Nurses, You Never Know What the Future Holds

judyepage

I started out as an LPN and a few years later went to college and received my

ADN. I have been a nurse for 45 years and have always enjoyed taking care of people. I feel as if this is where God meant for me to be.

For the last 10 years that I worked I worked in LTC. In May 2013 on a Thursday morning. I was on my way to work. I got about 5 miles from my home and had to pull over due to a severe headache and vomiting. The headache felt like someone hitting me with a baseball bat inside my skull. I called work and informed them that I had a migraine and stomach virus (as there had been a stomach virus at work an I thought that I had it).

I do not remember driving back home nor do I remember anything until 4:30pm the next day when I called my aunt to take me to the emergency room as the headache was no better. I really do not remember anything after this until the week before July 4th of 2013.

I was informed that I had a ruptured cerebral aneurysm and had 2 craniotomies on May 19. 2013 to repair the ruptured aneurysm. I spent over a month in the trauma center and apparently had a seizure at one point of the surgery. I had to live with family for 6 months and could not drive for 6 months. I was also informed that I had 4 more cerebral aneurysms. (Total of 5 cerebral aneurysms.)

In July, 2013 a coil was placed in the second aneurysm. No further seizures at this time. In Oct. 2013 I was diagnosed with breast cancer and had bilateral mastectomy and was informed that I would not be able to work and needed to apply for disability. I fought this as I wanted to return to work.

In Nov, 2013 I did file for disability and in Jan. 2014 I received my first check from SSD. In Dec. 2013 my iron and HGB were low and I received an iron infusion and a blood transfusion. A PET scan was also done. In April 2014 I had two pipelines placed in two of the cerebral aneurysms and except for some headaches was feeling better.

The breast cancer was treated with an estrogen blocker to fight the cancer. No chemo or radiation at this time. Every year I had a bone scan and chest CT to follow up on the cancer and an cerebral CT and angiogram to follow up on the cerebral aneurysms and repairs. In Nov. 2015 I had a bone scan and was informed that I had 3 new areas of cancer in my bones and had a CT of my head and an angiogram and informed that my last cerebral aneurysm had grown and would need to be repaired.

In Dec. 2015 3 days before Christmas the last aneurysm was repaired. This was a bad time as I was weak and hurting all over after this for about 2 weeks. In Feb 2016 I had 10 treatments of radiation on my coccyx and left femur for the cancer pain. I am still having a lot of pain in my left femur and am due for MRI's to find out what is happening that is causing the pain.

I know that this is not over and I still have a lot going on but I also know that I should have died in 2013 and that God has me here for a reason. I can also feel more about what patients and families go through. Sometimes you have to go through issues to fully understand a patients point of view. All nurses need to understand that when patients complain of pain that they are having pain you do not have see something to believe it. I have had a lot of tests, surgeries and treatments since 2013 and will have many more over time and I now have a better understanding of many issues.

Nurses, You Never Know What the Future Holds

About judyepage

More Like This