Thank You

The last couple of weeks have been rough. I struggled with fatigue in college and it has taken me 7 years to feel like I have a grasp of what I can and can't eat and what fuels verses what fatigues me. For the most part I have a great handle on this, but every once in a while it creeps up on me and robs me of my enthusiasm for life. This is frustrating and when you work 12 hour shifts it tests your patience and ability to hold compassion for others when you can barely hold it together yourself! For someone naturally bubbly and energetic a blow to my stamina feels like a blow to my identity. The struggle feels real. 

One of these days was busy. I had psyched myself up to working with the emergent patients in the ER with my light at the end of the day being that I was only working an 8 hour shift. I was able to smile and work my way through the morning which was fairly slow and steady and tried not to acknowledge the heaviness in my limbs. 

I had the honor of caring for a very sick septic patient that day who required mostly 1:1 attention for the first few hours of her arrival. She was sick, unstable, and her condition unexpected to her sweet husband who sat by her side the whole time. We were holding ICU patients and so her typical period of stabilization to transfer to CCU was prolonged by the capacity of the hospital. My patient was unable to communicate with me effectively, so I tried my best to explain to her husband what was going on and what to expect. He was calm and open to everything I had to say. Part of me wondered if he fully understood the extent of her condition. 

In and out, in and out of her room, small talk with the husband, and simply counting down the hours til I could go home. She was stable when I left that evening and I didn't think much of it. I had just hoped I had been able to give enough that day. 

Two days later I was down at the coffee cart when I felt a tap on my shoulder. That same husband approached me and said, "I just wanted to say thank you for everything you did the other day, with my wife. I really appreciated it. Thank you." 

I was so appreciative of his words. Every day in this profession we try and try and try, and many days go home not knowing if we did enough. It's these little moments that help remind me why I do what I do. I don't do it for the recognition or the thanks, but when someone takes the time to say they appreciate you, it sure goes a long way. 

I think we forget to thank a lot of people in our lives. Remember to appreciate those around you and verbalize it. Sometimes those two little words go a lot further than you would imagine. They did for me.