nerdtonurse? BSN, RN

nerdtonurse? is a BSN, RN and specializes in ICU, Telemetry.

Latest Activity

1. I need help processing my first hospice patient experience.

   nerdtonurse? replied to pkateRN's topic in Hospice, Palliative

   What I'd suggest....scopalamine patch (wonderful for noxious secretions/"death rattle"), Ativan, and IV benadryl, along with the morphine. When I've had people with liver problems, they itch and...

2. IV pain meds standards??????

   nerdtonurse? replied to jbluehorseh's topic in Patient Medications

   Just give the narcs. You're not going to change them, and they'll make your shift Hades if you don't. An addict will seek their drug/ETOH until they decide to stop, and nothing you do or don't do...

3. INR increasing...without anticoagulation?

   nerdtonurse? replied to LetsChill's topic in CCU, Coronary, Cardiac

   Also, if the patient has cancer, they usually have low albumin (either d/t the disease process or malnutrition); low albumin can affect protein binding, making more warfarin stay in the system longer....

4. Nurses With Low Self-Esteem: Please Seek Help

   nerdtonurse? replied to TheCommuter's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

   I see this as a chicken and the egg situation. If you have depression, you tend to have feelings of inadequacy, poor self care, you feel like you're not worth looking after, you doubt your abilities,...

5. Can you imagine having Spiderman as a patient?

   nerdtonurse? replied to Brian's topic in Nurses Rock

   I haven't had Spiderman, but I've had the incredible Hulk, Houdini (4 point restraints, and somehow got her feet lose and when we went in, she was sitting with her back to the foot of the bed, arms...

6. A nurse's favorite song?

   nerdtonurse? replied to Joe V's topic in Nursing Humor

   Particularly for my hospice patients, "Because you loved me" by Celine Dion. In ICU, "Highway to Hell" or "Another one bites the dust" depending on how the shift's

7. Death

   nerdtonurse? replied to ixchel's topic in General Nursing

   The ones that get me aren't the "end of a long life" people, or even the "had'm a long time as a patient" people. It's the ones that for some reason hit a cord. "Paratrooper," who was at Ft. Benning...

8. Just when you think you've seen/heard it all.........

   nerdtonurse? replied to Ruas61's topic in General Nursing

   But.... We've had to discharge people from hospice for addiction. When you place narcotics in the home, that's still your license, the hospice facility's MD's license, etc. And we've had people who...

9. Particular Patient Populations - Do You Struggle?

   nerdtonurse? replied to Nurse SMS's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

   DKA. Not the diabetic who's had a nasty GI bug, infection or surgery, or something that could reasonably make their sugars go wild, the ones we get every 2 or 3 weeks, usually young, and the biggest...

10. Infrequent Voiding Syndrome: Don't Fall Victim To This Common Problem In Nurses!

    nerdtonurse? replied to TheCommuter's topic in Health, Stress Management

    One thing I will tell you -- pee before a code, if you know it's coming. And yes, I've looked at telemetry, and said, "everybody who needs to pee -- now's the time." Compressions on a full bladder...

11. Is being a nursing student actually fun?

    nerdtonurse? replied to Dezy's topic in General Students

    Fun? No. Interesting, challenging, and ultimately worthwhile? Sometimes. Infuriating, disappointing, and gut wrenching -- occasionally. There were times when we were all cracking up laughing, and...

12. Low census. . .no work. . .

    nerdtonurse? replied to thesundowner's topic in General Nursing

    Same here, that's why I have a fulltime job and a PRN job...right now, the PRN is making my check. And Pennywise...you're just freaking me out. I read "IT" when it came out and have been scared...

13. DNR versus AND

    nerdtonurse? replied to Double-Helix's topic in Pediatric

    The big thing I see is that people don't talk about death at all until someone's so sick they can't make their wishes known -- not a 20 year old that gets hit by a truck, but the 80 yo with end stage...

14. Have you ever cried when a Pt died

    nerdtonurse? replied to Topaz7's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    I'm as tough as they come, but I've cried. When you're in a room with 12 people, and they are all quietly crying, while a child is in bed with their dead father begging them to come back (and you...

15. If you could post your own...

    nerdtonurse? replied to Daisy_08's topic in General Nursing

    What I would love to post: Your ego stops at the doors to my unit. I am not your mom, your wife, your significant other, or your therapist. I don't care if Dr. Oz said something different. I am...