Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Gratitude

I took care of a lady the other night who came in for a bothersome but ultimately minor complaint. After getting her pain under control she was discharged, and I wheeled her out to the lobby to meet her husband and the car. While waiting for her husband to drive up, she starts reflecting on her visit.

"You know, as I was waiting in the hall for my CT scan, they wheeled a man past me who was hooked up to all sorts of tubes and on a breathing machine and he didn't look very good. I thought to myself, 'People drive by this hospital every day and don't even realize what you all do for us.' You all are really something. I know I'm hurting, but some people are a lot worse off than I am. You all still take care of each of us the same. So thank you, for caring about us even if most people have no idea what your job is like."


All I could do was smile, say thank you, and try not to cry on her. And when I helped her into the car, she leaned out of the door and gave me a hug - and she's the first patient who I didn't automatically defer to sidehug instead.

I hope she knows how much that thank you means to us.

Somehow, I think she already does.

3 comments:

Love or Nothing said...

:) love you.

JustADreamAway said...

Hi there! I've been reading your blog all night and thought it was only right to say Hi and thank you! I start Nursing school this month and in an attempt to correct the freak outs I've started engaging in, I did some googling and I have to say that your blog is one of my new absolute favorites. Thank you for reminding me not only why I'm doing this but that I *can* do this! All your non-nursing stuff is awesome too! So from a soon to be new nursing student to a new nurse, thank you much! (my insomnia thanks you too)

CountyRat said...

I'll bet she was an older woman. It is usually older folks who notice things like that, and are kind enough to say thank you.