dragonflyaltoids

LOL.... I thought I was the only one with this trick! Traditionally my family always gets together in the evening while my in laws get together for the noon meal. It didn't take but one holiday for me to learn that my mother in law was no paula dean in the kitchen! From that day on, I provided the Turkey, dressing, sides, and the pies, even if I wasn't going to be there ( I can't have my husband coming home with food poisioning) And, I get off the hook with working the good old 7a-3 or 7p shift! I'm such a lucky girl! My brother and sister also work in healthcare so we all manage to try work the same holidays but I never go to inlaws "accidentally" signing up at work.

Today when my 91 y/o DNR pt lay gasping with air hunger and his wife of 66 years asked me and the night shift nurse while we were in bedside report if we thought it was possible to let her sleep in the bed with him, and at the same time I said "absolutely" while the other nurse said "I don't know" and I looked at that nurse and said we'll just scoot him over and as long you don't mind us waking you up every so often we come in and turn him, and she said I don't mind at all, but we've been together 66 years and never slept apart and I don't want to start now, When we left the room, I told the other nurse they don't have many more nights together, if this brings her some comfort, let's give them this, we got it cleared with the charge nurse and all the staff left smiling- knowing that we were doing something unusual for us, and great for a family with just a little time left intact. It was a very nice feeling!

Childhood dream - English Teacher Realistically - Master's in Healthcare with a minor in IT so I can get the HELL away from these annoying A$$ patients and their needy families, ( only the ones with IMAGINED sickness,(the really sick ones don't bother me one whip) you know the ones-census was low so we admitted them for dehydration and low K and it was 3.3- I mean come on, REALLY?-- I had 2 of those last week-- According to the families they were ready to be in ICU :) )

Ugh, I know I need to but I hate explaining why I want to see the doctor, BECAUSE--1. I held my pee at work for 13 hours yesterday and now I can't go--at all 2. I had a really bad day and I'm scared I'm headed for a nervous breakdown no, I don't need antidepressants- besides they take 6 weeks to work I want something that works NOW 3. I think my prescription for migraines ran out and I feel one coming on with all this explaining. oh, you can't get me in today but I can see the NP? But I don't LIKE her! Oh just forget it, I'll go to the walk in, and get a massage!

I have rheumatoid arthritis with permanent joint damage in my knees, I went to an orthopedic shoe shop and I recommend it to you as well, there are shoes specific to the problem where on your foot your pain is i.e. tarsal, heel, arch, etc. and they work with you to help you to find the right shoe for your body. I have two custom pairs- a birkenstock with the factory insert and another insert to help with knee pain, and a shoe call Finn comfort which I love but cost almost 250! but!! I've had them 3 years and only had them resoled once cost me 60 and the shop paid to ship them and while they were there they put new insole in them so total cost was about 100 for a new shoe! And I have gotten my money outta those shoes! My other advice is I work 3 12's in my pay period but I work 2 then off 1 just for a rest, not so much physically but my mental health gets worn down after 3 days in a row, Best of luck to you, take good care of your feet!

I think we need more information is she diabetic? able to walk? whats her medical history? I work in a long term acute care hospital we get patients like this every day, they stay an average of 21 days, and get b.i.d dressing changes, with iv antibiotics consulted with infectious disease so usually its 2 different antibiotics 1 iv 1 po , we also have rehab that sees the pt usually 3 times weekly, so without her history its hard to determine, perianal abscesses are the longest healing wounds sometimes taking up to 12 weeks to heal and smelling like forgive me but-god awful, they require

I did this then realized I hadn't opened my tubing to run, until 20 minutes later, ooops! Well, I learn from mistakes! Glad it didn't hurt the patient!

hate to rain on everyone's parade and yes call lights have frustrated me too.......and yes there are those patients that do abuse the light but, I have found that the overall majority have a deeper issue like fear......that has them ringing. Some patients feel frightened during shift change.....they fear no one will hear them when the nurses are in report. All patients day or night know when shift change has arrived due to the noise level of the on comming and off going shift. Hence the call light cue......I used to make last rounds, usually with an CNA, and ask if anyone needed, water, bedpan, pain med, blanket whatever....... and tell them where I was going and how long I would be gone. They seemed comforted.......they knew where I was if they needed anything and assured them that the CNA's knew we were in report and will hear them. I know the off going **** is trying to get the heck outta there and get work done, but remember those patients are frightened, alone, and in pain. Now, when that is not enough I set limits........I have told a patient that would put the call button on (on purpose) when you were still in the room because he needed something else.......I will come back every 15 min to check on you.......put your call light on only if you can breathe, have chest pain ect..........I understand you have needs and may be frightened but you are making it impossible to anything else to get done....if this is not enough we can provide your family with a list of private duty personel..........It stinks at first because it is a real pain in the a-- but eventually I lengthen the time between and when they know I am good to my word........you build their trust they seem to behave......worst case senario I have made the patinet a constant observation just to save everyone's sanity! Gosh--I thought this was a place for nurses by nurses, we're supposed to support one another, and should also recognize when a thread is started in jest and humor, no one intended this to get anyone on their soap box! OR to make patients sit in pain or crap the bed, give it a break we we're blowing off some steam Ms. high and mighty

