Day One Hundred: Cheers to Nurses

I have had the fortune, or misfortune, depending upon how you look at it, of having a total of 10 surgical procedures during my lifetime. Only 1 was under life threatening circumstances and it happened so fast, I don't remember much of it at all. Each outcome, from the very scary to the mundane, was great. Whatever ailed me was fixed. In each instance, however, the most human contact I had was with the nurses working on staff.

I think nurses are lumped into the category with teachers, police officers and firefighters: they are absolutely indispensable to our quality of life but rarely receive either the pay or gratitude they are due. After all, in nursing, it is the doctors who received all the glory. It was the pairing of 2 o.b. surgeons who delivered 3 of my children. It was 3 separate orthopedic surgeons who repaired my knees and my feet. It was an oral surgeon who took out my wisdom teeth. Yet, it was the nurses who got me through these ordeals as quickly and humanly as possible.

Until I had my children, I never stopped to thank any of the nurses in any meaningful way. After the birth of each of my sons I sent a small token gift and thank you note to the nurse who stayed with me during the delivery, the long first night and the days after. I cannot say that I did the same for the surgical nurses. These days, everyone is in and out of the hospital so quickly that it is virtually impossible to form any lasting human connection. A series of forms, an i.v. needle and a quick pep talk and in one goes to outpatient surgery. Not conducive to much in the way of humanity, but effective on a time management level. (God help us.) Because everyone is in and out so fast, the nurses I dealt with were bristly efficient; i.e. not warm and fuzzy. It's no wonder with all they have to accomplish on any given shift. Still, I took it as a personal challenge to engage them on a level beyond chilly practicality. With just a little extra kindness and a warm thank you, to a person, each nurse became quite helpful, interested and pleasant. Funny, just like life, you get more with sugar than with vinegar.

I'm sure that this is not news to anyone. Still, in this age of much needed medical reform, the human element is missing from much of our modern miracle known as Western advanced medicine. Nurses are the last link we have to that human connection. Real people are going through scary things that are routine for most doctors and surgeons. It is the nurse on the floor or in he office that will do the hand holding and give the words of comfort or encouragement. All they require from the patient, from us, is the respect and kindness they deserve. It seems a very small price to pay for good karma and good health. Cheers to nurses and all that they do.