specializes in L&D.

An awesome example of great nursing skills! Great job!:)

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Specializes in Community Health Nurse.
An awesome example of great nursing skills! Great job!:)

Ditto! :)

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Specializes in Med/Surge.

"Laughter is the best medicine" is so true. I love to laugh and don't know what I would do if I couldn't? You would have to staple my mouth shut and put me 6 feet under if I couldn't :rotfl: . I would love to work with the true "Patch Adams". It is such a wonderful feeling when you can bring laughter to your patients. We see them at their worst and hopefully they will see us at our best. I love it when you laugh so hard you cry!!

Way to go in getting your patient to laugh!! Your patient had a very special nurse that day!!

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"Laughter is the best medicine" is so true. I love to laugh and don't know what I would do if I couldn't? You would have to staple my mouth shut and put me 6 feet under if I couldn't :rotfl: . I would love to work with the true "Patch Adams". It is such a wonderful feeling when you can bring laughter to your patients. We see them at their worst and hopefully they will see us at our best. I love it when you laugh so hard you cry!!

Way to go in getting your patient to laugh!! Your patient had a very special nurse that day!!

in case you didnt know he is currently bulding a hospital and will hopefully be taking ppl there on a voluntary basis, and he runs a yearly trip to russia...failing that his phone number is on his website and you can give him a call! i met him last yr...hes worth having a chat with! :chuckle

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