A happy TMI story:

This morning I headed to Island Imaging for an x-ray of my abdomen as requested by the urologist before my appointment to have the stent removed, which has been in place for 8 days following kidney stone surgery.

The tech was wonderful and even burned me a disk just in case they weren't able to electronically send the results prior to the appointment at 11:00.

Upon arriving at the urologist's office, the nurse took me into the room where the procedure would be conducted. She explained that she would be administering a numbing gel in my urethra so as to lessen the discomfort of the doctor going in to retrieve the stent.

Here is why I'm writing about it . . .

As I laid there on my back, counting ceiling tiles, flashing back to younger years when I awaited the ultrasound to show me my little humans growing inside me, with my girl parts exposed to anyone in the room, I heard a soft Southern-drawled voice, "I am going to be gently touching you. You are now going to feel a cold gush of fluid. Now you are going to experience a trickle that might feel like urine releasing. You will feel my fingers again." And so she continued. Gently and sweetly guiding me through every touch. Every sensation. Every new development.

When she finished, I said to her, "As a sexual abuse survivor, I just want to thank you for being such a trauma-sensitive soul. Your gentle nature, the way you explained touch before diving right in, your willingness to take your time in making sure I was comfortable. And all this without knowing my history. You are a gift to those of us with trauma history. Thank you."

She stepped closer, put her hand on my knee (feet still stirrup clad), smiled through her mask, and said, "Thank you for those words. I've witnessed it done both ways. With patience. And without. I've chosen to do this job asking myself, 'How would I want to be treated if this was being done to me?'"

One beautiful soul at a time, we are becoming a trauma-informed world.

#traumasensitive #traumainformed