Skip to main content

synonyms and antonyms

Today at the dr.s office I had to look away while they cleaned Bobby's hand. The doctor happened to look up at one point, chuckled, and asked me if I needed to step outside. And I could list numerous occasions when I almost grossed out (okay, I did gross out) at things.

I am Bobby's caregiver, as well as his wife, and I am asked about that every time we go to the hospital. Yet even though caregivers do some of the same things a nurse's aid would do, I AM NOT A NURSE!

I often get told by other nurses that I should consider it. In my opinion, that's about like people who can sing telling Bobby that he can sing, too. (And for the record, he's not quite as bad as he thinks he is.)

Caregiving and nursing, while the actions may be synonymous, are almost antonyms in my mind. I am a caregiver because I care about Bobby. Nurses are nurses because...? they enjoy what they do?!? I cannot fathom taking care of a sick person I don't know. There have been times it's been a struggle to take care of Bobby.

I am SO thankful for Dr.s and Nurses - mainly because they seem to handle with ease jobs that I can't. I think I'm going to have to find another stress reliever besides chocolate and Dr. Pepper, 'cause his hand has about pushed my weight and nerves to its limits!

Comments

Unknown said…
my dear friend, i need to pray more faithfully for you!! you are such an example of strength to me!
Lydia said…
What's going on with his hand? ...and this is a post I certainly agree with. I went to nursing school with good intentions. I got so "grossed out" that I quit after the orthopaedic floor(third semester of clinicals). Now, as a mom of a child with spina bifida, I deal with orthopaedic issues all day. I can handle it BECAUSE she's my child and I love her beyond. But a stranger...no way.
Jennifer said…
I can barely handle my kids throw up, I couldn't imagine someone elses, not to mention the sight of blood does something to my stomach!

Popular posts from this blog

things we do for love

Saturday we had a baby shower for Bobby's niece. As I was making the mints, Bobby asked what else was on the menu. After I recited off the litany of items, he responded with "No peanut butter?! This shower is for Hannah! What's she going to eat?" (Hannah has had stomach problems over the years and has been unable to tolerate many foods, but peanut butter has been her staple.) Despite my assurances that she would enjoy the foods we were having, he was adamant that I needed to make peanut butter & jelly sandwiches for the shower. Even though I protested that NOBODY took that to a shower, he persisted, and informed me I could make them dainty with my little cutter. And so I did. To my surprise all but 3 were eaten. Who'd a thunk it?

get your house in order

My grandmothers were very clean people. My mother thoroughly enjoys cleaning, though she doesn't quite hit the same level my grandmothers were on. I don't enjoy cleaning, but I do like things to be clean. I've almost given up on neatness. One thing that they all instilled in me is the crazy concept that your house must be in order before you go somewhere big - like a vacation or something. After all, you could die in a car crash or have to go to the hospital, and then people would go into your house and find it in a terrible mess. Who wants to be remembered by that? So up until this past year, I would sometimes be up almost all night not only trying to get things packed up, but also trying to totally clean house as well. Or should I say, make the house presentable? The Chinese had a horrible superstition that my mother and grandparents would have enjoyed. Spring Festival (the Chinese New Year based on the lunar calendar) required EVERYTHING to be cleaned top to

Wait...it's almost March?!?

 10 more months 'til Christmas. This last month has been an absolute blur. Cleaning at Mrs. Bryan's house, cleaning at our house, lots of thinking and brainstorming and rearranging, appointments upon appointments, sinus infection/allergies, Bobby's surgery, meeting with surgeon and finally agreeing to future outpatient surgery for me, ongoing updates from my parents, garden tilled and snow peas, potatoes and beets planted (and yes I left several rows empty between the potatoes and beets for something else to go later as a buffer), chickens are laying, we may have a broody hen..in FEBRUARY!!!, we have two roosters that need to disappear, lots of family have been in from out of town to assist with the sorting and cleaning at Mrs. Bryan's house, and somewhere in the midst of it all I've found time to pay bills and catch up on a few emails. While I no longer feel like our house is a disaster zone, it is still overwhelming. Years ago a friend posted a quote by Martin Lut