Re: missing working as an RN....Debbie

[Guest guest]

Debbie you wrote> you can MAYBE return to work...

Thank you for your supportvie words but 'maybe' is just not an

option. I WILL return to work just am uncertain as to what

capacity. You see in the past 2.5 years I have had 3 ERCP's with

stents and sphincterotomies, a G-J tube placed, a tranduodenal

sphinteroplasty, a Beger procedure 5 months later; then a total

panreatectomy w/ autologous Iselt cell Transplant 6 months after that

(last November). I have an incision from the middle of my sternum to

about an inch below my navel.

I developed a huge incisional hernia, no doubt from having so many ab

sureries back to back in 13 months. However it could not be repaired

with the traditional mesh. They brought in a plastic surgeon and he

performed wht it called a 'component seperation repair " . That is

where they split to two side oblique muscles lateral to my incision

then pull the proximal muscles over the defect. Less then 2 weeks

after the repair I dehised (May 25th) and developed am incarcerated

hernia that included most of the small bowel and swelled my belly on

the right to the size of a basketball. Seriously! I had to have

emergency surgery that night.

I have had alot of surgery (even all my children were delivered by c-

setion) and this by far it the most painful thing I have ever had!

The pain of these cut and pulled muscles then having them rip is

right up there with my worse pancreatic attack. One good thing tho,

the plastic surgeon and then the GI surgeon(who did all my surgeries

except for the total) did pretty up that gawd awful incision I had

after the total.

I was 30 when I decided to change career and go into nursing. I had

absolutely no health care experience whatso ever. I graduated from

MUSC witha BSN after 5 of the hardest years of my life. I had 2

small children, got pregnant in my Jr. year, my father suddenly died

and my mother started throwing TIA's right and left. I really and

truly believe that there is a reason for everything. I was supposed

to become a nurse. I even wrote a short sotry entitle " how I became

a nurse " and it was published in a coffee table book

entitled " Ordinary People Extraordinary Lives, the story of Nurses " .

There are about 100 or so stories in there from nurses all over the

world and its a beautiful book. I want very much to go back to work

caring for pancreatitis patients. Maybe thats the reason for all of

this; to help in some capacity.

Sorry to go on about it so much, guess I wrote a little

novella...LOL. But I will return to work. I just dont know when. I

hope that you feel better soon. If there is anything that I can help

you with from all that I have expereinced and learned, please dont

hesitate for one second.

Warmly,