A Texas snowstorm during a pandemic made my job even more complicated. I've ?been? ?a? ?nurse? ?for? ?10? ?years?. That's 10 years of ?experiencing? ?the? ?beauty? ?of? ?putting? ?the? ?needs? ?of? ?others? ?before? ?my? ?own. And 10 years of working? ?cohesively? with? ?other? ?nurses? ?to? ?provide? ?safe? ?and? ?competent? ?care.? ?But this? ?year, ?I was challenged by more than just the pandemic.? [caption id="attachment_86024" align="alignleft" width="230"]
Joy Hall, RN[/caption] ?In February, I? was ?working? ?as? ?an? ?LDRP? ?(?labor,? ?delivery,? ?recovery,? ?and? ?postpartum) travel? ?nurse? in Texas when the state's COVID-19? ?infection rates were still high. To make things worse, a dangerous snowstorm hit the Lone Star State.? ?
The Basics Are Hard to Come By
?In many parts of the affected area, there? ?was? ?no? ?running? ?water? ?or? ?electricity? ?and? ?no? ?access? ?to? ?food? ?because? ?store? ?shelves? ?were? ?empty.? ?Not to mention the power outages! After? ?four? ?days? ?of? ?being? ?off? ?work? ?and? ?experiencing? ?the? ?Texas snowstorm first? ?hand,? ?I? ?returned? ?to? ?work? for my ?12?-?hour? ?shift ?to? ?find? ?that? the storm ?had? ?greatly affected? ?the? ?hospital?.? It ?was? ?functioning? ?at? ?a? ?minimum? ?capacity? with ?the? ?use? ?of? ?generators?, ?and? ?the? ?state's? ?water? supply ?was? ?under? ?a? ?boil? ?water? ?advisory.? ?
Shortly after arriving at work, I? ?received? ?my? ?assignment:? ?In? ?the? ?midst? ?of? ?a? pandemic and natural ?disaster,? ?I? ?was? ?to? ?care? ?for? ?a? ?pregnant? ?patient? ?with? ?COVID-19? ?and? ?comorbidities.? ?
As? ?a? ?nurse,? ?wife,? ?mother,? ?and? ?grandmother,? ?I? ?was? ?overwhelmed? ?by? ?an enormous? ?amount? ?of? ?fear? ?and? ?anxiety?.? ?How? ?do? ?I? ?stay? ?safe?? ?What? ?about? ?my? ?family? in Georgia?? ?How? ?do? ?I? ?follow? ?safety? ?guidelines? and ?mitigate? ?infection? ?through? ?hand? ?hygiene without a safe water supply?? ? After? ?leaving? ?the? ?pod? ?and saying a prayer,? ?I? ?took? ?a? ?deep? ?breath? ?and? ?went ?to? ?meet? who would turn out to be ?the? ?best? ?patient? ?I? ?had? ?during? ?my? ?travel? ?assignment.? I? ?introduced? ?myself? ?and? promised? ?to? ?give? ?my? ?very? ?best? ?care? ?in? ?spite? ?of? ?the? ?circumstances.? ? The? ?patient? ?had? ?been? ?hospitalized? ?for? ?over? ?a? ?week? ?and? ?desired? ?a? ?bath.? I requested? ?an? ?order? ?for? ?bathroom? ?privileges?, but due? ?to? ?the? ?severity? ?of? ?the? ?patient's? ?condition, ?she? ?had? ?to? ?be? ?closely? ?monitored? and was? ?under? ?strict? ?bed? ?rest.?
She Just Wanted a Bath
?The? ?faucets? ?were? ?turned? ?off? ?because? of potential water contamination. I? ?realized? ?that? ?in? ?order? ?to? ?meet? ?my patient's needs, ?I? ?had? ?to? ?be? ?creative.? A bath is normally not a huge ask from a patient, but in a crisis like this -- a Texas snowstorm plus a pandemic -- even a relatively insignificant task can pose a challenge. How was I going to give her the bath she so desperately wanted?? ? Sterile? ?water!? ?I? realized I could use? ?sterile? ?water? ?to? ?provide? ?a? ?bedside? ?bath.? ? ?It? ?was?n't easy ?to? ?give a? ?bath? ?in? ?full? ?PPE,? ?to? ?be? ?honest?. I could ?barely? ?breathe? ?or? ?see,? ?and? ?it's? ?easy? ?to? ?become? ?overheated. But it was well worth the effort. Feeling clean obviously lifted her spirits. The ?patient? ?was? ?so? ?appreciative? ?of? ?the? ?care? she? ?received? ?that? ?day.? ?
"You? ?were? ?the? ?only? ?nurse? ?to? ?spend? ?so? ?much? ?time? ?with? ?me? ?and? ?saw? ?to? ?it? ?that? ?I? ?was? ?able? ?to? ?get? ?a? bath," she said.
?I? ?told? ?her? ?I? ?was? ?only? ?doing? ?what? ?I? ?felt? ?was? ?right? ?and? ?what? ?I? ?would? ?want? ?someone? ?to? ?do? ?for? ?me? ?or a family member.? ??Sterile? ?water? was? ?used when other patients? ?needed ?a? ?sanitary? ?cleanup? ?or? ?for? ?hand? ?hygiene? ?when? ?sanitizer? ?was? ?not? ?sufficient.? ? But thank goodness the? ?boil? ?water? ?advisory? ?was? ?lifted? ?by? ?the? ?next? ?day and the ?generators? ?held? ?out? ?as long as they did.? ? Something as simple as sterile water made a difference for a patient who was going through a difficult time in her life and simply wanted to feel clean. I'm glad I was able to provide that relief. In return, she gave me an experience I won't forget. Nurses? ?are? ?compassionate ?advocates? ?and? ?we can handle quite a lot -- even a Texas snowstorm.? ?And we can also get creative when we need to for our patients. I'm sure there are plenty of stories like mine of how nurses had to get creative this past year to care for patients while staying safe. What's your story? Share your nurse stories with us! 
