I recently had a major surgical procedure. Post-surgery, even in the recovery room, I had such a difficult time with pain control. The nurses in the PACU-recovery room had to call the doctor to change the dose on my PCA. Even with the change in PACU, my pain was still excruciating. I got moved to the orthopedic floor and was in so much pain, the only relief was from ice packs. The charge nurse sat down with my nurse to plan to attempt to control my pain! She called the doctor in an attempt to get my pain under control. As a result, there was no change in my pain level, which I rated as a 15, then a 12. I did not sleep that night and when I woke up on Saturday, I was in the most excruciating pain, I thought for sure I was dying. My anxiety was through the roof and I was incredibly miserable and wished I had never come in for surgery. At shift change, the charge nurse came into my room. She was so great, she moved me to a bigger room to help with my anxiety and make me and my mother feel comfier. This was the first step to my pain recovery. It's a new day, a new room and a new nurse, my nurse now was the best nurse. Lauren went above and beyond to take the severity of my pain down a notch. At several points during her 12-hour shift with me, my pain was so severe I was reduced to tears and crying, shaking, and begging for Lauren to call the doctor. Lauren called and called until the doctor's PA came and spoke with me, put in new orders for different medicine. The doctor and his team of PAs came in to check vitals and make sure I could handle the number of meds I was getting. Due to Lauren's compassion and tenacity, the doctor's team was not only able to address my medical concerns and needs, but also able to alleviate all my anxiety and control my pain.
Thanks to Lauren and her excellent nursing skills and dedication and compassion, I went from literally thinking I was going to die and the pain was so severe and excruciating to sleeping through the night and waking up with minimal pain and a smile on my face. Lauren is an angel in my book and she truly is extraordinary. Because of Lauren and her persistence and compassion, I was able to find relief and sleep and manage my pain from a 15 to discharge at a 7 on the pain scale. Thank you so much, Lauren, because of your hard work I am on my way to a full recovery. Thank you.