Ups & Downs at Work

I really love being a nurse.  If I can make a small difference in someone's life, for the better, it makes my life a little better.  It makes me feel good.  A lot of times making a difference as a pediatric nurse means supporting a parent when they deal with a severely ill child, or a child's suicide attempt or a devastating diagnosis.  Sometimes it means reassuring a first-time mom that her baby's ear infection will pass and she will sleep again.

Last week had its share of ups and downs.  We transported a young infant to the ER when her oxygen saturation dropped dangerously low, even after breathing treatments and supplemental oxygen.  This was especially tough because this baby has other problems that will require many painful surgeries. The parents also have a language barrier that makes this situation even more difficult and scarier than it would be for others.  My heart hurt for them.

 I also saw one of my favorite families last week.  This woman has two sons, the elder is at the Asperger end of the autism spectrum and the younger is at the opposite end, a severely autistic child.  I admire this woman for her strength and patience and for the obvious understanding and love she has for her sons.  Her boys are such sweet kids and it really brightens my day to see them.

Last week I had to swab the younger boy's throat to test for a strep infection.  He was miserably sick and understandably terrified, considering what we had to do.  After I set up the test I went back to check on him.  The mom asked me if I could stay with him for a couple of minutes while she ran to the bathroom.  So I stood by the exam table and held the boy's hand.  He laid there, whimpering in pain and clutching my hand.  I tried to calm him and after a minute he quieted.  He was petting a stuffed toy, his security item.  Then he opened my hand, placed his toy on my palm and closed my fingers around it.  And then he patted my hand.  And he made my whole week.