I am an athlete and marathon runner and have a hypogammaglobuinanemia. I was in St. Luke's for an anterior cervical discectomy of C5-C6. I am nominating Emily for the DAISY Award because she was such a strong partner when I was hospitalized.
When I was brought up to the floor I was quite uncomfortable. My goals for going home included walking, swallowing, and pain management. Because I am an athlete who typically runs 40 miles per week, the first two goals were not a problem, but pain management was. I do not tolerate opiates well. My doctor prescribed several different pain meds and several different muscle relaxers. It was up to Emily and me to find the combination that was effective, but did not trigger the problematic side effects. The third combination worked.
Emily remained positive and upbeat. She never made me feel bad for being difficult with hard-to-manage pain. Instead, I always felt like the next combination might work and that Emily was just as invested in finding the solution as I was. That is truly nursing at its best. As a result, I was able to be discharged on time. Emily never made me feel guilty for being demanding or for taking so much of her time. Instead, I felt that she truly cared about me and that we were in a partnership with a common goal to get me better, get my pain managed, and to get me home. Thanks Emily!