Well, from a different perspective, I AM the nurse in the family.
All my years growing up in a rather large extended family when all of us, meaning a few hundred or so got together for any even we could, multiple times a year mind you, at that part of our lives, and you know how families run in sections/generations, well, for the longest time I was the last of the grandchildren and the only girl. So I was always not only the baby of my family having 2 older brother, but I was also the baby for the entire family. And they treated me as such even after my kids were 7, 8, 9 years old. I was aways "oh, there's Little Hanna and her babies. No one ever thought I was old enough to have kids of my own yet, no no, Hanna was still the baby of the family. Often times, even into the start of my 30's, there were still things I wasn't allowed to hear because they might be not be appropriate for Sweet little Hanna.
Well, then this Hanna, the sweet Amish nun went to nursing school and passed with high honors. The next party we had as a whole family was for me, the end of all my years past, apparently the family suddenly decided that I was a nurse and that qualified me to sit at the grown up table.
They were never disrespectful, I think they just were not ready to let the last of that generation finally grow up, but had no choice when Hanna came home with a nursing license.
I was amazed how my ranking in the family dynamics suddenly changed. I went from being 3 years old to 30 years old, not aging a bit in their eyes, until again, as I said I became a nurse, then suddenly every changed, everyone started treating me differently, had instant respect and was upgraded into to the top tier of the family discussions where I was not really privy to be at in the past.
Now sure what had happened when the adult went upstairs to talk about what not while the children downstairs spent most of their time watching TV and not paying attention to what the adults were doing upstairs. At first at these parties most were calm in the talk of the adult subjects, but for some reason this night seemed to be about me.
A few beers later out of some of my family members, and I could feel it happening, but, before I go on remember it was only a few months earlier I was still getting the pats on the head and them telling me how big I have grown (which is great with you are 5, but not so much when you are 30, trust me there.
So were we were sitting around drinking and trying to go over every ones lives since we had seen them. The conversations started out sort of hum drum and Again, quickly, thins got sort of quiet for a few minutes. I noticed that some of them were still staring about me, and there was a little whispering going on. Which by the way drives me nuts very quickly, after all, as I have said in many a posts coming from me. What's whispering going to cause to prove to be effect? Nothing, except frustration, anger, and segregated. Which in turn, puts you in a position for being way past sitting at the children's table, but not old or experienced to be with the big dogs as it were. And, what tops this list or quirky things, making them more odd to start with was these people are my family and extended family.
Maybe it's my age, maybe it's the fact that by that time I was 30 with two kids, been married almost 10 years, and they finally considered myself an adult? Who knows? Their questions started out in the normal range of question, i.e, what kind of nursing do you want to do? Are you going to go back to school and become an RN, or a PA or a NP? How did I like going to school, working a full time 40 each week, and basically being a single parent due to the fact that my husband working a modified second shit which meant he left for work at 2ish, and got home by 3-4 am, which also included drive time as he worked an hour away. I answered all of their question, and they are family, and I was hoping they were asking because they were proud of me for going to nursing school at such a late age, basically raising the girls by myself, school hours were from 8-4, Monday through Thursday, with an occasional Friday tossed in there for snow days, kids had to be at school at 7, so I dropped them off, went home and showered then went to school Got home about 4:20, picked up the girls from one of their after school sports aactivities. Then we went home, I took a two hour nap, woke up, we ate at Subway almost everyday because it was quick, very cheap, they gave us fantastic discounts since we ate there everyday and they new money was tight as I paid for school out of pocket. But we could get a 4" round sandwich, a bag of chips a cooked and a large drink for all three of us for just under 7 bucks for the three of us. Well, to be honest with you, I really couldn't make anything cheaper, and it wasn't all that unhealthy, not to mention Subway was directly behind the house just about so the girls could walk there. After we ate, we went over their homework, made sure it was all done, then they went to bed, I copied my notes from all my class notes into writing even I could read, then Off to bed, then it all started again. On the weekends however, I had to be at work at 6 AM, and worked until 11:00 PM on Friday and Saturday, then worked second shift on Sunday's, so I worked from 2 to 11:00 PM, which in turn gave me a 40 hour work week on top of a 40 plus hour school schedule.
