maddynrs

--from frued's psychosexual stages of development-- phallic stage: "sensitivity is now concentrated in the genitals, and masturbation (in both sexes) becomes a new source of pleasure. the child becomes aware of anatomical sex differences (phallic comes from the greek word meaning member), which marks the beginning of the oedipus complex in males and the electra complex [color=#f2e6ff]in females. both boys and girls experience conflicting emotions relation to there same, and opposite sex parents. how successfully these are resolved is crucial for future personality development. it is through the resolution of the [color=#ffffcc]oedipus complex that a child’s superego and sex role are acquired" i've seen the same in young kiddos. they seek pleasure especially in instances of stress. erikson called it initiative vs guilt begins to initiate, not imitate, activities; develops conscience and sexual identity i don't think there is necessarily any malice or deviance in the behavior when it's a small child, except where other symptoms are present. i.e. night terrors, distance from strangers with fear, clinginess to parents or other trusted figures, physical signs such as abrasions or tearing in the genital area. or like the last poster said, uti possibilty. the age and area that i grew up in would automatically make me think of something sinister like molestation, because otherwise, why would a baby know how to masturbate. but that's not always the case. it's a natural thing for them. they don't know any of the stigmas placed on it yet. they've found something that gives them a different feeling so they run with it and even do it in their sleep. hope that helps. m.

I have had family members who were the kindest people and only wanted to do what was best for the pt. They were great with the staff, obeyed all ICU policies concerning the visitations and helped with the pt care when I was out of the room with the other pt. ... Those were the good days. My worst day with a patient family member was a drug seeking pt who's family member only wanted her to quit whining. At every turn he was asking for her pain medication and once even questioned that I gave the medication when I gave it right in front of his face and still had the empty syringe in one hand and the iv line in the other. He ARGUED that I didn't give the medication. We were the only two people in the room besides the patient and I had no witnesses but him. I politely told him that I just gave the medication and any further administration would be a detriment to the pt's health. He proceeded to become angry with me as I told him I needed him to leave the room if he would continue to interfere with his family member's care. I was of course, subsequently reported to my supervisor for not bowing to the almighty righteousness of the family member. Fortunately, my supervisor is a fair and good boss so he backed me up. The point is, we have no real control over what is said and done by the family member where the pt is concerned. Yes, we hold the care of the pt literally in our hands, and yes we have the right to ask the family to give us some privacy, but when it all boils down to it, they have more rights because they are family. I will concede that family should be allowed to be with the pt for benefit of care and healing. I think it progresses the pt's recovery to have a familiar loving face involved in the care. But not when the family member will try to interfere with good care and try to supercede the duties and authority of the primary nurse. We have set visiting hours for a reason. Sometimes we need a break too. m.

I agree with Zashagalka. The ICU psychosis thing is verrry prevalent in my unit. I see elderly and sometimes not-so-elderly patients totally out of their minds with confusion and insistent upon going about their normal daily rituals in the middle of their rooms with feces running down their legs and total delerium in their eyes. It's not a pretty sight for the family or the nurses. Fortunately, I've also seen people come out of this state with no signs of residual damage or confusion. A lot of it does have to do with the meds, but mostlyj it's the change in routine and the chemicals that our bodies produce. So Bravo to you for a very enlightened answer Kash, as I have also learned more in this posting. Hope your father gets back to normal soon SugarBear. M.

At least you guys can call in sick without repercussions. At my hospital, if you call in sick more than 3 times in a six month period and don't have a doctor's note, you get written up. It's rediculous! I mean, we work with SICK PEOPLE! We are not super human. Yes, I understand that they may be short staffed and they may need more people to be put out by coming in on an off day, but Jeez! Do you want us to give our possibly contagious illnesses to already immunocompromised patients? Can you say Nosocomial Infection???? I work in a CCU and the patients there are usually VERY ill, hence the term... CRITICAL care unit. My boss gives me hell every time I try to call in sick, which has only been 2 x's in the whole year and a few months that I've worked there. Sorry, had to vent on this one. Hit a nerve. m.

