At war with the virus: Ickingen nurse reports from everyday hospital life

Melanie Dörr has been a nurse for 23 years. The Ickinger works in a Munich clinic. There is no trace of everyday life there any longer.

Icking - "You come to work every day and you don't know what to expect." A sentence that you have heard a lot in the past few days and weeks. But with Melanie Dörr (40) from Icking, he has a particularly strong meaning: she has been a nurse for 23 years and works in a Munich clinic.

Outgoing materials are the main problem

Melanie Dörr is a nurse by profession.

There is no trace of everyday life there any longer. "Our main problem is that we run out of daily materials," explains Dörr. Say protective masks and disinfectants. The remaining stocks are saved as much as possible. An example: If the clinic staff insert the respiratory tube into a Covid 19 patient, only the two people who are standing directly on his head are given mouthguards. The rest have to do without.

Likewise, there is a lack of disinfectant at all corners and edges. Many donors have not been refilled for a long time. “I usually disinfect my hands before I go home. This is no longer an option, ”says Dörr. Washing hands must be enough here now. The nurse suddenly stops for a moment while she speaks. "That would have been completely unthinkable a month ago." A sentence that will come to her more often during the conversation.

The corona crisis has not yet reached its peak

The lack of equipment, the great uncertainty about the future: all thoughts that have often robbed the Ickingerin of sleep in the past few neighbors. “Nobody can say what to expect in the next few days and weeks. That makes it so difficult, ”she admits and sighs. Dörr compares the situation to a virtual war you are going to without knowing what to expect. However, one thing is certain: the peak of the corona crisis has not yet been reached in Germany.

Nevertheless, the intensive care unit of the Munich clinic is already occupied. Dörr: "On Monday, we converted the operating rooms to create new ventilation spaces." In the next step, more patients are to be transferred to the recovery room.

The atmosphere in the hospital has also changed. There is usually a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere, says Dörr. "Now the mood is very tense. There is not much laughing anymore. And in the common room everyone sits alone in a corner. ”

Her greatest fear in these uncertain days is that she will have to make a decision about the life and death of one of her patients. Who gets a ventilator and who doesn't? “When you see the pictures from Italy, you get your pants completely full,” admits Dörr. "They are completely at the limit. I hope so much that we don't have to experience that. ”

Still, the nurse does not let go of the feeling that many people are still not taking the situation seriously enough. At such moments the Ickingerin gets really angry. For example when she hears statements from young people like: "The virus only affects the old people anyway". "This is total nonsense. We also have ventilated young patients, ”she clarifies.

Nurse: Still a dream job

But there are also wonderful moments that encourage Dörr, from which she draws strength. A week ago, the nurse launched a call on Facebook. In it she asked the Ickinger to sew protective masks for the clinic. The result? “Simply overwhelming, enthuses Dörr. Around 100 masks came together within a few days. But not only the Ickingen were hard-working. "My colleagues also asked around, now we have enough sewn masks for the patients," says Dörr.

Despite all the challenges, one thing the 40-year-old does not tire of emphasizing: a nurse is and remains her dream job. "I could never imagine another profession."

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