Life as a Nurse, Part 5


The Misunderstood


I have taken care of many types of folks during my career and  very nice

and caring patients. This is the story of a patient who not only was a

particularly nice guy, but he made me laugh. Once in a while you do run
 
across a patient that tugs at your heart strings. Most of the time
 
patients are hurt, angry, and they take it out on the nurse. We all know
 
that their frustrations are talking and usually don't give it a second

thought. The doctor's are the ones called the heros. They come in, see a
 
patient for maybe 5-10 minutes and pass their orders onto the nurse. I
 
spend the greater part of my day interacting with my patients, teaching
 
them, and caring for them.


Case in Point:


A 79-year-old male was brought to the ER by ambulance one morning. He
 
had been having chest pain intermittently for the last few days and
 
today his wife of 50 years put her foot down and said he was going to
 
the hospital. I introduced my self to Mr. Miller as I always do, and
 
went about my business of hooking him to monitors and starting his IV.
 
Now since I work in a catholic hospital now, I always tell the patients
 
exactly the truth. Yes Sir, Mr. Miller, this is going to hurt just a
 
bit. I then say my litany. " Hail Mary full of grace, let me get this
 
in the right place." Prayers answered, his IV slipped right in. I
 
finished up by drawing his blood and completing his EKG. All the while
 
I listened to him banter with his wife about how he didn't need to take
 
up our time and that he was ok, "Just a bit of heartburn from her damn
 
cooking," he stated. "Ya knows her cooking  ani't been that great since
 
her eyesight went bad." All this said with the thickest Cajun accent I
 
had heard in a long time. In fact, at times, it was difficult to
 
understand what he was trying to say to me. It seems Mr. Miller had been
 
born and raised most of his life in the great state of Louisiana. I
 
explained the treatment plan to Mr. Miller and his wife and they both
 
nodded in agreement about the tests that would be performed and how
 
long it would take. Mrs. Miller sat quietly by, cross stitching I think,
 
but never saying a word. Every time I passed Mr. Millers room, he waved
 
or whispered to his wife, "ya knows, she works awfully hard." I smiled
 
to myself, thinking, Yes, there is a patient who cares about me too.
 
It had been nearly three hours since Mr. Millers arrival and I could
 
tell he was starting to get a bit uncomfortable. Rule # four in the ER.
  
The gurneys were never made for comfort! We do not want you staying that
 
long! Mr. Miller waved me over to his bedside. I was waiting for the
 
" How long is this going to take line." Instead he calmly looked up at
 
me and said. " Sweetheart, could you look to see if my testicles are all
 
black?" I stood back with a look of shock, not quite believing what I
 
heard. Mrs. Miller never even looked up from her cross stitch. He
 
repeated his request to me, "Could ya all looks and see if my testicles
 
are all black?" With great hesitation, I pulled down his sheet and lifted

his gown and looked. "Mr. Miller, your testicles look normal."

When I covered him back up, I noticed he had become a bit red in the
 
face but was smiling ear to ear. "Darling, although I do appreciate the
 
gesture, I  don't think  you quite heard what I was asking?"
 
( all this with his thick Cajun accent). "Sweetheart, I was asking you
 
if you could check to see if my tests were all back." Now it was my turn
 
to have the red face. I apparently just didn't understand his thick
 
Cajun accent, and had no idea what his original request was. What could
 
I do? There has to be something I can say. Searching for the right words,
 
Mr. Miller calmly touched my hand, looked into my eyes and burst out
 
laughing. My response, well, I couldn't contain myself, and before long
 
we were both laughing till we nearly cried.  That kind of laughter is
 
very contagious. Back at the nurses station, they all wanted to know what

was so damn funny in bed two. I explained what happened. I was still
 
giggling. Before long the whole nurses station was snickering. I am
 
afraid I was the butt of a lot of jokes that day, and there were a few
 
male nurses asking me to check their testicles. OK, I deserved it. I can
 
dish it out, but I can take it too. Mr. Miller was found to have a
 
simple case of gastric reflux and was discharged to home. As he left, he
 
gave me a hug and a stern warning to not work myself so hard. I promised
 
him I would try, and he and his wife walked from the ER, hand in hand.
 
Was this story tragic? Not in any way shape or form.

Was it funny? I still laugh out loud when I think of
 
Mr. Miller and his wife. 

I learned a valuable lesson that day, you really need to pay attention
 
and listen to what the patient says to you. I heard something totally
 
different then what Mr. Miller was trying to say to me. I learned the
 
importance of really hearing the patient and repeating back what

I don't quite understand. God knows I have no
 
intention of checking an old mans privates again!