I went to my follow-up appointment with my doctor after having abdominal surgery. It turned out that I had a bad infection that needed to be treated immediately. My doctor sent me to HMH Riverview Medical Center to be submitted to the ER. Once I got up to my room, I met my nurse, Isabella. My nurse was incredibly knowledgeable about the surgery that would take place that evening, which included a washing out of the affected area. She was able to explain to my husband and me exactly what the doctor would be doing and provide us with reassurance about the procedure. She was on shift the next morning when I woke up. It was very difficult at that point, having had two surgeries in an eight-day period.

Isabella was incredibly compassionate, kind, and knowledgeable with all of my needs.. She treated me as if I were the most important patient on the floor, even though she had many. I had extreme pain in my abdominal area, no one could figure out where it was coming from, and why it was so bad. Even morphine did not help. After reassessing my situation, she had an idea to check my bladder with an ultrasound. It turned out that my bladder was very, very full and was pushing on my sutures and wounds. I had come back from the surgery with a wound VAC. After consulting with the surgeon, she immediately attempted to insert a Foley catheter. We struggled a lot due to my positioning and pain, but got through it, and once all of the urine was released, my pain was gone. It was literally like night and day. I appreciate that she took that extra step to ensure that nothing was missed. She made me go from what was probably the most pain I’ve ever experienced in my life to very little pain, and for that, I’m incredibly grateful.

Additionally, I am a vegetarian and needed to be on a high-protein diet after the surgery. My nurse jumped through hoops to make sure that I had a high-protein vegetarian diet coming my way. It was one of the most thoughtful things a caretaker has ever done for me in a healthcare setting. Her overall kindness and empathy were above and beyond anything I’ve ever seen. She is one of the most amazing healthcare workers I have ever met. I feel so blessed to have had her as my nurse on both the first and second days. It made all the difference in the world to my experience here.