ooper3076

My husband works in a factory where he works a block schedule, meaning every 3 months he rotates 1st, 2nd, and 3rd shifts. He worked it out with his bosses so he can stay on nights for 6 mths at a time since I work night shift too. So it works out for us. Of course there are pros and cons to opposite shifts. Some pros: less fighting, more lovins :), having more 'personal' time, appreciate each other more, plus i love having breakfast dates with the hubby. Some cons: sleeping without one another is the hardest for me, communication between you two is really put to the test, both have to equally pull your weight when it comes to chores/tasks needing to be completed, and the understanding that BOTH of you need good quality sleep. Yes it is hard sometimes but I wouldn't say that the odds are high that a relationship WILL NOT survive. Thats not very positive. My favorite quote----To keep the fire burning brightly there's one easy rule: Keep the two logs together, near enough to keep each other warm and far enough apart - about a finger's breadth - for breathing room. Good fire, good marriage, same rule. ~Marnie Reed Crowell

thanks guys for all the happy thoughts. finally convinced dad to at least have the surgery so he will have that in a couple a weeks but still no radiation or chemo. and it has spread so now he technically has stage 4 oral cancer. management has not really said anything to me. my interim manager hasn't been here because her sister has cancer (go figure, right?) do have a question though....i have been told by my co-workers not to tell the nurses at the hospital where my dad is going to be that i am a nurse because he won't receive good care. I think that is bogus, honestly. do u tell others that u r nurses when ur family members are patients?

Found out yesterday that my dad has stage 3 oral cancer. Will have to have surgery in the next 2 weeks with chemo and radiation for 3 months. Will have to have a feeding tube for supplemental nutrition with any treatment and is refusing the tube completely so he wants no treatment and let it ride. He is healthy person for the most part, active and is a school teacher. So i am NOT taking this very well, i am a daddy's girl, very close . But i am also a nurse and 100% respect his wishes. Call HR to get FMLA, notified my manager and guess what she said....... 'dont mess with my scheduling. we are already short staffed.' ummm....duh!!! why do u think i work some weekends and overtime since february!!! wasn't looking for a pity party! I came in the night my mom had a massive heart attack and i didnt complain!!! just venting....but when i get approved for FMLA here in the next few days, no one can say/do anything to me. my job is secure for now

It is SO different when you are a tech and being involved in the code versus being the RN and its your patient coding. Its a different feeling. You reacted fast as the nurse then you cared for the family as a human. You did great....big hug to you. Its hard when its at the beginning of your shift, puts a cloud over you whole day. Good thing that tomorrow is a new day to impact on someone else's life :)

Like I said he was a COMPLETE DNR. The patient was alert and oriented x4 and he completely understood what was going on. He didn't ask for help, his family did. When he told me 'Ally, I am okay", he knew and I knew what was happening. The patient even refused finger sticks for the blood sugar and his am labs to be drawn later in the shift. He knew. Palliative care was to be consulted the next day because it was the weekend so there was no one that night. And actually the admitting MD called me the next am to check on him and he was SO shocked. And yes the facility I work in can do BIVADS but there would not have been any quality of life. Sound like before he was admitted, his body was already shutting down then had the NSTEMI which brought him into the hospital. Now complete DNR does not mean to do anything, I understand that. But when a patient has accepted his fate, you have to advocate that and respect that. Thank heavens he decided that earlier on because that would have been a horrible code and he would have never made it off the vent. New nurses will learn the difference between the different DNRs. Some pts want the ACLS meds but no vent or feeding tubes or no shocking. Then there are some pts that want to go on naturally. BTW I work on an Interventional Cardiology. We deal with cardiac/renal stent placements and pacemakers. All the NSTEMI/STEMI/chest painers come to us. And of course we get a lot dumped on us. Also get the CABG's and COPD's.

