...My life as a Nurse...

Never have I taken the time to record my thoughts on my rare job as an RN on the Medical/Oncology unit. I have the opportunity to take care of sick, sick people. I wake up at 0445 to get ready for work...clock in before 0600 and I am excited if I punch out before 1900(7pm)...just in time to rush home and get my family ready for dinner and bed. Days at work are fun! I love love the people that I get to work with. We are so close...and I think that it is mainly because we all work together doing the same thing. Most of the doctors are amazing, the nurses are exceptional...we are all a big family. Our work at times is draining. As we are partly an oncology unit, we are with our patients as they are diagnosed with cancer....and we are at their beside talking with them as they begin treatment. I think it's the young mother of 5 who gets diagnosed...or the little sweet man who has no family at all who touches your heart the most.
Most recent experience: I had the sweetest man in his 50's over the weekend who 2 days prior was diagnosed with lung cancer. This man had stage 4 and was going to begin chemo. As I spent hours in his room. I learned that he and his wife were raising his 2 grandchildren....8 and 13, and the day I started his first round of chemo was the 8 year old birthday...and he was missing the birthday party, and he was going to be alone today, because everyone would be at the party. I listened to him tell me how he did not want to leave his wife to raise these children...how he was going to fight. "I fought hard in Vietnam...and I'm going to fight hard with this." As I started the chemo and I remember his hands just tremoring and shaking....and all I could say is "your going to be fine today, you can do this". What do you say? Our unit makes these fleece blankets and we give them to our newly diagnosed patients (Thanks to Emily who felt inspired to begin this). I took his blanket in right before starting chemo...we feel that it is our way to let our patients know how much we care for them...that they hold a special place in our heart. I took Jailyn, another RN on the floor, with me to give it to him...as I started to tell him about his new blanket....I just burst into tears. This is one of many patients that we get to be with during their lives greatest trial. It is not all cancer...we take care of the crazy psycho people who have schizo...or tried to commit suicide and failed. We take care of people who's kidneys, liver, lungs, bowels are not working. We have many people who pass away on our floor and we get to hold the hand of a spouse who has to let their loved one go...and then watch them walk out alone after years and years of marriage. Why is it so hard at times...because you have to allow yourself to fall in love with these patients. You have to think what if this was my mother...my husband...my sister...my best friend...or my little sweet grandmother. What a rare opportunity?...I get to see everyday the blessings of life...I get to be reminded everyday how lucky I am.
I get to work with my mom, who is the best nurse of all time...she pushes me to be the best I can. Watching her give 150% all the time...makes me want to give more. She is the most giving, selfless nurse. I have a lot to live up to...I remind people at work that her greatness unfortunately was not hereditary. I love the people I work with...some of them are my best friends. I love my job as a nurse...and I just wanted to share what I do.