I would like to acknowledge a pre-op nurse whose influence has been far-reaching. I underwent left total hip replacement surgery. It was Jami who, during pre-op evaluation and prep routine, looked squarely into my eyes and impressed upon me to reach out to my primary physician in due time and schedule a sleep apnea test based on information she had gleaned during her direct questioning with me and my daughter. My recovery and rehab followed and then COVID-19 began to plummet us into isolation and change of habit. Fast forward: Eventually I was able to act on her advice and much to my surprise the outcome of my sleep apnea evaluation was a diagnosis of severe sleep apnea and I am now the proud user of a CPAP. (I'd like to also say my experience in navigating this new world through PVH's sleep diagnostic center was very efficient.)
Because of my experience and knowledge of the sleep patterns of several friends and family members, I encouraged them to follow my lead. Two of the five said their physicians were hesitant to order the test because they saw no indication. At my urging, they persisted. All five have now completed their tests. All five are now also using CPAP machines after three tested moderate, one tested severe and one sister tested profound resulting in an emergent phone call directly from her physician and an expedited process to obtain her CPAP. I want Jami to be made aware of her far-reaching influence. Little did Jami know that by her education and influence she has markedly changed not only my life but five others from Kansas to California and in between. So I want to thank her for impressing upon me the value of the study but more importantly the value of her role during my pre-op experience. She may, in fact, literally be a "lifesaver". Thank you, Jami!