Bedside Manner: A crazy mixed bag of experiences

G’day friends and welcome to another week and another blog!

Bedside manner. Everyone at some point will have experience with nurses and doctors either in a hospital or at home.

I am no exception to the rule. I have had numerous visits to the hospital. Usually from my clumsiness or due to needing surgery. But also sometimes for the yearly specialist checkups.

The thing that I remember most about my time with medical professionals is.. surprise surprise.. bedside manner!!

I literally can not tell you how important bedside manner is! If you have been in hospital you would agree with me. There is literally nothing worse than having a doctor or even a nurse see straight through you and ignore you voicing your concerns or pain.

Experiences a Plenty

My earliest experiences with nurses and doctors were during my muscle biopsy, and I remember being held down by them to be able to put me to sleep for the procedure. Or that is what I remember, at least.

My 6 day stint in hospital during my Scoliosis surgery was such a mixed bag in terms of bedside manner. My surgeon was absolutely incredible and always asked me if I had any questions or concerns first before addressing my parents. He was terrific, and a friend of mine can attest to how incredible of a surgeon he was.

The nurses were the mixed bag when it came to bedside manner. My nurse in the ICU had very little bedside manner and told me to toughen up when she was cleaning my back post surgery. I had only been awake for a few hours post surgery at that point and felt faint and sick every time she touched my back. Despite my saying anything, she just kept going. Don’t get me wrong I completely understand why she had to do what she did, but how rough she was even sitting me up and laying me back was horrible. So safe to say a little bedside manner could have gone a long way.

The rest of the nurses during my stay were incredible, and my mum even told me during the removal of all the wires, tubes and bandages, one nurse was holding back tears and my screams of pain… Trust me having bandages slowly pulled off your back is never ever fun. That is some of the worst pain I have ever been in! And that is saying something after having gall stone attacks! The nurses always made sure I was comfortable and always reassured me I was ok. They were patient and gave me a break when I needed one. They always encouraged me to speak up and during my rehab were always celebrating my milestones. Even the person in charge of collecting lunch orders always made sure I ticked the special of nuggets and chips or sausage rolls… with a side of broth of course!

My recent experience during my horse accident I feel truly shows what bedside manner truly is all about. If you want to read what happened in depth, feel free to click on this link https://livingabled.com.au/when-things-go-wrong-getting-back-up-again/. But during the evening, I was experiencing bad rib pain and couldn’t sleep because of the reaction to the pain meds was making me seriously nauseous. The evening nurse at one point came in to give me anti-nausea medication, and when I started crying they stood there for what felt like 5 minutes, but was probably 2, repeating to me that it will be ok, i am ok, and stroking my hair. I have never had a nurse that kind and genuinely concerned. That was a person who loves their job and even when I said thank you and also apologised they said ‘sweetheart don’t apologise this is what I am here for’.

The Difference in Bedside Manner

The difference between these two experiences was that the care as human beings went a long way.

When you are feeling pretty low or in pain or uncomfortable, having some reassurance and being told it will be ok goes a long way, especially if you are a child hearing beeping machines or hearing someone in the room next to you in a wrong way.

Nurses play such a massive part in your care in hospital, and they don’t get as much praise as what they should.

When you are a patient, I feel it is essential that you are seen, heard and understood. There is nothing worse than having your pain disregarded or have a nurse that has lost the concept that you are a human going through something scary, and a little bit of care goes a long way. So do I think bed manner is important? I sure do! Bedside manner makes all the difference in most cases.

So all the doctors and nursers, thank you for all your incredible work. What you do for all of us is nothing short of a miracle.

For us patients, remember to speak up when you don’t feel comfortable or are scared about what is going to happen. These incredible people are there to help you. And remember to thank them for their tireless hours.

Till next time,

Rhi.