An annoying feeding tube, the harsh fluorescent lighting, and the distinct chemical smell of a hospital. And pain, lots and lots of pain. I was first diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis when I was only eighteen months old. My mother remembers I would cry in agonizing pain after I ate and that because of this, I wouldn’t eat anything. When I was six years old I would have to go to the nurse's office every day after eating lunch because of the intense ache in my stomach. My parents finally realized something was very wrong and checked me into the University of Kentucky Children’s Hospital. I remember only bits and pieces of my extensive and exhausting months in the hospital. I remember the day the terrifying doctors rolled me into a dark room, …show more content…
Looking back on it, I understood why she didn’t. She knew there was nothing she could do to make it better; the doctors were obligated to do what was best for my health. I laid on the freezing cold metal table wearing only a thin white hospital gown. I cried out in misery and trepidation, wondering what the man with the plastic tube was about to do. I was later told it was called a nasogastric feeding tube, a medical device used to provide nutrition to patients who have trouble eating that goes through the nose and down into the stomach. The doctor shoved the long, narrow tube through my nostrils, where it would eventually reach my stomach. It was a traumatizing experience: being held down because I couldn’t keep still, not knowing what was happening, and the scratchy, gag-inducing feeling of the skinny tube slowly sliding down the back of my throat. I was finally relieved when the whole process was over. However, after all of this trouble, I went to sleep that night in my hospital room and accidentally pulled out the tube while sleeping. The doctors had to come in the middle of the night to reinsert it, which made my mother furious because only a few hours later in the morning, they decided that I no longer needed the feeding tube. My mother thanked me for being brave the second time they compelled me to go through one of the worst experiences of my life. But little did I know the worst was yet to
• You may have a tube put through your nose or mouth that goes into your stomach (nasogastric tube). The nasogastric tube removes digestive fluids and prevents you from throwing up or feeling nauseous.
Time-out was called. Consent signed. IV sedation administered. The forward-viewing endoscope was passed into the esophagus, stomach, then to the second portion of the duodenal without difficulty. Upon withdrawal, the following findings were noted.
When I think about the moments leading up to my diagnosis I remember feeling weak, confused, shaky and sleepy. I did not notice that I had began sleeping throughout the day. My body was craving soft drinks like soda and juice but not food. Days would go by and I eventually fell into a deep slumber that I found myself only waking up from to use the bathroom. I knew something was wrong and that if I did not get to a hospital it would get worse. Nothing could have prepared me for the life changing diagnosis I would receive.
I had just finished facing my fears watching the metallic needle slip so seamlessly under my skin into the veins of my nervous, clammy hand. Hugging my Mom like it could have been the last time I saw her, seeing my dad's face stern and worried. I wheeled down the hall into this operating room, white was all I saw, a bed in the middle for the surgery to go down. As I lay on the bed waiting to be put under I remember seeing the blue masks of the people to be operating on me, I had to put all my trust in them, trusting someone you seen for less than 5 seconds with your life. Absolutely terrifying. The nurse slipping the fluid into my IV as I lay on my back looking up at the white ceiling, this cold sensations rushed over me. Then suddenly, I was out.
Often times, I continue to have vivid flashbacks of the day my father came home from his first major surgery. I can precisely remember the slim plastic tubes protruding from my father’s neck connected to a small bottle collecting the accumulating drops of blood. I was
"Ring, ring", I wondered who was calling me at this time of evening. "Yes; o.k.; Yes, I'll be there", I said before hanging up the phone. What was wrong, I wondered all that evening that the doctor wanted me to come in to discuss my lab results? I had never been asked to come in to the office after doing blood tests before; when receiving a call as this the mind plays tricks on the person and wild things start popping up in the head.
Chronic illness or chronic condition is a long lasting or persistent disease or condition in a person’s health. A chronic illness can affect anyone’s life at any time. A person’s life can be affected greatly in many ways by a chronic illness. A person may be affected physically, their independence may be taken away, they may feel tired and/or in pain due to a chronic illness they may be suffering from. Financial problems may occur due to the high medical costs treating the chronic illness, someone could lose their, job, their appearance may be affected, and a person may experience confusion. If a chronic illness unexpectedly approaches someone’s life, a person may feel overwhelmingly confused. This confusion may come, because they don’t understand why they now have this illness. This confusion is primarily seen in children. Since chronic illness affects lives so greatly, a person may start to feel anger, stress, or anxiety because of the interruption of the chronic illness in a person’s life.