I have found that if you do not feel ANYTHING when someone passes, you may want to find another career. I am not saying to blubber or anything. You have to have some sympathy/empathy for the family because they are hurting. Plus the family always remembers the nurses who care for the loved ones. Then sometimes nurses are the only ones at the bedside when someone passes, its more common than you think. That is why nurses are special :redbeathe I am glad that you all are seeing where I am coming from. I have tried to talk to my co workers but they think its a story telling competition. So frustrating!!! Thanks for the hugs too and the good replies. I held my dog for 2 hrs when I got home. I still do my what if's like turning off the fluids but then is SBP would have dropped or maybe NG tube to relieve the pressure. I don't know. To the repliers that are not nurses yet: You do find your own way to cope. Some patients that die will get to you and some won't. Yes, it is very sad when ANYBODY dies. But this man to me, went way too fast and too soon. This was traumatic to see because it was like he was killed. He didn't just fall asleep; as nurses, we are always to taught to keep patients comfortable and pain free and keep them safe from any harm. And I tried my darndest to keep him from not hurting and be safe. Just remember to be helpful and professional and give hugs. I have had a few recurring nightmares about him and the way he went. You have to find closure. Me, the post-mortem care and reading the obit to see what his life was like has helped me with this. As a nurse I have accepted responsibility to care for pts from birth till death. Yes, my pt died but my main priority was then the family.

I came on at 7p on Sunday night, first night of 3 in a row. Received report on a 79 yo male patient that had multiple issues: Heart cath found 5 vessel collapse except the LAD, possibly go for CABG. Dayshift battled hypotension with SBP in 70's. IV contrast dye shot the kidneys-crea 0.9 to 4.9 in 2 days. MD ordered fluid boluses with Lasix in between them and to infuse 100 ml/hr. Finally got SBP above 100. Very little urine output of course but MD said that his kidneys will soon wake up, keep the fluids going. His abdomen was distended and firm and was the same from admission. Pt had good bowel sounds and no other complaints. Sunday morning CT showed swollen liver, pancreas, and intestines; only treatment would be surgery. The pt decided to make himself a complete DNR after everything going on. Okay, I can deal with that. I go to meet the patient with the day shift nurse and he is laughing, cheerful, in a good mood, has family around, no distress at all and no complaints. He doesn't even look like he is 79, more like 63. I made sure to listen to his lungs for crackles and his bowels, o2 sat 96% on 2 LNC, no issues at all. Okay, so my thoughts are he isn't going to die tonight. Hopefully he can get some good rest since he had a busy day. At 1950 I go to take his IV morphine and his PO meds. No crackles, no chest pain, no distress....we are joking back and forth, everybody is happy. Family goes to dinner and who is left is his niece and son. At 2020, family calls out and says he is c/o SOA. I knew immediately what was going on. I called respiratory for a non-rebreather. I go into the room and I can definitely hear the crackles without auscultation. I turned off the IV fluids, o2 sat in the 70's. I walk out and call the MD on call. He was very nice on the phone and talked for about 10 min. Told me that there is nothing I can do because the DNR order and keep him comfortable with morphine and to double the dose. (sigh) Alrighty....I call chaplain. Got the IV morphine, and when I am walking out, I glance up at the monitor and he was already having EKG changes. I run to the room and ask the family to step out so I can talk to them. Most of the family left and the son and I were left. The pt was gray, diaphoretic, and staring up at the ceiling. I called his name and he looked at me and I asked him if he was okay and he stated, "Ally, I am okay." I slammed the morphine and tried to get his blood pressure. I took my stethoscope and listened to his lungs and he then aspirated and fluids started pouring out from his mouth and nose onto my gloved hands and all over his front. I stepped back in shock. The son started to cry as I washed my hands, then bowed my head, grabbed the son's hand and said a prayer. (Son told me he wasn't going to tell anyone what happened at the end.) The niece walked in and joined us. I asked them to step out so that I may do post-mortem care. I was alone in the room and then I just started balling. The tears started to pour out and I was angry. I kept telling myself there was more I could do. He basically drowned and that image is forever in my mind. I was so sad for the family and felt bad for sending the family to dinner and telling them that he was comfortable and to go enjoy themselves since they were there for 3 days straight in the hospital. I was so confused and so upset. It all happened so fast, like in 15 min. I get tore up just thinking about it now. Then the daughter came running in and I immediately stopped her. I stepped right in front of her view. He was such a mess that I DID NOT want her to see her father that way. She screamed at me saying that I told her to go to dinner and that he was going to be okay. I told her that I was so sorry. She was so hysterical. She noticed that I had been crying and asked me why I was crying, he wasn't my father. I kept apologizing to her. She asked if he went peacefully and I told her he wasn't in any pain, that is what also the son told the others. She finally walked out and me and the techs provided post-mortem care. After the paperwork was done and the funeral came to take the patient, the hysterical daughter called me into the hall and apologized up and down to me for the way she acted. I told her not to worry about it, thats the least of her concerns. I was happy to be his nurse and I wished them the best and would pray for her and the family. About 3 am later that night, the daughter calls and sounds belligerent asking me all these questions what happened. I told her I wasn't able to talk about what happened and needed to talk to his doctor. I received calls the next night from the family but we decided to just say that I wasn't that night and to send a thank you card. This has been really rough. I came home and just cried. The boyfriend was so helpful and just let me vent so kudos to him :) Some of my co workers weren't very helpful so this is why I get on here. So thanks for listening. Nursing has its ups and downs and this was a down moment. I know we deal with death but hey, we are human beings and we, nurses, can cry too

