January 2024
Sumer
Ulrich
,
RN
TCU
Dominican Hospital
Santa Cruz
,
CA
United States
If it had not been for Sumer thinking outside the box, going the extra mile, and being willing to bring it to the attention of the hospitalist and myself, J would likely have been treated for sepsis and sent home.
Sumer is a caring and compassionate nurse who goes above and beyond the requirements of her duties and made a huge impact on my son's care. My son J is a 33-year-old quadriplegic with a very complicated history. J was hospitalized for UTI and sepsis; he presented with extremely high and extremely low blood pressure within a matter of minutes. He was tachycardic with extremely high fevers, peaking at 105, and experiencing psychosis.
After nearly a week of multiple heavy IV antibiotics, J was not getting better but getting worse. Sumer familiarized herself with J's history; knowing he had serotonin syndrome in 2012, she dove into researching and began questioning whether or not J could possibly be experiencing serotonin syndrome again (based on J's current condition, history, as well as her experience of dealing with serotonin syndrome with a previous patient and all the similarities). Sumer brought it to the attention of the hospitalist, who at the time was not in support of that diagnosis. Sumer brought it to my attention, and at first, I doubted it because there had been no new medications or recent changes to medications, which generally is the case with Serotonin Syndrome. After doing extensive research of my own, it became very clear that Serotonin Syndrome is what was going on with J.
I contacted J's physiatrist and discussed the situation with her; she researched the serotonin syndrome, J's history and hospital stays, medication changes over the last year and his current situation. His physiatrist agreed 100% that J was experiencing serotonin syndrome. The physiatrist contacted the hospitalist and consulted with him, leading to the diagnosis of serotonin syndrome, and he began being treated accordingly. J was taken off of the two offending medications, and his health began to improve greatly. If it had not been for Sumer thinking outside the box, going the extra mile, and being willing to bring it to the attention of the hospitalist and myself, J would likely have been treated for sepsis and sent home. It was Sumer's persistence and care for her patient, my son, that hugely affected the outcome of his well-being. Sumer truly made me feel she had J's best interest at heart, she cared and felt like a friend talking through with me my concerns and fears, always offering encouragement and support. Sumer even went so far as to check in with me even when J was not under her care, and she had other patients.
After nearly a week of multiple heavy IV antibiotics, J was not getting better but getting worse. Sumer familiarized herself with J's history; knowing he had serotonin syndrome in 2012, she dove into researching and began questioning whether or not J could possibly be experiencing serotonin syndrome again (based on J's current condition, history, as well as her experience of dealing with serotonin syndrome with a previous patient and all the similarities). Sumer brought it to the attention of the hospitalist, who at the time was not in support of that diagnosis. Sumer brought it to my attention, and at first, I doubted it because there had been no new medications or recent changes to medications, which generally is the case with Serotonin Syndrome. After doing extensive research of my own, it became very clear that Serotonin Syndrome is what was going on with J.
I contacted J's physiatrist and discussed the situation with her; she researched the serotonin syndrome, J's history and hospital stays, medication changes over the last year and his current situation. His physiatrist agreed 100% that J was experiencing serotonin syndrome. The physiatrist contacted the hospitalist and consulted with him, leading to the diagnosis of serotonin syndrome, and he began being treated accordingly. J was taken off of the two offending medications, and his health began to improve greatly. If it had not been for Sumer thinking outside the box, going the extra mile, and being willing to bring it to the attention of the hospitalist and myself, J would likely have been treated for sepsis and sent home. It was Sumer's persistence and care for her patient, my son, that hugely affected the outcome of his well-being. Sumer truly made me feel she had J's best interest at heart, she cared and felt like a friend talking through with me my concerns and fears, always offering encouragement and support. Sumer even went so far as to check in with me even when J was not under her care, and she had other patients.