the music moves me

There are many aspects of nursing that are not obvious to those who are not in the profession. There is the pain, the suffering, but most of all there is the humour, which is most often the emotion I try to express. This is not an easy task, but what really helps me is applying a certain song to a situation. This nurse life is all about the music that keeps me from crying with despair.
The songs which I find funniest are when they include someone's name. Lately this woman was admitted to the ward by the name of Cecilia. She had a hairy chin, bad breath, stains down her shirt and only four very brown teeth. Somebody, please tell Simon and Garfunkel that this Cecilia is not breaking anyone's heart and the only way she can shake someone's confidence is if she breathes on them! And ofcourse, how could i possibly forget Denis? Denis, Denis avec les yeux tres bleu! Well, this Denis was young, handsome and really did have big beautiful blue eyes. The thing is, he pronounced Denis as Dee-nis, rhyming with that organ between any healthy male's legs. I started to imagine Debbie Harry singing “Dee-nis, Dee-nis avec a big red....”
Sometimes I think of songs in times of complete irony. I remember having to clean up an old lady who was given an enema the night before. For those who are not familiar with enemas, they basically consist of a pump which is placed in the arse and lets out liquid to soften stool. Therefore, when I found this patient that morning, she was literally sleeping in her own shit. The jovial tune, “Wake up its a beautiful morning” came to mind and I thought to myself, well, that song certainly was not written for me! And then I realised the shit had traces of blood in it and I thought of that awful 90s hit “Things can only get better”. Yeah, right! Or the time I worked in orthopaedics and this man was wheeled in with two broken legs in plaster...I thought of Nancy Sinatra and said to myself, well, this guy won't be wearing boots for a long time!
And then there are those rare times when the song is well adapted to the scenario. Like the time I was wheeling and old lady on a stretcher to the operating theatre with a colleague. When we approached a bend in the corridor I started to sing “With everything, turn,turn,turn!” and to my surprise, the old lady started to sing along with me and it was one of the most beautiful feelings I had ever experienced.
Yes, the patients do actually have a knowledge of music. I remember an old man who was slightly demented singing “Jolene! Jolene! JOLENE!!!” at the top of his voice. During visiting hours, this pretty young woman with a young child asked if she could visit, even though kids are not allowed. I turned to the kid and said “Only if you're quiet. What's your name sweetheart?” “Jolene” she answered promptly. Of course, I let her in. And how can I forget Carmela? She was a fan of Maltese folk music and whenever a nurse would approach her they would tell her “Carmela, sing us a song.” and she always had a different one lined up for us. One evening I took her some tea and she sang to me a song which translates to:
Your mouth won't say it
Though you are bright of eye
say what you must
Don't be afraid, don't be shy.
I was so touched. I thought it was such a lovely thing to say on her part.
There are days when I go to work and feel very unappreciated. And then there are those times where my job decides to play a different tune. The patients make up my notes, my manuscript and even though sometimes one or two of them are slightly off, it simply gives the melody a little more character. There is a song by a group called M People, who are not exactly my favourite, but at the end of a long day I often think of one of their songs...
“What have you done today to make you feel proud...”