Can I whine a little?

[apaisRN, RN, CRNA]

I just want to say - my back hurts! My assignment today was two men I couldn't keep straight - 60s, severe COPD, about 350 lbs each. One was vented, one not, but they both broke my back. I finally got them both on turning beds but still, ya gotta check their butts sometime! It was a busy, crazy day, running the whole way through, and we had a total of one person for support staff (should be two secretaries and one or two aides). Couldn't find any lifting help. Spent hours trying to explain to the specialty bed people what I wanted, and then transferring patients and pulling beds around. one patient had a different name on his nameband from what was on his paperwork. ????? After calling multiple family, finally figured out the right one. Had to do two CXRs and one abd flat plate on the vented one - man did that hurt, yanking him up to get the plate under him. After all that the films didn't show much because apparently the portable xray machines don't have the power to get a good picture through 350 pounds.

The worst part was, I asked the charge nurse to split this assignment up, and she didn't. So I'll get the same two back tomorrow. I really like this charge nurse, I can't believe she didn't listen to me.

arrrrgh! Guess I better take some Advil and go to bed, so I can start all over tomorrow. Thanks for listening.

[Audreyfay]

I'd be sick tomorrow. Just MHO!

[RN4NICU, LPN, LVN]

Ditto

[chris_at_lucas_RN, RN]

Ask for help!!! Keep asking until you get about 8 people in there. That's 40 lb apiece. Still a bit of a load if it's "dead weight."

It's sure cheaper for the charge nurse to be annoyed than for the hospital to pay for your worker's comp!

And much nicer for you--they taught us body mechanics to protect ourselves in school, before they taught us anything about patients.

Good luck...

[RN4NICU, LPN, LVN]

It's tough to use proper body mechanics when turning/positioning/moving 300+ pounds of dead weight. You can't get the weight close to your core to manipulate it - and leaning over a bed to provide care breaks every rule of body mechanics in existence, but you don't exactly want to climb in bed with the patient either. It's harder to protect yourself than the "good body mechanics" police would have you believe.

Take care of yourself FIRST. Once you get a back injury - you can't ever undo that damage to your body and, from what I have seen from my colleagues, your back will never be quite the same. If you don't get help - do not attempt to move the patient by yourself! If you do not take care of yourself and make that your priority - it's sure not going to be anyone else's.

[apaisRN, RN, CRNA]

I should have had more faith in my charge nurse, she is a doll. Gave me a whole new assignment of whom only ONE is obese and bedbound. The other is a walkie-talkie with transfer orders. I can do this.