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Losing a Friend: 4 Things You Should Do

November 3, 2020/

Remembering Alison S. Moore I had just spoken to her on Friday evening. I had planned to call her on Tuesday on my way to work. Monday was a holiday. But on that particular day, I received a worrisome message. I called as requested and found out that my friend had died suddenly and unexpectedly. I am sure I experienced all of the stages of grief at once and separately. Though I am no stranger to grief related to the death of a loved one this is the first time that I have lost a friend, a close friend. It...

Pregnancy & Infant Loss: 10 Dos and Don’ts for Family and Friends

Coretta Collins

October 20, 2020/

There’s a hole in my heart where joy used to be. There’s a hole in my heart where anticipation resided. There’s a hole in my heart where hope bubbled over. There’s a hole in my heart where you used to be. I will not get over it, but I will get through it. Coretta Collins October is pregnancy and infant loss awareness month. I have learned from my personal experience that losing a baby can be a very lonely place. It is a place of disenfranchised grief. Disenfranchised grief is grief that is hidden or unaccepted. It is often minimized...

Happy Anniversary! 17 Years, 17 Lessons!

Coretta Collins

October 6, 2020/

17 years! A lot for some, a drop in the bucket for others. Nonetheless, it is a milestone for us and deserves to be celebrated! It was a warm Saturday in October, 17 years ago that I walked down the aisle with tears of joy at my home church in Wetumpka, Alabama. I still remember the moment my mom confirmed that Floyd was the one. Even though I knew it, once she said it, that sealed the deal. She and God had a direct connection and to me, it felt as if He would call her directly about super important...

Multiple Myeloma; Get in the Know

Coretta Collins

September 15, 2020/

He was in a car accident and hurt his back. At the hospital, he was found to have peculiar lesions on his spine. She noticed that she was getting more and more tired. When she finally sought help, she was very anemic. He noticed that he was urinating more and more but then it became less and less. Lab tests revealed he was in kidney failure. What did they all have in common? They all had Multiple Myeloma. And neither of them had ever heard of the disease. This seems to be an often occurrence. In my experience as a...

Ovarian Cancer: The Silent Killer

Coretta Collins

September 9, 2020/

I was in shock. How could this be? No one in our family had this diagnosis. Ovarian cancer? Are you sure? As far as I knew, my mom had two first cousins who had breast cancer. I also knew that my dad’s sister had it. Otherwise, there was no other cancer in the family that I knew of and definitely not ovarian cancer. Late-stage ovarian cancer. The kind where surgery was not even a consideration because the disease had spread already. No wonder mom couldn’t eat much and got full fast. Cancer was taking over her abdominal area. Invading space...

Pregnant Again! Happy Birthday, Eron!

Coretta Collins

August 28, 2020/

I was overwhelmed with excitement and a little nervousness when I found out I was pregnant this time around. My husband, Floyd, and I were on a getaway to Brasstown Valley in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia. It was Labor Day weekend. We spent the weekend doing various activities including horseback riding and going to the spa. I don’t recall exactly how it donned on me, but somehow it crossed my mind that my monthly menstrual cycle was late. Immediately, we jumped in the rental car and headed down the mountain to find the nearest store. We hoped that...

Breastfeeding; 3 Reasons Why I Did It.

Coretta Collins

August 25, 2020/

As a nurse practitioner and mother of three, few things stand out more than breastfeeding when I reflect on my motherhood journey. It is hands down one of the most rewarding yet most challenging experiences ever. This is doubly true in the beginning. Oh Lord, how I thought that I would not make it. Oh, how I contemplated giving up a million times! Oh, how discouraging it was when the thought of latching brought tears to my eyes. I am telling you, pregnancy was a breeze compared to the early days of breastfeeding. It’s no wonder that those of us...

Lessons Learned from Patients with Cancer

Coretta Collins

August 18, 2020/

On August 12th I celebrated 7 years as a nurse practitioner in hematology and oncology! I remember the excitement and the trepidation I initially felt as I started my nurse practitioner journey. I was new and eager to learn. I was excited to have landed a nurse practitioner job in my number one specialty choice. It has been therapeutic and enlightening. It has also been challenging and rewarding. My journey to oncology started with the diagnosis and passing of my dear mother to ovarian cancer. Mom Had Cancer Mom Died From Cancer When I started working with current practice, I...

6 Months of Confessions!

Coretta Collins

August 4, 2020/

I cannot believe it has been 6 months since the launch of Confessions of a Nurse Practitioner! Thank you for being on this journey with me. We are halfway to a year and I have learned and grown so much! Now I know that we have all learned a lot considering how non-traditional this year has been. However, as it relates to this post, I am specifically, talking about the last 6 months as it relates to the Confessions of a Nurse Practitioner blog. Confess. Believe. Achieve. That is how it all started. In honor of this 6-month milestone, I...

Back to School during a Pandemic

Coretta Collins

July 21, 2020/

Traditional, virtual, remote, blended, traditional, virtual, remote, blended, traditional, virtual, remote, blended, they are like buzz words flooding our timelines, inboxes, thoughts and conversations. As school systems are trying their best to prepare for school to start back, so much is being considered and it seems that school systems, teachers and parents are in a tailspin. Maybe a little perspective will help parents in their decisions. If we are strictly talking about safety, then in your heart and mind you know that the virtual (also known as remote) schooling option is the safest. Safest means to be protected from or...

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