Hospitals can be a blur of people taking your blood pressure, reviewing your case history and asking you the same questions over and over. The faces and inquiries are hard to distinguish, but in addition to the doctors and medical staff, there were some real stars that stood out during my surgery and recovery.
As I was being prepped to be wheeled into the operating room, a young first-year medical student in a white coat introduced himself and said he would be observing the surgery, but not to worry, he wouldn’t be doing anything during the procedure. Good call. I could not remember his last name except that it started with a Z, so I called him Doctor Z. He ended up coming every morning bright and early to see how I was doing. He did his homework and was always up to date on my status, and I grew to welcome his visits. I was happy that he got the job of removing the 36 staples in my incision the day I left the hospital. Doctor Z wants to be an emergency room physician and will be a good one, with a calming manner and seriousness of the task at hand.
Right before surgery I also met the anesthesiologist Dr. Khaw. She was obviously a pro at these major surgeries and instilled great confidence and reassurance. She reviewed the procedures with me and ended the discussion with the fact that I would probably have a catheter placed during surgery that would remain during recovery. I said at least I don’t have to worry about getting up to go to the bathroom. Dr. Khaw laughed and said most people don’t think of it that way. After surgery she came to my room and held my hand in genuine appreciation for the outcome of the operation.
The nurses at Straub were not nameless faces; they were individual stars:
- Sunday, the first nurse after surgery, made sure I got the right medication and as soon as possible through epidural and IV after the initial pain meds were not working.
- Alvin, the first night nurse, monitored oxygen carefully and checked me continuously to make sure I was breathing since I was sleeping so much. I’ve never had a problem with sleeping.
- Chad, one of the night nurses, told me not to suffer any pain and made sure I received the IV pain meds right on time through the night.
- Rhea, who was on duty when one of the residents messed up taking out my drain tube, got on it right away and managed the situation to relieve my pain and get the tube out correctly.
- Kellen, who was on duty the day before I was discharged, double-checked my pain medication history and made sure I got the appropriate prescription for my time at home.
A few days before I left the hospital, I was walking the halls and saw Sunday, my first-day nurse, even though it was a Tuesday. I’m sure she gets a lot of those jokes. I told her that she had been crucial in my recovery; she said she was just doing her job. I think all the nurses felt that way. Their jobs well done made my job of getting better so much easier.
Beyond Six Five 