Oh and BTW he had the same problem all last week where his job was tremendously stressful and he needed to wind down after work and I let him. He finally understood what I meant by the 'winding down' part in the mornings. lol

I know its a little late but all the replies on here have been wonderful and very helpful. I do a lot of other stuff outside my job because it is just a job. My relationships with him and my family are one of my top priorities. I scrapbook, pitch on a girl's softball league, read and love to go fishing and 4 wheeling. Those weeks were really rough and that was a ridiculous patient load. Thanks again for the replies and I didn't take anything offensive :)

Now that schedule was the last 3 weeks and overtime is mandatory and that will end in 2 weeks. I usually have weekends off and my schedule really hasn't been bad, usually work 2 days at a time then a couple days off. I was just complaining about the overstimualtiond and if u you all feel like that and how to unwind. I was trying to figure out another way to explain to him about the crap at work. Thanks for the replies :)

]I work night shift on a very busy Interventional Cardiology floor. I have been a nurse for a little over a year and I am proud to say I am a darn good nurse and proud of it :) My schedule is crazy, been in overtime since october. In the last 3 weeks I have worked 1 day on, 1 day off, 3 days on, 1 day off, 3 days on, 1 day off, 2 days on, 1 day off, 3 days on. I am whooped! This last 3 day stretch I had 5 patients that overlapped each other: Pt A- PNA/CHF/ARF Pt B- PNA/CHF/ARF/STEMI with heparin gtt Pt C- STEMI with integrillin/heparin/dopamine gtt/cath next day Pt D- STEMI/post cath/Resp failure on bipap Pt E- Completely blind/MVD/waiting on CABG See what I mean by overstimulated!!! My head hurt so badly!! I was mentally worn out. But everybody was stable for the most part. Each one of them and there families were wonderful and brought me dinner and on the morning of my last shift I got hugs and thanks. Its a good feeling and I am addicted to that feeling. Thats why I am so good at my job :redpinkhe The ride home is 45 min. and I am starting to feel the tiredness. I come home to the boyfriend (has ALWAYS supported me and treats me AWESOME) and I am exhausted. My brain this am was so overstimulated it felt like my nerves were going to jump out of my skin. All I wanted to do is sit down on the couch and not talk or think. He didn't get that. He wanted to talk and talk and talk and go to the grocery and take the dog for a walk. He also works night shift. He wanted to also hug and kiss on me and I kept asking him to let me unwind and just let me be for a bit. I didn't even want the dog laying all over me. They both were pouting and thought I was in a bad mood and it was just frustrating and then turned into an argument later on. Even after we went to bed and woke up tonight, I still felt rough and needed to relax more and he wasn't happy with that either. I really do not want to take care of anyone/anything at home after work because I just did that for 12 hrs previous. I feel selfish sometimes. We all know that nursing is much more than just passing meds and paperwork. Its a job that involves every single part of your body and being. Am I the only one that feels like this? How do your boyfriends/husbands/partners deal with you? What do you do that helps you unwind? I feel better now just posting this lol

