I had an endoscopy and a colonoscopy in September. I have been experiencing scary symptoms like bleeding, pain after eating, and I may have celiac disease. I have only gone under anesthesia once for a tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy.

I am a survivor of rape and was terrified beyond belief of being unconscious and having something happen to me that was out of my control. I trust the nurses at IU Health, but I am very traumatized. I had been putting off this procedure as a result. I told Nurse Julie my concerns, and I asked her to tell Abby, the nurse who was going to be in the room with me during the procedure.

Abby made me feel very relaxed on the way into the OR, but once in the room, I could tell there were males behind me, and I could not stop crying. Abby asked me what music I liked, while I was having a really hard time dissociating and getting more and more upset before my procedure. Abby gave me the option to put in my own bite block while she started playing the Beatles for me and held my hand as I fell asleep. She was petting my hair and leaning into me, trying really hard to reassure me that I was okay. She gave me the option to not turn to my side before going to sleep, which really helped my stress. I will think of Abby's kindness during every surgery in the future, as she will motivate me to speak up to those future nurses, too. Thank you, Abby!