When I first met Dusty Carpenter, it was a home care visit. I told her that I knew my way around a central line. She was very thorough, and laughed when she found out, although I think that she suspected all along. I had been very apprehensive about having a different nurse come out with every visit. My case was complex enough that she was the right person to get ICU humor. She was very pleasant on every visit, but she really shined.  One day, I rolled over the bed, unable to speak. I was shaking and had tears rolling out of my eyes. My wife had never seen me in such pain. I remember looking at this nurse, and the look on her face was “Oh crap, I think I broke him!” She didn’t leave until after the pain settled down some, but she also called my surgeon twice to try to find better pain control. He seemed to have his hands tied to only ordering 5mg of pain medication, despite the fact that I had been used to the 10mg dose before surgery. So, although it seemed that we were on our own, we devised a plan for her to let me know 30 minutes before she arrived, so I could premedicate. Eventually, as predicted, it got easier and easier, to where no special measures were needed. Having just come off of dealing with sickness and infection, her visits came to be a bright spot in what was an otherwise very dull routine of not being able to do much of anything. She is always welcome to come over to visit.