I had been diagnosed with tongue cancer, so we came to Keck to have it out. The surgery went well, but it left me in great pain, relying solely on those around me to shepherd me through the healing process. Rochelle was the main person ensuring I was cared for, had my drugs, and listened to my worries and descriptions of pain and needs. I am an optimistic person. I have the “happy” gene, so when I heard her upbeat, cheery patter whenever we spoke, I felt I had a kindred spirit taking care of me.

I explained why I needed my CPAP (it was specifically not allowed per the surgeon). She told me of her husband, who worked conducting sleep studies, and how he also had been cursed with apnea but regained his life through the benefits of CPAP. She told me, in her happy way, that her son needed to have his tonsils out (apparently, they were very big) at an early age, so she was connecting us by telling me these truths in her life and, in doing so, allowed me to trust her with my care she was dispensing. I felt much easier when she administered the drugs, though she always told me what she was doing. Had it been all efficiency and professionalism, I believe I would have been even more anxious. My tongue and throat had been attacked (I felt), and I needed someone on my side to commiserate with.

Although our conversations never got beyond a few minutes, by the end of my stay, it was enough to help me focus not on my anxiety but on the techniques for easing my pain and rejoining the world of people who could swallow without pain. Rochelle explained that just using the muscles for swallowing would help me heal them. So, every swallow was a step in the right direction. She also discussed with me the notion that not eating or fasting would not help me heal. In fact, she said wounds need nourishment to heal. That meant I would need to eat /swallow as much as I could, even though it hurt like hell. I don’t know about you, but when something hurts, I stop doing it. In this case, it was food and water. I thought if I didn’t eat, I would just lose weight, which is what got me into trouble the second time.

After surgery and the two days spent under her care, I was allowed to go home. I spent the 5 days trying to eat and take my drugs as I thought I should. But the pain was too much for me. I lost 20 pounds in 6 days and was not as close to eating a full meal as I was 2 days after surgery. I had to go back and be readmitted and get some more guidance. The surgeon showed up while I sat in ETC, discussed my issues, and outlined a drug regimen and new protocol. The final backup plan would be a feeding tube. At this point, I knew how important swallowing food and water was. At the time, I was wheeled to my room after my pain meds, which allowed me to swallow, eat, and drink, and who was there to greet me... It was the same nurse! It was so heartening to see an old compatriot in my previous battle standing ready to make the next attempt at getting to full health. We picked up where we left off right away. I showed her some hacks I had learned, and she immediately asked about my wife (who had fainted seeing me just out of surgery), then my kids, and finally about me. See, those are the reasons that I would tell her my pain levels truthfully. The mark of a true professional caregiver!