Vanessa Piazza
December 2016
Vanessa
Piazza
,
RN
Stroke / Progressive Care / Telemetry
Desert Regional Medical Center
Palm Springs
,
CA
United States
I started Saturday as the mother of the groom at a wonderful destination wedding in Palm Springs. Many of our family attended from faraway places on the East Coast. I went to my room a little early slightly fatigued and nauseous thinking that perhaps the day had been too exciting. A few hours later I woke up shaking and unable to get warm. My husband covered me with comforters but that did not help. So in the early AM hours of Sunday I was taken by ambulance to DRMC following a seizure-like episode. This was the beginning of what turned out to be a ten-day hospital stay.
Vanessa helped me understand and adjust to my new circumstances following my Sinus Bradycardia diagnosis and pacemaker implant. Vanessa is a naturally warm, lovely person, almost the same age as I, and she also has a pacemaker. She was very open, sharing her experience with me. She is very skilled at communicating medical information in a non-threatening, concise manner. The fact that I now needed a pacemaker was a shock… it is my 88-year-old mom who needs nursing care and heart operations, not me.
Talking to Vanessa went a long way towards calming me down and building my resolution to get better and return to an active life. She tipped my outlook towards optimism and away from grieving for my former pre-diseased state. I am also a very practical person who enjoys working with tools and understanding construction and woodworking. Vanessa was excellent at explaining the nuts and bolts of my condition and future needs. For instance, she helped me understand the battery replacement procedure I will eventually undergo.
I was a needy female still reeling from being attached to IVs with uncertain diagnosis followed by pacemaker implant, followed by pneumothorax episode. I was focused on what I had lost and here I was face to face with a highly competent nurse holding down a demanding job. She was an inspiration. She addressed my concern about pneumonia by getting me up to walk frequently. She kept things light with friendly banter when she sensed me slipping into a sad state. She was a role model for me; she delivered stand-out physical care.
Vanessa combines professional performance and practical knowledge with the extra personal concern that makes a difference in a patient's outlook; she deserves to be honored with the DAISY Award.
Vanessa helped me understand and adjust to my new circumstances following my Sinus Bradycardia diagnosis and pacemaker implant. Vanessa is a naturally warm, lovely person, almost the same age as I, and she also has a pacemaker. She was very open, sharing her experience with me. She is very skilled at communicating medical information in a non-threatening, concise manner. The fact that I now needed a pacemaker was a shock… it is my 88-year-old mom who needs nursing care and heart operations, not me.
Talking to Vanessa went a long way towards calming me down and building my resolution to get better and return to an active life. She tipped my outlook towards optimism and away from grieving for my former pre-diseased state. I am also a very practical person who enjoys working with tools and understanding construction and woodworking. Vanessa was excellent at explaining the nuts and bolts of my condition and future needs. For instance, she helped me understand the battery replacement procedure I will eventually undergo.
I was a needy female still reeling from being attached to IVs with uncertain diagnosis followed by pacemaker implant, followed by pneumothorax episode. I was focused on what I had lost and here I was face to face with a highly competent nurse holding down a demanding job. She was an inspiration. She addressed my concern about pneumonia by getting me up to walk frequently. She kept things light with friendly banter when she sensed me slipping into a sad state. She was a role model for me; she delivered stand-out physical care.
Vanessa combines professional performance and practical knowledge with the extra personal concern that makes a difference in a patient's outlook; she deserves to be honored with the DAISY Award.