First Steps

October 30, 2017 

It has been quite a while since I've paid attention to my blog. A busy life and crossing over from healthcare provider to patient are partially to blame. Sadly, these past two years have been punctuated with indescribable pain, high doses of opiates, one spinal procedure after another, loss of income, and two surgeries to try to ameliorate my pain. Nothing has succeeded. I'm in less pain than I was prior to my last surgery, but in chronic pain nonetheless. In a few weeks I'll have a neural stimulator implanted permanently in my spine that will send my brain something to think about other than the constant pain signal.

First steps... Feb. 2017

So that's the story between then and now. Recently, I've received some very strong words of encouragement from people who I hold in the highest regard, people who influence the lives of others, and shape the field I'm so proud to have worked in these past thirty years. "When am I going to read your writing again?" "What's going on with your blog?" they asked. "I miss your words" some said. What a complement I thought to myself. Some people actually care about what I'm thinking and the words I use to express my thoughts. What an inspiration!, not only to write again, but to get myself well so I can continue to amass the experiences, that lead to the thoughts, that ultimately appear as words and images here on "Granting Sirenity."

Aug. 2017 - Speaking before the North
Jersey Chapter of the ENA - Emergency
Nurses Association - St. Joseph's Regional
Medical Center, Wayne, NJ

It has been a long, painful post-op road. I was able to return to teaching after about three months. During that time and in the months that followed, I was facing the possibility of not ever returning to working as a paramedic. It was depressing like I've never experienced before. It also became the burn that I needed to push through physical therapy, building my strength, and finally getting cleared to return to the MICU this past September.

With that, I'm taking these first steps. Over the next few weeks, I'm going to be soliciting feedback from people on topics they might find interesting or enjoy reading. I'll also do some soul searching and brainstorming of my own. So if you have some ideas, please shoot me an email or a text message, p.m. me on Facebook, or send me a tweet at @svelasquez on Twitter. Thank you all for the support and encouragement.