Annette Wheatley
January 2020
Annette
Wheatley
,
RN
7B
Syracuse VA Medical Center
Syracuse
,
NY
United States

 

 

 

Annette went to the cafeteria and purchased two baked potatoes for his lunch and bananas for his breakfast.
In the fall of 2018, a patient was admitted to 7B. The medicine team was concerned due to low potassium on his morning labs over the course of several days. He was receiving potassium runs every day that would elevate his levels only temporarily. He had a long history of low potassium which his wife managed at home with his diet. Annette had this patient at the tail end of his hospitalization, and he had had enough. He was tearful, wanted desperately to go home and missed his wife. His wife was furious that we were keeping him for this since she had been dealing with this for years. On the third day of having his lab work reveal low potassium, Annette contacted dietary and requested bananas on his breakfast tray and a baked potato on his lunch tray. Shockingly the patient kitchen was out of both this day. Unbeknownst to the patient, Annette went to the cafeteria and purchased two baked potatoes for his lunch and bananas for his breakfast. His 1400 potassium level was miraculously within normal limits, and he was discharged. He and his wife profusely thanked Annette for her efforts.