A NURSE IN NEED IS A NURSE WHO CARES

DAISY AWARD SPOTLIGHT:

I had meniscus repair surgery on my right knee recently. I woke up in the PACU with intense and debilitating pain; a degree of pain that I was not expecting or prepared for. There were no words, only tears with uncontrollable crying and moaning. I can only describe my response to the pain as primal. Luckily for me, my PACU nurse didn't need words. I was communicating with her in a language that she knew intimately. Thankfully Gifty, my PACU nurse, knew exactly what she needed to do and she did it without hesitation. When dose after dose of medication failed to reduce my pain, she knew that I was only a few brief minutes away from reaching my breaking point. Knowing that I needed something more than she herself could provide, she reached out to one of the providers and insisted that he come to my bedside. Once there, the provider witnessed my level of distress and ordered medication at a dose that Gifty was not permitted to administer. She told the provider that he would have to administer it and asked that he do so immediately. It was that dose that broke the cycle of pain I was trapped in. Because of my nurse's dedication to my care and her knowledge base, she was not only able to identify my needs, but she quickly determined how she could best provide for them, and she did so to ensure that I could achieve the best possible outcome. In remembering that experience, my thoughts are not focused on how much pain I was in but rather on how my devoted PACU nurse cared for me when I could not. When I was unable to advocate for myself, my nurse did so for me. I believe that people are placed in our paths for a reason, and that day, Gifty was, well she was a gift to me.