Jennifer Masker
July 2021
Jennifer
Masker
,
RN
Women & Children Unit
Blessing Hospital
Quincy
,
IL
United States
I am now home, recovering from surgery reflecting on what I experienced in 3 days and so thankful I had nurse Jen with me that night.
I am so thankful to have been under the care of Nurse Jen. From the time she entered my room, it was evident that she was going to give me the care and compassion I needed prior to surgery the following morning. I felt at complete peace talking to her and she was extremely personable which is helpful when you don’t have a loved one that can stay with you over the evening hours. Although there were many times we shared laughs together, even though it hurt me to do so, there is definitely a situation that comes to mind that stands out in the care she provided for me. Is it a proud moment for me? No, but I can laugh about it now and I imagine I will be one patient she won’t forget for a while after because of it.
24 hours prior to coming to the hospital I was told I had a large mass, probably aggressive cancer, and would receive treatment. I then came to ER with severe pain, got a second opinion that it wasn’t cancer, and would have surgery the following morning. I was already riding the “hot mess express” as I like to call it with my emotions, and then while in the hospital I got a text from my mom who was watching my kids that my 2-year-old daughter had pinworms! Are you kidding me? Add one more thing to this mess! As much as I despised sharing this newfound information with nurse Jen, I thought it might make a difference in my scheduled surgery. I fessed up, expecting to be so embarrassed, but she was completely okay with it and rolled with it and said we would figure it out. She acted like it was no big deal. If she thought I was gross, she completely masked it well.
After she called the surgeon and confirmed it would not delay surgery, she said there was actually a test for that. That was news to me! She had never administered a pinworm test and I had never been on the receiving end of one either. I told her we would learn together! As a teacher, I am always up for a new educational experience! I can spare you the details. Was the test awkward? Yes, very much so, but we laughed through it, and I was totally okay with it! Jen was such an amazing nurse. She was always asking if there was anything she could get for me and was willing to talk with me for just a few more minutes even though I knew she probably had many other important things to do. She provided me great care, and for that, I am truly grateful. I am now home, recovering from surgery reflecting on what I experienced in 3 days and so thankful I had nurse Jen with me that night. You are extremely blessed to have her on your Blessing team!
24 hours prior to coming to the hospital I was told I had a large mass, probably aggressive cancer, and would receive treatment. I then came to ER with severe pain, got a second opinion that it wasn’t cancer, and would have surgery the following morning. I was already riding the “hot mess express” as I like to call it with my emotions, and then while in the hospital I got a text from my mom who was watching my kids that my 2-year-old daughter had pinworms! Are you kidding me? Add one more thing to this mess! As much as I despised sharing this newfound information with nurse Jen, I thought it might make a difference in my scheduled surgery. I fessed up, expecting to be so embarrassed, but she was completely okay with it and rolled with it and said we would figure it out. She acted like it was no big deal. If she thought I was gross, she completely masked it well.
After she called the surgeon and confirmed it would not delay surgery, she said there was actually a test for that. That was news to me! She had never administered a pinworm test and I had never been on the receiving end of one either. I told her we would learn together! As a teacher, I am always up for a new educational experience! I can spare you the details. Was the test awkward? Yes, very much so, but we laughed through it, and I was totally okay with it! Jen was such an amazing nurse. She was always asking if there was anything she could get for me and was willing to talk with me for just a few more minutes even though I knew she probably had many other important things to do. She provided me great care, and for that, I am truly grateful. I am now home, recovering from surgery reflecting on what I experienced in 3 days and so thankful I had nurse Jen with me that night. You are extremely blessed to have her on your Blessing team!