My son N was recently admitted to Doernbechers unit 9 South for anemia, severe fatigue, and an uncontrolled ulcerative colitis flare up. Due to the stress from chronic illness and fatigue, he had also recently developed OCD type symptoms with anxiety and behaviors. This was also diagnosed. N is a very good sport about medical treatment, but structure and knowing what to expect are crucial to his comfort and peace of mind.
One day, after a long couple of days of travel and medical appointments and tests, he had not eaten in over 24 hours. He had previously been told he would be allowed to eat dinner, and had even picked out his meal on the menu. At this time, the day shift nurse informed N and me that he would have to be on clear fluids only for the evening and nothing by mouth until Thursday am when he would have his scopes (this was Tuesday evening, he had not eaten since Monday night). This was too disappointing for him to bear due to fatigue and anxiety, and he immediately teared up and shut down. There must have been a miscommunication somewhere, I certainly didn't blame the staff, but this was a shock to both N and me as it had not been communicated to us ahead of time. I expressed this to the dayshift nurse, knowing that it wasn't her fault but desperate for a resolution. She could only say that this was what the doctor had ordered and did not have another solution. At this point N was vomiting up stomach acid in a bucket from going too long without eating, and refusing any broth/jello/etc. because of the nausea. I was near tears, and trying to explain to the day nurse that this wasn't going to work, he needed to at least eat tonight. His mental state would not be able to adjust at this point, and I knew this. The day shift nurse was sympathetic but had no suggestions. The resident was called, and he came in the room and spoke with me a bit and apologized, stating they had decided to start the rinse prep early but again, no alternatives were offered. At this time, it was shift change. The night shift nurse, Brandy, was coming on board and was in the room, and saw that my son was vomiting and visibly stressed. I was holding back tears at this point, and very upset. I explained the situation to Brandy, and why it would be so detrimental to N at this point. I also told her that from my experience with our doctors, I felt confident that they would not want N to be suffering this much. Brandy was compassionate and understanding, and said she would be back. Little did I know, she had gone to find the resident and had him call our doctor. Our doctor concurred with my feelings and immediately changed the order so that N could indeed eat dinner. It was 9PM by the time he had food, but I can unequivocally say that this simple thing changed his hospital experience from potentially miserable into something manageable, and gave me much more confidence as this was my first experience with Doernbechers (which, by the way, was pretty impressive overall)! I was so appreciative of this extra effort from Brandy; her one act of caring had a huge impact. Thank you Brandy, and to all of the excellent providers at Doernbechers!