Katherine Smith
June 2023
Katherine
Smith
,
RN
PCU
Research Medical Center
Kansas City
,
MO
United States

 

 

 

She told me I could listen to my CD player and “we” could take “our” time “together” getting used to, acclimated to the machine.
There are knowledgeable nurses, clinical nurses and those who help cure with laughter…But…then there are nurses that help cure, heal with the most valued thing of all – heart. The type that treat you like a “human being” they know you’ve reached that unknown valley, that fork in the road that’s new to you. They try to help you traverse that minefield with information and physical support. You’re no longer a patient with a number but you’re that new adoptive relative, a sister, an aunt, a niece, or a best friend. My fears regarding the use of a CPAP machine, which is now a necessity for my life….slowly dissipated when she not only explained the benefits of having and using the machine but also calmed my phobia by informing me that it came in a variety of styles. There are those who would have just forced it on me (physically) like throwing me in the lake and saying “Sink or swim” but she didn’t do that. She told me I could listen to my CD player and “we” could take “our” time “together” getting used to, acclimated to the machine. For example – 15 min on 15 min off, 30 min on 30 min off. In the end, I worked it for 3 hours and I know that I'll be able to use this machine for the rest of my life. God Bless Katie.