My people

I struggled a lot with the title of this post.

Who are these people that I'm with every day? I take care of them- sometimes for a few hours and sometimes for multiple days. But that's not all that happens. I don't want to call them 'patients' or 'clients' because that's not all they are. They're not my 'kids' or 'buddies'. They're not 'the sick' or 'the invalids'. They're not quite my 'friends' either, but they're definitely not just an 'acquaintance'. 'Humans' or 'Homo sapiens' are way too technical. And I officially declare that I'm still too young to call them 'blessings' or 'gifts'. What are they? They're my people.

My people are pretty stinkin awesome.

-One was 89 years old and had been married to her husband for 69 years- 70 this summer. They were both still totally with it and were one of the cutest couples I've ever seen.

-One had just been diagnosed with cancer, but refused to let that affect her. She had an amazing, positive attitude. I wanted to be in the room with her because she made me happy.

-One of my peoples cried when they got their IV inserted and when I took off a piece of tape from their arm. They were a nervous wreck, but I brought them some lemon ice and they were ok.

-My poor person had a bad experience where one of the doctors was going to do a procedure, but decided not to. This meant that he had to go an extra 2 days without eating so that he could prep for the procedure. However, he was still very sweet to the nursing staff. He knew it wasn't our fault and refused to take out his frustration on us.

-Another person gave up smoking, alcohol, and motorcycle because of the birth of his daughter. He wanted to be around for her as long as he could and did everything possible to make that happen.

-One of my most memorable patients could be coaxed out of a bad mood with hot chocolate and grilled cheese.

-My guy who was 93 had 13 great grandchildren so far. They were told they had to stay at home because there would be too many people in the hospital room. I think that is one of the best 'problems' in the world.

-I've found that the response to drug regimen is split about half and half. Half of them hang on to every word that I say. They want me to write things down and repeat everything at least twice. The other half couldn't care less about the potential side effects a med could have on them. They'd take 10 pills in a sitting and wouldn't be able to name more than 2 of them.

-My people aren't just the patients. They're the families too. Sometimes, I look out for my people by trying to keep the family from being too hovering or annoying. They stress the patient out! Give em a break!

-Other times, the families are more effective than the entire team of doctors and nurses. I've learned how important it is to listen to the family because they truly know the patient. They know what's normal.

All this being said- it boils down to this. Almost nothing is universal when it comes to patients. However, no matter what age, what background, or diagnosis, every patient has two things in common.
1. They are made by God.
2. They want to know when they're allowed to eat.