Patience For Patients In Hospital Beds

One of the worst places to be forced confinement in is a hospital bed. Limited movement...limited space....limited privacy. Stuck in a small dark room with PICC IV lines & CVC IV lines pricked into your veins, where all around you, visions of medical equipment, an overhead table, a curtain, & a possible neighbor run wild in the cerebrum making one wonder when they will finally be discharged & be back in the comfort of their own home. No wonder most patients are anxious, nervous, grumpy, & even angry when encountered.

The main departments I rotate working around at CRMC (minus the lobby) are mainly ICU/PCU & Surgery. I truly love working on those floors. Meeting & becoming close to the staff & patients make my day. However, there are many days where I encounter patients that woke up on the wrong side of the bed & exhibit a grouchy, very angry sort of temperament, understandably of course. Most of the time, I bite my tongue & still give off a smile & assist them as much as I can. Other times, I feel like yelling back, but STILL I bite my tongue for the sake of professionalism & social etiquette. After taking moments to myself, I try to understand their moods. Afterall, they ARE confined in a very unpleasant place.

This past friday, I encountered a patient in surgery that really touched my heart. He was about late 40's-early 50's in age with alot of pain. He wreaked of alcohol & cigarettes & possibly urine. It was almost unbearable. His dx: severe cirrhosis with abdominal ascites. His only visitor: his younger brother. Usually, patients in this much pain are obviously not in the best of moods. However when I approached him, he had a painful smile on his face & asked me how I was doing. Upon asking him how he was coping, he looked at me & said "Not good at all...but hangin in there", still with a smile on his face. His brother (on crutches by the way) looked at me, crying, & expressed how much he loved his brother, that he would not leave his side for even a second, and that he needed help STAT.

It was obvious they were roughin' it & were not well off. Both had very ragged clothing, carried nothing but backpacks & said that they had no car & walked around the city alot. They have gone through so much together, yet still show love for one another & for a simple stranger (yours truly). It amazed me how much he made a terrible & life-threatening situation at a traumatizing place a positive one. That doesn't happen often.

It made me think...how can thousands of us who are well off be stressed out & bitch over the smallest things in life when some people who are off much much worse than us are more positive? How can thousands of us sometimes show no affection to our relatives when these two brothers going through hell show more love & support to each other than I've seen in a long time? As I conversated with him for a bit, I decided to take my leave & move on to the next patient. When I left, he shook my hand & said "God bless you...thank you for everything".

I see so many patients at the hospital. Most are grateful & give their "thank yous", which make me feel satisfied. Rarely do I encounter ones that truly touch my heart. Only a few have. This poor guy definitely did. Many who work with PATIENTS lose their PATIENCE & often end up judging them. I learned something after meeting this man: to have more patience & to show more love & kindness for people, as he did for me.

I left his hospital bed & proceeded to the next patient, with a heart full of happiness & love.


"Your Hospital Bed" by Emo Cuddly Bear