Gillian Drew
November 2023
Gillian
Drew
,
RN
5A Surgical Ortho/Trauma Unit
University of Michigan Health at Michigan Medicine
Ann Arbor
,
MI
United States
Gillian stood by my bed as I cried softly. She wiped my face, and I pulled myself together. She kept speaking to me in a soft voice, telling me how brave I was. She acknowledged that the experience was awful and that she put me at the top of her list for “harrowing struggles with an NG tube insertion.”
What was supposed to be a 2-3 day stay to remove a mass on my colon turned into an extended 19-day struggle to wake up my bowels. On day 4, I had an NG tube inserted to alleviate the extreme nausea I was experiencing. Unfortunately, the tube kept clogging up, and it was decided on day 7 to remove the first tube and reinsert a larger one.
My RN, Gillian, had been my nurse over several of the first seven days of my stay. She was encouraging and informative, answering all of my questions with a smile. She was outgoing, uplifting, and a big helping of “happy” whenever I was feeling discouraged. Then came day 7…two doctors from my team came in to remove the first NG tube and to insert a second. I was preparing myself for another gagging session when who pops into my room but Gillian! The doctors looked up at her, and she replied, “I am just here for moral support”. I was so comforted by her, just being there like a long-time friend and ally. She stood at the end of my bed and spoke words of encouragement and was all in, on my side.
It took multiple tries over 30 minutes to get the tube down successfully. One doctor tried, then the other. They tried one nostril, then the other. The tube went down into my lungs twice. I was gagging, gasping, snotty, sweating, and bleeding from my nose, and all the while, Gillian was speaking softly, encouraging me to keep calm and to keep trying. Finally, the NG tube went down! Gillian stood by my bed as I cried softly. She wiped my face, and I pulled myself together. She kept speaking to me in a soft voice, telling me how brave I was. She acknowledged that the experience was awful and that she put me at the top of her list for “harrowing struggles with an NG tube insertion.” It was not the award I would have asked for, but her acknowledgment of my struggle was so validating, and it made me feel less like a wimp and more like a warrior. When my family came in to visit that evening, Gillian was there to explain what had happened that day and to reiterate to my family how challenging the procedure had been and how I handled it with valor.
Over the next 12 days, Gillian would be my assigned nurse several times, but even when she wasn’t, she would pop in to visit and check on my progress. She celebrated my small victories along the way and also my final triumph…the day the doctors removed my NG tube, and I was able to go home. I will never forget her words to the doctors on day 7 of my stay, “I am here for moral support.” I will forever be grateful to my RN, cheerleader, and friend, Gillian!
My RN, Gillian, had been my nurse over several of the first seven days of my stay. She was encouraging and informative, answering all of my questions with a smile. She was outgoing, uplifting, and a big helping of “happy” whenever I was feeling discouraged. Then came day 7…two doctors from my team came in to remove the first NG tube and to insert a second. I was preparing myself for another gagging session when who pops into my room but Gillian! The doctors looked up at her, and she replied, “I am just here for moral support”. I was so comforted by her, just being there like a long-time friend and ally. She stood at the end of my bed and spoke words of encouragement and was all in, on my side.
It took multiple tries over 30 minutes to get the tube down successfully. One doctor tried, then the other. They tried one nostril, then the other. The tube went down into my lungs twice. I was gagging, gasping, snotty, sweating, and bleeding from my nose, and all the while, Gillian was speaking softly, encouraging me to keep calm and to keep trying. Finally, the NG tube went down! Gillian stood by my bed as I cried softly. She wiped my face, and I pulled myself together. She kept speaking to me in a soft voice, telling me how brave I was. She acknowledged that the experience was awful and that she put me at the top of her list for “harrowing struggles with an NG tube insertion.” It was not the award I would have asked for, but her acknowledgment of my struggle was so validating, and it made me feel less like a wimp and more like a warrior. When my family came in to visit that evening, Gillian was there to explain what had happened that day and to reiterate to my family how challenging the procedure had been and how I handled it with valor.
Over the next 12 days, Gillian would be my assigned nurse several times, but even when she wasn’t, she would pop in to visit and check on my progress. She celebrated my small victories along the way and also my final triumph…the day the doctors removed my NG tube, and I was able to go home. I will never forget her words to the doctors on day 7 of my stay, “I am here for moral support.” I will forever be grateful to my RN, cheerleader, and friend, Gillian!