My Surgery was done in the main OR area. I arrived in Same Day Surgery and probably returned to that area for recovery. I am not sure exactly what happened as I ended up on the 7th floor of Rhodes to spend the night. Things were a little fuzzy.
As my recovery progressed, Kristie Adams recognized that there were medical issues post-surgery that required extra attention. First, I was suffering from post-surgery issues with urinary retention. Next, I have a history of anemia and was bleeding heavily. I was given two iron infusions the two weeks prior to surgery. These infusions were in case I bled, which I did. Kristie notified the doctors that I was bleeding heavily. After the third heavy bleeding event, Kristie not only paged the doctor but called for an order to give me a Foley.
Kristie went beyond her duty of care by staying four hours over her shift to make sure I was seen, and my bleeding was noted. I was admitted even though my surgery was to have been a same day surgery with a release to home a few hours post-surgery.
My bleeding events took my hemoglobin from 14 to 10. The infusions were a good decision, but Kristie's actions were a life saver. I thank her for her self-sacrificing heart and commitment to my care. She stayed with me until I was admitted. She was such a comfort during a very stressful time for me and a scary time for my daughters who were with me. She handled all of us extremely well. Also, I was not her only patient I just felt like I was the only one.