When I stepped into the ER a few days ago, I thought it would be a quick wound treatment and a prescription then being sent home. Obviously, I was very wrong. What this has turned into has been a frightening and complex turn of events, I won't get into all that here and now nor will I get into my experiences with the many other hard-working professionals and kind folks here who I've crossed paths with. No, this is specifically about Nurse Fernanda.
She entered the "orbit" of caretakers around me just before and then, through a very difficult time in my care and treatment. Big decisions were being made and critical procedures were happening as we tried to repair the damage to my body and fight the dangerous and aggressive infection and we faced this alone. The very necessary restrictions have meant no visitors and my limited communication with folks out there left us feeling very isolated and alone. The one exception to that was the very quick rapport we developed with Nurse Fernanda. She seemed to recognize instinctually when we were faltering as if she herself felt my fear and anxiety and in understanding it, supported me through the worst of it. This was most evident after my surgical procedure. I had the good fortune to get what we felt to be a highly competent and professional group. So when things started going wrong afterward when I was weak and tired I felt like challenging their take on anything was probably wrong to do. Through all these fears and doubts, my one point of stability was Nurse Fernanda. She was tireless and professional in her work yet gentle and kind to me as I became more and more freaked out about the pain and fluids coming out of me. While keeping me grounded she also helped as a sort of "liaison" with the surgical team. They had a different view of things and I was frustrated and frightened and felt like the only person who believed that things were not right was Nurse Fernanda. When things reached that critical point, Nurse Fernanda advocated for me. She was respectful and professional with the surgical folks but she stood by me and made the points that we needed to have heard. As a result, things were looked at more closely and reviewed.
In the end, things began improving with my healing and my level of pain. I don't know why some people are able to build a connection and trust the way Nurse Fernanda and I did. I can tell you that for me it is incredibly rare to do this. I am very grateful to all the folks here who have been part of my care and tried to make my stay a good one. Nurse Fernanda supported me through the most difficult part of that stay and made me feel as if one of my closest friends were here holding my hand through it all.