AliRae

AliRae

PICU, surgical post-op

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All Content by AliRae

  1. Mercy Ships

    AliRae replied to Zombi RN's topic in General Nursing

    Not sure if anyone's still reading this thread, but hi from the Africa Mercy, currently docked in Pointe Noire, Congo! :) I've worked with Mercy Ships for nearly 6 years now, so I can answer any...

  2. How to teach in West Africa

    AliRae posted a topic in Patient Education

    I just have to share a story from my shift the other day. As background, I live and work on a charity hospital ship off the coast of West Africa. Two evenings ago, I was precepting a new nurse, and...

  3. How to teach in West Africa

    AliRae replied to AliRae's topic in Patient Education

    I am indeed on the Africa Mercy! Well, not right now ... I'm home for a quick vacation, but I'm headed back soon. Have you been? Or are you coming?

  4. cup feeding

    AliRae replied to babybums's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    Just as a disclaimer right at the start here: I live on a ship in Africa, so the resources we deal with are WAY more primitive than what you've got. That being said, we cup feed a ton over here. Part...

  5. I kind of need a hug.

    AliRae posted a topic in PICU, Pediatric

    For once I'm posting an obscure question from the coast of West Africa. Today, I just need a hug. I was in charge, and one of our feeding program babies (not the one I posted about earlier with the...

  6. I kind of need a hug.

    AliRae replied to AliRae's topic in PICU, Pediatric

    Jersey? Jersey?! Can you just stop by and say hi to my family for me while you're that close?!

  7. I kind of need a hug.

    AliRae replied to AliRae's topic in PICU, Pediatric

    Just as an update - the little one who got intubated on Saturday went back to Jesus this morning. His kidneys shut down overnight, and he was in full-blown ARDS, and when the dad came in to visit...

  8. super-high alk phos - any ideas why?

    AliRae posted a topic in PICU, Pediatric

    Okay, my newest what-on-earth-is-going-on-here from the ship in West Africa ... We have a little cleft lip / palate baby who was admitted through our feeding program. She's 4.5 months old, and she...

  9. super-high alk phos - any ideas why?

    AliRae replied to AliRae's topic in PICU, Pediatric

    Hm .... good point. Interestingly enough, we just had a patient who was discharged following a course of treatment for mucocutaneous leishmaniasis! First I had ever heard of it .... Baby is...

  10. Bereavement Committee - Help Please!!!

    AliRae replied to dootzie_d's topic in PICU, Pediatric

    A lot of what Jan mentioned is similar to what we did at my old hospital, except we actually didn't have as much stuff! I love the idea of soft jammies and blankies for the little ones. We always...

  11. Neuro ICU - Do you talk to brain-dead patients?

    AliRae replied to talaxandra's topic in Neuro Intensive Care, ICU

    It was mostly refraining from talking to the kids in front of their parents. If the parents were holding out hope in the face of properly-done brain death criteria and a signed death certificate, my...

  12. Neuro ICU - Do you talk to brain-dead patients?

    AliRae replied to talaxandra's topic in Neuro Intensive Care, ICU

    Almost 11 years ago now, my cousin (17 at the time, and he might as well have been my brother) was admitted to the CCU at Sick Kids in Toronto after a near drowning. It was one of those freak...

  13. Infant feeding question

    AliRae posted a topic in NICU, Neonatal

    Hi all! I'm currently working as a pediatric nurse on board a charity hospital ship in West Africa. We've currently got a little baby who had a massive teratoma removed from her left jaw (adherent...

  14. Infant feeding question

    AliRae replied to AliRae's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    I was thinking about that the other day, but we don't have any on the ship right now, and they're not something you can get on the streets around here. Mangoes, yes. Haberman feeders? Not so much....

  15. Infant feeding question

    AliRae replied to AliRae's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    Unfortunately not. But just by the sound of it, she was more than microaspirating. I figure she's always had a really poor suck, even with the tumor there to support her jaw, because she's about to...

  16. Compassion support withdrawl

    AliRae replied to kangarooyou's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    I worked PICU back when I was practicing in the States, and I also seemed to have fallen into that role by the time I left. My first loss was, thankfully, nothing like yours, and I think that's what...

  17. Infant feeding question

    AliRae replied to AliRae's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    Well, she kept on not gaining weight and sounding worse and worse lung-wise after every feed. Also, I had a long chat with her mama (through a couple interpreters) and it turns out that mama has a 4...

  18. Funny things that pts say

    AliRae replied to jRN4now's topic in Nursing Humor

    I was taking care of a little boy with hypospadius following his repair. A couple of days after his catheter was removed, I asked his mama how he was doing. She smiled widely and proclaimed: "The...

  19. Congratulations to PICU's Own AliRae

    AliRae replied to NotReady4PrimeTime's topic in PICU, Pediatric

    Aw shucks Jan, thanks! =) It's been forever since I've logged on to this site, and I must say, I've missed it! I'm back on the ship, stationed this year in Benin, a skinny little country between...

  20. 3% Saline

    AliRae posted a topic in PICU, Pediatric

    So, here I am sitting in the ICU of a hospital ship off the coast of Liberia. We have a little boy here who came in with a rapidly-growing Burkett's Lymphoma tumor in his jaw/airway. While in surgery...

  21. Nurse to patient ratios and acuity in YOUR PICU

    AliRae replied to NotReady4PrimeTime's topic in PICU, Pediatric

    When I started reading the question, I thought "sure we do!" and then I kept reading and realized that you were talking about the actually sick ones. Absolutely not. No one in my former PICU thinks...

  22. Nurse to patient ratios and acuity in YOUR PICU

    AliRae replied to NotReady4PrimeTime's topic in PICU, Pediatric

    Amen, sister. I just talked to my old extern, now turned fabulous new grad nurse. She informed me that a kid I primaried last summer (renal agenesis, PD) is still on the unit. He's fourteen months...

  23. Nurse to patient ratios and acuity in YOUR PICU

    AliRae replied to NotReady4PrimeTime's topic in PICU, Pediatric

    I want to work at kessadawn's hospital! To add: our unit has 14 of the beds arranged in a U around back-to-back central nurse's stations. The other 6 beds are in a back offshoot that's not terribly...

  24. Nurse to patient ratios and acuity in YOUR PICU

    AliRae replied to NotReady4PrimeTime's topic in PICU, Pediatric

    As far as I can remember ... 1. I'm not sure if our cardiac program exists anymore. It was just a baby, anyway, when I left. We do CRRT but not ECMO. We do some transplants- mainly kidney, but...

  25. mic-key g-tube

    AliRae posted a topic in PICU, Pediatric

    Question- I have a kiddo with a 22 french foley in as a G-tube at the moment. We're trying to figure out whether or not it would be feasible to get a mic-key button shipped over here, but we don't...