After spending twelve hours in the ER, I found myself stuck in a bed in a hospital room trying to figure out how I could have had a mini-stroke. My weight was okay and I considered myself active although I didn't exercise, I do a lot of walking at work. I just didn't understand how this could have happened to me.
I was very hungry since I had not eaten all day. I was told I might have some diet restrictions but I was very unhappy to hear that I could not have the bacon cheeseburger when I called food service. They explained to me I was on a cardiac diet and pointed out I can't have bacon. I was not happy about that because I feel bacon is the candy bar of the meats. Evelyn told me that she had some medical issues and had to limit herself to some of the same things I was facing. She shared some recipes with me and told me how she uses bacon bits and just puts a little sprinkle on things so she gets the taste but without all the bacon. Evelyn also was funny with the way she told me about it and made me laugh.
She talked to me about my lifestyle to try to help me understand how I ended up in this situation. I told her I lived on high stress with my work, lots of caffeine to make up for the lack of sleep and eating on the go at fast food places. She wanted to know how much water I drank and I told her I just drank Coke, about 6-8 cans a day. She told me that I can't stop the caffeine completely without getting the headaches, but to alternate between Coke and water. Then she told me based on my weight how many ounces of water I needed a day. Once I got used to half the caffeine she suggested that I should cut it in half again. She also talked about the fast food not being the best option and about eating leaner ground beef. I felt better after talking with her because it didn't seem like I had to give up everything, just be more reasonable about things.
On her lunch break, she stopped by to show me a couple of different bottles of water she had with her. They were flavored and that she liked those brands so she wanted me to see the labels. She suggested I try something like that if I found the water too boring. She took the time to talk with me when I was unhappy and helped me to see my problem areas and gave me better ideas. These were the same things that I heard from the doctor and dietician the next day, but she was the initial person to talk to me at a time that I really needed someone to talk with.
Evelyn is an exceptional nurse, I can't express strongly enough how sincerely thankful I am for her.