I've heard a lot of people rave about Dansko. Only problem is, I haven't seen a "wide foot" line. I have very high arches and kind of wide feet and I can't find a nursing shoe that fits without having TONS of pain from Plantar Faciitis. I recently bought from a website of C and C Sweden. I got the clogs and had to have them stretched. They were a great wear other than the pain at the top of my foot from the high arch issue. Now I'm back to Sketchers. Not bad honestly. Have to wear a sole insert tho. I honestly dont' think there is such a thing as the perfect nursing shoe. It's going to be whatever works for you and that's all I can give as advice. :> Have a good day

I also did nursing school and work full time. It's rough. Of course, I wasn't married. (Still not unfortunately.) But I do believe that if your husband really loves you and supports you, he would be more understanding that you've finally reached your dream. He wouldn't be off with his "girlfriends" all the time. You and he may want to think about marriage counseling before ending it all together, but I wonder where his priorities lie. I mean, you did this not only for yourself, but I'm sure to help out with the finances at home. Now he doesn't have to worry about making the bills every month because you'll ALWAYS have a job unless you choose not to. Maybe it's true that he does feel a bit more insecure that you don't depend on him in every waking moment of the day now, but he needs to get over that quickly if that's true. A marraige (sp?) is about compromise (or so I hear) and you guys have to work it out with what both of you are willing to give and receive from this beneficial change in your lives. Yes, he may have felt neglected while you were off at school or at work, but now is the time to fill that hole in the relationship. You will no longer have to be away from him for so long unless you choose to work extra hours. I think maybe a few more months of "trying it out" might help. But hey, that's just the advice of a 28 yr old single woman. lol. I'm not in your life, but I really hope it works out for you. :> m.

:uhoh21: Hmmm.... truth... or fiction...:angryfire vhat to do, vhat to do? Ok, when I was a kid, I didn't even know there was such a thing as college. True story! I was among the less fortunate and poor. Thankfully, my mom found a way out of that funk into a better one. *non funky*. She decided to go to college. Ding! What an IDEA!! Of course from that moment on I was enamored with the thought of school after school...ya have to understand, I was a bit of a nerd then. :studyowl: ( I love smileys). So yeah, back to the "why I became a nurse thing". I decided that I needed a career path and waitressing was just not cutting it with the money. I got really into sciences in high school. Biology became my most encourageable passion. So when I was finally able to go to college ("the promised land") of course I blew it. :trout: ... Long story... too long for here... (like this one isn't, right???) A few years later, I got the opportunity to finally attend nursing school. I developed not only a passion for science, but also one for medicine (the study, not the drugs! lol). I graduated nursing school with honors one year ago this week. I finished my internship in the Adult Critical Care area last October and I've had a pretty good start out. I'm still a little scared, hell, alot scared. I love this job and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. We get to help people in pain and illness everyday and we get to make a difference in their lives. I don't think Pizza Hut can top that one! WOW, that was long winded. Lol. So yeah, love nursing, bumps and bruises along the way, but hey, I'm here and I'm finally doing it. Thanks for letting me be part of a really great family. Sincerely, M.

I know as a nurse I would actually like to see my chart and what the doc's write about me concerning my progress. I agree that the pt should have a right to review the medical documents, but there must be a way of doing it that will not compromise the integrity or safety of the site at hand. i.e. the primary nurse should not be expected to "drop everything" and sit in the room while the pt reads the chart like the sunday paper. The nurse has WAY more important things to accomplish in her/his day. I know I sure do. I believe, at my facility, the process is that you have to go through medical records and if you want the info there and now, you have to have an MD available to speak with you about the issues at hand. I think it's more of a safety net for the hospital, but still, I think it's a viable option. Just my opinion. P.S. by the way, I'm a newbie. Can you tell? m.