Rhoonie Balram
May 2019
Rhoonie
Balram
,
RN, BSN, CMSRN
Med/Surg Stroke Unit
Adventist HealthCare - Shady Grove Medical Center
Rockville
,
MD
United States

 

 

 

I was admitted to Shady Grove three days ago with severe chest pains that made me anxious, scared and frankly "snarky." I was miserable and scared.
After two hours, there was a change of the guards and the "night shift" arrived. I was in way too much pain to care. My night nurse was Rhoonie Balram. One word to describe her is "WOW!" She came into my room and it was instant calm.
Rhoonie was so gentle and kind. She put her hand on my shoulder and talked to me. She was a true miracle worker and did the impossible. She calmed me down. Her kindness was genuine, and she instantly knew what I needed. In came a warm blanket and ice water, and she rubbed my back.
The whole time she talked to me. I went from a crying mess to being relaxed, safe, calm and taken care of in a major way. I was able to sleep for 3 ½ hours - the first time in a week. When I woke up in total pain, she was there. I know she had about five other patients and she works incredibly hard.
Rhoonie treated me like she was my private nurse. What a true gift. I will be forever grateful. She is beyond professional and any patient who has Rhoonie for a nurse is truly lucky! Thank you, Shady Grove Hospital, for giving patients outstanding nurses. I give a very special thank you to Rhoonie, who truly knows healing is so much more than medicine and for taking such outstanding care of me. I will never forget you.
***
Rhoonie was very calm, which had a calming effect on me. She also was very compassionate. She is also very experienced. She treated me with respect and dignity.
***
My initial diagnosis was Bell's Palsy and that got changed to GRS during my second visit. Now that I am getting discharged and feeling much better, I have had time to reflect on my stay. For me, the most significant and impactful element of my stay was the nursing care. Proper, attentive and caring nursing care makes a big difference and I was lucky to have some of the best nurses I could imagine. All of the nurses on this floor are very professional and know their jobs inside out, but it's the little things that some of them did that made my experience exceptionally memorable.
And there was Rhoonie, who was my nurse for the majority of the time during my stays. She really provided me with motherly care and compassion. When my face was paralyzed, she would graze it with her fingers to try and make me smile. Since Sunday night was not a good experience for me, my family was planning on spending the night. Rhoonie literally sat outside my door after starting the IV and assured my family that I will be taken good care of. That gave my brother the peace of mind to go home to sleep. Remarkably, Rhoonie is the most punctual nurse I have had. All my treatments and meds were brought to me right on time when under her care. Every time I had Rhoonie, my mind was at ease. I knew I was in good trusting hands.