This is a shout out to all the nurses out there who I know, first hand, don’t have time to play cards, don’t always get a lunch break, and sometimes go for long periods of time without a bathroom break.

They are the best.

Without nurses, we wouldn’t be able to live a somewhat normal life. When someone mistakes Sam’s nurses for a babysitter, I think his nurses would agree, they are far from that. Most importantly, in the event something goes wrong, they are qualified to save my son’s life and care for his daily needs that are far different than a typical child.

A typical morning for Sam…

The cords. Every morning we spend some time unraveling Sam from his pulse oximeter and feeding tube. Then it’s routine g-tube and trach cares, getting his vitals (temp, respiratory rate, pulse rate, and sometimes a blood pressure) knowing how to draw up his daily meds, know what to give and in what order to give them in, and know whether the meds should go in his “g” or “j”. It’s knowing how to prime a feeding pump, get it started, and know how much formula should be given in the “g” and the “j” throughout the day. It’s knowing how many bolus’ to give and how fast or slow to go. It’s knowing what nebs to give and in what order to give them in. That’s only the very beginning of Sam’s day. Let’s not forget the equipment, med, supply, etc. checks the nurses are still required to do daily. I could probably go into more detail, but you get the point. We are incredibly thankful for nurses!

Sometimes I think that’s why we have these holidays or appreciation weeks. They are just made up, money making weeks/days to show recognition for the people in our lives we should already be appreciating. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not completely against all these weeks/days. It’s also fun to have a reason to spoil these special people in our lives. I’m thankful to live in a place I get that opportunity.

If you have nurses in your life, make sure to thank them for the work they do that often goes unappreciated.