Andrea McGlinsey is more than an amazing nurse, she is an amazing person.
I believe Andrea was sent to me from God. When I awoke from my liver and kidney transplant, her's was the first face I saw. She spoke to me, she asked if I saw her and she told me she would take care of me. She let me know I was not alone. I thanked God that she was my nurse. I trusted her instantly and through the interactions that would follow, that trust deepened and was strengthened. I no longer consider her my nurse; she is family- another daughter. Although I had a breathing tube and was recovering from a long surgery, she treated me as though I was aware of everything that was happening- and I was. I know this should always happen, but it doesn't always. I was glad that God had sent me the type of nurse who was so caring and so amazing that she would maintain my dignity even in my most trying times. She was always by my side, talking to me and reassuring me that things would be ok. I never felt alone.
I had the breathing tube and a tube in my nose. Both were very uncomfortable. Andrea talked me through everything and explained how important both tubes were and what their purpose was. Andrea made sure I was safe and took the time to explain everything to me. Andrea made it her mission to make sure I had the information I needed to be safe. As a result, I never had to be restrained. She did not have to make my situation worse by adding restraints, one more uncomfortable thing. Yes, the tubes were uncomfortable and I would have liked to remove them, but as Andrea explained to me they were a vital part of my recovery.
Andrea was also my advocate. She made sure that everything I needed was done in a timely fashion. She held the doctors accountable for getting things done. As soon as she saw I would be ok, the breathing tube came out. The same was true for the tube in my nose. She also monitored the drainage from the 3 drains in my stomach and as soon as the drainage was enough where I didn't need them, she had the doctors remove them. Andrea spoke for me when I couldn't speak for myself.
Andrea's skill set is out of this world. I feel that we were two souls destined to meet each other and I needed her to get through this difficult recovery. Andrea was on the ball. We connected and although she didn't force me to do anything, she did encourage me to do what I needed. She gave me the support I needed to get better. She is a daughter to me now. I was blessed to be cared for by this great nurse.