livelysoul

I. Love. You. Quadriplegic here. Let me just say that my ICU nurses were my absolute favorites. I barely remember things from all the drugs I was on, but I remember tender moments with my ICU nurses. Thank you so much for taking care of these patients. I'm sure you're doing better than you think you are. If you're caring about being empathetic, you're probably doing fine. Just be sweet to the patients and their families. If there are hotels nearby or a Ronald McDonald house or something, let the family know. Anything that can ease their obligation to think is helpful because they will be so worried about their loved one. If you work overnight and the family can't stay at the hospital, reassure them you'll take care of their loved one. If you have to suction a patient, try to be kind, especially in the beginning. I remember that being so scary! The best advice I can give is to use your heart. Be human and if you feel like you should do something a little extra because it's on your heart, you should. I'm so thankful for you.

I'm obviously not OP, but I am also a quadriplegic. I can say that simply having doctors that knew what the hell they were doing was super beneficial. I also think that having doctors normalize your injury and the feelings that go with it are if utmost importance. It's always good for people to cheer about the small victories like the first time someone rolls him/herself over in bed or sits up in a wheelchair for for the first time without their blood pressure crashing. I think there also needs to be more counseling in inpatient spinal rehab along with follow-up counseling. I'm working on my master's degree to do that very thing. I think if I had a good counselor during that time, it would've been so helpful. I had a psychologist to talk to a few times, but it wasn't enough and he didn't really get it. I wouldn't say things to patients like "unlucky hand." While it's kinda true, I'd try to keep things more on the positive side. Positivity, encouragement, and support are what got me through and kept me going! Hope this helped. I can answer anything else as well.

Watch out for that step! It's a doozy!

Is it true that if you put a cut onion next to your bed when you are sick that it will absorb germs and help you get better?