"Now I'll count before I stick you with the needle. One, two, three! All done! You did a great job"

    I can’t tell you how many times I've heard these words. I completely understand the good intention and the fact that these people are saving my life, regardless of the little things they tend to say. I'm so thankful for these nurses that brighten my day and help me when I'm in need of assistance. They make my life easier. But I can't help but roll my eyes in an "Ugh, this again" fashion.

     It’s almost embarrassing to be talked down to as if you are a toddler. Although the nurses do not do this on purpose they unintentionally make you feel even less capable in a situation that takes away most of your dignity already. Even well educated, 8-year college graduated doctors tend to do the same. Going from room to room, they can tend to keep that baby voice that soothes young ones, but with someone my age it's inappropriate and gives the feeling of not being taken seriously.

     In the beginning, my doctor's would speak only to my grandmother. Almost as if I, a 17-year-old AP student, would not be capable of understanding what was happening to me. I eventually spoke up about my feelings because this was almost an insult to my intelligence. At least that's how it felt to me. I'm well aware that they did not mean to upset me or insult me in any way. But with being a teen in a children's hospital, you tend to be treated like a child. Sometimes you just have to take a deep breath and remember that it's not intentional and they are there to make your life easier, if it's a problem speak up. The nurses are there to help and take care of you not to make you feel less than.