it's the little things

typically, when you talk to a nurse about pee, he or she will automatically think about how 12 hour shifts and busy schedules and multiple patients with equally multiple and diverse needs often keep you from being able to pee. sometimes the few moments of peace and quiet in the restroom are ones that i relish, especially on the busiest of days. today, however, i started to think about pee in a different way.

for almost all of our postpartum moms, going to the bathroom is a little bit of a production. what with the pain of a possible abdominal incision or an extremely sore bottom that just let a baby pass through, whether its getting out of bed or sitting down on the toilet, it's never very easy. today i had a patient for whom it was virtually impossible. i got her as she was gearing up for her fourth attempt to pee independently. three times the foley catheter had been placed in her bladder, and three times it had been taken out followed by six torturous hours waiting, feeling the need to go but completely unable to do so.

and so it was a day of back and forth - watching and waiting, expectantly anticipating the most mundane of things, and celebrating the smallest of achievements. at the end of the day, i'm exhausted but so very thankful. i don't often think to name my own bodily functions among my list of blessings, and yet what a lovely gift for which to be truly thankful.