Have you ever taken your child to the doctor and encountered
a nurse who has absolutely no understanding of autism? Of course you have. I
love nurses and they a breed apart for even going into the field of nursing to
begin with. I could never do it and I have a ton of respect for the people who
chose to be a nurse. It’s hard work to the say the least and when you encounter
a nurse that gets it, it makes all the difference in the world.
When my
son had his allergic reaction to an antibiotic I took him in to our local ER. I
always tell them right away he has autism because I do think the typical
routine may have to be modified from time to time. Checking vitals can be a
horrible experience for child autism and especially a child who is already in
distress. I have encountered nurses who just don’t get it at all and the goal
is more important than any reaction to the process. The day I took Phillip in
to the ER he was becoming lethargic, fever, and didn’t even want me touching
him on and off. The nurse decided the best way to check his pulse was to go by
of his big toe. It took both of us to keep him slightly still and his
discomfort level was through the roof. After what seemed like forever and
getting no results other than screaming another nurse walked in and took over.
This nurse
completely understood what was going on and simply ended the madness. When she
stepped in it was like an angel walked in the room! She looked at my son and
just flat out said…”It’s ok to move forward in this case, let’s get you to a
room.” My relief was immediate and so was my sons. Touch is such a huge fear
for him if he doesn’t know someone, forced touch anyway. The first nurse was
really trying to do her job the right way but at the same time she didn’t
understand the actions of my son were not from being sick, but from that fear
of forced touch from a stranger. The second nurse took over that day and it was
a horrible ER trip in general. He had to be checked for a bladder infection and
it took some convincing on my part to not give him a shot of antibiotic before
the check, which could have led to a much worse scenario. I stepped out of the
room that day for the first time in 14 years of being a mother but that nurse
was in there and her understanding of my son was the miracle of the day. To her
this was not just an uncomfortable child with a stubborn streak. He was in her
eyes a child with autism and she knew what that meant. These amazing people are
much harder to find then you would think and they stand out in a powerful way.
This
was not our first ER trip and before Phillip was diagnosed we spent some time in
the ER and I learned much later every nurse there that day felt he was autistic
but it wasn’t on his charts so they broke the rules a bit and treated him as an
autistic child. I was still in denial but thank God they could see what I didn’t
want to at the time. If they hadn’t modified there plan of attack that day we
wouldn’t have gotten through that trip as graceful as we did. Without a diagnosis
the rules would have been he needed to go potty before we left, but they knew
if he was autistic he wasn’t going to do that until he was in the comfort of
home so they let us go and as soon as we got home he was back on track and I called
to let them know. They all knew I would call to tell them that because they all
knew he was autistic without it being on the paperwork.
The
first encounter in the doctor’s office sets the mood for the entire visit and
we have had some encounters that have set a very bad mood. Leading to an intense
fear that has not gone away but I tip my hat today to those nurses who get it and
work with it. They are not just a nurse but for a child with autism they can be
the angel that just walked in the room.
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