My husband had Whipple Surgery and had a major complication in the following weeks and did not return home for 6 months. My husband had a major artery bleed which led to cardiac arrest and was gone for 6 minutes. As a result, he had a breathing tube for 12 days, feeding tube, extremely low blood pressure, acute kidney failure, multiple infections, multiple drains, muscle atrophy, and multiple IR procedures. The doctor said 99% of people would never have survived so he is very blessed with the help and care of all the doctors, nurses, supporting staff, and God. We were very lucky to have Meritus Home Health help us when we returned home. We were home for a week and he ended up having to go to Meritus Hospital for 2 weeks and now thank God he has been home and recovering nicely for 3 weeks.
Brian Bearese was appointed as our nurse. My dear friend and neighbor works in the medical field and asked who our nurse was, and she instantly couldn't say enough about Brian and was so happy he was our nurse. Brian has that extra something that helps you know things are going to be okay and he is very calming and puts you at ease immediately. It is like you have known him for all your life from the minute you meet him.
The first week home from the hospital wasn't easy and we had him as our nurse gave us the peace of mind we needed since he hadn't been home for 6 months. Then he went to Meritus for two weeks and returned home and Brian, thank God, was still our nurse and we had a new challenge. He had an infection that required us to continue with IV medicine for 2 weeks. This medicine did not come pre-mixed. We had to deal with syringes. medicine, and the needle to get the pouch ready for my husband twice a day. He came home in the evening and Brian was here first thing in the morning to teach out how to prepare and administer the first IV medicine. He was extremely patient and first showed us and then helped us write down the directions. My husband and I have no medical backgrounds and this process was very difficult for us. He knew we needed more instructions and practice, so he offered to come back and help us with the second IV medicine for the day since he was to have the medicine twice a day. I was really panicking about doing this on my own and he was an angel offering to come back and help us for the 2nd dose. He also told us not to be afraid to call him with any questions which we did several times over the phone and he always made us feel he was so happy to help and that is what he is here for. He also stressed that he would come back and help us if we continued to have a hard time preparing the medicine for the IV.
Brian goes out of his way to help and is extremely patient and is so down to earth. He always is patient in explaining medical information and explains information in a way that we can understand. He also takes his time and offers extra information which always helps. Brian has a gift. Besides being a very knowledgeable and helpful nurse, he is very caring and compassionate, and his friendly manner is a blessing to us and others. I feel God chose him for us due to the tragic medical journey my husband has gone through. Brian's ability to go out of his way for you and make you feel right at home makes all the difference during this time in our lives. It is scary taking care of a loved one and on top of it to have to prepare for an IV and Brian made this transition so much easier. He was our extra hand. I have seen many angels on this journey and Brian definitely is one of God's Angels and so thankful God chose him for us. We just feel he has a goodness in him along with being an excellent nurse. He has definitely been a DAISY in our lives and we are so grateful for his friendship.