1. A Patient’s Perspective
#mysimulatedlife
A Patient’s Perspective

2. Patient (noun)
a sick individual especially when awaiting or under the care and treatment of a physician or surgeon
a client for medical service (as of a physician or dentist)
What a patient is

3. patient (adjective)
able to remain calm and not become annoyed when waiting for a long time or when dealing with problems or difficult people
Challenges a patient faces

4. Patient-centered Care
Providing care that is respectful of and responsive to individual patient preferences, needs and values and ensuring that patient values guide all clinical decisions. “IOM, 2001”
Challenges a patient faces

5. Sometimes you have a ‘Bad Roll’
My Experience with Major Illness
Not everything happens for a known reason. Infections can creep in when least expected. Illness cant be planned.

6. Illness Strikes When you least expect it!
Just over 5 years ago
NEVER sick – had told my team this
Prided myself on not taking sick days
CANT plan life

7. Misdiagnosis
I didn’t listen to my inner voice or the voices of friends.
Swiss Cheese – new job and lack of experience with illness

8. TIMELINE August 2011 start new job at VAPA Painful tooth Root Canal
Ill – fever, extreme pain, teeth are loose in right upper jaw
Visit dentist multiple times; antibiotics, lance gums
Beg dentist to pull tooth
Second opinion, 3D scan
Referral to oral surgeon, pull tooth. Piece of jaw breaks off!
Pain relieved, develop draining fistulas over 3 weeks
October, 2011
Oral surgeon sends me back to first dentist
Dentist PANICS - (I am at a course through the CSA when I get a call)
Second referral to Oromaxofacial surgeon
Scan – confusing images; suggests malignancies ( I get a call while my son is post op in the hospital)
Biopsy
First results inconclusive, send to Stanford
November, 2011
Pathology – no signs of malignancy, Diagnosis: Osteteomyelitis

9. TIMELINE December 2011 Extract 4 teeth Antibiotics
Root canal on 5th tooth and apicectomy
Biopsy – still Oteomyelitis
2012
Bone grafting #1 – cadavre bone
heal
May 2013
Bone transplant – harvest and graft
December 2013
one more bone grafting
2014
Implants – tried for 4, could only get 3
2015
Implants fail – remove 2
December 2015
1 implant gets a crown!
January 2016
3 implants placed
Fall, 2016
Molds for new crowns made

11. FEAR
HOPE

12. Life Continues…. Started new job, 2011
Oldest son, Nigel started college, 2011
Husband had 2 foot surgeries
Middle son, Devyn started college in San Diego, Fall, 2012
Started school, January 2014
Devyn was hit by a car and critically injured, Sept, 29, 2014 – 6 weeks in hospital and 1 year recovery: Now I was the parent of a critically ill child. He was 18 and ‘legally’ an adult.
Graduated USF with DNP May 2016
Colin started college in Vancouver Fall, 2016

13. Planning My Own Surgery
A NEW Surgical Suite

14. Fail or Succeed
How to Plan

15. The Devil is in the Details
Know your team
Know the patient
Known anesthesiologist
Pain control - OnQ
Mock up surgery in new space
Debrief
Make changes

16. Practice, Practice, Practice!

17. Lessons Learned
Listen to your inner voice and even better listen to friends
Stand up for yourself
Be part of the planning!
Get expert advice
Don’t give up

18. A Picture is worth a Thousand Words…or $’s!
This is the image I see every time I see my surgeon – on a HUGE screen. It is traumatizing and gives me anxiety.
I am always waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Being a patient is awful. No one wants to be the patient.
Be extra gently and try to empathize.

19. My motto in life