Thunderkat

This is kinda on the same subject.... we had a rough draft policy on Pain management in our report book and we were asked to comment on it.... Mind you We are a STATE PSYCH HOSP... i work on the forensic unit.... The crimminally insane...... well, one of the directives were to provide comfort measures such as therapeutic massage and or back rubs.... well, I was floored.... I wrote my comment as follows: It would be open season on nurses, we would have spend half of our days responding to grievences and doing depositions for sexual misconduct or harrassment. In another hospital setting it would be a wonderful idea, here where I work it would be chaos. Needless to say every nurse who read my comment was greatful that I had the nerve to write it since it was a draft policy written by a doctor who does not like any thoughts other than his own.

I had dry cracked painful hands and I started using bag balm and it helped alot.... But then I found This product from of all things Mary kay.... it is silken hands..... It is a three step deal where you use a cleanser and a penetrating moisturiser and then a hand lotion and I will tell you it is wonderful, It turned my creepy rough hands into soft pretty hands.... I love it and i have it in a small tube size which I keep in my locker and I have shared it with the other nurses in my unit and they were impressed with the instant results.....I made a deal with my Mary Kay chick and she is making me little gift baskets of these so I can give them as Xmas presents..... Too Cool!! But anyway... try it you will be amazed...... I never get thrilled about anything but this stuff is totally worth it......

I cannot think of anything to say, because Silicone's reply was very well said!!!!! Tim, Welcome to the jungle. For the record, I cannot think of anything I would rather be..... I love Nursing, despite all of the ups and downs.....there are days where I would rather flip hamburgers, but then there are days where I make a difference that make me glad I am who I am

Dear Nyte nurse I feel for you. I really do. I am prolly gonna get slammed for this but..... Pain is real. I have had my share of problems with those difficult patients, but in your post you stated that the caregiver kept coming out and asking for assistance and then finally a pill, and you kept stating that you had to assess postop pts..... well, it takesa good 30 min to assess a post op pt and get a history and etc....and maybe 5 min to get a pt a pill. Even though she was difficult or a real pain in the butt, you really should have addressed her pain in a timely manner. I have to say I used to think that pain was not that big of an issue and I had other extremely important things to do like assessment, blah, blah,blah. What changed my mind is when I was hospitalized after a MVA with major trauma and I felt horrible. I had to lay with fractures to bilat hips and arms for 2 days before they could stabilize me enough to take me to surgery. The nurses would delay my pain meds and I was suffering. I begged people to kill me. Since that experience, I am the avenging angel of pain control and I make a concentrated effort to medicate my patients and keep them comfortable. I am now a forensic nurse and do not deal with physical pain too much but I have been on both sides of the coin and this is only my opinion.... from what you say.... you have been dealing with a lot of stress.... perhaps a change will do you good. I think it may be a matter of prioritizing and time management that might help.... I truly feel for you and hope I do not come across as a critical B@*#*. I hope things get better for you.... but if you feel you are in a hopeless situation, let go of this stone or you're gonna drown.... move on Good luck!!

When I bacame a nurse I was all about being a patient advocate and no matter who or what a person did or was, they deserved compassion and clinical skills as best as I could perform. When I became a correctional nurse, i felt that I did not want to know what the person did to be in prison, so it would not alter my care in a negative way.... Well that kind of thinking almost got me killed. Well, my thoughts now are that it is a matter of my personal safety. A prisoner told me I reminded him of his mother. I thanked him. He then attacked me. His crime: He had killed his mother... I looked like her. Had I read his charges and know his issues with women with red hair.... I would have taken precautions.....Correctional nursing is different. You do not pass out Stickers and Lollipops after tending to a wound. You also have to deal with medical needs VS security needs.... It is a whole diffent ballgame.