When I would walk into his room, I expected to see the worst. Of course, my husband was in the intensive care unit and I prepared everyone as much as myself for what we were all about to see, and what we saw was painful. But he looked so peaceful at the same time, his sheets were always fresh and he was repositioned every time we went in. It was comforting to see that someone was with him throughout the day providing for him and giving him the extraordinary care he deserved. His morning nurse was to blame. April has raised the bar for every nurse I have ever met and I feel fortunate to have had her by my husband's side. Let me not forget to mention my husband's night nurse, Jorge, my niece nicknamed him "Superman". His presence was one of a superhero. He was quick on his feet, and as I watched him take care of my critical husband, who was on a ventilator, I realized that his skills were beyond my ability. These two nurses are God's gift to patients.
This was my first experience in any hospital and it didn't disappoint. After self-extubating once, we were worried that S would try to do it again, especially since he had been so restless. One day, shortly after this incident, April was working the day shift; unfortunately, not assigned as S's nurse. She happened to walk by his bed and saw that he had managed to loosen the restraints and was reaching for the tubes. Fortunately, her quick response prevented S from self-extubating again. Knowing what S had gone through; April made an effort to keep an eye on him even though he wasn't her patient for that shift.
I would only see Jorge for a couple of visits during his shift, I felt very confident in his care for S. I remember the morning after his surgery, during the 6:00 a.m. visit, he was giving me information on how S had done overnight and he said, "he talks to me". I thought to myself, how can he talk, if he has those tubes? I think Jorge saw my facial expression because he explained how he and S were communicating. It didn't take long for him to learn how S would respond to certain things. It was like a symphony or intuition maybe, but at times, S's temperature would start running high, and Jorge knew that uncovering him, placing a damp cloth on his forehead, a little water or pointing the fan at him, would quickly bring his temperature back to normal.
Perhaps to some people, these examples might not mean much, but to me, these actions meant the world. I will always hold everyone to the standard that April and Jorge have accomplished. My husband remained on a ventilator for 13 days, but he made it home and is now recovering.