Lindsey Hischak
September 2020
Lindsay
Hischak
,
RN
NSICU
Lehigh Valley Hospital
Lindsay quickly acted and kept every little bump just that, a little bump. But that wasn't what made her so special, it was the gentle way she spoke to my husband and me.
My husband was admitted in need of basilar artery aneurysm repair. He has been on a long road with his health the past few years including cancer and an incidental finding of this rare but life-threatening aneurysm. Needless to say, this has taken a toll on us emotionally. To add to the stress, we are dealing with the new normal of COVID-19 which made this all the more stressful as we could only visit for certain hours of the day. The procedure went extremely well, and he was transferred to the NSICU.
As he began his recovery from the anesthesia, his speech seemed slurred, and his blood pressure and heart rate were really low. I was called back to see him, and he was surrounded by doctors and nurses. As a healthcare provider you know the more people in the room is a big cause for concern. But handling my husband was this amazing nurse who through it all managed his care like a champ. She managed his vital signs, she started him on his drip to raise his blood pressure and she performed textbook assessments which uncovered each complication including the early formation of a hematoma and bleeding at his arterial insertion site.
Lindsay quickly acted and kept every little bump just that, a little bump. But that wasn't what made her so special, it was the gentle way she spoke to my husband and me. It was her quiet reassuring demeanor that provided us with a level of comfort that let us know that she is taking care of us and that we could trust her to treat us to the best of her ability. It was the way that she communicated to the rest of the team, giving them a complete assessment and telling them exactly what was going on.
In the past few years, my husband has been through a lot of hospital stays, testing, and office visits. We have endured the best and the worst. I spent the first few hours of this day alone and scared and was fearful for the rest of the day and not being able to be with my husband, to feeling reassured and calm knowing that he was in the best hands and that the person taking care of him not only had top-notch skills but a personality and bedside presence that promotes the best that LVHN has to offer.
As he began his recovery from the anesthesia, his speech seemed slurred, and his blood pressure and heart rate were really low. I was called back to see him, and he was surrounded by doctors and nurses. As a healthcare provider you know the more people in the room is a big cause for concern. But handling my husband was this amazing nurse who through it all managed his care like a champ. She managed his vital signs, she started him on his drip to raise his blood pressure and she performed textbook assessments which uncovered each complication including the early formation of a hematoma and bleeding at his arterial insertion site.
Lindsay quickly acted and kept every little bump just that, a little bump. But that wasn't what made her so special, it was the gentle way she spoke to my husband and me. It was her quiet reassuring demeanor that provided us with a level of comfort that let us know that she is taking care of us and that we could trust her to treat us to the best of her ability. It was the way that she communicated to the rest of the team, giving them a complete assessment and telling them exactly what was going on.
In the past few years, my husband has been through a lot of hospital stays, testing, and office visits. We have endured the best and the worst. I spent the first few hours of this day alone and scared and was fearful for the rest of the day and not being able to be with my husband, to feeling reassured and calm knowing that he was in the best hands and that the person taking care of him not only had top-notch skills but a personality and bedside presence that promotes the best that LVHN has to offer.