I Didn't Want to Go Home
The desire for children and the improvement of her own well-being, led Andrea Massey-Farrell down a path she never contemplated for herself
The desire for children and the improvement of her own well-being, led Andrea Massey-Farrell down a path she never contemplated for herself. After many years of pain and health issues, her OB/GYN determined Andrea needed to undergo a myomectomy, the surgical removal of fibroids.
Andrea is an energetic woman who has never met a stranger. Her contagious smile and passion for life fuels her career ambitions and active role in the community. However, the same determined woman who began climbing the corporate ladder upon completing her undergraduate degree did not as quickly overcome her fears and misconceptions when surgery became a reality.
When they wheeled me down the hall for surgery and I saw other patients in their rooms, images from hospital dramas began flashing through my mind. “I’m going to die!” I let my fears create negative ideas of what I was going to experience at Orlando Regional Lucerne Hospital. Luckily, my fears could not have been further from the truth…
Before Andrea began her procedure, the Lucerne Hospital team explained important details, such as how to describe her level of pain using the one-to-ten pain scale, and even remembered the small details, such as reminding her to bring a case for her glasses to prevent scratching after removing them prior to surgery. From the details of her surgery, to the helpful tips, “They went above and beyond the
The care Andrea received at Orlando Regional Lucerne Hospital before she went into surgery helped to calm her fears after the procedure. As she opened her eyes in post-op, nurses greeted her with caring voices asking, “Andrea, how are you doing?” The pain scale lesson helped her rate her pain at a level seven. The nurses responded immediately to her physical needs, but they also responded to her concerns and thoughts, seeking to comfort her mind as well as her body. “They were a team. I could tell they really cared about each other. I could tell it wasn’t just their job, but their calling,” says Andrea, who had feared being alone during this time when none of her family could be by her side. A smile crossed her face at the memory, “I never was alone, because there was always someone right there calming, soothing, and praising me.” Obstetrician and gynecologist Arnold Lazar, MD, ‘the doctor who never sleeps,’ also commended Andrea’s performance on the operating table, saying, “Andrea, you did a great job!” His continual praise, “made me feel like I had successfully run a marathon!”
When moved to her room after post-op, her day nurse, Dawn, sought to make her feel at home by checking on her and always asking, “What can we do for you? Whatever you need just let me know, please don’t hesitate to ask.” Her enthusiastic night nurse, Jozi, sought to make Andrea and her husband, James, comfortable. She brought Andrea her ice chips, taught her how to care for her beautiful orchid, and even made up a cot for James to stay near his wife. The little details let Andrea know how much they cared. “When they noticed I did not like apple juice, the next trip they replaced it with cranberry.”
When it came time to discharge Andrea, Stella, a day nurse, came running over saying, “She’s mine! I’ll wheel her out.” She really took ownership of Andrea as her patient, which communicated to Andrea how much she really cared. “You just don’t get good service anymore. Orlando Regional Healthcare is an exception to this; it is the top of the line.”
For a woman who entered the facility full of fears, when the time came for her to be discharged, Andrea was not ready to give up all the care and pampering she had received during her four-day stay. “I didn’t want to go home. I felt cared for. This is one of the many reasons I will go back to Orlando Regional. When I have a choice, I will choose Orlando Regional Healthcare!"
