Nurses and Dumbledore
Hitting the dojo last night was EXACTLY what I needed. I feel tons better. Learned a lot, too.
I guess the guys felt bad about what has been going on with me, so they dragged their wives and children out to a big group dinner after class, so that I wouldn't be alone for the evening. We all ended up having a great time and stayed at the Chinese place long enough to earn some irritated looks from the proprietor.
When I say that the people I train with are like a second family, I don't think that most folks realize that I'm speaking literally. I look after little kids, joke around with the men, and get fussed over by the womenfolk. In my opinion, that environment is the ONLY way to teach what we do. Or, at the very least, the only way I'm willing to do it.
Now, to business. Kind of.
Hannibal Rising: Anyone interested in seeing it tonight? There's a 9:15 showing at Baywalk and a 7:30 at Westshore. I'd be amenable to either. Give a call if interested.
I've written before about Albus Dumbledore. In fact, I've written quite a lot about Albus Dumbledore. If you were not victimized by those writings, let me give you a quick summary - I like Dumbledore because he's courteous and respectful, not matter what the situation is. In fact, he remains courteous even when people are trying to kill him.
You may wonder how I got to thinking about Dumbledore while I was sitting in an ICU with my father. What sparked it off was some of the nurses. I spent a few nights by my father's bedside, and our fitful slumber would be interrupted every hour or so by nurses checking his vitals or repositioning him. What struck me was the brusque way some of them would just walk up and lay hands on him. I must admit that I had to fight the urge a couple times to lay hands on them in that same abrupt manner and see how they liked it. I get the distinct feeling that if I touched those nurses in the manner they touched their disabled patients, they'd call it "battery".
The nurses that impressed me and really helped where the ones that would walk up to him, look at him, and say, "Mr. Shusei, we need to do X thing. Would you mind?" He'd give a little nod, and then nurses would get one with what they where doing. It only took a second, but it made all the difference in the world.
The former nurses seemed to think that because he couldn't talk or move most of his body that he was somehow immune to the demands of courtesy and respect; a block of human clay that was part of their very tedious job. Never mind that putting your hands all over someone's face and torso are some of the most intimate and intrusive things you can do to another person. The latter group of nurses seemed to understand that and acted accordingly.
I think a lot of people in the medical field really miss the bus in the importance of respect and its critical role in the healing process. To stay with the example of my Dad, he was already depressed enough because he couldn't talk or move around very much. If you add onto that people treating him like he's not a sentient being and abruptly laying hands on him without any say-so on his part, you can see where he'd feel even more powerless and removed, even more hopeless.
You might think it some kooky Eastern trusism when I say that the mind and the body have to heal at the same time, but I believe it is true. I've seen the principle in action too many times to believe otherwise. With the disrespectful nurses, they were perhaps helping his body, but they were really devastating his mind.
What made me think of Dumbledore was the good nurses. Even in the sometimes hellish environment of the ICU, where they are forced to stare into some of their own deepest fears regarding mortality and human frailty, these men and women stayed courteous and I am eternally grateful to them for it.
- Ken
I guess the guys felt bad about what has been going on with me, so they dragged their wives and children out to a big group dinner after class, so that I wouldn't be alone for the evening. We all ended up having a great time and stayed at the Chinese place long enough to earn some irritated looks from the proprietor.
When I say that the people I train with are like a second family, I don't think that most folks realize that I'm speaking literally. I look after little kids, joke around with the men, and get fussed over by the womenfolk. In my opinion, that environment is the ONLY way to teach what we do. Or, at the very least, the only way I'm willing to do it.
Now, to business. Kind of.
Hannibal Rising: Anyone interested in seeing it tonight? There's a 9:15 showing at Baywalk and a 7:30 at Westshore. I'd be amenable to either. Give a call if interested.
I've written before about Albus Dumbledore. In fact, I've written quite a lot about Albus Dumbledore. If you were not victimized by those writings, let me give you a quick summary - I like Dumbledore because he's courteous and respectful, not matter what the situation is. In fact, he remains courteous even when people are trying to kill him.
You may wonder how I got to thinking about Dumbledore while I was sitting in an ICU with my father. What sparked it off was some of the nurses. I spent a few nights by my father's bedside, and our fitful slumber would be interrupted every hour or so by nurses checking his vitals or repositioning him. What struck me was the brusque way some of them would just walk up and lay hands on him. I must admit that I had to fight the urge a couple times to lay hands on them in that same abrupt manner and see how they liked it. I get the distinct feeling that if I touched those nurses in the manner they touched their disabled patients, they'd call it "battery".
The nurses that impressed me and really helped where the ones that would walk up to him, look at him, and say, "Mr. Shusei, we need to do X thing. Would you mind?" He'd give a little nod, and then nurses would get one with what they where doing. It only took a second, but it made all the difference in the world.
The former nurses seemed to think that because he couldn't talk or move most of his body that he was somehow immune to the demands of courtesy and respect; a block of human clay that was part of their very tedious job. Never mind that putting your hands all over someone's face and torso are some of the most intimate and intrusive things you can do to another person. The latter group of nurses seemed to understand that and acted accordingly.
I think a lot of people in the medical field really miss the bus in the importance of respect and its critical role in the healing process. To stay with the example of my Dad, he was already depressed enough because he couldn't talk or move around very much. If you add onto that people treating him like he's not a sentient being and abruptly laying hands on him without any say-so on his part, you can see where he'd feel even more powerless and removed, even more hopeless.
You might think it some kooky Eastern trusism when I say that the mind and the body have to heal at the same time, but I believe it is true. I've seen the principle in action too many times to believe otherwise. With the disrespectful nurses, they were perhaps helping his body, but they were really devastating his mind.
What made me think of Dumbledore was the good nurses. Even in the sometimes hellish environment of the ICU, where they are forced to stare into some of their own deepest fears regarding mortality and human frailty, these men and women stayed courteous and I am eternally grateful to them for it.
- Ken