My nurses invited me to a farewell dinner!

[RichardMEL]

My favourite nurse quit the unit (((((((((

However I was REALLY touched when some of her fellow workers in the unit held a farewell dinner for her at a local Jamacan restaurant, and they invited ME to go too. I was the only patient invited. I felt quite special and honoured to be invited to go out with them socially. I know I was one of this nurses favourite patients, but still it was so nice to spend time with them socially away from the unit just like a normal friendly get together (although they did look at me at one point and mentioned I'd had too much potato and they'd put me on a K1 bath the next session  ). All in good fun though.

It's times like these that the sense of community and friendship in dialysis circles is evident. I was sitting there with all the "girls" (yes, I was the only male there also!!) and it wasn't "them and me" it was like a group of friends hanging out. We laughed, we exchanged jokes and just talked like anyone else going out together.

They also included me in the card and gift we gave to the nurse that left, which was special and they even asked ME to say a few words during dinner. That was embarassing but also very special for me too.

I just wanted to post here because sometimes D workers get a bad rap, yet all of the folks in my unit are sensational!

[Quickfeet]

Too bad she had to leave. You must be one heck of a guy to be surrounded by so many women. Maybe some of that charm will rub off on me .

[boswife]

That is sooooooooo neat RichardMEL.  I think darn special actually.  We have a a really good relationship at dialysis too, but i'd still say ya got us beat..  I knew you were a fun guy :-)  happy for ya

[Jean]

Richard, when I saw this post I was thinking" Oh thank God, Richard is getting his transplant" But no, you were just busy being your normal happy and sociable self with other people. I am glad for that, for you.

[RichardMEL]

lol they will have a going away party when I get the transplant - and they wouldn't WANT me there for that!!! 

[Bajanne]

Why wasn't this a surprise that RMel was the only guy there.  Ladies' man is who he is!    That was very special and your IHD family enjoys it vicariously.

[galvo]

Richard, you were embarrassed when asked to say a few words!!!!! Possibly you meant that you were embarrassed when they tried to get you to stop! BTW Did you note the Woods performance on the weekend?

[kellyt]

lol  Galvo!   

Richard, that is so wonderful!  How special you must be.  I'm looking forward to the day you can travel to the States, dialysis free of course, and we can all meet you in person!  So glad you had a good time with "the girls".

[texasstyle]

You ARE special Richard! I can totally understand why you were invited. You are probably a real hoot to be around lol. Even with your great sense of humor you always there for other people.

[RichardMEL]

aww thanks guys.

The more I think about it they wanted me to say something because I wasn't involved in the intra-staff politics and all that, and probably because none of them wanted to say anything!!

As for the ladies man part - totally doesn's apply. None of these ladies are at all the "babe" kind, they are just lovely professional people who I get on well with.. we are all friends.. it is a community. One of them announced she got married the other day and I was just as surprised and happy for her as eveyone else

It was a really lovely evening.

I too look forward to getting to an IHD event and hanging out with everyone.. but specially the WOMEN OF IHD!!! 

[cariad]

I enjoyed every word of this story, Richard. I'm glad you had such a blast, and when you make it to your first American IHD meet, I intend to be there! 

[tamara]

Hey Rich, great to see the support you get at your unit, and that to see some of them away from the unit, breaks down more barriers to see you even more as a "person" rather than just a patient.
P.S You can hang out with this fellow IHD anytime you want  considering we both leave in Melbourne pretty sad we still havent met ! On another note Carn the Blues !!!!! xxx ooo

[RichardMEL]

On another note Carn the Blues !!!!! xxx ooo

And you wonder why we haven't met!!! 

On a serious note - yes it's nice to be treated like a person and not just some jerk they hate and want to get rid of (well maybe they do!). I had more than one nurse over the journey tell me that they can't wait for me to get a transplant so we can hang out away from the unit. Not in any kind of "date" way or anything like that - just a social thing. I have an outstanding deal with them that post transplant I'm taking all the staff out to sunday lunch(I pity the fool who is on call that day!  ) and so it's brought up from time to time.. some of the nurses I think would enjoy that to get out of the unit and not have needles and blood and cramping and UF and potassium and all that crap be the focus.. but just friends hanging out. I think I enjoyed that the most about the dinner we all had (though they all pointed and laughed when I laid out my binders ready to have with the meal!  )

Just another reason why I love the staff in my unit and I wouldn't have it any other way.

oh did I mention one nurse brought me back a t shirt from Kuala Lumpur? LOL! too funny!

[YLGuy]

This speaks volumes on what kind of man you are.  To be thought of like that by the staff is a very special thing. Glad you had such a good time.

[RichardMEL]

 

I'm really not that special folks.

Maybe it's just that I interact with the nurses and treat them as friends and not "they who is to be feared or despised" I mean I chat with them and try to keep up with each person's family or interests or whatever. Heck, I see some of them more than they see some members of their family and I am a firm believer that specially with long time incenter dialysis that it is way more a sense of community and like a second family than "just a treatment" - we're upset when either patients or staff move on(for whatever reason) and it's good to see some of them when they've been away for awhile(lucky ducks on holidays!). Sure I spoil 'em from time to time with chocolates or buying coffees on a saturday afternoon or whatever.... but that's not because I want to be treated specially or anything like that.. it's because I think of most of them as friends. Ok yes friends who treat me and keep me alive, but friends none the less.

I have to say if I was in some of the units I read about here with some of the staff maybe my feelings towards dialysis and my positive outlook would be that much different. I know I am lucky where I am, but I also feel it's as much about how I approach them as it is these specific people who look after me.

Either way it works most of the time and it makes a difficult situation to deal with just a little bit easier being treated like a friend(but don't for a second think I get any special treatment in terms of dialysis - and I would NOT want to have that anyway). I just like that I'm not just patient number 1233456 but someone they sincerley care about.

[Sluff]

yada yada yada... It ain't all about Richard Melt ya know .....        Just kidding Richard glad you were invited, and are treated human. What goes around comes back tenfold. You are the kind of person that does not need a lot of attention. You treat others well and deserve to be treated the same.

[Quickfeet]

It's always all about RichardMEL; he is the IHD heartthrob. 

[monrein]

"I'm really not that special folks."    It's partly because of this view that in fact you really ARE special RM.  I'm just sayin'.

[charee]

Of course your special Rich, who flew from Melbourne to Sydney for just a few hours to meet up with Cindy and me when i had my transplant , we enjoyed our brief meeting , we must get onto those Melbourne girls and organise a meeting

[RichardMEL]

haha lol any chance to fly somewhere different and hang out with lovely ladies - I am SO there - and it has nothing to do with me being special - just red blooded!

 

[charee]

 

[Bruno]

I've only been on this site for a short time but I've seen enough to know that Richard is a courteous and friendly man whose advice and contribution is always listened to. I am not surprised that nurses want to take him out to dinner. What does surprise me though, is that one of them hasn't taken him home.
And forget 'come on the Blues'...Carn Saints!