Through the Tubes

!2/28/25

Some nurses have a way of making you forget you’re in the hospital. They laugh, are personable and go the extra mile to make you feel less isolated and alone. I have to say Ive had some of the best nurses during my time at Mayo Clinic. I break them into the following categories:

The Jokester My Lithuanian Nurse (who Ramsey and Aimee were convinced must have been a badass fighter on the side). If my machines were beeping like crazy she’d come in and say “I hear you got a serious case of the beeps!!” then fix the noises immediately. She called my bile Grinch Juice as she giggled draining the bag. Every time she brought in my tube feed she’d make up that it was some kind of delicious meal like “steak and fries? my favorite!”. I loved her for always bringing positivity and witty remarks.

The Mother Then there was Billie. She was with me during my worst case of anxiety. She held my hand, told me I was OK and that there is an end in sight. I just had to allow myself to get there. She gave me my first shower and introduced to me to a shampoo cap to clean my hair. She tucked me in and told me funny stories about her grandkids and how excited she was to see them. She always knew how to comfort me and went out of her way to make sure I felt loved, even through a stranger.

The Nurturer The old soul who was in her late 20s was born a natural caregiver. She spent time with me and made sure I wanted for nothing. She saw me reach for one of the bagged shampoo caps and told me “those are for old men not you” and concocted a way to wash my hair from my bed. It was a Sunday and we had Nathanial Ratliff playing via my NPR app. through the tv. She had never heard of him and loved him. It was a. very 90s girlfriends hanging out moment. My hair never felt so clean.

I share all of this because sometimes we forget nurses are people too. They want to feel connection with their patients. Not all, sure, but most do. I’m currently at Rose Hospital in Denver as I took a nasty fall on Christmas morning due to my dehydration. Turns out my sodium was also dangerously low which causes light headedness, dizzy and nausea – everything I had been dealing with for the past week. They admitted me to the ICU. I moved down to the regular floor last night and everything is back to her normal as it pertains to my levels. I’ll be discharged tomorrow. I’m lobbying to get a port placed so I Can get back to having daily hydration. I felt my best when I was receiving daily liters of water vs trying to rely on doing it myself via my tubes.Theres just only so much water you can push through those tiny vessels. More to come on that front as I see my oncologist tomorrow. It sounds like he can write the orders for a port of another pic line.

Until later – G