Increasing anxiety before work

[Sirapples]

Hey all, this is a topic that is a little unusual for me. I enjoy the anonymity of the internet for it.

Ive been in the healthcare field for over 15 years. A cna for approx. 5 years before I became an rn, at a lock down dementia unit.

My career spans the gambit. I was a ortho/tele nurse, Ive done agency where I was thrown into some absolutely ridiculous circumstances. I then went and became an icu nurse for almost 4 years and got bored of that. Then went to the er where I loved it. Ive been an er nurse for maybe 7 years?

But I don't have it anymore. I used to jump into the middle of the **** so to speak if I had downtime. I would grab the busy patients. I loved it. My icu background was invaluable when it came to intubating patients, titrating drips and just generally keeping people alive. Other nurses loved working with me because I always kept my cool and I was always able to help. My charge nurse would slam me and I would beable to just get it done.

But I am finding myself increasingly anxious. I left my old ed to work at a one that wasn't as busy and told myself it was because it paid more.

And even here... while I work I find myself anxious. I had a little old lady today who fell.. stable as can be.. and I was sweating while I took care of her. It hit me when she said... dear.. am I making you nervous? I wasn't even busy.

Ive never been told that in my life. This is a patient I can take care of 100 of. I don't know what it is, why its happening. I find myself now very nervous when a sick patient comes in. And I can take care of these people without any issues.

Once I actually take care of them, Im good. My instincts and training and experience kicks in.. and I don't feel that anxiety and I work just like I did when I would as I would say "crush my assignment". Except today. And that was when I had lady who was a fall... that simply slipped on her butt.

I think it started when one night I was working and I had a multitude of codes back to back and ended with a 3 year old asthmatic come my way and we had to intubate on the spot (went well too). And since then it has been a slow steady decline since in my own self confidence and ability to stay cool.

What are anyones thoughts on this?

Has anyone felt this way?

[oceanblue52]

I am not an ER nurse and still a new grad...but it sounds to me like you need a break. Have you taken a vacation at all? Or asked about the employee assistance program? Your anxiety could be an early sign of burn out, do you have any options for stepping away for a bit?

[amyjm333, RN]

It sounds to me like you may be having some general anxiety issues. It happens sometimes for unknown and/or unexpected reasons! Go see your primary care provider and tell him/her what's going on. I'll share my story with you:

Several years ago I lost someone very very close to me when he committed suicide. It was a rough time, but by the grace of God I got through it. Fast forward 7 years and I was in my second to last/final semester in nursing school clinical. It was psychiatric nursing, & I found myself experiencing horrible anxiety each and every time I pulled up to the clinical site. I kept thinking I was going to see someone hurt themselves in the same way my loved one had died (via hanging). It was an irrational thought and I knew it, but the chemicals in my brain wouldn't comply with my sensible thinking. I visited my PCP and he suggested I take a low dose of sertraline (and informed me that he takes it too...said he would get anxious a lot about keeping patients waiting, etc...). Well, that medicine turned out to be just what my body needed. The anxiety disappeared, my occasional insomnia completely stopped, & I have never felt more myself than I do now. So, my point is....maybe you just have something physiological going on. Go see your PCP. :)