I was brought into the ED by paramedics and the nurse assigned to me was Michelle. The first thing she did to relax me was to ask if I went by my given name or if I used a nickname. I told her my nickname and she used that the entire time I was there never flipping back to my given name.
I explained to her that earlier this year I had bariatric surgery. She stated that she too had that surgery and told me about what she had gone through as far as weight loss and the fact that at times she does eat the wrong things. It made me feel even more relaxed because she knew what I was going through.
She made sure to come into the room several times to let us know test results and what would be happening next. It took a long time for the doctor to reappear but during that time Michelle checked to make sure I was doing ok.
But what was most meaningful to me was that she let me use her as my walker to get around. Let me explain, I am handicapped and must use a walker to get around. As I mentioned previously, I was brought in by paramedics and when my sister followed in her car she didn't think to bring the walker. When I was discharged I had to use the restroom. Michelle helped me into a wheelchair and when we got to the restroom the chair was too wide to get through the door. I panicked. Michelle told me to use her as my walker. She held out her arms and though I probably outweigh her by 100 pounds, she let me lean on her as we slowly moved along. I have difficulties lifting my legs when walking and Michelle patiently coaxed me into taking each step. The same scenario was repeated when she helped me out of the wheelchair and into my sister's car.
Michelle is truly an excellent nurse and a caring person.