Posted: 2/27/2017
Parkland Burn Center staff learn from those they care for
On a recent sunny afternoon a panel of burn survivors gathered to discuss their injuries with a group of nurse interns who will receive some of their specialty care training in Parkland Health & Hospital System’s Regional Burn Center. Although laughter filled the room and the mood was light, the topic was not. The five panelists and one family member wanted to thank the Parkland staff for saving their lives, but also to share valuable insights on what it’s like for a burn patient hospitalized for weeks, if not months.
The new nurses and seasoned veterans listened intently as one-by-one they described the day that changed their lives forever. In March 2007, Lisa Johnson, her husband and then 6-year old son and his friend were on a weekend camping trip when she tripped over the fire grate while carrying an armload of firewood. Unable to regain her balance by stepping over the grate due to its 12-inch height, she fell on her left hand and side into the fire. She spent 26 days in Parkland’s burn center.
Troy Vest was working in a cement cooler when an accident occurred that burned him over 80 percent of his body. He spent the next four months in the hospital struggling through a grueling recovery. Paola Martinez was a teenager when she sustained burn injuries from a candle that ignited fumes from rubbing alcohol in the bathroom of her home. She was hospitalized for nearly a month. Sarah Conner was burned in 2011 when a cauldron of steaming hot baked beans tumbled into her lap during a camping trip. To make matters worse she was in a remote campsite that made it virtually impossible for EMS workers to locate her.
Shaun Romo was heading home from work when the heavens opened up and he lost control of his truck on a rain-slick road and slammed into a ditch. At first, Romo thought all was well until he realized his foot and lower leg were caught and the engine about to explode. He was dragged to safety but not before suffering extensive burns to his lower extremity. The accident was just as devastating for Shaun’s wife, Jessica, who was visiting relatives when she received the call to get to Parkland. “I didn’t know if he was alive or dead,” she said. “I was driving about 90 miles per hour to get to the hospital.”
While their injuries were different, their experiences were similar. Seemingly endless pain, multiple surgeries, grueling therapy sessions and countless hours worrying about their future, their loved ones and wondering when they’d get back to some semblance of normal life engulfed their thoughts.
But this was their new “normal.”
“You may not realize it, but you become part of our family. We want to know about you, talk to you, hear how things are going,” Vest told the staff. “I had 52 surgeries and there were plenty of times I felt like my life sucked, but you were there telling me to keep going.”
“I had an ICU nurse who everyday told me I ‘was doing well’ and whispered in my ear ‘keep pushing, you’re going to make it,’” Romo said. “I can’t tell you how much that meant because there were days, plenty of them, when I didn’t feel that way.”
On top of the deep burns to her torso, Conner suffered even further. A previously unknown allergy to pain medication left her with terrifying nightmares of being held captive in a foreign country. “I thought it was a horror film,” she said.
Collectively they laughed when citing a craving for water and commiserated about disliking the taste of the nutritional drinks pushed by the medical staff. Patients recovering from severe burn injuries are sometimes initially discouraged from drinking large amounts of water due to electrolyte imbalances. Nutritional drinks are strongly encouraged for many burn patients, since good caloric intake is crucial for wound healing.
“I remember thinking, ‘how can I bribe my dad into giving me a drink of water,’” Martinez laughed. “I was like, ‘Dad, I’ll do all kinds of chores, just give me some water.’”
“I used to have to hide my water bottle when I’d go visit Shaun,” Jessica Romo recalled. “I didn’t want him to see that I had it. It wouldn’t have been pretty!”
But while they laughed about the lack of water and offered apologies to physical therapists for their less-than-cooperative attitude during painful therapy sessions, one of the most eye-opening parts of the discussion focused on the patients’ visible and hidden scars. Staff, many of whom have spent decades working with burn survivors, were visibly shaken when panelists talked about living with their scars.
Martinez, the only teen on the panel, had a job in retail in a home improvement store and most days wore long sleeves to cover her scars. On one particularly warm day she pushed her sleeves up when a customer asked about her injury and badgered her with endless questions about when and how it happened. Frustration set in and Martinez said, “I just snapped and said, ‘I caught on fire.’”
Most agreed that if asked about their injury they will explain what happened. “Just don’t stare,” they requested.
But it was Johnson who expressed it best.
“My outside has changed, but not inside. I’m still the same person,” she said, adding that she is comfortable with who she is and how she looks. “This is just who I am. It took time to accomplish, to be comfortable that this is me.”
“The patient’s recovery and healing continues long after discharge from the Burn Center,” said Stephanie Campbell, RN, Parkland’s Burn Program Manager. “It is so important that our staff members not only hear what it’s like to be hospitalized for severe burn injuries, but also what our patient’s lives are like after they leave the Burn Center. The more we listen to our survivor community the better we can prepare patients and families for what lies ahead.”
“It’s tough for us, too,” long-time Burn Center nurse Trina Andres told the panelists. “We see you at your worst and it’s exciting when you come back and show us how well you’re doing. Coming here, you’re helping current and future patients because you’ve re-energized us. Thank you.”
For more information about Parkland’s services, visit www.parklandhospital.com