Karen Castillo began her shift and arrived in my room to distribute A.M. meds and IV infusions. She listened as I described the intense pain and swelling I had experienced through the night around my IV wrist tap, associated with Vancomycin. She looked over my arms where miscellaneous taps had caused pain and discomfort with prior days. She then first and foremost removed the needle from my vein to alleviate my immediate pain. Then in a nod, knowing the staff and the strengths and weaknesses of miscellaneous folks, she had picked a person she knew was the very best at placing an IV needle tap. She coordinated the newest installation and it was painless!
But in the back of Karen's mind was the fact that it was really the Vancomycin that was causing me the intense pain and blowing out IV's too fast and causing a hardening in my arm veins. So, she did some homework, while also serving all her other patients, called the M.D. and the pharmacist to get approval to switch me to oral substitute to Vancomycin. She then approached me with this alternative to which I immediately agreed and by the end of her shift, I was pain-free and still getting the medical antibiotic protection I required. What an awesome and caring remedy to my dilemma!