I worked as a tech on a Cardiac Step down unit for 2 years while I was in nursing school, it taught me A LOT about teamwork, and when the CNA's or the extern's or the PCT's are out for any reason, I feel it, and so do the patients! I don't mean in the way of not getting the bed made or getting a bath, I do as much of that as I can, but the tech's are WAY better and believe me- the patients are not shy about telling me, the patients also love the time and attention they get from the CNA/tech (lets use it interchangeablely here, ok?) that some of them don't get from me, I see them every 2 hours but I don't get to spend good quality time with each and every one of them, unfortunately. Being a tech prior to graduation made me appreciate my job THAT much more, but it makes me appreciate my associates as well, because in all honesty they really do make or break my day! When we're having a particularly stressful day I like going to the cafeteria with them and paying for their lunch without them knowing, or stopping at the store on the way in to work and stocking up on chocolate candy bars (only for the tech's- none for the nurses) because I want them to know that I appreciate them, and its not much, but a little bite a chocolate after a bad patient can make the day better! And - they are so appreciative, and sweet and they don't expect every day and this is why I love working with great CNA's!

I was diagnosed at 22, after having my wisdom teeth out, I am now 31. After years of methotrexate and prednisone I am happy to say I am in remission and have been for the past 4 years. Currently my medications are Topamax 200 mg, Something about it helps with my pain from the RA so if you have joint pain- you can check into it or neurotin adderall 15 bid ( on working days) Buspar 15 mg twice day then 10 mg once a day I've been a nurse since 2007, was a hairstylist before then, only problem I've had is knee pain bilaterally but the topamax is for my knees, I was taking tramadol and I got tired of being dependant on pain pills, and didn't want to be a drug seeker, and the topamax worked better than anything I've ever tried and it didn't give me headaches! My sister is a Physical Therapist and she got diagnosed in 2008 after a dental surgery as well, she also works in a hospital she's on plaquenil, methotrexate, and prednisone. The best part about working in healthcare is that after about 6 months to a year you build up such an immune system, that nothing seems to phase you! My Advice- Get you a really Really good pair of shoes, and I'm not talking a pair of Nikes, I mean go to a orthotic shoe store with about 300 hundred dollars, (this is after you've worked 3 12 hour shifts- and you've gotten your tax return or some christmas money 'cause its expensive) and tell them where your feet hurt, or knees, or back, and these shoe people know bodies, because they have you try on numerous pairs of shoes and they are so worth it--- and the best part is usually you only have to replace the insoles when they wear out, so you only intially have to shell out the expensive part once- the insoles are about 60-70 and if you wear the heals down- (mine had to be shipped to switzerland to be resoled ) for free! Just pay shipping and handling 24.95 So really its all worth it! And since they are orthotic shoes, they're tax deductible-sounds even better, right? Nothing is better than good comfy scrubs, for quality nothing beats the greys anatomy scrubs, I wish you all the best, Good Luck

Hi there! I've Had ADD for years although I've had the WORST time getting it diagnosed, my symptoms are pretty atypical- I get frustrated pretty easily (at work) with my co-workers and I have a pretty short temper. I can't focus on one thing at a time, to study I have to have complete silence, I can only do it on Sunday, it had to be after 12 noon, I would start the mop water forget the water was running walk away and thirty minutes return to the kitchen and the counter would be 12 inches under water (the husband was NOT happy, floors were clean though) It takes me FOREVER to get anything done ( I feel like) although I seem to get it all done in 12 hours, I'm a little type A and super organized (only at work) which I guess is how I've coped all these years without medications. I recently started on Adderall and Buspar and it was like a light switch was flipped off inside my head-- No more short temper for me (no sirreeBOB!!) I still have my report sheet with the checklist with the boxes of things checked as they are done, but the frustration and anger are improving because I feel like I am in control and I guess that is what I was lacking before. I just couldn't get my butt in gear or figure out where to start and that made it so hard for me, I went from working in the Emergency Room where it was so easy for me you just did it constant movement it just flowed to working in long term acute care, its a hospital slash nursing home enviroment and I just don't know where to start my days. I've been there for 9 months I should know where to start my days, and If I can't get my 10 page per patient charting over by 0930 I am so flustered I don't know what to do with myself! But the adderall is helping and so is having the psychiatrist to talk to. I am going to talk to the EAP Employee Assistance Person through work on Monday so maybe I can get some additional stress management counseling since I find the enviroment to be hectic! Whatever helps!

