I have a rare condition called Mast Cell Activation Syndrome and Memorial Pembroke is the only hospital I will go to because of the exceptional care I get. I have a special mask that I wear. It's an active charcoal HEPA filter that filters 99% of odors. Unfortunately, if something is really strong, like perfume, and it touches my eyes, within 3 minutes I'm in full anaphylactic shock and my lungs, throat, and eyes swell shut.
I explained this to my medical team when I came to the floor. They gave report to each other and when they all went to leave and open the door a lady was cleaning with something right outside my room. Even though I had oxygen on and the mask on, I could smell it instantly. Analisa shut the door immediately and told them to call rescue. The Benadryl wasn't up on the floor yet, so she walked over and got the epinephrine and gave me a shot right away. Because even after she shut the door with them coughing a little bit I felt it hit my eyes and my eye started burning and swelling instantly. But she gave me the Epi shot right away and within two minutes my lungs went shut completely. That is the one and only time I started to freak out myself, when I realized I couldn't get any air in. Now my biggest fear, because I'm six foot three 320 pounds, was me freaking out and hurting somebody on accident. I stood up off the bed and grabbed ahold of Analisa's arm and she took one look in my eyes and realized what was going on. She pushed me right back down on the bed sat right in my lap about 4 inches from my face and started talking to me. She talked to me for almost a minute and a half until they got the Benadryl upstairs from the pharmacy. As soon as they put it in my IV within 30 seconds or less I started breathing again.
Once I started breathing I felt way better, but that wasn't the best part to me. The thing that meant the most to me is as soon as she saw that I was breathing again she got off of my lap and ran out into the hall to my wife. My wife is a surgical assistant she's been in that for 30 years, but she had never seen that look of fear on my face and the feeling of being helpless. While this was going on she ran out into the hall crying. So as soon as Analisa saw that I was breathing she got up and ran right out to console my wife. That meant so much more to me than her actual saving my life. She was so calm when handling that situation. I know that nurses do training for that but that's just something you can't teach somebody. Someone who can be that calm and level-headed and then still have the thought of going out to console my wife after I was okay I can't put into words what that means to me.
You can really tell when someone loves their job and is not just there for the paycheck. Analisa and her nurses all care tremendously for the patients. You can tell that they're just like her because she leads by example. I am forever grateful and because of her and her nurses, this is the only hospital I will ever go to with my medical needs. Because I know that I can literally put my life in their hands and know they will take care of me with no doubt at all.