Ashley Jackson
February 2023
Ashley
Jackson
,
RN
Rehab
The Rehabilitation Institute of Ohio
Dayton
,
OH
United States
As Ashley got to know H, she told her how strong a woman she was and that she was positive she was going to "beat this and be her old self again".
H had a stroke She was playing pickleball and suddenly got a sharp severe headache. She told her friends, "I'm having a stoke, I must get to the hospital." The squad took her to the closest hospital where they began treatment. She was then transferred to the Neuro ICU at another hospital. The fast action was significant in helping to minimize the damage from the bleed, but it was a long 10 days.
H has arthritis, a damaged sciatic nerve, and some general neuropathy. All of these were exacerbated by lying in bed and she had terrible pain. She made it out of the ICU to RIO. Her bladder was still retaining, and she was suffering a lot of pain, especially at night with little activity. The doctor was adjusting meds with some success but still, she had severe pain. All the staff comforted here as much as possible.
A few days after arrival Ashley came on as our night duty nurse. She came in with such a vivacious attitude it was infectious. She got H to talk about family and how the stroke happened. She was able to distract her from the pain and she moved her around in the bed, offered to get her things, and made it clear what meds she could get and when. She also took the time to reiterate what we knew about the times she could have the pain meds in a positive, caring way. She stopped in when she managed to have a spare minute or two just to say hi and encourage both of us.
As Ashley got to know H, she told her how strong a woman she was and that she was positive she was going to "beat this and be her old self again". And she said, "I have seen many stroke patients, I'm not just saying this. It's true!" We were fortunate enough to have Ashley 3 nights in a row and it made that night shift so much better. She encouraged me to keep moving blankets and pillows around, changing positions in bed, and doing anything to try to help or at least distract. She was right on top of the bladder problem with scanning and straight cathing when the pain began to build. We shared family stories when she had some free moments and that helped H very much. Wonderful, happy, compassionate, humorous personality!
Note: This is Ashley's 2nd DAISY Award!
H has arthritis, a damaged sciatic nerve, and some general neuropathy. All of these were exacerbated by lying in bed and she had terrible pain. She made it out of the ICU to RIO. Her bladder was still retaining, and she was suffering a lot of pain, especially at night with little activity. The doctor was adjusting meds with some success but still, she had severe pain. All the staff comforted here as much as possible.
A few days after arrival Ashley came on as our night duty nurse. She came in with such a vivacious attitude it was infectious. She got H to talk about family and how the stroke happened. She was able to distract her from the pain and she moved her around in the bed, offered to get her things, and made it clear what meds she could get and when. She also took the time to reiterate what we knew about the times she could have the pain meds in a positive, caring way. She stopped in when she managed to have a spare minute or two just to say hi and encourage both of us.
As Ashley got to know H, she told her how strong a woman she was and that she was positive she was going to "beat this and be her old self again". And she said, "I have seen many stroke patients, I'm not just saying this. It's true!" We were fortunate enough to have Ashley 3 nights in a row and it made that night shift so much better. She encouraged me to keep moving blankets and pillows around, changing positions in bed, and doing anything to try to help or at least distract. She was right on top of the bladder problem with scanning and straight cathing when the pain began to build. We shared family stories when she had some free moments and that helped H very much. Wonderful, happy, compassionate, humorous personality!
Note: This is Ashley's 2nd DAISY Award!