Coronavirus Second Wave?

Guest1142305 · Jul 21, 2020

3 minutes ago, Nurse SMS said:
... You will want to keep your finger on the pulse of your relationships on the floor with other professionals. This is far more likely to burn you than the patients will be.

Thank you for being so understanding.

I worry about the student cohort / co-worker aspect more than anything else. If I can just get through that, I will leverage my ability to consume massive amounts of information to shoot straight for NP and have some measure of autonomy.

allnurses Guide · Jul 21, 2020

Just now, damiorifice said:
Thank you for being so understanding.

I worry about the student cohort / co-worker aspect more than anything else. If I can just get through that, I will leverage my ability to consume massive amounts of information to shoot straight for NP and have some measure of autonomy.

Just remember to listen more than you talk and be open to helping others who might need it and you should do fine ?

NurseBlaq · Jul 21, 2020

5 minutes ago, Nurse SMS said:
My oldest son had Asperger's, now just called ASD. He was an exceptionally sweet and kind boy. He had trouble interpreting facial expressions and this often made his socializations wildly bizarre.

A little off topic but how did you know? My oldest son is diagnosed ADHD but I swear he has Asperger's. He's a gentle giant and socially awkward as all get out. Book smart but social issues are evident. He used to take things literal until he started to get older but still does sometimes and I have to explain in laymen's terms, among other things that I find odd in his behavior but should be 'normal' by everyday standards for someone his age.

allnurses Guide · Jul 21, 2020

Just now, NurseBlaq said:
A little off topic but how did you know? My oldest son is diagnosed ADHD but I swear he has Asperger's. He's a gentle giant and socially awkward as all get out. Book smart but social issues are evident. He used to take things literal until he started to get older but still does sometimes and I have to explain in laymen's terms, among other things that I find odd in his behavior but should be 'normal' by everyday standards for someone his age.

He was just such a weird kid. From about age 3 he was just.....adorable but undeniably strange. He could not learn at school unless he was doing something else at the same time. So we had him evaluated in first and second grade by a couple of different experts and they all agreed he had Asperger's. One described his thought process as being like a starburst rather than linear...that he literally HAD to do more than one thing in order to concentrate. Still scrambles my brain, but that is how he was. Interestingly, teachers either adored him and his quirky ways or they had a hostility toward him that was hard to get my head around. I think he made life kind of difficult for them. As he got older, he struggled with girls. He was super interested in them and they in him - he was exceptionally handsome. But he didn't know how to interpret flirting. It was like a foreign language to him. He would come home and weep that such and such girl hated him - when in fact, she was crushing on him pretty badly.

NurseBlaq · Jul 21, 2020

17 hours ago, damiorifice said:
Lastly, I will level with you as to why I have so little empathy, etc. My latest therapists opinion is I have high functioning ASD, formerly Asperger’s. That’s how I was able to do all the didactic coursework learning for a demsn program in 9 weeks with no background in the sciences. I’m not normal. It’s hard for me to communicate with others. I use forum interactions like this to learn what does and does not offend others so I don’t share those opinions in public settings. I often offend people or am misunderstood and have no idea why.

Now it makes sense to me. I was initially turned off by your behavior but the more I read your posts you're not so bad after all. My son has some of those same issues. He doesn't offend people, they think he's funny but sometimes he's dead serious. He has a hard time expressing himself and takes things literal when people are joking or trash talking but he doesn't let it bother him, he just says something in response being serious and people think it's funny like he has a sarcastic sense of humor. Now that I know better, I know not to be offended by some of the things you post.

Don't worry though, I'm brutally honest and I sometimes offend people too. I don't mean to be hateful, but that's how it comes off sometimes.

allnurses Guide · Jul 21, 2020

I have a real soft spot for Aspie's. As a generalization, they tend to be super tender hearted. It isn't that they don't have emotions. They just can't see them like we can and don't have the instincts to interpret them in others. Most are super intelligent and eager to learn how to connect better.

NurseBlaq · Jul 21, 2020

2 minutes ago, Nurse SMS said:
He was just such a weird kid. From about age 3 he was just.....adorable but undeniably strange. He could not learn at school unless he was doing something else at the same time. So we had him evaluated in first and second grade by a couple of different experts and they all agreed he had Asperger's. One described his thought process as being like a starburst rather than linear...that he literally HAD to do more than one thing in order to concentrate. Still scrambles my brain, but that is how he was. Interestingly, teachers either adored him and his quirky ways or they had a hostility toward him that was hard to get my head around. I think he made life kind of difficult for them. As he got older, he struggled with girls. He was super interested in them and they in him - he was exceptionally handsome. But he didn't know how to interpret flirting. It was like a foreign language to him. He would come home and weep that such and such girl hated him - when in fact, she was crushing on him pretty badly.

