Hello there! Hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July filled with fun, family and friends. Did you get to see any fireworks? We went to my parents’ where my dad grilled out and made homemade ice-cream. My favorite is cantaloupe, and I feature it in my Eagle Point Emergency book series.
Today, I’d love to talk about how my series came about. I’d written medical staff into stories before and my editors told me that I write caregivers well and asked if I’d consider doing a medical miniseries. It also helped that I am an RN with a few decades of nursing experience. I’ve worked in many different departments, but spent the most time in high risk Labor and Delivery.
I write full time now, but writing the medical miniseries helps me to remember my twelve-hour shift hospital days with fondness.
I turned in an idea based on my editor’s parameters and Eagle Point Emergency was born.
I’m working on Books 5 and 6 now, but each book can also stand alone. For more information, visit my Amazon author page.
I have a printable/downloadable booklist at www.cherylwyatt.com or sign up for my newsletter to get news on new releases: http://bit.ly/CherylWyattNewsletterSignup
I’ve assisted with countless surgeries and have had a lot of surgeries myself and have been a patient many times. I use all of my experiences in some way to enhance the series. I also still have lots of friends in the field and pick their brains from time to time.
I love to set stories near where I live and so I fashioned fictional Eagle Point and its neighboring Refuge (town from a previous series) after a local wildlife preserve. This area is rich with lakes, forests, hiking trails, bluffs and lots of trees and other greenery.
My editors wanted at least one of the main characters to be a doctor or a nurse, and so it’s really fun to come up with the match for each character and think of unique careers.
Have you ever been in the hospital or had surgery? You all helped me brainstorm trauma center ideas for my last post and I was so excited about your feedback. Do you know anyone in the medical profession? What specifically do they do? I’d love to hear some ideas for who to pair with my hero/heroine nurses and doctors. :-) My current work in progress features an Irish neurosurgeon and a medical office manager.
Thanks so much for spending time with me today!
Cheryl Wyatt
USA Today bestselling author and RN Cheryl Wyatt writes romance with virtue themed with rescue. She’s grateful to be a worshipper of Jesus, a mom, wife, orphan/troop advocate, plus wrangler of words and spoiled Yorkies. She loves readers and cherishes interaction at: https://www.facebook.com/CherylWyattAuthor. Join her newsletter via her website: www.cherylwyatt.com.
Hi Cheryl, these sound interesting. My only surgeries were two caesarian sections- the first was an emergency with our oldest son, the second was planned with son number two. I found the midwives to be exceptional- their knowledge, support and time spent with me were impressive. I am vegetarian and one of the ladies who worked in the cafeteria specially made up soup and sandwiches which she personally brought up to me, she was a beautiful lady with a heart to serve (by the way, this was in a small, country hospital!) Have fun writing:)
been in hospital a few times in the past 4 years. How about a patient who comes in with a major and I mean major fear of both doctors and hospitals. Well that was me. I collapsed at home due to blood loss and had to go to the hospital. Thanks to a caring dr who understood the fear and worked with me I no longer fear either. I have been in for a couple of operations the latest being cutting down the ulnar and a TFCC repair. Dealing with Chronic pain having a neurologist is a cool idea. Another is I go to a pain clinic with pain specialists who are able to work with people in chronic pain. I think you have had Occupational therapist and Physiotherapists if not they would work well also.
Fortunately, I’ve only been in the hospital twice. Both of my stays were for back surgery. I love reading stories that take place in a hospital setting, but I sure didn’t enjoy being a patient. Good luck with your stories, Cheryl!
Hi Cheryl, the only time I personally spent time in the hospital was for the birth of my 3 sons.
As caregiver for my father with heart problems, I spent lots of time in the hospital on the cardiac floor. My father came to the USA from Germany when he was 38 and learned English. After my mom passed and a a stroke, which affected the language center of his brain, even though he still understood English, he would answer in German. Being raised in a bilingual home and having a degree in German, I was his caregiver and interpreter. God blessed him with a long life. He lived to be 96.