3 events in my life that kinda turned me to it: 1. My grandma was in a MVA and was still clutching the steering wheel and the air bags went off and snapped both thumbs, completely backwards (ew!). Both arms in large casts, not able to move her thumbs at all. Moved in with her for 4 mths. to care for her. You won't believe what you can't do without your thumbs. 2. Boyfriend from high school was using a table saw and sawed his first 2 fingers completely off and the 3rd finger was hanging on by a tendon. I immediately put pressure on his hand and put the fingers in the ice box and drove to the ER (in a gear-shift car and never known how to use a clutch). He passed out on the way there and I did a sternal chest rub that I saw from a movie once (lol) and he woke up. Wierd thing- I was COMPLETELY calm and did everything with no hesitation. 3. Nana had lung cancer with METS to brain and liver. Bedridden for about a year. Hospice nurse taught me about the foley catheter and why she needs to be turned. I fed Nana a few times, never will forget that. You will know. If you feel satisfied after leaving your job, that tells you something :)

I was pinched and 'strangled' by a patient suffering from dementia. He didn't squeeze my throat hard, just 'holding' my throat while he sang church songs at 3 am. I got him to stop pinching me but waited for security to come up for the whole throat grabbing thing. The bad thing is that later that night he punched a pregnant nurse in the side and I had to bear hug him. I think that is the worse when patients with dementia get physical because you cannot reason with them and they do not understand what they do or have done. He was great during the day but at night...shew. Thankful for haldol and seroquel :) Now, being assaulted with withdrawals or other issues that doesn't involve dementia or any other neuro issues? um, no. I think the hospitals should do something about the assaults on nurses while in the hospital setting. I don't think one nurse would ever let that happen to them at the grocery store. But I guess thats a risk we take, huh

I have been a new nurse for less than a year and was a tech in CTVU for 4 yrs. I got burned out in my last semester in nursing school. All I did was breathe nursing! I was so tired of it! So tired of it that 4 wks into the 4th semester, I was ready to quit. But I pulled through and graduated. Then couldn't find a job as a nurse for a month and half. (couldn't get one at my current hospital because of new management and diff policies and a bunch of bologna) ugh! FINALLY got a job on an interventional cardiology floor that is extremely busy: 5-7 admissions a night! We have had 4 new grads leave within 6mths of their hire date. Reason being is management and the overtime. (I was thrown immediately into overtime when I finished my orientation.) 4 days a week, 13 hr shifts, night shift, and extremely understaffed can cause early burnout. You think nursing school drama and stress is over when you graduate but then you get a RN job and its a whole new drama and stress. You deal with patients and their care and their family drama and your co-workers drama and your personal issues and stressors. And you are a new grad and trying to make new relationships with others. It is unbelievable! My advice is TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!!! Even though I work shifts back to back, every morning I play Super Mario Bros on Wii (lol :). And learn to say 'NO' and know your limits. They still try to call me in even though I am already working 4 shifts. The first year to year and a half is going to be h*** and very hectic. It will calm down,I promise. It feels good though when it hits you "jeez I am a nurse!" good luck to you sweetie

I work at St. Joseph's Main in Lexington and a second semester ADN nursing student at EKU. I have worked at SJH on nights for a year and am a CTVU SWAN (nursing assistant/ward secretary). They have a really good tuition reimbursement program here and others that help you while you are in school. I love my job! If you have any other questions, let me know.