Diane Cao
July 2023
Diane
Cao
,
BSN, RN
Surgical/Ortho - 11WT
Texas Children's Hospital
Houston
,
TX
United States
Diane was the only nurse who engaged him in meaningful conversation, and she used her shirts to do so! His interactions with her were markedly more positive and less traumatic.
Diane was the only nurse we had who wore fun shirts like Marvel or Minecraft. My son is three going on four and has developed severe anxiety around medical procedures. He began tensing up whenever the door would open knowing that another procedure or blood draw or test was coming. Diane was the only nurse who engaged him in meaningful conversation, and she used her shirts to do so! My son got really excited that she had a Marvel shirt and he talked about how he loves Spider-Man but specifically Ghost Spider and Miles Morales. His interactions with her were markedly more positive and less traumatic.
On one occasion, my son had his first real nap after having open surgery and he ended up wetting his bed. He still wanted to sleep and was having anxiety and began crying when we tried to get him out of bed. She found a way to change his absorbent pad without making him get out of bed, allowing him to get back to sleep and rest. When he needed to poop in order to complete his list of needs to do before discharge, I accidentally let him fall in when his toddler toilet seat didn’t fit right on the adult-sized toilets. He became more anxious about pooping and began having anxiety around the bathroom itself. Diane brought us multiple options and tried to find a way to reinforce the toilet using something that catches poop but also makes it safer for him and prevents him from falling through. That made it easier for him and he was able to sit on the toilet without fear or anxiety. He sheepishly got on but quickly became comfortable as he saw that he wouldn’t fall in. She kept looking for alternatives and brought us something he could sit in while watching TV to help him relax when he still struggled to pass a bowel movement.
Isolating a single moment can be difficult despite the few above, but overall, she had a great disposition and treated him like a person. She explained what she was doing and comforted him when he felt scared. She made me feel heard as a parent and always had an idea of how to help us accomplish what we needed to for our son’s recovery.
On one occasion, my son had his first real nap after having open surgery and he ended up wetting his bed. He still wanted to sleep and was having anxiety and began crying when we tried to get him out of bed. She found a way to change his absorbent pad without making him get out of bed, allowing him to get back to sleep and rest. When he needed to poop in order to complete his list of needs to do before discharge, I accidentally let him fall in when his toddler toilet seat didn’t fit right on the adult-sized toilets. He became more anxious about pooping and began having anxiety around the bathroom itself. Diane brought us multiple options and tried to find a way to reinforce the toilet using something that catches poop but also makes it safer for him and prevents him from falling through. That made it easier for him and he was able to sit on the toilet without fear or anxiety. He sheepishly got on but quickly became comfortable as he saw that he wouldn’t fall in. She kept looking for alternatives and brought us something he could sit in while watching TV to help him relax when he still struggled to pass a bowel movement.
Isolating a single moment can be difficult despite the few above, but overall, she had a great disposition and treated him like a person. She explained what she was doing and comforted him when he felt scared. She made me feel heard as a parent and always had an idea of how to help us accomplish what we needed to for our son’s recovery.