I have never had surgery myself unless you count lithotripsy but I don’t really count it since it was out patient and did not involve them cutting into me…but my daughter has had many eye surgeries, first two were removing the lenses from both eyes due to cataracts that she was born with she was only a month old. Then two removing scar tissue from the cataract surgeries. She has had one for glaucoma, and four trying to correct her lazy eye.
Thankfully my experience as a hospital patient is limited to giving birth and having my appendix removed. My husband was hospitalized for cellulitis. It was in his ear and they were afraid it would travel to his brain.
I used to know some medical professionals when I taught piano. One was a surgeon. The other was a surgical tech. Now that I think about it, a former student is a surgery tech. I used to work for a chiropractor–not sure if that’s the kind of medical professional you are looking for though.
I’ve been both a nurse and a patient. I worked in neonatal ICU. I’ve had three c sections, one baby was breech, one baby was large, and the last one my uterus was rupturing. I’ve had unusual tumors removed several times.
I have compassion for both patients and medical staff.
I have been blessed to have wonderful doctors and nurses in my life. My breast cancer in 2005 was a tough experience, but, my doctors and nurses and volunteers were AWESOME!! I also have a wonderful osteopathic pain doctor. He has helped me with my neck arthritis and the osteopenia in my spine. These doctors, nurses, and volunteers have always treated me like a special person and always take time to listen. Listening is very important.
I’m currently working as a researcher in a hospital and it’s been quite an experience. Coming from a more basic field of decision research, I’ve been trying to work some ideas in a hospital setting. Quite a challenge so far, but I’ve learned a lot about emergency work.
That being said, I think there are too many MDs in my family (mother, sister, uncle, aunt, plus distant cousins are nurses)–based on the amount of sad stories I had to hear growing up.
I had my tonsils and adnoids out at the age of 5 and stayed several days in the hospital for that way back in the 60’s. I was also kept over night to have a D&C after a miscarriage that I had(so sad)! I have a son who is a surgical tech who assists and actually does some the minor procedures, which he absolutely loves! He has a young child so he has chosen to forgo becoming a surgeon, but plans to go back to school to become a surgical nurse. Good luck on your next book!
One of my sisters who is an ER nurse married a lab technologist. The hospital staff where they worked at the time gave them six months. They celebrate 40 years this July!
Love your writing style, Cheryl!
Hi Wemble! I’ve assisted with lots and lots of caesarians births. I enjoyed the rush of surgery, the atmosphere of the room, the anticipation of the baby’s birth and of course the glee on parents’ faces once they got to glimpse their little one for the first time. I’ve been so blessed to have two careers I’ve loved. Thanks so much for stopping by. I have a friend who’s going vegan with her family for medical reasons…and so I’d absolutely LOVE to have some of your vegan recipes if you have a moment to share. Thanks again for coming by!
Hello sweet friend! I’ve dealt with chronic pain too and so I feel for you, and anyone who’s struggled with it. It was actually a pain management physician who discovered that I’d been misdiagnosed and this mistreated for an injury…and the injury (once correctly diagnosed) was able to be fixed mostly with surgery. Hard surgery but I was so grateful to be able to walk without excruciating pain every step. I remember the days though. You’re in my prayers a lot, my friend.
I love the idea of using a pain specialist. I’m so glad you made it to the hospital okay with the blood loss. Sounds like you were in hypovolemic shock if you collapsed. Glad you’re still with us! Hugs, hugs, hugs!
Thank you for coming by. I appreciate seeing you!
Thank you, Jill! I don’t envy you for the back surgeries, that’s for sure. LOL! I hope that the surgeries fixed your back problem and the pain that can be associated with it. Chronic pain is a difficult struggle to bear. Thanks for the kind words and for stopping by today!
Hi Renate! WOW! That is an amazing story with your dad. I’m so glad you got to spend those years with him. Isn’t is interesting how the brain reverts to a person’s primary language when a stroke in the language center of the brain happens? I’ve seen that before, with a hispanic patient and also an Indian patient, both of whom reverted back to their non-English dialect. I’m glad you were able to help your dad. What a blessing! Thank you for stopping by. I enjoyed hearing your story!
