Long night/week HELP!!!!!

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I have seen alot of long vents on this site, but foolishly never thought I'd be one of them. Starting last Friday night, I bit into a piece of pizza and broke my tooth. Pain wasn't too bad, went to work, it started of ok. I get this phone call from a new mom, I actually helped deliver her baby, I work in a rural facility. She calls and says her baby is fussy and not eating well, I give our 1-800 nurse # as we are not allowed to give out any advice, which is a good thing. She calls the 1-800 # and tells the nurse her baby's story and the nurse tells her to bring the baby in. Mom phones me back and tells me about what the 1-800 nurse says and I agreed. Mom asked what time the Dr. on-call would be in, in the a.m, and I told her to call between 8&9 to see what time the Dr would be in on Saturday a.m. Mom said what can the Dr really do tonight and I said I would assess the baby and call him and see what went on from there. Turns out mom never came on Sat a.m. but calls evening nurse to ask him some of the same questions. He also tell her to call the 1-800 nurse and if she was really concerned to bring in baby,suprise,suprise, she never showed up until Sunday afternoon at 1250 with a SIDS? baby maybe. Fed babe at 0630, checked on it at 1240, babe blue, pulseless and apneic. Coded babe for 20 minutes to no avail. Luckily I wasn't there. This baby's grandma babysat my 2 kids for about 4 years, so its not as if I don't know these people. To say I feel horrible, sounds so lame. Last night, Tuesday night, the cops were at my house to take my statement. Itried to be as objective as possible but its hard when there is a tape recorder staring you in the face. What do I do? Do I send a card of condolence or just leave it alone. I spent the rest of Friday night looking for a dentist open on a Saturday, just hoping I could have it filled. No such luck, I found a dentist an hour and a half away, thought we could just do a root canal, when they put the metal buckle on my tooth, it crumbled and that led to a tooth being pulled. Oh! yes I am very happy. I had to call off sick Saturday night because of the dental pain. I go to work Sunday at 2300 and learn of the baby's death and I am devastated to say the least. I barely got through Sunday night. Monday night fared no better. I had a new mat that took an hour and a half to deliver the placenta, had an epidural and also IV Fentanyl, think how that 9lb baby was. Glucometer on babe was low, wouldn't feed ? Low blood sugar vs Fentanyl. Tried everything we could to wake babe up, cup-fed it, mom tried to breastfeed to no avail. Left that one for day shift. Same night had a brittle diabetic with a black middle toe, crazy as a loon, blood sugar ok, pt was kind of goofy, but we got him resettled. Come back Monday night, I know I am crazy, and find out my goofy guy died at 0900, luckily his wife was with him and came out and told day staff he had passed away. So shocked over that one, NEVER saw it coming. Monday night, new admission from days, liver failure, chirrosis, ascites, etc. Get an ambulance call: 50 Y/O with chest pain, turns out she is a frequent flier that has had a fight woth her brother about X-mas, has been smoking alot with a patch on. Can you say dumb? PMH: of a HEART ATTACK a year ago. Back to my liver pt, @0120 he pukes up coffee ground emesis. I got an order for P.O ranitidine (Zantac) and start Protonix P.O. in am. Give him stuff as ordered and next thing I know he pukes up some more. We had him on his side, with an emesis pan, HE ASPIRATES, O2 sats are roughly 64%. God help me! Phone the doc and tell hom to get his butt down here. He came and poured out orders, left right and centre, keeping up dwith 02 sats of 84% on 10L non-rebreather. My co-worker draws up 10mg of Morphine in a 1cc syringe and I give to the Dr. AND HE PROCEEDS TO GIVE THE WHOLE THING, I told him the dose. Needless to say Narcan was the next order. That guy was a 1 to 1 the whole night, I had to call in someone extra after my 3-11 staffer decided he was tired. I don't blame him i was tired at this point too. Some how we got through the night. As much as I hated to even see my place of work again, Tuesday night rolls along and I go to work. We have 1 LPN and 1R.N. (that's me). We were busy, my liver failure guy made through the day and we have 16 pt's. My Lpn cannot give meds or check charts, she is there to answer bells, etc. I have 1 patient with blood running, luckily have an automatic B/P cuff. @0410, I have a mom call me, thinking her son has appendicitis, they arrive @0420. I assess the kid, he is 17. He has + rebound to RLQ, walking hunched over etc. I called idiot on call resident2 ( thinks he is the closest thing to GOD) TO my stupidity I started an I.V. and drew some labs. (The nerve of me thinking) He got there, and before he daw the kid, Isaid "I started an IV and drew some labs, do you want me to call lab). Don't forget I am rural, we don't have X-ray and lab 24/7, we have to call them on off hours. He says to me "what am I doing here if lab hasn't been called." At which I called in lab. GOD goes to assess kid and decided he has a hot appy and I can't do things fast enough. Call EMS, because the kid has to go th;o the city for a surgical consult. Where is the Lab? Get ahold of the Children's Hospital. Give Morphine 5 and Gravol 25 mg, can't you move any faster. I got It all done and was ready to scream at the end of my shift. I came home, gave my kids an extra special big hug and came down to talk to you guys. Sorry for bending your ear off for so long, but I had to get it all off my chest before the dam burst and it affected my patient care. Thank you all for listening.

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OMG! You deserve to vent after all that. I must give props to you. Sounds scary! Then it only gets worse. So, let me see. On Tuesday you had 16 pts. with 1 RN & 1 LVN who cannot pass meds or chart, AND you were over ER & OB & everything else?

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Specializes in Home Health Care,LTC.

My hat is off to you. Sounds to me like you did the best you could do in that type of situation. Relax get a good nights sleep and hope the rest of your week goes better. You are in my prayers.

Angelia

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Golly - I should think you should just be happy you lived through this entire mess. Gee whiz - you have my sincere sympathy! Hopefully next week will be better.

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Whoa Shearernurse...my blood pressure started to rise just READING your post! No way could I have handled what you did. I will be thinking of you and wishing you some quiet evenings.

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You deserve a big pat on the back and danger pay.

But can you explain why you have an LPN in Alberta in Active Treatment that can't do meds?? I worked Active Treatment in Northern Alberta and the only meds forbidden was IV! Is it ur facility policy or ????

Why can't she chart? Even NA's in LTC chart.

I think ur worksite needs to review its scope of practice for LPNS!!!

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Specializes in Home Health Care,LTC.
You deserve a big pat on the back and danger pay.

But can you explain why you have an LPN in Alberta in Active Treatment that can't do meds?? I worked Active Treatment in Northern Alberta and the only meds forbidden was IV! Is it ur facility policy or ????

Why can't she chart? Even NA's in LTC chart.

I think ur worksite needs to review its scope of practice for LPNS!!!

Not sure but I think she meant b/c they only had the 1 LPN and 1 RN (her) no aide to answer the call bells. Can't answer bells and pass meds at the same time. Not sure so don't " " me.

Angelia

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Gee, we take so much for granted here in the big city. Kudos to you!

Vent all you want to, you've earned it.

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I am thinking of taking a rural position and after reading that, may pass.

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Specializes in Infusion, Oncology, Home Care, Med/Surg.

Wow! What a week of hell! You are trully a "SUPERNURSE". You deserve a nice vacation after all this!

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Specializes in Renal, Haemo and Peritoneal.

I've had some horror shifts (rural and remote) but yours takes the cake! All I can *** is that the patients were lucky you were on duty!

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Sorry you had such a bad time. Hats off to you for keeping it together so well. That doc should have been happy you had started the IV...........some wouldn't have gotten that far! Just know you are appreciated even if you aren't told! I will be thinking of you!

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