You sure our sons weren't separated at birth?!!

My son was initially diagnosed as developmentally delayed because he didn't do things on the same level as other children and he had an IEP. Then the next grade he was 2 grades ahead so they cancelled the IEP. He hasn't required one since because of his grades. He graduated HS with an honors diploma. Girls flock to him by the dozens and sometimes it causes problems with his male peers who are jealous or they stick close because the girls are close. He's always the popular kid but we have many conversations to sum up the day and I have to explain a lot of things because he questions everything. I've been telling his therapist I think he should be tested for ASD due to I think he's misdiagnosed. They say he has ADHD and anxiety but I think that's a breakdown of ASD based on his behavior and interactions.

allnurses Guide · Jul 21, 2020

1 minute ago, NurseBlaq said:
You sure our sons weren't separated at birth?!!
My son was initially diagnosed as developmentally delayed because he didn't do things on the same level as other children and he had an IEP. Then the next grade he was 2 grades ahead so they cancelled the IEP. He hasn't required one since because of his grades. He graduated HS with an honors diploma. Girls flock to him by the dozens and sometimes it causes problems with his male peers who are jealous or they stick close because the girls are close. He's always the popular kid but we have many conversations to sum up the day and I have to explain a lot of things because he questions everything. I've been telling his therapist I think he should be tested for ASD due to I think he's misdiagnosed. They say he has ADHD and anxiety but I think that's a breakdown of ASD based on his behavior and interactions.

Heck, he could have all three, but yeah...ASD for a kid who needs to be fiddling with something while he listens can look a lot like ADHD. And yeah, he probably has anxiety. The world is moving fast now and makes little sense sometimes. I bet he is an amazing guy.

toomuchbaloney · Jul 21, 2020

5 minutes ago, Nurse SMS said:
I have a real soft spot for Aspie's. As a generalization, they tend to be super tender hearted. It isn't that they don't have emotions. They just can't see them like we can and don't have the instincts to interpret them in others. Most are super intelligent and eager to learn how to connect better.

Indeed. I've never met an arrogant person with Aspergers although I've met some very accomplished with that dx. I've never met one who was preachy or condescending. Life is full of new experiences.

NurseBlaq · Jul 21, 2020

1 minute ago, Nurse SMS said:
Heck, he could have all three, but yeah...ASD for a kid who needs to be fiddling with something while he listens can look a lot like ADHD. And yeah, he probably has anxiety. The world is moving fast now and makes little sense sometimes. I bet he is an amazing guy.

He plays sports to burn down some of his energy but is driving me crazy since most sports are canceled. However, I put him in early college this Summer and he'll be an official college freshman in the fall. ?

He plays video games because they're forever changing. But no matter what he does, it's always music playing on his phone, videos or something on the laptop and the TV with something else on. He even does that when studying! My brain would be on overload but it's perfectly normal for him.

toomuchbaloney · Jul 21, 2020

1 minute ago, NurseBlaq said:
He plays sports to burn down some of his energy but is driving me crazy since most sports are canceled. However, I put him in early college this Summer and he'll be an official college freshman in the fall. ?
He plays video games because they're forever changing. But no matter what he does, it's always music playing on his phone, videos or something on the laptop and the TV with something else on. He even does that when studying! My brain would be on overload but it's perfectly normal for him.

It's the notion that we concentrate better if we doodle while listening...only on steroids. If only we understood all of this better.

allnurses Guide · Jul 21, 2020

5 minutes ago, NurseBlaq said:
He plays sports to burn down some of his energy but is driving me crazy since most sports are canceled. However, I put him in early college this Summer and he'll be an official college freshman in the fall. ?
He plays video games because they're forever changing. But no matter what he does, it's always music playing on his phone, videos or something on the laptop and the TV with something else on. He even does that when studying! My brain would be on overload but it's perfectly normal for him.

Your descriptions make me smile. My son passed away at age 13 from AML, but he was exactly like that too. I am glad you have plans for him and I hope he is able to get back to his usual activities soon.

6 minutes ago, toomuchbaloney said:
Indeed. I've never met an arrogant person with Aspergers although I've met some very accomplished with that dx. I've never met one who was preachy or condescending. Life is full of new experiences.

My ex husband was diagnosed with it too, after we were married. He could be quite condescending and intolerant, but I genuinely believe he didn't mean it the way that neuro-normal people would. He just saw things as extremely black and white. Shades of gray upset him. It came across as condescending because to him there just wasn't anything to debate. He knew what he knew. He needed the world to make sense. He is a respiratory therapist now and is doing very well.