Friday July 8th 2022

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jul 8, 2022

Good morning!

Joe, glad that you tested negative. You haven't had covid yet?

I'm surprised I haven't had covid considering all the exposures I've had with coworkers, patients, as well as doing things like going to concerts and flying. I've always taken the idea that my turn is coming as infections and rates are still relatively high. I think living alone really helps though.

I'm off one day before working the weekend. Got some laundry done and some odds and ends and will head to the gym here in a bit. Need to meal prep. Just an ordinary day.

nursej22, MSN, RN · Jul 8, 2022

Good news that you are still negative, Joe. We are having a lot of positives in our area. Some of the hospitalists and PCPs are out. dh was supposed to schedule an appointment to get his insulin reordered and no one is answering the phone for 2 days. Dd is still positive, and now her two kids are too. Weather is sunny but cool, in the 60s. I picked up some more locally grown strawberries for homemade shortcake last night. So yummy! And its time for the raspberries to be ripe! It looks like Bambi and his brethren have eaten all the of tops and flowers off my berries, so I will look for them at roadside stands.

Ado, I feel like I can't keep track of who has posted what, in order to respond, either. So I usually just blurb out rando stuff. And sometimes old nursing instructor mode kicks in, LOL.

I am feeling conflicted about refugees coming to our area. They are coming to us for their required TB screening, which is fine. And we are offering required polio vaccine and they are refusing. They all got COVID vaccine before they got here, but now they are choosing to refuse other vaccine. Hmmm. We are trying to help them understand this is a condition of entry.

I have an iphone, so I talk to Siri sometimes. She tells pretty good jokes.

Ado Annie, ASN, RN · Jul 8, 2022

Joe, I'm glad you and your dad have not developed any symptoms.

Tweety, I'm amazed that you've managed to avoid Covid.

J22, mmm raspberries and strawberry shortcake.

Dull day here. Or I'm feeling dull. Our nurse manager, while complaining about his nurse having to be out for 5 days after testing positive, said "it's just a virus. When will we just start treating it like we do the flu?" Well, polio is just a virus (and J22, I don't understand your refugees refusing the polio vaccines). I think younger people don't understand how frightened parents were for their children during the polio outbreaks before the vaccine. This "information age" is a mixed blessing because it is also a "disinformation age" and people have a hard time deciding what is more credible. Well, no, maybe they have an *easy* time deciding, but they decide incorrectly! And I *am* glad that though we're seeing high rates of Covid transmission, we don't see as many critically ill people. I hope that continues.

I've had a fairly productive week. It helps that some of the other staff have been on vacation so I don't get distracted to other tasks. 1st quarter data due to CMS by Aug. 1 and I made a lot of progress this week. Looking forward to the weekend. There's a fellowship dinner after church (hamburgers and hot dogs, I think) and I'll probably take some food and stay and eat/visit but it's not the same since the boys won't come and Hubs is reluctant to take his mom out anywhere. That's partly because she'll do something like blurt out something during the prayer but also partly because her bowel incontinence is unpredictable and would be a major headache anywhere but at home. Well, in my opinion, it's a major headache at home, too. But it would be worse anywhere else.

Ado Annie, ASN, RN · Jul 8, 2022

I am a terrible nurse. I just gave trazodone to the wrong dog. It's worse than that. I got home and twin B said that Dory had not had her selegiline today. So I decided to give it to her now and took out a pill and wrapped it in cheese and gave it to Darby. And realized it was Trazodone. Poor Darby. I did then give Dory her selegiline. I'm sure Darby will be fine but won't understand why she's so sleepy.

Reminds me of a time when the boys were babies and both getting some medication. I gave it to one baby then wasn't sure who I had given it to.

No Stars In My Eyes · Jul 8, 2022

Last night it seemed like I was awake every hour or so, for the first five hours of my night. I do remember bringing Nannie's AM meds and yogurt to her at around 10 AM, but I was barely awake when I did that, and went right back to bed; don't even remember covering myself up. Then the next time I woke up it was 1:45 PM!! GADS!

It's been a hot/humid day, with afternoon thunderstorms with rain this time. Then it naturally became even more humid. More of the same tomorrow.

Hubby is "Jes' fine, now, hunny." Nannie is Nannie. I'm just hangin' around looking like this > ?. There's a Braves game about to start in 12 minutes. We lost to the Cardinals last night 3-2 in the 11th inning. It was what's called "a pitcher's game" ... which got tedious and boring; we wanted some action on the field! Tonight they are playing the Washington Nationals.

