When I called to schedule my outpatient procedure, I was feeling anxious. The anxiety was not about the procedure itself but about the pre-surgery. I have an anxiety disorder that requires me to have a few layers of thoughtful planning before any procedures in order to assure I can get through the stress of pre-op. All of the work I put into it can be thrown right out the window by just one insensitive person on a pre-op team. Wow, did I seriously luck out with Nurse Cathy today.
As soon as we met her, I could feel her genuine caring disposition. She went through all of the standard fare then acknowledged my request for my wife to stay with me pre-procedure and asked if there was anything specific she could provide or address to help me. I took a huge breath of relief. This was not a nurse with hollow platitudes & dismissive "buck up you'll be fine" comments. I told her about previous problems I'd had with needles. (I have very tiny veins) and waking up from sedation during procedures. She addressed each concern with specific info and together we devised a plan. She was true to her word and she was a phenomenal phlebotomist to boot.
Cathy's professional and genuine care was such an immense blessing to me. I actually didn't even need to ask for pre-surgery sedation. She was my pre-surgery anti-anxiety medicine. Thank you, Nurse Cathy. You are the quintessential A+++ effective and caring nurse. I wasn't worried about COVID, I wasn't worried about the surgery, I was worried about pre-op care.