My husband had surgery to remove a tumor from his bladder. He had been in recovery for several hours, was alert and reading magazines, but still had no feeling from his groin down due to the spinal. The post-op nurse called pre-op to have him transferred there so he could watch TV and I could join him while the spinal wore off. That's when we met Kathie. She immediately noticed him shivering and wrapped him in multiple blankets and brought him coffee and cookies. Her kindness and compassion continued for the next six-plus hours.
Kathie checked on us regularly. During one of her checks, she asked if each of us was willing to learn how to empty the catheter. We were and what an excellent teacher she was. She explained step-by-step as she went (something I could appreciate as a retired teacher). That wasn't our only tutorial. Throughout the evening, Kathie stopped in sharing tips from her 40-year nursing career. Many of them proved handy when she showed us how to set up the leg bag and change out the overnight urine bag. It was getting late and his feelings were returning but very slowly.
Kathie was concerned that my pharmacy would close before I could get the Rx's filled. So, at 7:30 pm she had me leave for CVS. She gave me her number in case I had trouble getting back into the hospital on the unit. When I returned, I noticed that Kathie had brought more coffee and cookies to him. She was also helping him flex his legs and toes and soon had him sitting on the edge of the bed. We asked her when her shift ended. When she replied "10 pm", we had no idea that the entire unit was closed for the night. Sometime after 9 pm, she returned to assist him in standing. Upon standing, he became light-headed and could not feel one of his feet, so he still wasn't ready to walk. All the while, Kathie was positive and encouraging. She told him to keep moving his legs, flexing his toes and she would return after doing some paperwork.
It was well after 10:20 pm when he was finally able to try walking with the support of two nurses. While we all slowly walked around the unit, we realized that he was the last patient remaining and the unit would close once he left. Due to the late hour, Kathie started brainstorming on the best conditions for him to head home. In short order, she proposed that he leave the overnight bag on, change into a clean gown and wear his robe. We agreed. After I packed up his belonging, Kathie walked me to the hospital exit to get my car and told me where she would meet with my husband. At 11:10 pm, she wheeled him out, once again wrapped in a blanket, to the car. Just as she had been all evening, she was full of positive energy and encouragement. She gave me a big hug and told me that I had done a great job. No, Kathie, it was you, the compassionate, knowledgeable nursing professional who had done a great job caring for your patient and his spouse. With great appreciation.