Kimberly Bockus
February 2020
Kimberly
Bockus
,
BSN, CPN, RN
Barbara Bush Children's Hospital - Pediatrics
Maine Medical Center
Portland
,
ME
United States
My son was admitted with orbital cellulitis that required surgery and a 10-day stay for IV antibiotics. In the first few days after surgery, he experienced significant pain at night, and with frequent overnight visits from nurses, he was just not sleeping. He has some anxiety challenges in everyday life but normally can manage on his own without medications. However, during this stay, it became worse, especially at night. His anxiety would spike very high as the sun would set.
The first night Kim came in she noticed this immediately and set out to plan with us. She was able to combine nurse needs into only two visits to his room overnight to help extend the number of hours he could sleep. She talked us through exactly what he needed, why, and when so he knew just what would happen on those night visits. Despite this, his anxiety continued and when I asked her for help a few days later, she helped me understand what I should ask and share with doctors to see if they could assist with his sleeping.
By having the right words and information, I was able to advocate for him with the doctors. This resulted in a care plan that significantly helped his overnights. This immediately made a difference in his sleep and especially his anxiety. With this restfulness, he took a major turn for the better and was able to rest and heal more quickly. But the most significant change I saw was a decrease in his anxiety. Kim made notes for other nurses to see about the overnight plan and by helping put the focus on this, his anxiety quickly decelerated to a manageable level.
The support we felt when Kim was there was so amazing. When she came into the room, I could feel my son relax. She is an amazing nurse that helped us make a major turn for the better in his healing. I wish we had seen her as we left yesterday; I want to give her the biggest hug and I hope she knows we will never forget her! As we have been talking about our experience and stay, we always mention her. We talk about how amazing ALL your nurses are (they really, really are amazing), but Kim holds a special place in our hearts!
Thank you, Kim!
The first night Kim came in she noticed this immediately and set out to plan with us. She was able to combine nurse needs into only two visits to his room overnight to help extend the number of hours he could sleep. She talked us through exactly what he needed, why, and when so he knew just what would happen on those night visits. Despite this, his anxiety continued and when I asked her for help a few days later, she helped me understand what I should ask and share with doctors to see if they could assist with his sleeping.
By having the right words and information, I was able to advocate for him with the doctors. This resulted in a care plan that significantly helped his overnights. This immediately made a difference in his sleep and especially his anxiety. With this restfulness, he took a major turn for the better and was able to rest and heal more quickly. But the most significant change I saw was a decrease in his anxiety. Kim made notes for other nurses to see about the overnight plan and by helping put the focus on this, his anxiety quickly decelerated to a manageable level.
The support we felt when Kim was there was so amazing. When she came into the room, I could feel my son relax. She is an amazing nurse that helped us make a major turn for the better in his healing. I wish we had seen her as we left yesterday; I want to give her the biggest hug and I hope she knows we will never forget her! As we have been talking about our experience and stay, we always mention her. We talk about how amazing ALL your nurses are (they really, really are amazing), but Kim holds a special place in our hearts!
Thank you, Kim!