My Granddaughter Working in the Virus Ward

 Got this Facebook message this morning. It is from our Nurse granddaughter who works in Coronavirus ward in Spartanburg Hospital. She says they are swamped with very sick patients. Those of us on the outside need to remember what a serious time this is for all those that work to keep us safe. We must never forget that we are all in this together.

I granddaughter did not write these words but she has shared them on Facebook:

I'm not ignoring you. 

I know you asked for chapstick and its a comforting thing because your lips are dry from vomiting so much and I will get it for you.

I'm not ignoring you but the thing is your blood pressure is 70/40 and your lactate is 15 and your vomit is sheer black liquid and each of those things tell me your body is sick but all of these things together are making the nurse part of me panic and move faster.

I know I'm not talking much, 

I'm not ignoring you as I place another IV, draw blood cultures before hanging up your antibiotics. The mom in me realizes that your young adult child is present and watching my every move, coming to your side whenever I move away from it. You keep talking to us which gives us a small amount of peace for the moment. 

We are not ignoring you because there are myriads of people present in your room like in the trauma bay. Services are being called outside your room, lab results analyzed, and heads huddled together about what to do for you.

I'm not ignoring you when I leave the room to alert your doctors that despite the 4L of fluid, antibiotics, and unit if blood  have given you, your blood pressure is lower and that you need pressors and an ICU bed, please.

I 'm not ignoring you when I check on my three other patients that have appeared. My mind  doesn't leave your bedside as a new stranger in the bed next to yours yells from some internal pain. It's not because I don't want to be your nurse anymore that I rush you to your ICU bed as soon as it's ready but it's that you deserve a nurse who can take care of you one on one.

I haven't peed in hours.

It's 4pm without lunch in sight.

I won't even get to know what happens to you after I hand you off and leave through those double doors.

I wont be able to speak your bane because of HIPAA but I remember it. 

I hope that you realize I wasn't ignoring you.

I was trying to save you.  --KVL (This comes from the writings of The Barefoot Nurse.)

--Roger Lovette / rogerlovette.blogspot.com