I was admitted to the MICU for DKA and extremely high blood sugar.  I was disoriented, dehydrated, critically ill, and while I did not know it at the time, barely hanging on to dear life.  I was taken to the MICU and when I came to, I was greeted by the most caring, loving, and compassionate team of nurses led by Lindsey.  Lindsey did not waste a second and immediately got to work.  She was bombarded with questions from my worried family, and not once did she get frustrated or overwhelmed by the number of questions and requests my family made.  Lindsey worked endlessly through the night, taking care of me and making sure I had the absolute best treatment possible.  She somehow was able to keep her cool, and comfort my wife and mom, who were also scared and full of questions.  She never once lost her cool, or lost sight of the care that I needed and what was best for me as a patient.  She is the definition of selfless, a natural caretaker, and a model nurse to say the least.  I vaguely remember waking up, and at that point, I was very irritated and was not the easiest person to care for.  Good thing Lindsey was up for the challenge!  I begged her to take the restraints off my wrists.  She would not allow it, and it's a good thing she didn't because I had every intention of not being there and would have tried to leave.  Her quick decision making and on the fly care is something I am sure only comes with many years of education and experience.  Her broad knowledge of every little pill, needle, and machine hooked up to me was nothing short of extraordinary.  After coming to, I was grumpy, pushy, confused, and a pain in the butt!  I had no clue what was going on and most certainly was no model patient at first.  Lindsey calmed me down and made sure to explain to me in detail, in a way I could comprehend, what was wrong with me and what the game plan was.  She answered every question and request I had with no judgment!  I never once felt embarrassed or ashamed of the shape I was in, and NOTHING was ever a problem to any of the nurses.  No matter how much I pushed and begged for things I could not have, she and the other nurses would not deter me from the care plan and what was best for me.  The only thing that made me feel the least bit better were popsicles.  I think I ate every sugar-free popsicle in that hospital, and she made sure if it would help comfort me, I had it or was getting it.  I was restrained for a couple days, so there were multiple times during my stay when she broke the pops into pieces and handfed them to me. 

Throughout my six day stay, I became very anxious and antsy from being in the bed/chair for so long.  Each day, I slowly progressed and finally got well enough to leave my room and explore the very interesting halls of the MICU.  Once I was stable enough, she helped me to safely walk to get stronger, get rid of my "sea legs" and even pushed me around in a wheelchair to get me out of my room and feeling somewhat "normal" again.  There was nothing I asked her that she did not have a professional/medical answer.  It was like having my own personal set of nurses take care of me, and my family loved them as well and could not stop praising the care they gave.  My mom and wife stayed with me the entire time, until I came to.  Now, if you know my mom and wife, you will know that they wouldn't just leave me alone with anybody, regardless of the situation.  They too, felt extremely comfortable with Lindsey, and being in her care gave them peace of mind to go home to do the things they needed and not worry about me. 

I have never been in that situation before and hope I am never there again.  I can't thank the staff of the MICU at WellSpan York Hospital enough.  I will be forever grateful for the care I received, and I thank each and every nurse, doctor, technician and worker that was a part of my care plan.  As of now, my blood sugar levels are normal, and I no longer have to take insulin.  I am healthier now because of my stay with Lindsey and her team!