March 2024
Karen
Curnutte
,
BSN, RN
PACU
MedStar Union Memorial Hospital
Baltimore
,
MD
United States
Karen kindly reminded everyone that I was hearing-impaired and made sure I heard everything, and talked me through every step of the way.
As the time drew near, I asked if my husband would be allowed in Recovery after the surgery -- Karen (or the other nurse) made the call to ensure he would be there when I woke up. Since I'm hearing-impaired, they arranged for my husband to hold my hearing aids during surgery so as to not risk having them misplaced. When it was time for my husband to proceed to the Waiting Room (along with my hearing aids), my anxiety flared up again due to the nervousness about surgery. I also opted for the Nerve Block injection, but I misunderstood that I would need to be awake for that needle. My husband is now absent; I didn't have hearing aids, and multiple people were talking to me at once -- Karen kindly reminded everyone that I was hearing-impaired and made sure I heard everything, and talked me through every step of the way. When it came time for the Nerve Block injection, the doctor had advised that they would give me something for my anxiety. Karen held my hand and talked to me through the entire process.