Why Do I Have a Passion?
Why do I have a passion for home health care? Well, it’s personal. It is from my own experience with home health caregivers coming into my home to take care of me. Many years ago, when my daughter, Kayleigh, was just a baby, I was feeling fatigued, achy, muscle weakness, and I was retaining fluids along with other symptoms. I didn’t know what was wrong with me. It took a year or two to be diagnosed with a rare muscle disease called Polymyositis.
Polymyositis is an autoimmune disease (compromising the immune system) in which your immune system attacks your own body. An elevation of muscle enzymes attacks the muscles; hence, my muscle weakness. So, my physician prescribed Immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatments to be given intravenously, which meant having intravenous (IV) therapy.
During this time, I was scared out of my mind. Here I was a single mom with a toddler, not knowing if I was going to make it or not, or become crippled, or just what. But, of course, I wanted to get better, so I was willing to try an alternative medication and therapy approach to the medications I was taking. I agreed to the to the IVIG therapy. I wasn’t going down without a fight.
Scared Out of My Mind
May the Fight Begin…
IVIG treatment, that is. This is what the schedule looked like. The treatments took place over a period of 3-4 years. I would have IV treatments on every third or fourth week of the month. Two or three days before the treatments, the specialty pharmacist would have the medication, IV poles, and other medical supplies delivered to my home. On the day of treatment and the next five days, the registered nurse (RN) would come into my home to administer the IVIG
treatments. Now, this was quite an ordeal because I had small veins, so finding a good vein was a challenge. After a good vein was found, the IV treatment would begin. The RN would sit with me while the medication dripped into my veins for eight hours. Yes, eight hours a day, for five straight days. Then I had to repeat this whole process in three more weeks (or four weeks). During those days of IV treatments, I was so grateful to have wonderful RNs care for me.
During these treatments I still had to be mom to my two-year-old, then three-year-old, four and five- year-old as the years moved on and she got older and older. Those were tough times.But I still had to be the best mom that I could be. I still talked with Kayleigh, played with her, sang to her, and read stories to her—even while I was on the IV. In the evening, when I wasn’t on the IV, I prepared meals, played with my daughter, read stories to her, bathed her, and put
her to bed like any other mom.
Still Had to Be Mom
We Made It Through
Kayleigh and I made it through the long days of IVIG treatments—five days at a time, 3-4-week frequency—and I am grateful. Grateful that the treatments were given by skilled nurses in the comfort of my home. I am also happy to say that I went into remission. Ultimately, by having some very good RNs and quality treatment, the experience inspired me to open a home care agency of my own. I found a way to give back to the community, to give quality treatment like I received from the home health caregivers. So, as you can see it is personal. That is why I have a passion for home health care. Therefore, here at Divine Home Nursing, I want to use that passion to provide all aspects of outstanding home health care services and the highest quality care to clients like you. My aim is to care for you at home and treat you like a member of the family.
Gwen Golson
