The VVF ladies arrived today.
I can't speak for anyone else, but I can say that, from the B-ward charge nurse perspective, things were a little bit chaotic. As we set about the task of discharging half the ward full of max-fax and plastics patients before 9:00am and playing the ever intriguing game of "crack the gridlock" with the hospitality center to find beds for all of our new clientele, the VVF team screened four weeks worth of surgical patients. By 10:00, half of our ward had been taken over by more women than we had beds for, beating drums, and the smell of urine. And, regardless of the fact that we are all working with the same goal, purpose, and hopefully the same selfless motives, there were times when it seemed to be taking some extra effort for us all to see eye to eye.
To be completely honest, I found today to be challenging. I am a peds nurse - an NICU nurse more specifically - and that whole "region" isn't necessarily my forte. Add that to the fact that this whole charge situation is still relatively new to me and every once in a while, the 42 point running to-do list in my brain becomes overwhelming, and I was left wondering if today was going to be the day I cracked. .
I got to lunch and started to cry. One of those emotional breakdowns that happens for no particular reason and I realized that somewhere along the way I had lost my joy. I think my mom used to say that to me, when I was being a drama queen about something that didn't really matter. I remember her telling me not to let the wrong people or situations "steal my joy".
Because the reality is, that there was nothing that happened today that had the right to steal my joy. A couple of extra phone calls, a noisy ward, and a mildly elevated blood pressure for a couple of hours are very little price to pay for what is really happening down in B-ward right now.
By the end of the next four weeks, hopefully dozens of women will be going home with a future that could have never been possible without surgery. And, yes, if day one is any measure of how it's all going to happen, it is going to be a challenge. It will be busy, and exhausting and potentially quite messy. But, I am gonna remember Mama Sue's words, because the minor sacrifices we are all going to make in order to give some incredible women an immeasurable gift are more than worth it.
posted by Jenn
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The VVF ladies arrived today.
I can't speak for anyone else, but I can say that, from the B-ward charge nurse perspective, things were a little bit chaotic. As we set about the task of discharging half the ward full of max-fax and plastics patients before 9:00am and playing the ever intriguing game of "crack the gridlock" with the hospitality center to find beds for all of our new clientele, the VVF team screened four weeks worth of surgical patients. By 10:00, half of our ward had been taken over by more women than we had beds for, beating drums, and the smell of urine. And, regardless of the fact that we are all working with the same goal, purpose, and hopefully the same selfless motives, there were times when it seemed to be taking some extra effort for us all to see eye to eye.
To be completely honest, I found today to be challenging. I am a peds nurse - an NICU nurse more specifically - and that whole "region" isn't necessarily my forte. Add that to the fact that this whole charge situation is still relatively new to me and every once in a while, the 42 point running to-do list in my brain becomes overwhelming, and I was left wondering if today was going to be the day I cracked. .
I got to lunch and started to cry. One of those emotional breakdowns that happens for no particular reason and I realized that somewhere along the way I had lost my joy. I think my mom used to say that to me, when I was being a drama queen about something that didn't really matter. I remember her telling me not to let the wrong people or situations "steal my joy".
Because the reality is, that there was nothing that happened today that had the right to steal my joy. A couple of extra phone calls, a noisy ward, and a mildly elevated blood pressure for a couple of hours are very little price to pay for what is really happening down in B-ward right now.
By the end of the next four weeks, hopefully dozens of women will be going home with a future that could have never been possible without surgery. And, yes, if day one is any measure of how it's all going to happen, it is going to be a challenge. It will be busy, and exhausting and potentially quite messy. But, I am gonna remember Mama Sue's words, because the minor sacrifices we are all going to make in order to give some incredible women an immeasurable gift are more than worth it.
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