I should have known better

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I'm a big girl. I make my own decisions. So why can't I learn to say "No?" I agreed to work some daylight on our current schedule. Staffing is tight, and there are a lot of newer, less experienced people working 7a-7p. Our unit manager asked if I would work "some" daylight this schedule to cover the unit. I agreed to do it because she was really stuck, and she has been very good to me, so I wanted to do her a favor. I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON!!. I hate getting up at 5 AM, and I hate working daylight. I just finished three 12s in a row, and I am exhausted, not because the work is any easier on nights (it isn't), but because I have not been able to sleep. No matter what time I go to bed, it's at least midnight or 1 am before I fall asleep, and I have to get up by 5:30. I wake up and look at the clock several times through the night, I think because I am afraid I won't hear the alarm. I'm afraid to use any kind of sleeping pill, even OTC, because I've never used them before, and I don't know how I will react to them. I know that I probably won't get much sympathy from those people who hate nights, but you guys can still listen to me whine. I have three days off now, so I can get lots of rest, and go back for two more daylights before I can go back to my nights.

You have my complete understanding. I AM a day person- a real early bird. When I tried to help out by pulling a night shift, I was like a zombie-completely brain impaired. That's why I say NO,NO,NO to extra shifts now. I just thank God that I didn't hurt anyone, and never want to live through that again.

I have just started saying to myself, then soon I was saying outloud,"I know my limitations." What other profession do people have to practice this notion. When asked if I could come in at 5a instead of 7a, I just said no. You could hear a pin drop. But I'm no good at it and I'm no one's warm body.

What I want to know is how did I agree to work 3 extras this week? only 3pm-945pm but still!!!

I do only do 3 days a week cos I work 12hr shifls normally and I had a days hol booked this week for something that was canselled but I really don't know what I was thinking

ALL I CAN SAY IS TYLENOL PM!!!!!!!!!!! IT WORKS WONDERS.......................I WORK NITES AND WHEN I BECOME A FOOL AND SAY YES TO A DAY SHIFT...THE TYLENOL PM COMES IN REAL HANDY

Going to days after being used to nights is terrible!! You really have to learn to say "NO" in this profession or you do get used and abused. I work OT every pay period, and I will answer the phone like 1 time out of every 5 they try to call me in. I do my time.

Gotta learn to say NO and mean it!

My mom would never let me get out of making my own decisions when I was younger. If I didn't want to go somewhere or do something my friends wanted to do and I wanted my mom to make the decision for me, she wouldn't. I had to learn early in life to say NO and stick to it. If my friends tried to bully me or make me feel like I was letting them down, I still had to make the decision on my own. I would be mad at myself when I got roped into doing something I didn't really want to do. I couldn't blame it on my mom because she let me do the decision making. You can't blame it on the Nurse Supervisor or other staff if you were unable to say No. I do sympathize with you when you feel like you were helping the ward out but now feel like you wish you hadn't.

I said all this to say that you have to know your own body and situation well enough to know that the others have not one care about how you feel or what this does to your body. YOU have to care about YOU and not do anything to harm your health. YOU have to stare them in the eye and say NO and stick to it. Only under a real emergency would I stay.

Poor kid, I hear ya... I switched to weekday days for one weekend last month because they were short... I hate days, LOL! I don't mind helping a little... so no guilt for another 4-6 months for me now, heheheh.

Melatonin works for me. 1.5 mg (I cut the 3 mg tabs in half), 1/2 hr before bed, if I have at least 4.5 hours to sleep, I don't wake up groggy/ hungover. Shannon, 50 mg Benadryl! I'd need CPR to wake up, lol! Everyone has different responses.

If you're going to do this again, RNinICU, pick an OTC sleeper, try it out on a night you don't have to work next day, check out the effects.

And always, remember to say no if you have to! Don't own someone else's problem. You've done your bit. :)

I also feel your pain, although after coming back to days I have learned to just say no to nights, but put my foot in my mouth on extra day will start a 7 day cont. 12 hour shifts tommorow. i will be kicking myself all the way

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