ONS Connect - October 2008 - (Page 17)

upClOSE&pROfESSiONal Patient’s Positive Attitude Holds Special Meaning for Nurse [By camille A. servodidio, RN, MPH, CRNO, OCN ®, CCRP, Contributing Editor] Beth Gauge, RN am joyful’: These are the three words about my life,” said the patient with cancer under the care of Beth Gauge, RN, clinical nurse in oncology at Memorial Health System in Colorado Springs, CO. Beth recalls, “When my patient first visited the hospital, I wondered why she was here. She didn’t appear sick enough to be in the hospital. She and her sister sat in her room watching America’s Funniest Home Videos, laughing up a storm, while I sat and talked with them.” On her second hospital visit, the patient was admitted for fainting spells. She told Beth that she was getting out of her car at church when she just leaned against the door, slid down it, and found herself sitting on the ground. Her son was with her at the time and was extremely frightened. He brought her in right away. Beth admitted her and said that the patient was still happy and laughing. The patient’s third visit to the hospital was the scariest for Beth. “She was admitted for uncontrolled nausea and vomiting. I did her assessment in the morning, and again she was laughing and telling me fun stories. I was in another room when I got called to the patient’s room. I found her lying sideways on her bed and unresponsive. I tried asking her questions, and she just looked not at me but through me. But within seconds, she was answering my questions. She was okay for a short time and then the same thing happened again. “‘I I called our medical emergency team to evaluate her, and while we were waiting for them to arrive, I continued asking her questions. I waited for her answers that never came. “Within these few minutes (which felt like hours), I thought that she was dying on me. I couldn’t let this happen to her. This is not the person I knew from previous visits! We sent her to the intensive care unit (ICU) that morning with her terrified son by her side.” A few days later the patient was transferred back to Beth’s unit. “I was so happy to see she was feeling much better. She told me, ‘I can’t remember what happened,’ and so I sat with her and told her her story. She cried, then told me, ‘Chemo tears; it happens to me a lot!’ Based on her previous hospital admissions, I’d never seen the chemo tears. She was scared! All I could think was, ‘I won’t let anything happen to you.’ “I had her as a patient for two days after the return from ICU, and I watched her like a hawk. She was pale and weak but relieved to be back on our floor. This is where she told me about her three words, ‘I am joyful.’ “There have been a few patients that are very dear to me. Their positive attitudes during their rough times have stayed with me. I explain their positive attitudes to other patients and how it helped them cope during their toughest days. I hope I can pass on something that others can hold on to.” ✱ Contributing Editor Camille A. Servodidio, RN, MPH, CRNO, OCN ®, CCRP, is an RN coordinator/project director for the Connecticut Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program and RN manager for the Hartford Hospital Cancer Clinical Research Office. OctOber 2008 ONS CONNECT 17

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of ONS Connect - October 2008

ONS Connect- October 2008 Contents Editor's Note Just In Up Front You Tell Us Up Close &�Professional Web Connect Five-Minute In-Service Capitol Connection Caregiver Care Straight Talk New Treatments, New Hope Working for You Calendar of Events Staying on Top

ONS Connect - October 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.