When Nurses Become Family...

Ok, so I'm a little over half way into this admission. I've found it difficult this time around, more so than usual, but you know what kept me going? One nurse in particular, he knows me well enough to know that I'm lying when I say I'm fine. He just says Ok, and leaves me too it, he never pushes me to tell him what's wrong, which I like. It means when I do talk to him about anything, it's on my terms. It's weird but he just knows when something isn't right with me.

He has done 5 shifts while I've been here. 4 nights, and one day. I looked forward to each of them, knowing that when he was here, I didn't have to pretend to be O k, I could be myself as much as I wanted because he wouldn't make me talk. All the other nurses ask, then ask if you're sure, then if they can do anything and so on, and so on...

The last shift my nurse had, he'd had a hectic afternoon, so everything was running a bit behind schedule, meaning that he probably wouldn't be leaving when he was supposed to. He came and told me the night shift nurse was going to do my tablets instead of him. A little while later he came in, and said he was actually going to do them. Do you know why? Because he knew, he knew I  wasn't right. He actually said to me, 'That way you might tell me what's wrong before I leave' And do you know why he said? Because he cares. He cares about every single one of his patients.

When you've been at the same hospital for anywhere near as long as I have, you see nurses come and go, you see doctors come and go, but the ones that were here in the beginning, become like family. They get to know you so well that you always have something to talk about, there's never a dull moment with them. They cheer us up, they joke with us, they tell us about their lives, we tell them about ours, and they listen. You know how I know that? Because when I've not been admitted for 3/4 months, they still remember families names., they ask about things that I told them about last time, that have probably happened by now. They remember how you like certain medicines done, or the way we do certain things. The number of patients they see and the things they remember about every single one, amazes me to this day. 

To Graham, Tilly, Caroline and

To each and every one of the nurses and Doctors on The Cystic Fibrosis Unit at The Royal Papworth Hospital.

Thank You From The Bottom Of My Heart

K💖