My Plea
Day 2 was filled with some ups and downs. Apparently I jinxed myself with my last post boasting about passing the desensitization. Later that night I found a few rash spots which are multiplying with each dose. I also had a bizarre stomach bug-like reaction which sucked.
Day 3's reactions: swollen hands & feet, along with intense joint pain in my wrists, hands, knees and feet to the point it's challenging to open a water bottle. Upward and onward.
Every evening I go for a walk to stretch my legs because sitting in a room 24/7 actually hurts. I like to walk a long, less-busy hallway of the hospital known as The Pike. A stretch of The Pike has museum quality photographs showcasing "Healers of Our Time."
I've walked this hallway hundreds of times over the years and yet never stopped to read the plaques, until last night that is. This particular one stood out to me (along with the beloved Hellen Keller):
CF patients are asked to wear a mask whenever we leave our rooms to decrease the chances of catching other bugs and preventing our bugs from spreading to those who are immune-suppressed. So it's little 'ol me walking laps wearing a mask and towing my IV pole.
By the evening the general public is gone but there are lots of medical personnel and custodial staff buzzing about. Not one person will make eye contact or smile at me. Not one will say a polite 'hello'. They'll often even cut me off to jump on the elevator ahead of me and glare at me when I jump on the elevator with them, seriously!
It blows my mind that people who've paid a small fortune and undergone years of training to be able to take care of people like me lose their human decency once removed from an exam room.
It's dehumanizing and last night it finally brought me to tears. It might not bother everyone, but I'm the type of person who smiles at everyone (even from behind my mask) and says hello to anyone & everyone I lock eyes with because I feel like it's a way of acknowledging a fellow human being, and, in a small way, saying you matter.
I know some of you may be thinking They're probably in a hurry, and there may be some truth to that. However, I have a completely different experience when I'm without the mask and/or IV pole and I'm pretty sure they're still in a hurry then. It does not take any extra time to look up and smile as you walk.
By the evening the general public is gone but there are lots of medical personnel and custodial staff buzzing about. Not one person will make eye contact or smile at me. Not one will say a polite 'hello'. They'll often even cut me off to jump on the elevator ahead of me and glare at me when I jump on the elevator with them, seriously!
It blows my mind that people who've paid a small fortune and undergone years of training to be able to take care of people like me lose their human decency once removed from an exam room.
It's dehumanizing and last night it finally brought me to tears. It might not bother everyone, but I'm the type of person who smiles at everyone (even from behind my mask) and says hello to anyone & everyone I lock eyes with because I feel like it's a way of acknowledging a fellow human being, and, in a small way, saying you matter.
I know some of you may be thinking They're probably in a hurry, and there may be some truth to that. However, I have a completely different experience when I'm without the mask and/or IV pole and I'm pretty sure they're still in a hurry then. It does not take any extra time to look up and smile as you walk.
So my plea to all of my healthcare professional friends is this:
Please don't forget to give a smile or a simple "hello" to those who wear masks, oxygen cannulas, are in a wheelchair...those who are "different". We have feelings and, under our differences, we're really just like you.
Please don't forget to give a smile or a simple "hello" to those who wear masks, oxygen cannulas, are in a wheelchair...those who are "different". We have feelings and, under our differences, we're really just like you.
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