Hi Sandra! I hope your daughter is doing better now and can see okay. That must’ve been tough as a mom watching her go through it. Ahhh, lithotripsy. We have one local hospital that is so small, they have to use a lithotripsy truck to do their kidney stones. I’m glad for it though because otherwise patients would have to be transferred to other facilities. Kidney stones are no walk in the park. I’ve seen grown men crawling around ER floors on their hands and knees sobbing before getting relief from pain meds. Very painful ailment. I’m glad you stopped by! Thank you so much for sharing.
Hi Kimberly! I’d never heard of cellulitis potentially traveling in the brain. I’ve only seen it in the legs, so I found your post fascinating. Yes, a chiropractor would work, since they sometimes have different methodology as physicians and that would make for some great H/h tension/conflict. Glad you stopped by. I’m glad you came through your appendectomy okay. That’s one surgery I haven’t had yet and hope never to. LOL!
Blessings on your day! XOXOXOX
Diana, your medical and nursing history sounds similar to mine. LOL! As a night shift nurse, we had to do our own obstetrical surgeries since an OR crew wasn’t in-house. It was great experience.
Glad you came through your surgeries okay. A ruptured uterus is so rare, I’m glad you survived! I was working one night (pregnant) and ended up going into pre-term labor. Went from being a nurse to being a patient in a matter of minutes and having to sign off my charts and give report from my own hospital bed. LOL! I do think being a patient helped me in being a nurse, so it’s all good. Although rumor has it that doctors and nurses make the worst patients. Hahaha! I think it’s mostly true because we know too much and we’re a pretty stubborn bunch for the most part. :-) You mentioning working in NICU reminded me of the extra certifications we had to do. Somehow my coworkers always made it fun and interesting though. I enjoyed the low-risk babies in NICU, but always got a little nervous when working with vent babies in lower gestations. I mostly worked L&D, but occasionally got floated to NICU on nights or when we were short staffed. I miss those days of seeing the babies progress day by day and them wiggling and warm under their bili masks and lights. :-) Little blessings and the technology too. Glad we live in a place where babies can be helped at such young gestations of birth.
Thanks for stopping by!
Blessings.
Hi Mimi! I agree that listening is a great attribute for medical personnel to have. Some doctors are great at it and some, not so much. LOL! I think it’s amazing that, despite how busy they are. It can be so frustrating not to feel heard, especially by a care provider. So I’m glad your experiences were all positive. That makes me really happy and proud to be a nurse. I’m glad you survived the cancer and that you have an osteo doc who sounds phenomenal. Thank you for stopping by. I enjoyed hearing your thoughts. :-) Blessings on your continued good health! XOXOXOXO
Hi Priscila! A hospital researcher sounds so interesting. What a fascinating job you have! It sounds like the stories you grew up hearing probably help you in your job, even though it sounds like you mostly heard of the harder outcomes. That’s definitely the downside to medicine.
I’m glad you stopped by. I’d love to hear more about your job and what you do.
Hugs!
Cheryl
Thank you, Lori! I’m so sorry to hear about the baby you lost. That happened to me a couple times as well. My last one was a second-trimester loss. Her name was Eden and she died in-utero. I’m so glad we will get to hold them in Heaven. I can’t wait, but know they’re in good hands until we get there. I used to be on a task force that helped grieving mothers who’s lost babies through miscarriage, pre-term (non-viable) births or stillborns. I’d forgotten about it until you mentioned it. That was a long time ago, but the work was very rewarding.
I have a surgical tech in an upcoming book, so I’d love for you to pick your son’s brain for me when the time comes. One of the challenges I have is writing realistic medical scenarios but not breaking patient confidentiality or sharing too many technical details that the general reader may not understand. I’ve been out of nursing for a few years and that helps. I talk (and write) more like a “normal” person now and so hopefully my books won’t sound like medical journals. LOLOL!
I think it’s very noble that your son is putting his child above med school. I don’t think he’ll regret it. We can never get that time back with our kids for sure. Surgical nurses are some of the best! Thanks for the well-wishes. I appreciate you stopping by with encouragement and your stories! Blessings!
