Following a Robotic Laproscopic Partial Nephrectomy, I was admitted to the UVA hospital with complications diagnosed at another ER as internal bleeding. After multiple days of evaluation and treatment, my acute shortness of breath and weakness was getting worse. I am an avid walker, hiker, and bicyclist but my wife tells me that under the circumstances, I appeared to be much older and out of shape, which she thinks was due to fluid from the original procedure. The doctors and residents in attendance were talking of discharging me to a rehab facility taking the internal bleeding to be conclusive.
Davra Taylor uniquely took my wife seriously when told that my response was not characteristic for me especially considering my worsening shortness of breath. She took the initiative to call a Medical Emergency Team and subsequently I was evaluated for DVT. A large pulmonary embolism was discovered along with additional clots in my legs and the response to my condition dramatically changed with a transfer to the ICU and treatment for the PE. Throughout the evaluation by the MET, Davra stayed with us providing reassurance and care. After treatment for the PE, she visited me in the ICU to check on my progress which we also very much appreciated.
I feel that Davra Taylor may have saved my life through her extraordinary care and her willingness to listen to my wife and me in the face of foregone conclusions which turned out to be insufficient. She certainly had an outsized influence on outcomes.
I am doing quite well at home with rapid improvement in my physical activity level. I offer my profound thanks to the entire UVA team and especially to Davra Taylor on 6 East.