All the hoopla and talk about how the presidency ages a person. I would like to know how the field of nursing ages a person. I feel like I'm 90. I have gray hair now at the age of 36 almost 37.
My back kills me from all the strain and pulling up patients by myself with no help whatsoever, standing long hours in surgery when I used to assist and leaning over retracting, and all the other back breaking tasks that we do. My knees and hips from the miles and miles and miles that I walk every night. THe intense stress and worry that never leaves your mind even after you go home for several days off. They long hours and no breaks, the terrible hours and the missing out on all the family activites, never having time for family or friends or hobbies.
The insurmountable stress that this profession brings on a person. My parents and grandparents were not gray haired until after 60. My grandma was a first grade school teacher in the 1930's and she didn't turn gray until she was in her 80s and she's still not all that gray really. Her health is just unbelievable!
I suppose in some respects you may be correct. For myself I see the physcial job of nursing as having kept me younger. There are things physcially that I am able to do that my counterparts/peers who have less physcial jobs are unable to do any longer. I also feel it helps keep our minds sharper for longer. I am a believer in the use it or lose it theory.
i love your perspective, lpn.
while many of us begrudge the wear and tear of our bodies and minds, you point out how it keeps us sharp and strong.
very refreshing, and thank you!
and while i think of it, despite my pains, i do have killer biceps.:chuckle
Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.
My husband works in the Neuro ICU at Harborview in Seattle. They have a lift team there. They lift and turn patients. This team has been great because it has greatly reduced back injuries and thus workman's comp payments. The salaries they pay the lift team staff are more than made up by preventing lost work time for others due to back injury. The lift team also transport patients from place to place. With people becoming more overweight, it is going to get more difficult for all of us.
We all do get tired I think, for many reasons. I am 54 and I am a bit overweight but for the most part I feel ok. I think one of the reasons that I do as well as I do is because I have my depression well under control by medication and limiting my work hours. I am lucky that I only have to work part time. My stress level, for the most part is very limited. And I am usually able to leave work at work after I clock out. I have a good working environment and a great manager. All these things really help control stress. I have plenty of relaxation time. I have no children, just a husband. I feel very blessed.
I have spent the better part of my life doing police work and hard labor jobs contstruction ditch digging etc. So Far I find nursing to be a pleasant brake on my body! Although it is much harder on the old noggin which at this point is a nice change as well. Try to exercise stay in shape and use good body mechanics. Your body will thank you in the long run!!
I believe some aspects of aging are purely genetic. e.g.gray hair. My father grayed at an early age. My sisters and I started to gray in our early 20s. Fortunately, we can cover that up.
When I first began nursing, I felt extremely stressed at the end of the day. I found that exercising when I get home really helps me wind down. I run a LOT and then do yoga for about half and hour. I am a lacto vegetarian (transitioning to vegan).
I am grateful that I am able to be up and moving throughout the day unlike some of my friends who are sitting at a desk all day.
I can't find the specific reference right now, but there are studies that "proper body mechanics" do not prevent the typical types of injuries sustained by nurses. Much of lifting and transferring requires twisting motions which can strain muscles. And if I am right next to a bed, if I bend my knees, they hit the bed. Raise the bed? To whose benefit--me who is 5'1", or my 5'7" co-worker?
Thankfully, mechanical lifts are being mandated, but aren't always available or in working order.
I was JUST about to post the same thing - I wish I could find that reference, too. It basically said lift machines are needed, and that proper body mechanics only go so far.
lovehospital
654 Posts
But doesnt pregnancy makes you look younger?:pAnyway cuddles for you for being a vegan:)