I was an inpatient here at St. Luke’s after having major abdominal surgery. I’ve had several surgeries before and considered myself pretty good at handling surgical pain, my pain tolerance is quite high, however, I had never experienced the pain that comes from gas pressure after surgery. I have been through many painful situations and operations in my 43 years. Always stating that childbirth was the worst pain ever. I was very wrong.

One of the nights following my surgery, I experienced pain so extreme that I just cannot put it into words. I followed protocol and was doing exactly what I needed to be doing (walking etc) and it seemed to be of no avail. I was at the point of throwing in the towel. I truly didn’t think I could do it anymore. I have Ashley as my nurse that night, and she literally sat with me and talked, comforted me through it. She kept me going, assuring me I’d be OK. We talked and cried together through it all. She was a blessing that night. I know I wouldn’t have made it through without her. She is truly an angel and I will be forever grateful. She’s a wonderful nurse who went above and beyond that night. I can’t thank her enough.