My visiting nurse was Shelly Lewis, RN, of the CGH Home Nursing unit. I found her to be compassionate and well qualified. A good listener, competent, and knowledgeable when answering my questions. But she's more than that. She worked with me to come up with alternatives when my skin barriers kept leaking (the biggest problem was actually the combination of a flush stoma with an open wound right next to it). She listened to me and combined what I thought would help with varieties of supplies. She was open to my suggestions on what I thought would work.
It took a month of trial and error...mix and match...and thinking outside the box...(and my wounds, which had become seriously infected had to heal and close up). But today the changes are apparent. Whereas before, upon discharge from the hospital, I was afraid, insecure, confused, worried, and on the edge of an anxiety attack. Today I feel confident and knowledgeable about many difficulties and how to troubleshoot solutions. Because of Shelly I have a new skill set and can calmly proceed to the next phase, independent care of my colostomy.
So thank you, Shelly, for being calm when I worried, helping me chuckle not fear, teaching me skills, and believing in my abilities as well. When next we meet- our last visit on Friday, I want to show you some of the innovative things I've worked on since last we met on Tuesday. Perhaps some of my ideas will help you help someone else as well. Help them be calmer, have more confidence, adapt better, adjust to their new circumstances, and ... like you helped me to do... overcome their fears to become successful in their endeavors and rise to the challenges of having wounds and colostomy problems.
Thank you again, Shelly.