Male patients test my patience

The past 30 hours have reminded me why I have chosen to become a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner as my lifelong career – I am witness to a minor thumb surgery turning a grown man into a winey hiney – sad as it seems – that is exactly what has happened.

Given the high level of independence Mark usually exhibits most of the time – all self-sufficiency is now out the window – and I am not coping very well. I don’t mean to sound so insensitive – I really want to help him – but at this point, I am convinced that there is absolutely nothing that I can do!

He will not sleep….hardly a wink all night and/or all day.

Lortab makes him pace back and forth and back and forth…I’m dizzy

He keeps commenting that his fingers are swollen…hello? They cut your hand open honey!

He repeats, “My thumb is numb – but it hurts.” – OoooooKaaaaayyyy?!?!

Nausea is not his friend – I have to agree with this one!

He is upset that he cannot help with his usually husband/daddy duties – he should giggle to see me clean after I cook – that never happens.

While I cannot wrap my spinning head around the fact that a minor thumb surgery has him so high strung that even I cannot keep up – I know that he is hurting, he is tired, and he is thrown off kilter by this dramatic change in his daily living – but the bottom line is – men make terrible patients – I’ll pap every female between here and the moon – male patients test my patience.

Any Questions?