I was admitted to the Saint Francis Hospital Memphis Emergency Room by EMS. Nurse Kaleb Waggoner took over my care around 7 p.m. At 7:30 p.m. after Kaleb had begun monitoring my heart, he looked up at the monitor and asked me "have you ever had an AFIB incident?" I said no. Then he looked back at my medical history and asked me "did you just recently have surgery?" I answered yes. He thought for a moment and then said, "I have an idea about what may be going on with you." He stepped into the corridor for a few minutes. When Kaleb came back, he said, "I've talked to the attending physician and the CT radiology tech on duty, and they have authorized a CT scan of your chest." Very soon I was taken to the CT radiology area on a gurney. About an hour after the CT scan, two doctors whom I believe to be cardiologists came into my ER room and said, "Your CT scan shows you have suffered a pulmonary embolism."
Since beginning my round of post-ICU appointments with my cardiologist and my hematologist, I've learned that my embolism was so massive that I'm very, very lucky to be alive. I believe that I would almost certainly have died if Kaleb had not used his expertise, his innate ability to see, and his desire to keep me alive. I certainly will be grateful to Kaleb for as long as I live -- as will all my family.