I have been a patient of the Diamond Headache Clinic for a little over five years. I guess I’m like “most” patients who come to Diamond: we are too complex of a case for standard neurologists. We are too much work for a practice to take on. They can’t help and dismiss us - this has happened many times over before coming to Diamond. I have had chronic intractable migraines for ten years. Finding compassionate and competent care has been challenging and discouraging until I found Diamond. I’ve been very blessed by the excellent care The Diamond Headache Clinic has provided me, especially coming inpatient here to the hospital and interacting with the excellent nurses. As grateful as I am for the help when I come here, it is beyond stressful and challenging for me. I was abused by my neighbor claiming to be a doctor when I was young. Treatments and punishments were done to me. I continue to live with post-traumatic stress disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, especially in a medical setting. Allowing a new person to care for me in my hardest and most vulnerable moments is not easy, to say the least. I am fearful of needles and injections. Anyone touching me is scary. I startle easily. I get night terrors and flashbacks and will end up in the corner of my room crying. I’m sorry this is long - I just want to paint a picture for you that I’m not just an “average patient”. Every nurse/shift change brings me great anxiety: will it be a new nurse, will they be nice to me, have they read my chart about my PTSD, and will they keep up with my med schedule - because I feel panicked if a nurse doesn’t show up when I need it most.

One night a few weeks ago while being inpatient, I found out around 6 PM that this guy Spencer was going to be my nurse. I tell some people I’m sitting with and they exclaim “Ooooh we love him! He’s great!” I wasn’t convinced because I don’t like change or the unknown. Meeting a new nurse is so scary to me. A little after 7 PM that night, even though my meds weren’t due until 9 PM - Spencer came into my room and introduced himself. He right from the start assured me: "I know your plan; meds every three hours, correct?" he asked. He wrote it down in a notebook and said he’d be back in time for my night meds. I am notorious for being VERY nervous about getting my medications on time. I need consistency and it helps to know my nurse has it covered and has a plan for how to help. That night he was on time with all my meds every three hours, greeted me with a smile, and always asked when he left “Is there anything else I can do to help you?” He also said he’d be back the following night and hoped he’d have the pleasure of caring for me again. I’ve heard this before from other nurses but inevitably they get scheduled for other patients and I rarely have the same nurse for a few days in a row, but THIS time I could feel that he meant it. He actually wanted to come back. As the next day came and went, no one knew who my nurse was so it was a “surprise” when Spencer came back right at 7 to say “We did it! I’m your nurse again!” I expressed my relief and gratitude. Around the middle of the night, I had an incredibly terrifying flashback. I was vomiting from it because of the stress. None of my usual coping skills were working. I was in full-blown panic mode. When this happens, I do NOT feel safe in my body.

I hesitantly called Spencer and said, “I’m not ok, it’s not safe in my body and I’m scared”. He replied, “I’ll be right there”. He showed up within a minute. He was calm and kind when he came in. He didn’t ask questions like “what’s wrong with you”, he merely said reassuringly, let’s get you back to a safer place. He proceeded to talk to me for 30 minutes. I couldn’t tell you what we talked about, but within minutes I could tell my mind “It’s ok, we’ve got this, this nurse is going to help too”. He needed to go help other patients but reassured me to call if things happened again. And he promised he’d be back in an hour with meds that would help! True to his word, he came rolling in with his blue cart at 3 AM. He asked permission to take my blood pressure knowing I would probably jump if he just started doing things. He explained what he was doing, and which meds were which, and asked if things felt safer. He helped keep me distracted - asking me questions about myself and seemed genuine in wanting to know me better so he could help the best he could. My meds were given and I expressed I was scared again and he asked what he could do. I said I’d be ok but he again encouraged me he would come right away if I called. I also was finally able to sleep, feeling safe again in my body. As his shift ended, I was nervous about who my next nurse would be. What would he tell him or her? “She made me come to her room five times last night, beware!” But no. Not Spencer. He came back in with my new nurse to share my care plan and preferences. He wished me a good day and said he’d be back again that night and he hoped he’d see me. Again I was hesitant about those words because I seemed to get shuffled around with nurses, convinced they would tell the day nurse they didn’t want to have my case the next night. Yet again, I was proven wrong! At 7:00 PM Spencer came into my room with and smile and said he’d get to take care of me again. “We’ve got our routine, it’s going to help and I will be back”. By the end of his shift, he made it a point to stop in and say he had turned my care over to another amazing nurse and that he really enjoyed getting to be my nurse each night. I'm pretty good at reading people and I was pretty sure he meant it!

When I was out moving around on the unit I saw the sign for a “DAISY Award” to highlight a nurse who meant something to you. I had already planned to talk about how amazing Spencer was, but I knew right away when I saw that sign that I HAD to share about how amazing Spencer is. So I scanned my QR code and wrote about Spencer and how much he cares and how he went above and beyond to make sure I was ok and taken care of. Honestly, I didn’t even know if anyone would read it, but I knew in my heart hopefully someone would take notice.