Nebraska doctor writes about treating Ebola – 'the Super Bowl of infectious diseases'

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.livewellnebraska.com/ebola/nebraska-doctor-writes-about-treating-ebola-the-super-bowl-of/article_813dc3fa-5317-11e4-8823-0017a43b2370.html




SARAH HOFFMAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Dr. Angela Hewlett, assistant medical director for the Nebraska Biocontainment Patient Care Unit at the Nebraska Medical Center


Posted: Monday, October 13, 2014 3:28 pm
By Angela L. Hewlett / Special to the Washington Post

My heart was racing the night before our patient arrived. Richard Sacra was flying in from Liberia, the third American to be evacuated from the country after contracting Ebola. Emory University had successfully treated the first two. Now it was our turn in the hot seat, battling the virus that was spreading devastation across West Africa and fear across the United States.

Our team at the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, where I am assistant medical director, had been training for this for years — executing drills on admitting highly infectious patients, reviewing detailed procedures for safe treatment and memorizing what gear should be used for which diseases. But this was the first time we would be putting all that training to use since the NBU opened in 2005. There was no way to fully prepare for the pressure, the national focus, the immensity of being responsible for curing a patient whose deadly disease was at the center of global debate.

The challenges associated with caring for patients with communicable diseases, and specifically deadly diseases like Ebola, had always fascinated me. With these patients, you can't rely on hand-to-skin contact to assess their condition, and you can't bond by pulling up a chair and chatting about their personal lives. While in the isolation unit, all this patient, Rick, knew about me was the color of my eyes and the typed biography given to him when he was admitted. Still, this was an experience I had anticipated since I was a student. After all, reading about the famed virus hunters investigating the first Ebola outbreaks in Africa influenced my decision to attend medical school and eventually pursue my chosen career path as a specialist in infectious diseases. The presence of the NBU at the University of Nebraska Medical Center was one of the reasons I left my home state of Texas and moved to Nebraska.

As I mentally prepared for Rick's arrival, I contemplated how my life could change over the next few weeks. I thought about how my husband and young children would be affected, and how other families in our community would react. Would their classmates make mean comments? Would I be able to go to the grocery store without being criticized for bringing Ebola to Omaha? I sat down with my kids and discussed this with them in words they could understand. We talked about my work at the hospital, and I told them that if anyone said anything unkind to them about what I was doing, they should proudly reply, "My mommy is a doctor and she takes care of sick people." I gave them extra hugs and kisses as I tucked them into bed that night, unsure of what the next day would bring.

FULL story at link.

[Lochloosa]

1. That my friends is my definition of a hero.

And fuck John McCain. Sorry had go throw that in.

[progressoid]

2. "My mommy is a doctor and she takes care of sick people."