There are many ways to categorize illness and disease; one of the most common is chronic illness. Many chronic illnesses have been related to altered health maintenance hypertension and cardiovascular diseases are associated with diet and stress, deficient in exercise, tobacco use, and obesity (Craven 2009). Some researchers define the chronic illness as diseases which have long duration and generally slow development (WHO 2013); it usually takes 6 month or longer than 6 month, and often for the person's life. It has a sluggish onset and eras of reduction for vanishing the symptoms and exacerbation for reappear the symptoms. Some of chronic illness can be directly life-threatening. Others remain over time and need intensive management, such as diabetes, so chronic illness affects physical, emotional, logical, occupational, social, or spiritual functioning. Chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes, all of these diseases are the cause of mortality in the world, representing 63% of all deaths. So a chronic illness can be stressful and may change the way a person l...
It’s amazing how a horrific and negative life changing event can encourage and guide you in the path of your future. The end result may not be visible when it first takes place, but the process of a recovery can be extremely educational. You see, I was provided the opportunity of job shadowing firsthand the fields of athletic training and physical therapy due to a knee injury. I believe the majority of people would consider a severely damaged knee a dramatic setback in life. I was able to find the silver lining during the recovery.
At the age of twelve, I was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes. I remember the whole event of my diagnosis. At first, I thought that it was fun to have, because I had no understanding of what diabetes meant. People found out at school, and It gave me a lot of attention. As time progressed, I realized that I would have to eventually give myself shots. It gave me a wake up call. I eventually figured out that I would not be able to get rid of diabetes, because it is permanent. It was not a game, it was real life. I couldn't just turn off the video game and have it be done. Diabetes caused me to grow up really fast compared to most of my friends. I gave myself my first shot at the age of 12 and a half. I had to test my own blood sugar four times
I was taken into the operating room where I seen five or six nurses and two of them had strange objects in their hands. I was told to lay back on these cold white sheets; when I looked up I saw the most intense light ever! After looking at the light for a minute it almost blinded me. One of the nurses put a tube in my nose, yet I quickly tugged it out because it was a foreign object to me. I was informed it would help me breath while the doctors were performing the surgery. The anesthesiologist gave me anesthesia, a medicine that is induced before surgical operations so you will have insensitivity to pain. The entire surgery took about one hour to
Using narratives to gain an insight into human experience is becoming an increasingly popular method of exploration. Assuming that people are in essence narrative beings that experience every emotion and state through narrative, the value of exploring these gives us a unique understanding. Narrative is thought to act as instrument to explore how an individual constructs their own identity (Czarniawska, 1997) and explain how each individual makes sense of the world around them (Gabriel, 1998). It may also give us an understanding into individual thought processes in relation to individual decision making practices (O’Connor, 1997). It is evident from studies such as Heider and Simmel (1944), that there appears to be an instinctive nature in people to introduce plots structures and narratives into all situations, with an intention to construct meaning to all aspects of life in its entirety. The value of narrative is that it is a tool that allows us to understand what it means to be human and gives us an insight into a person’s lived experience whilst still acknowledging their cultural and social contexts. Narrative is thought to be significance as it is ‘a fruitful organizing principle to help understand the complex conduct of human beings (p.49)’ (Sarbin, 1990) The construction of a person’s narrative is thought to be dependent on each person’s individual awareness of themselves and the circumstances that surround them. However, a debate to whether a person is able to formulate a valid narrative in the face of a mental illness such as schizophrenia has emerged. Sufferer’s symptoms are often thought to interfere with their abilities to perceive within a level deemed acceptable to their society’s norms and therefore the validity ...
It began as a basic wisdom tooth extraction; the goal was to remove all 4 wisdom teeth. Though the teeth had not yet gone through the gum, I was told it would be a easy procedure. The only warnings I had received, was a risk of hitting the trigeminal nerve, causing pain and tingling, but even
After almost one hour of “tube procedure connections”, I got up to go to the restroom with an IV pole following my s...
In middle school I was diagnosed with a disability with the way I expressed myself through writing. Ever since, I have gained multiple values and learned several lessons about self confidence. I was taught to push past my limits, in order to be successful in reaching my goals along with my dreams. Today I am a senior in high school who was once thought to struggle, but was able to succeed beyond expectations. To some, a disability may seem like a setback from achieving goals, but to me I used it as a challenge for myself. I accepted myself for who I was and looked at my disability as a unique trait of mine. I was able to provide a message to others that anything you set your mind to is possible with dedication and hard work. It might take