By the end of this attachment I want my ass wiping/diaper changing skills to be so good that patients will sigh - oohhh - when I change for them.
Hahaha.
I am so much less scared of feces nowadays..
Today is my first day of work at the hospital and the most significant event that happened was my diaper changing experience.
This patient was in the high fall risk category - which meant that she was not allowed to move around independently and she has to stay in bed restrained by the cot sides, "just like a baby" in her words.
She felt fit enough to walk, and asked me to bring her to the toilet to shit.
When I asked the EN if we could bring her to the toilet together, the EN gave some excuses that I cannot recall, something along the lines that she wasn't sure if we were allowed to do that as the patient was high fall risk, and that since the patients' diapers were dirty already, we might as well let her shit in it.
I tried to ask the nurse to bring the patient to the toilet la.
Because I saw her being pushed to the toilet to pee a while ago by another nurse.. surely it means that it is not disallowed right?
The poor patient kept on blabbering on to me in Hokkien which I translated to the malay nurse who didn't seem to understand the situation, or was pretending not to because it was time consuming to have to bring the patient to the toilet and back.
I know I shouldn't accuse the nurse..
but I felt so baddddd that this poor old lady had to shit in the bed.
She said that she didn't want to do it in the diapers because it would stink..
Just imagine yourself shitting on your bed, regardless whether you're wearing diapers or not, it wouldn't feel good.
I remember the horrible experience when I myself stayed in NUH earlier this year for my leg operation.
If you are aware, patients have to wear this Operating theater gown that is actually one big piece of cloth that doesn't cover your ass.
I had my operation at around 1am if I remember correctly.
Before the procedure the nurse asked me to strip everything [gosh..it was only a leg injury hello.] and wear only the gown and paper underwear.
In my half-asleep state I walked alone to the toilet with the back of the gown flapping - yes, everybody can see everything even though I tried to hold the front, sides and back in place.
I was so mad la.. even though it was in the middle of the night and most of the patients were probably sleeping I still have my modesty lor.
Some more I stayed in C class ward which meant that there were male cubicles all around.. to enjoy the free show :'(
After the operation I woke up to realize that I was still wearing ONLY the skimpy piece of gown and to my horror the ward was already bustling with life - young lives to be more accurate.. the ward was filled with nursing students ready to start work.
I can't describe how embarrassing it feels to be lying there exposed and helpless with students near my age.
The worst part was that I wasn't allowed to leave the bed to pee.
What The Hell?!
I was feeling fine, extremely fine, never so fine before!
But the nurse insisted that I peed in bed, no matter how much I whined and pleaded she wouldn't let me leave the bed.
She passed me this thing called bed pan for me to pee on the bed.
:'(
She was the best, standing beside me and staring..
My bladder had to say, "err.. can excuse me?" before she left me alone.
When I grudgingly peed I was constantly worried that a gust of wind would blow the curtain and .. i think i will kill myself.
What I want to say is that I understand how the patient feels about excreting in such an uncomfortable awkward manner.
So I reassured her that we would chiong in immediately to change her diapers, there will be no smell! and I will hold the curtains tightly nobody will see you.
Dignity.. don't take it for granted.
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♥Bid Farewell