I've got to get busy and go get my Driver's License renewed. I may be able to do it on line; at least I'm going to try next week when I can pay for it on-line----all of $25.++. Credit Card may have to be used, but I hate to add anything else to it.

Okay, game's started.

Later!

Editorial Team / Admin · Jul 9, 2022

2 hours ago, Ado Annie said:

I think younger people don't understand how frightened parents were for their children during the polio outbreaks before the vaccine. This "information age" is a mixed blessing because it is also a "disinformation age" and people have a hard time deciding what is more credible. Well, no, maybe they have an *easy* time deciding, but they decide incorrectly! And I *am* glad that though we're seeing high rates of Covid transmission, we don't see as many critically ill people. I hope that continues.

Totally agree, and well put, Ado!

And, we have all done some sort of med mixup, especially w/family and when we're tired and distracted, etc. NO ONE is distracted at home, eh??? Cut yourself some slack. It got done. ?

Quiet day today, I read. The book I'm reading (The Map That Changed the World) is about William Smith, the first person to identify and map stratigraphy among the geology of England/Scotland/Wales. The reading is going slowly, as I stop frequently to look something up. The author, Simon Winchester, is the master of minutiae -- which I find intriguing, but again, I feel the need to look things up! Another book of his, Krakatoa, is immensely interesting to me (I plan on reading it again as soon as I finish the present book)! He presents related technological developments and cultural shifts and interests happening at the time, that all combine with the event itself to influence the event and its aftermath.

We just finished the Jamkazam jam.

I have had an itchy inside border of one of my eyes for the past two days. I thought it was pink eye (ugh!) but decided it isn't, as it is not progressing as pink eye usually does. I put some Tacrolimus ointment (made for eyelids) on the eyelid and on the skin below the eye. Seems to be slowly improving. It's just irritating to try to sleep when all I want to do is SCRATCH that eye!

92 degrees was our high today, humidity 27%. Predicted 99 degrees by Sunday. Plenty of sunshine (if anyone would send us rain, it would be greatly appreciated!).

Have a good evening!

No Stars In My Eyes · Jul 9, 2022

We had a bunch of thunderstorms with LOTS and LOTS of lightning, and several rounds of tremendously hard downpours. Wondered if it would start hailing, but it did not.The temperature was lovely, the rain was pounding the humidity and pollen out of the air. We sat on the porch for about an hour just watching and enjoying the storm. Nannie had gone to bed early so we got to spend time just hanging out together.

The Braves won the ballgame 10-2, and action on the field was satisfactorily watchable. What's the good of having good defensive and offensive players if the pitchers are so accomplished that they don't let anybody on bases to hardly any degree, for inning after inning?

So with that tremendously deep sports/philosophical conundrum, I will leave to you to ponder the mysteries of the world.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jul 9, 2022

Understandable to mix up and forget medications. I forget that my dog needs three drops a day of one of his glaucoma medications and two drops a day of the other. Yesterday he got only two of both. Oh well.

I think the idea of working while sick is not a good thing that American workers have tended to do. It's not productive and spreads illness. I remember one flu a while ago we were required to stay out seven days. But I mostly remember people coming in to work feeling like crap and coughing and carrying on. I can understand that when people feel good but tested positive that they are frustrated not being able to work.

My friends in Alaska decided to stay in Seattle and fly home Tuesday instead of today if they test negative. I told they still might test positive but will be okay to fly if they have waited 10 days. The cruise has given them some guidelines so I'll stay out of it.

I know when we have covid, we wait five days and come back to work without testing.

Editorial Team / Admin · Jul 9, 2022

May test positive for 3 months after, so best to isolate/confine for the length of time recommended and then lift it if asymptomatic

nursej22, MSN, RN · Jul 9, 2022

In the state of Washington, we are advised to isolate for 5 days, and if your symptoms are better and you are fever free, you can go out if wearing a well-fitting mask, ie, an N95. But employers and others can have more stringent policies. PCR tests can stay positive for 90 days, but the home antigen tests convert pretty much with symptom resolution. My dd and her brother both had to negative home tests before going back to work. I was able to just wear a mask. And I work for the local health department.

Ado Annie, ASN, RN · Jul 10, 2022

I explored the CDC, CMS, and OSHA guidelines pretty thoroughly to determine what we should do at the hospital. We can return 5 days after symptom onset as long as no fever for 24 hours, with no fever-reducing meds, and other symptoms improving. The guidelines say to use "source control" (a mask) for another 5 days. Since we should be masking anyway (except in office areas) I figure we're good with that.