A Special Thank You!

indynurse1, ASN, RN

I have been a Registered Nurse for 10 years. I have worked in many different areas, from pediatrics to adults; sickest of the sick to wellness. But, with all the different things I have done, I have never had a person seek me out to tell me thank you for saving their life.

This was that day.

I work evening shift alone at a factory and am the wellness, worker's compensation, and personal health nurse from 3-11 pm nightly. I am the only person in the office, no physicians, no nurse practitioners, no one. Sometimes I feel very alone. But, I always have a physician on call for emergency situations and I have very specific protocols to follow.

This particular night, was going along as usual, when I had an older gentleman come in. As he entered the office, I could visibly see he was not feeling well. I asked him to come in and tell me his symptoms. He was a larger man, 61 years old, and having classic cardiac symptoms. He had been complaining of chest pain, shortness of breath, and sweating for about 1 hour. I quickly took a set of vitals and ran an EKG. His vital signs were stable, but his EKG looked suspicious. He had a cardiac history and had previously had 2 stents placed in his heart for blockage. He reported that he had never actually had a heart attack in the past, but he did take a daily extended release nitroglycerin. I did not want to give him any more nitro - not knowing the dose he was currently on.

So I strongly encouraged him to allow me to call the paramedics and have him evaluated in the local emergency room. He agreed. Honestly, I was not sure I would see him again - he looked that poorly. Since I am the only nurse on the evening shift, I develop a great rapport with my guys, as I like to call them.

When an incident like this occurs, I usually check back in with them in about a month. I was so concerned that he may not have made it, that each time my reminder popped up on my computer to check in on him, I would dismiss it for another day.

Finally, about 6 weeks after the incident, he called me. He asked for me by name and I was shocked to hear his voice. He went on to tell me what had happened to him and that he wanted to personally call and say Thank You for saving his life. He had not actually had a heart attack. It turned out that his bladder was the size of a basketball and it was pushing up on his internal organs making it appear to be cardiac related.

The physicians in the emergency room were baffled and told him that if he had not come into the hospital that night, his bladder would have exploded and he would not have survived. I began crying on the phone. It was so touching that he would reach out to me to tell me that. I told him that when he returned to work, I wanted him to come down and see me. He agreed. And 4 weeks later, he was walking into my office. He walked around the corner, and I was so happy to see him. He came in and gave me the biggest hug I think I've ever received. He went on to tell me that if it wasn't for me, he would not be standing there. He also told me that we were connected for life and he would never forget me. I will never forget him either.

The reason I write this, is because I am an Occupational Health Nurse. I know there is a stigma of nurses that do not work in the hospital that we are not performing "real nursing". This just proves that nurses in any situation can make a difference in anyone's life; either in an Emergency Room, an ICU, or even an Occupational Health setting. We should all appreciate each other in any type of nursing we choose.

I will never forget my guy and I hope I'm here to make a difference in other's lives for a long time.

A Special Thank You!

About indynurse1, ASN, RN

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