Nurses = Angels

For those of you who dont know, my sweet Aunt Lisa was diagnosed with Cancer recently. I dont get to see her very much, but I think and pray for her and her family often. I try to hear what is going on in her life through my Mom, she usually knows most of the updates. When she got a picture of her with her shaved head, I couldnt believe how beautiful she looked! I am amazed and in awe at her strength and willingness to fight this disease that has taken over her body, and her and her families positive attitude through it all!

Her 2 daughters, Adrian and Erin both write about her struggles on their blogs. Recently, Erin wrote a blog Here that really touched me. She stated that My Aunt has a nurse that also has cancer, and is very gentle with her when she goes in for her Chemo treatments. She makes her feel comfortable, makes sure it is as painless as possible. Every time they leave, she gives her a big hug.

From my experience, having a good nurse can change ones experience and ones outlook in a desperate situation. With my first pregnancy, I still cannot believe how sick I was (please note, I am not comparing my pregnancy with my Aunts Cancer. Just the type of care that was received). My Dr quickly assigned me some at home health care when he saw how sick I was, and they put me on IV's to keep me hydrated. The sickness was completely debilitating. I was so dehydrated, I would have dreams that I drank an entire lake. I would fill up the bathroom sink with freezing cold water, and just stick my face in it, unable to drink it because I knew it would just come back up.
John learned how to replace the bags of liquid, and got quite good at it. A few times, the needle would come out, and a nurse would need to come by and fix it. That is all they would do though. Come in, fix it and leave. At one point, Im sure it was because I was so dehydrated, the nurse couldnt find a good vein. After poking and prodding me for 10 minutes with a needle, she said she would send someone else to do it and left. No one ever came.

Flash forward a year to my pregnancy with Sophie. Just as sick. Throwing up just as much. completely debilitating. My Dr assigned home health care again. This time, a specific nurse is assigned to me. Her name is Judy, and from the first day, she and I hit it off. She took the time to weigh me, take my vital signs, and go over my diet to see what would help me maintain my weight instead of losing it. When my dog needed to go out to pee, she would let her out, and also cleaned up her vomit a couple of times. She had dinner with us (when I was able to eat), and made me feel so comfortable, even made me laugh, which was hard to do at the time.

I can tell you %100, without a doubt, my pregnancy with Sophie was more bearable and not nearly as isolating and lonely than my first pregnancy. I completely credit that nurse for taking care of me. I was just as sick, but she made me feel like I was the most important patient she had, and she was dedicated to helping me. Now I have a beautiful baby girl who I love more than anything in this world, and I know that Nurse was blessed for helping me bring her here, as comfortable as possible. I am grateful for may Aunts nurse who is willing to take such good care of my Aunt and get through a rough time.

So to all of you nurses, thank you! You have the power to help people who are in the lowest point in their lives and make it a positive experience. You will be blessed :)

PS...Love you Aunt Lisa!