For the entire time Michael has been in the ICU he was had wonderful compassionate nurses. There's not one that wasn't wonderful -- until Nurse Ratchet (NR) showed up today.
NR managed to irritate, alienate, and generally invoke the loathing of each of us. She began the day by challenging our right to be in the room. Instead of calmly introducing herself and asking who we were, she demanded to know what we were doing there. I smiled sweetly and introduced myself. She never introduced herself - I had to ask her name but it didn't really matter. She is forever more Nurse Ratchet.
Nurse Ratchet is a stickler for all the rules which is fine. I have no problem with the rules. However, there are nice and diplomatic ways to enforce them. You don't have to be ugly and dictatorial. And keep in mind that for the past 14 days, we've been allowed to remain after visiting hours are over. We've been allowed to close the door when it was too loud outside Michael's room (Mike's heart rate gets too high when there is any noise.)
Nurse Ratchet doesn't talk to Michael. She doesn't tell him what she is going to do, she just barges in and then his heart rate goes through the roof again. She doesn't talk to us either. Answering our questions doesn't appear to be part of her job description.
We've had the best nurses and I'm sure that Nurse Ratchet is also a good nurse or she wouldn't be on the ICU. I just hope she has a short time with Michael and we can move on to someone a little more able to dispense TLC. But just watch, Nurse Ratchet will be on duty for the next week. Oh, well. Michael should be transferred to a rehab facility next week and I'm done venting --- for the moment.
Thank all of you for your prayers. Michael is improving slowly. I know that it is God's healing power at work and that we will have our old Michael John back soon.
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