"In his way, that's a compliment"

Work on Monday and Tuesday was slightly disappointing. Partly because my guy's trach and g-tube was put off....for the 3rd time!! I was really excited that I'd be the one to take him to surgery Monday, and be there for him and his family for his first two days....but that didn't work out. If all goes as planned, he'll get it today (on my day off)....and I won't be at work until next Tuesday. YEAH for days off....boo for not being able to be there for the big OR day.

But the main reason it was disappointing was because a 9 year old got under my skin!! I took care of the same liver transplant boy as crazy Saturday shift mentioned before....although on Monday and Tuesday he was not so paralyzed/sedated/intubated as he once was. Translation: he was a 9 year old with ADD who was getting incredibly bored with being in the hospital!

So, despite my constant attempts at trying to keep his pulse-ox on (a simple band-aid like contraption that wraps around your finger or toe) he continued to pull it off. Several times through the day he tried to kick me as I tried putting it on his toe. And several times I was swatted away when trying to empty his drains. My patience was running really thin with this kid!!

And then he decides to start the name calling. While putting his pulse ox back on (for the 100th time!) I was called "Fart Face"....when putting his EKG lead on I was called "Potato head"....while re-snapping the buttons on his gown so he wasn't totally naked I was called "stinky face"....while (almost) yelling at him to stop pulling on his drains (which only by the Grace of Liver Transplant God remained in place because this kid ripped off the occlusive dressing and was PULLING on the tubes crazy style! I thought he was gonna pull his liver right out with the tubes!!) I was called "mean head." I had to step away because this 9 year old was starting to get on my last nerve!!

But what topped it off was when, once again, I was putting the pulse ox back on and he called me "Fart Face," his mom laughed and said "Funny, in his way, that's a compliment!"

OK- I don't care whose way you are referring to....name calling is NEVER a compliment!! How should I interpret FartFace as a compliment?? My face is as nice as a fart?? My farts are as nice as my face??

I wanted to say "You bratty, nasty, mean, naughty kid!!...Funny, in my way, that's a compliment!".....but I didn't!!

Instead, I looked at him and said "Name calling is never a joke. It can hurt other people's feelings." There were so many other things I would have rather said, but I didn't. I kept it to the level of an ADD 9 year old....and appropriate enough so I would keep my job!

So I left that evening slightly disappointed. Walking out, I told my carpool buddy "work today was draining....work was hard...and parts of it sucked....but in my way, that's a compliment!"