General E. Speaking, RN

My childhood friend died a few weeks ago, she was 44. My friend with cancer is a fellow nurse friend that I used to work with. He is 30 and is angry w/ God. making a bucket list, etc... Thanks for the advice. We are either see each other almost everyday and if not, speak a few times throughout the day.

Saw on the news that they are considering putting advertisements on the side of school buses. Hope the hospital administrators don't catch wind of this. Before you know it, we will be wearing "Coca Cola" logos on the back of our scrubs. "Goodyear Tires" down one pant leg and "Kotex maxi pads" down the other. I can see it going even further: How about describing product merchandise before we use it. Standing up straight in presentation mode while lovingly holding the product. "This lovely soft under garment is made of 100% blah, blah, blah and can be yours for the low price of $12.99/dz"

Thanks for the advice. Loosing my uncle suddenly, then another friend who was only 44 a short time ago and learning of his cancer has been quite a blow. One thing that bothers me right now is he is very angry at God. I am praying that he will get closer to God when his time ends.

My friend, a fellow RN, has been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. He is 30 yrs old and has been given 3-5 mos to live. He has already been set up with hospice. We are all pretty shocked. He had an orthopedic injury so finding the pancreatic cancer was by accident. He has been making a "bucket list" and has been para-sailing and we have plans to skyjump. He is going to get a hefty amount of money from a settlement. I am praying that he gets this money as expected so he has time to travel and enjoy what time he has left. He tells me that this isn't the time for tears and he wants to just have fun. Dh and I have been spending a lot of time with him and his girlfriend (she is a RN too). I try to hold my tears around him. Sometimes we all get a little teary-eyed and quiet but for the most part we try to relax and laugh, play games when together. We hug frequently and tell each other "I love you" often. I have never been in this situation. I have never been told by someone, "I am dying. I can't believe it" I am trying not to be a slobbering crying mess around him (but it is hard). Any insight into my situation will be appreciated. Anything else I should be doing? or saying? not saying? Thanks.

This thread is like a tennis match- back and forth- yes and no. Just wondering if it is a violation...

Was it a 4,000ml Foley bag? I had to fight with my hospital to get them. Before them, I had a pt on CBI and he was bleeding heavily requiring the irrigation to go very fast. He was scheduled to go back into surgery soon. Seemed like I was emptying the bag every 10 minutes. I got busy in another room and by the time I got back to the pt his Foley bag looked like a big fat cherry that was about to explode. The 4,000ml bags help tremendously.

My supervisor calls some of us "sweetheart". I don't mind because it isn't said sarcastically or in an evil tone. She means it as an endearment. "Can you please work tomorrow instead of Thursday?" "You can? Thank you, sweetheart! I really appreciate you". Maybe it is a southern thing.

FYI: This is an old old thread.

I do NOT understand at all. This is one of those stupid ideas that a pen pusher decided. Somebody please explain to me? They think more satisfied = better outcomes? How about this... lower nurse patient rations= better outcomes and decreased mortality Why isn't this the target? Because it costs more money...I suspect.

Okay, take a deep breath. I will try and give you some hints in the right direction. Look up Cipro and see if there are any contraindications to giving it to the elderly, see whether the dose is appropriate for a UTI. As far as the teaching plan, look up how to administer the vaginal cream and write it out in layman's terms so the daughter can understand. As far as the output. What the normal amount of urine output/hr? Usually ?__/hr. She had 140ml/8 hrs. Is it too low? Or high? She had a CMP that was WNL. What does a CMP tell you about kidney function? As for the tech: you need to explain the need for gloves and not contaminating the catheter bag. The urinary system is considered sterile and infection can creep up the tube so best to try and keep it sterile as possible. She already has a UTI- don't want to make it worse. As for discharge teaching: she was admitted for UTI. Look up ways to teach how to prevent, recognize symptoms. How does having diarrhea and being incontinent increase the chance for UTI?

Job A. Get ER experience then transfer to NICU later.

Seems doable. Once you have some of your ideas/teaching plan in place, you might be able to get a little more feedback from us. You will not learn if we do your homework for you. Get your books out! Good luck

(bumping this thread hoping to get more posts)

Sorry to hijack thread but this is a very good point. Usually, the ones that are jerks when you call will be the ones to throw you under the bus in court when you decide not to call because the last time he screamed at you. His defense? "no one called me".

...you're old? (sorry, I couldn't help it)