Do tell your job, Tell your Human Resource person, they have you disclose the medication that you are taking on a sheet of paper so that if you are random drug tested and you test postive for amphetamines then you bring in the prescription and they call the doctor to verify that it was prescribed for you, it isn't considered working under the influence. I take 20 mg of short acting adderall in the morning to help combat the rage, anger, and problems with focusing, assessments, charting, morning med pass, tube feedings, etc along with 15 mg of buspar ( I don't know what its supposed to do?) then around lunch I take 15 mg of adderall to get me through the rest of the day,afternoon med pass, afternoon tube feeds, back to bed with all the patients, chart checks, procedures, etc. Maybe you won't need such a big dose, on days that I don't work I don't take any or only 5 mg twice a day, going to see the dr next week so I am going to ask him if I can increase it on days when I feel it is more hectic for me and decreasing on days when it is less hectic for me, and doesn't require as much focus, I can't handle phones, o2 sat machines, feeding pumps, iv pumps, scd machines, you get the idea--- they make me batty!! I need ear plugs! Good luck dear!

I sign my legal name on my documentation but I have my nickname on my badge which is funny because our badges have our first and last names on them, my first and last name on my badge is not the name I go by in my "real life" so if someone we're looking for me they'd have a hard time trying to find me, lol but it also makes it hard because the system at work has me under my legal name so when I call to see where I'm placed I have to remember to use my legal name which I'm not used to doing...

To all the CNA's and PCT's that I work with on a daily basis that I forget to tell thank you for all your hard work, THANK YOU! I appreciate all the extra's that you do, the time that you spend with my patients, the reminders that you give me to turn the patient in room 212, the nudges you give me to get room 232 out of bed, the wink you give when you have room 240 in the hallway with her walker and her oxygen tank, and her wheelchair, I can't tell you how invaluable that I find you "auntie" when my patient gets the wrong tray and you take the initiative and call to get her the correct one and I don't even know about it until its delivered! What would I do without,not only you but ALL the great CNA's I work with? I don't want you to think that I go one minute, or a single day taking you or your hard work for granted- because I don't! Your work is hard, its unforgiving, its thoughtless, and thankless, but I want you to know, because you and the other CNA's at our hospital come to work everyday and you make my job possible, because of you guys YOU make it possible for US as a TEAM to get OUR patients home where they belong with their families. And I thank you for that, and I cannot thank you enough, so I owe you one, a candy bar, a soda, lunch, a drink, whatever you want its on me. I love my :redbeathe CNA's and I appreciate you guys! And I Promise I will ALWAYS get off my butt to help you clean an incontinent patient,bathe,shower,or to reposition an obese patient, and to get someone out of bed, because they're our patients not mine, not yours, OURS and we're a TEAM. :redpinkhe And I issue a challenge to all the other nurses out there to thank their cna's and tech's, and pitch in to help them and remember it makes the job get done faster when two people do it! And the patient feels special!

I come with 2 years of ED experience and 1 year of neuro experience for me, the 6 :1 neuro ratio is very frustrating the constant it feels almost like babysitting the closed head injuries with trachs that are in traction and halo's that need 100% adl's and have to get out of bed daily and the little old lady with the cva that has right sided hemiparesis whose family thinks she's going to be 100% her old self is very frustrating! Give me the trauma any day! I love the people I work with and the day shifts, and seeing most of them get well, but some of alas, go meet GOD in heaven but its their time, we just prolong it so they may have a few more weeks with their families and that's all they want, and that is enough for me. I ask them when they get there, what is your goal Mr. So and So.. Do you want to Walk? Eat regular food? Get out of Bed? Breathe without oxygen? I will do my best to help you achieve one babystep a day, and day by day we will get there! Some say I just want to take a shower its been 32 days since I've had a real shower, and in that case, I go get respiratory, a portable vent, crank the heater in the room, turn the shower on in the big shower room, get the shower bed, put on my extra scrubs, grab the tech, and the three of us, the tech, rt, me, and the pt, go and shower the patient, hey if its the last thing the patient wants while they're alive, I'm going to give it to him! I had one patient going home with hospice, he found out I used to be a hairstylist and he kidded about needing his haircut, I had my scissors in the car, my boss still doesn't know but I brought them in, threw a sheet on the ground and trimmed him up 2 days up before he went home! His wife was so happy! I love my patients, its little things like having the TIME to do NICE things that make the JOB rewarding... I just wish I had more of it. *sigh* Thanks for listening to my rambling...