Inspiration: Nurse uses unique method to treat her patient

Lori Mesko, a registered nurse at Botsford Hospital in Farmington Hills, Mich., is no different than any other amazing nurse. But she is special in that she’s getting a little media kudos for the way in which she treated a recent patient!

Mesko told The Huffington Post in an email that she’s always wanted to take care of others. “Growing up with a older mother who was sick quite often made me realize I wanted to be a nurse,” she wrote to the site.

Last month, Mesko was treating an elderly patient, Marjorie Fisher. The patient’s daughter, Peggy Fisher-Kmieciak, had posted on the hospital’s website that her mom was having a tough time. Her potassium level was dangerously high and, left untreated, could have caused her heart to stop beating. The doctor was able to prescribe a medicine, taken in drink form, that would significantly help her out. But Fisher resisted.

Like any good nurse, Mesko gently encouraged Fisher to take her medicine. While Fisher wasn’t responding to the requests, she did admire Mesko’s bracelet and pointed it out to her daughter.

“Just then it felt right to tell her she could have the bracelet if she agreed to take all of her medications,” Mesko said.

“With a twinkle in her eye, Lori made a deal with Mom. She could have the bracelet only if she would drink the whole glass of medicine. Mom’s face lit up, and she took that glass and downed the whole thing,” Fisher-Kmieciak wrote to The Huffington Post.

Mesko gave her the bracelet right away, which Fisher never took off while at the hospital. She went on to become a resident of the Botsford Commons Continuing Care Center. “Mom doesn’t really need jewelry in the nursing home,” Fisher-Kmieciak wrote, so she tried to return the bracelet.

“Peggy [Fisher-Kmieciak] and her sister were kind loving daughters engaged in their mother’s care,” Mesko said. “I believe Peggy returning the bracelet was her way of thanking me and making me feel special.”

Eventually, Mesko did take her bracelet back.

“Each time she wears it, she’ll remember what she did to help a frail, elderly patient to accept treatment,” Fisher-Kmieciak wrote to The Huffington Post.

“The bracelet was given to me from a friend, as a gift, in the time of need,” Mesko said, “and it felt right to give it to Marjorie in her time of need.”

Nurses, what do you think of Nurse Mesko’s actions? What special methods have you used to treat patients?

Source: Huffington Post