Erinn Bouterse
February 2019
Erinn
Bouterse
,
BSN, RN, BC-RN, PCCN
6 Heart and Vascular
UNC REX Healthcare
Raleigh
,
NC
United States

 

 

 

I ended up getting triple bypass surgery. I don't recall which day I was transferred to the 6th floor but this is where I first met Erinn. I had just gone through the biggest surgical event of my life. I was feeling pretty down in the dumps, but I had to get back on my feet. My son's wedding was just over a week away and I had to be there!
Out of all the nurses that I met during my stay, I would have to say that Erinn was the one person who took the time to explain so much to me. I've never been through something of this size before. Every surgery I ever had, I was back on my feet in a few days and life was back to normal. Erinn did a great job explaining what my coming days were going to be like. But she did it in a way that made me feel confident in her; that she knew what was going to happen and she offered her advice on what I should do. She pushed me to get on my feet knowing that the more I moved now the better I would be at my son's wedding.
Every morning when I woke up, Erinn would be there at 7am making sure she knew what happened overnight. She gave me details on the meds I was taking. She explained how there were going to be good days and bad days but not to get discouraged. That one statement alone really resonated with me as I did have plenty of times where things were good, and things were not so good.
I was expected to be discharged on Friday but AFib overnight forced me to stay. I truly believe that the advice and preparation I received from Erinn made a huge difference in my recovery. My son got married later that week and I was ready! Erinn, thank you for taking the time to explain things and to prepare me for this road to recovery!