Cheryl
Thank you so much Val. That means a lot! I love, love, love that your sis and her hubby beat the odds placed on them! Way to go! Thank you, sweet one, for stopping by and for making me smile. I’m going to have courage to knock a synopsis out now. Fun stuff! Have a great week of writing!
Hi Cheryl, I study medical decision making mostly from a perspective of risk communication to try and understand how decisions are actually made, instead of what they should be ideally, though sometimes those are the same (and that’s usually a good thing). I’s a pretty interdisciplinary area, so it’s been really fun to work in the field of decision research.
I’ve been focusing on understanding how people interpret/ understand complex medical information and which values/core principles guide decisions in multiple scenarios involving risk and impulsivity– right now more so in a hospital setting.
I have a couple of friends who are nurses. One worked emergency room for years, and the other worked in a psychiatric hospital. They both wound up working as school nurses before they finally retired. One of them is married to a hospital administrator, although not for the hospital she worked for.
Merrillee, I’d think being a school nurse would be a blast. The hours would be wonderful! A hospital administrator has a tough job, for sure. That’s interesting that they worked for two different hospitals. Very cool! Thanks for stopping by!
Favourite vegan recipe: vegan chocolate mousse. 4 Avocados, 1 cup of Agave syrup, 1 cup of coco powder. Blend together in mixer until smooth, ingredients all blended. Chill, serve with strawberries etc.
You can also do a vegan meringue using that stinky ‘juice’ from a tin of chickpeas. Add some vanilla essence and a cup of caster sugar and beat until stiff ‘meringue’ peaks form, cook like a normal meringue.
Thank you so much. Blessings. :-)
I’m over here asking myself HOW I possibly missed this series?? Because I ADORE medical fictions, and an added bonus, is these are Love Inspired! Oh. My. There isn’t enough medical fiction for my liking in the Christian category :-)
My mom was a LPN, retired finally in October of last year. She worked 35+ years in the industry, anywhere from hospitals to nursing homes. I think her favorite time was when she worked as a private pediatric nurse for a wonderful family, who not only adopted her as their nurse, but a close friend too! She loved taking care of their little girl, going to school with her and just having fun. I don’t remember what the little girl had, but my mom treated her just like any “normal” kid :-)
I also have MANY family members who are in the medical field. Some are specialty RN’s, either in the emergency rooms, hospitals, or in the case of my cousin, now a teaching RN at the hospital in Maine. One of my aunts is a dietician in a nursing home and some of my younger 2nd cousins are nurses (some male). I may even have a surgical nurse somewhere in there! As for me, I was trained as a CNA years ago but never pursued it. Not so much the job, as how I was treated by some of the nurses in the nursing home. I guess I got very discouraged! I learned that the medical field wasn’t for me. So I’ve worked in the food industry, but most of my marriage I’ve been a stay-at-home mom….and I wouldn’t trade that for the world :-) Now I’m an active first time grandma…lol!
Sometimes God has other plans for your life, doesn’t He? :-)
I’ll definitely have to check out your books now Cheryl, now that I know about them….I have no excuse :-)
That sounds so interesting! Thanks for sharing. :-)
Trixi, your comment made me smile so many times. Except the part where the nurses treated you badly. I’ve seen that happen and it always irked me. CNAs work SO hard, backbreaking work, and in my opinion they are underpaid and under appreciated.
So glad to know some of your family members are nurses…and we definitely need more males in the field. So much lifting, etc. and men just have the upper body strength suited for it.
I hope you enjoy the books once you check them out. :-) The first one in the series is The Doctor’s Devotion. Book 2 is Doctor to the Rescue. Book 3 is The Nurse’s Secret Suitor. Book 4 is The Hero’s Sweetheart. Let me know which is your fave!
Blessings and thank you for stopping by and sharing.
C
I lost something like 3 litres of blood in the end and had 4 transfusions. The ambulance guy said I cant find a pulse in the wrist and I said I couldn’t find one either but didn’t really think much of it. It was also a really cold morning.
The pain specialist I see is great she confirmed the Occipital neuralgia and the chronic daily migraines. Going to try Lignocaine infusions next.
Wow, thank you!!!!!!!
I hope it works. Been praying for you, sweet friend, and will continue to!