Anyway, I digress, suddenly with a nursing license legally registered in my great state, my family decided I could move up to the big kids table. If you have ever done the big kids/adult table thing at your house, you know what an honor that is. LOL. Looking back on that now, yes, I agree it was time, past time, but there was a lot more than meets the eyes concerning my step up.
So, all seemed greatly impressed that little Hanna was able to accomplish this, be in the top few of the class and never cracked open a book. Didin't have to, just a good note taker, copied my notes once, read them, once right before my test and did okay.
So I got off easy as far as the family berating was concerned. And again I was sadly mistaken. While I don't mind people asking me medical question/advice, I by law am not allowed to diagnose, however skirting around that topic I will say things like, "it could be a number of things with the symptoms you are telling me/presenting me, and then I list them in order of easiest to most difficult. Then I give them my personal thought as to what is going on since almost 100 percent of the family history is already know. Then I either they need to be seen by the doc, or the ER, or it will probably take care of itself, listen to your body, it's our guide.
Not so much on that first family get together did a lot of this happen, but less than 6 months later we were all again at a family function. I went from being Little Hanna" to being, when introduced to newbies, "this is Hanna, she's a nurse." And about that time again the adults separated from the younger ones. Again everyone started drinking, now let me tell you, they always drink at family functions, but no one gets drunk. A little less shy/discreet/uninhibited yes. So the next thing I knew my favorite great uncle sat across the room, and started talking to me about sexual dysfunction, he was 72 at the time. He listed me off his med lists. He had no difficulties discussing this with the woman on 6 months ago was patting me on the head telling me how fast I grew up. I answered him the best I could without having my Tabers or medical dictionary handy and or dandy. But that wasn't the last of the questions or probing that evening. I heard and saw more odd nakedness from family member relating to legitimate health issues that evening that it would have put in unrated, uncensored Deliverance movie to shame.
Now, please do not take this the wrong way here, but I am just a nurse, I am not a doctor, by law I can't diagnose and I can't write any scrips for any scheduled narcotics that are a schedule 1 or 2, but I can write for the rest of them, Vicoden, Ambien, Restoril, Norco, ultram and a few other 100 things, but not if you are not a patient of mine at my facility where I have rights to act as our house doctors advocates and can write for what I feel is appropriate.
Again, I have gotten way off topic here, very sorry. Point I guess I am trying to make here is that I am on the other side of this coin that this topic as brought up and wanted to give you another perspective. Personally I don't mind being asked question from family member or non-family members, I kind of enjoy it.
I know way way way all too well facing medical matters along without prior knowledge for a basic understanding of what you are dealing with is a very scary place to be. Often times having a friend, family member, or the like in your corner to help guide, interpret, and or just listen makes all the difference in the world to the people on the other side of the white coat sitting a top the crinkle of the exam room table.
And yes, I usually carry a bag of goodies in my van at all times, carries basic essentials for first aid as well as more advanced equipment, for those special occasions.
And on a closing not, it still amazes me beyond belief just having a nursing license or a doctors license makes people want to share with you every medical story, good or bad, embarrassing or not with you, family or not. But when your favorite Uncle starts talking about the differences in his prostate/sex life, age, and the correlation between the two, then moves right into possible solutions and techniques for his sited examples. I gently suggested he go and see a urologist/proctoligist, and that those sorts of things I can't put a band-aid and some bactine on it and have it go away in a few short days.
And then at that point, it was time for this little Amish girl to go and have a cigarette because I was afraid the next step in his progression would be for him to usher me to a back bedroom so he could drop 'em and let me have a good look for my
self.
Now finally back to the original question, and again from a slightly different perspective since I am the health care professional. I can't say that growing up I had played with medical equipment, but as a mother of two girls they used to listen to each other hearts all the time, lungs and abdomen as well. I let them play with virtually all of my "safe" medical equipment except my sharp pointy things, which they knew better anyway.
Sorry its' so long, insomnia will do that for you. Hope this helps and gives you a slightly different perspective.
Mashie