CVME Insider: Nursing Knowledge That Matters

It was a familiar walk.  One I had made countless times.  Over the years I had entered the Children's hospital Operating Room (OR) on a regular basis to observe and support surgeons during surgery.  It was my job.  I worked for a minimally invasive surgical device company and I loved it.  But, today's trip up to the second floor was not for work.  This time was different. This time I was on the other side of the double doors marked, "Authorized personnel only." They were doors I had walked through many times, but had never been forced to wait behind.   Today would be filled with deja vu and reflection because today the little person walking down the long corridor to the OR was my son.  My little boy. My everything. And I was overcome by emotion. What must he be thinking?  I was his mommy and I was handing him over to complete strangers in scary masks and hats.  I told him to do whatever they asked and had allowed them to poke h...

by Heather Connor It was a grey and cloudy afternoon in early fall and the sky had that threatening look of an impending storm.  So it seemed oddly appropriate when the school called to say my son was having a storm of his own. Storm This is the medical term used to describe a Dystonic episode.  If you've ever had the misfortune to experience or witness one, then you know it is perfectly named. Just like a real storm, some can be seen coming from a mile away and others appear all of a sudden with no warning.  They can be mild and short lived or violent and destructive.  Some storms resemble a grand mal seizure where the patient shakes and convulses. But unlike a seizure they are awake and lucid.  The experience can be terrifying for my children. When his body will let him, my son tries to hide if he feels one coming. His teacher has found him several times hidden and alone on the floor of the bathroom shaking with his muscles cramping so hard that his little...

Central Valley Medical would like to introduce "Heather Connor."    Heather Connor is originally from The Unites States; however, she has spent the last 11 years in Canada. Two years ago, after a long search that yielded no answers for the cause of her boys mystery symptoms, she gave up her career as a Surgical Device Rep, to focus on getting her kids the care and treatment they needed. Since then, both of her children and husband have been diagnosed with Dystonia , a little known neurological movement disorder that causes painful twisting and contractions of any voluntary muscle in the body. She has found her voice as an advocate for dystonia through her blog " Raising Dystonia ". by Heather Connor October 13, 2014 He was younger than I imagined. Maybe forty...tops. He was tall and attractive with light brown hair and glasses. He was Yale educated with a B.Sc, an M.Sc, a Ph.D and an MD. My research revealed that he is a pioneer in the fi...