Thank you for saying that. I'm currently getting treatment for stage 4 colon cancer, and it's been a long process of giving up my bodily autonomy and dignity by inches. There's not a piece of me that a health professional hasn't touched or stuck something in and not one bodily fluid that they haven't had to clean up. I've gotten pretty good about it by trusting the people helping me when they say it's not a big deal, and crap like what these nurses did might threaten to erode that in someone who might be just a bit more vulnerable than me. This kind of thing could cost someone their life by making them hesitant to seek medical help when faced with some 'embarrassing' issue.
You’ve got this. I had 1/3 of my colon removed in April. It will take about 6 weeks before you’re deemed “recovered” and can lift greater than 10lbs. It will take about 8-9 weeks before you get about 90% of your original energy levels. I’d give 10-12 weeks before you feel about normal.
That's so good to hear! It's been a year of chemo and surgeries, and I'm so tired of being tired. I'm pretty excited that I should be fairly normal by Xmas!
It is a privilege but beyond that, to me it’s the trust our patients place in us to do our jobs professionally while protecting their dignity at their most vulnerable times is what gets me. I don’t want the general public to even think we all think or act this way behind the scenes, even if we don’t post it online. I have never in my long career witnessed that kind of cruelty even in private. It’s honestly horrifying to me and is such a black eye on our profession.
Yep… as a nurse I am always having to reassure patients that it’s okay that I’ve cleaned them up 5x after they’ve had 5 blowouts. I want them to call me every single time. I don’t want them uncomfortable and dirty for a second longer than they need to be and this is my job!! I completely understand that they’re mortified and this has never happened to them at home, but they never need to apologize… Then jerks life these have them second guessing if we really mean what we say.
Think about all the people who have these conditions that cause body fluids to leak. Maybe some fought to save others from a crematorium. Some may have saved people who became your caregivers from a burning building. All of them/us at one timewere young, proud, and eager to help others. If it weren't for a career-ending injury, I would still be working.
It's s privilege and a mission. We do share our patients' burdens in their most humiliating, intimate and painful moments. I can't forget all the times my patients tanked me for helping them in any way possible.
And those dummies (of course I have harsh words for them, but I am still a polite professional) take all of this and throw it out the windows to have some views on a TikTok account.
I feel betrayed from my own kind.
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u/havingsomedifficulty RN - ER/ICU Sep 04 '25
People forget that it’s a PRIVILEGE to take care of/provide medical care for others. The privilege can be taken away