Carol Lynn Drake
December 2019
Carol
Drake
,
RN
Adult Inpatient Psych
Edward Hospital
Naperville
,
IL
United States

 

 

 

I wanted to take the time to let you know how much I appreciated two great employees, Sarah Gresk APN, and Carol Lynn RN. They stepped in and took care of my daughter, M during a few admissions at Linden Oaks in 2017.
M presented at Linden Oaks with suicidal ideation, severe depression, and severe anxiety after having a seizure and bottoming out on the medication the neurologist prescribed. I have never seen my daughter this bad even though she has struggled with anxiety and depression from a young age.
As her mother, who knows her, and was watching and walking this situation out with her, I thought I would be able to give the professionals at Linden Oaks a better understanding of what they were dealing with and not just what she presented with while inpatient. Unfortunately, even though M signed an ROI for me, I was never contacted. But when I stepped in and called, Carol Lynn compassionately listened and passed on my worries to Sarah. Sarah then made a point to sit down with me and get the bigger picture of what was happening. She took the time to communicate with the neurologist and keep me involved in my daughter's care. I cannot tell you what a difference Sarah and Carol Lynn made for not only me as her support system but also for M. We ended up going to another neurologist who told us that M did not need to be on meds at this time, whereas the one we were dealing with insisted that she needed to be medication even if those meds were causing her no quality of life as she had to be hospitalized three times.
I know that as professionals in the health care field Sarah and Carol Lynn are hard pressed from all sides. Yet, they did not brush off my concerns but stepped into helping in this difficult place we found ourselves in. This was priceless beyond measure. Sarah and Carol Lynn both took the time to listen to what I had to say and put into action a better care plan for M, so she could succeed in this difficult place she found herself in. I was so impressed with their willingness to listen, their empathy and compassion, kindness and concern and their willingness to take action on our behalf.
Just an update on M, she decided not to take meds for her two seizures as she could not function on those meds. She is seizure-free to this day. She is working at a great job and has a contract for putting her paintings on consignment at a shop. She is back functioning at a great level in relationships and doing well. Thank you again, Sarah and Carol Lynn and all the others who invested in her life.
Please remember that the support system that your patients have is a great resource. Please don't disregard the value they have in the patient's care.
Also, please remember that what your patients present with on admission is not the whole picture. And if the doctor could treat all of the patient and not just what they see at that moment you could save everyone a lot of pain.
Again thank you for being there and working hard to do the best you can. You are all appreciated and may the God that loves us all guide you all as you make huge decisions for the lives you care for.