VivaLasViejas ASN, RN

LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych

Once a nurse, always a nurse!

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide

All Content by VivaLasViejas

  1. VivaLasViejas

    Fun: Coke or Pepsi Nurses?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Brian's topic in Nursing Humor

    Co-Cola!!
  2. VivaLasViejas

    Texas BON for bipolar disorder

    VivaLasViejas replied to bella_'s topic in Nurse Disabilities

    Great post, hoverton, and Welcome to
  3. VivaLasViejas

    Texas BON for bipolar disorder

    VivaLasViejas replied to bella_'s topic in Nurse Disabilities

    I've been very fortunate and very, very blessed to have a wonderful boss and to work for a decent company that likes to see their people succeed. Since my diagnosis in February 2012 I've had a rather...
  4. VivaLasViejas

    Texas BON for bipolar disorder

    VivaLasViejas replied to bella_'s topic in Nurse Disabilities

    Hi, bella, and welcome to allnurses! To be honest, the need for disclosure of mental illness to the BON varies widely from state to state. In some states, you wouldn't have to disclose unless your...
  5. VivaLasViejas

    Destroying medications

    VivaLasViejas replied to nurseywifeymommy1's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    Around here, we put narcotics in a plastic bag or a glove, pour hot water and liquid soap into it and let the drugs dissolve, then throw the whole (contained) mess in the large sharps
  6. VivaLasViejas

    We all have our place.

    VivaLasViejas replied to marydc's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    I may be a little biased because I have a couple of very good friends who are mental health nurses, but you guys ROCK!!! I can't even imagine doing what you do every day, although I did enjoy my psych...
  7. VivaLasViejas

    Cursing on the job

    VivaLasViejas replied to Ciale's topic in Emergency

    I do a lot of swearing in Spanish, especially at home because my family doesn't understand much of it. Can't do it at work because many of my co-workers are Mexican and they understand me perfectly...
  8. VivaLasViejas

    Night shift syndrome

    VivaLasViejas replied to SweetsRN522's topic in Health, Stress Management

    I don't blame you. Neither of those ever worked for me, either. Unfortunately, the stuff that DOES work is either expensive (ziprasidone, which I use for dual purposes) or habit-forming (Ambien). And...
  9. VivaLasViejas

    Cursing on the job

    VivaLasViejas replied to Ciale's topic in Emergency

    In my world, "oh ****!" is the everyday word for everything from getting a paper cut to finding a resident on the floor. There's a stronger one we use for call-ins 15 minutes prior to a shift and...
  10. VivaLasViejas

    Your thoughts on the safety of cutting "do not cut" tablets in half

    VivaLasViejas replied to Marshall1's topic in Patient Medications

    Funny this should be mentioned, as I just finished cutting 4 itty-bitty 20 mg Celexa tablets into even smaller 10 mg halves and cussing my psychiatrist the entire time I was doing it (I actually love...
  11. VivaLasViejas

    Getting into nursing school with a mental illness? Is it going to be possible?

    VivaLasViejas replied to lntm2925's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    I'm glad you feel better about all this. There's no doubt that having a mental illness makes everything harder, but it CAN be done, and indeed is being done by countless nurses and students all around...
  12. VivaLasViejas

    Cursing on the job

    VivaLasViejas replied to Ciale's topic in Emergency

    Oh, dear Lord, I would positively explode if I couldn't cut loose with the occasional bit of choice invective, especially at work. I'm so glad I have an office where I can shut the door and have my...
  13. VivaLasViejas

    Does anyone else feel violated?

    VivaLasViejas replied to HunnieBadger's topic in Nurses Recovery

    .......
  14. VivaLasViejas

    Does your employer make accommodations for your disability?

    VivaLasViejas posted a topic in Nurse Disabilities

    The working world is a strange place. You work in a zillion crappy jobs for most of your life, and then, if you're very, very lucky, you find the right job. You go along for a year or two, thinking...
  15. VivaLasViejas

    First borns, RNs, and Alcoholism

    VivaLasViejas replied to jodivoss's topic in Nurses Recovery

    Wow, this situation is VERY close to my own. I'm the younger of two sisters, I'm a nurse, and I'm a recovering alcoholic with bipolar II disorder. My sister, OTOH, is most definitely NOT a nurse (our...
  16. VivaLasViejas

    Does anyone else feel violated?

    VivaLasViejas replied to HunnieBadger's topic in Nurses Recovery

    It doesn't sound like it from the tone of this post. I've followed a number of your posts across the forums because I'm a recovering alcoholic with 21 years of hard-won sobriety under my belt, I'm...
  17. VivaLasViejas

    How Nurses Feel...

    VivaLasViejas replied to Joe V's topic in Nurses Rock

    I know that feeling.......by then, that's when my back teeth are floating and my eyes turn
  18. VivaLasViejas

    Bipolar Nurse Hoping to Open Awareness of Mental Illness

    VivaLasViejas replied to HannaRNBSN's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    THANK YOU!!! That's one of the many things we covered at my pdoc appointment yesterday. The company I work for sees me as a potential ADA case and has made special accommodations for me as far as...
  19. VivaLasViejas

    How Nurses Feel...

    VivaLasViejas replied to Joe V's topic in Nurses Rock

    Oh, yeah. After almost two decades in healthcare, my bladder's probably the size of a #10 washtub. For somebody who used to be unable to go more than 2 hours without peeing, I'm amazed at how long I...
  20. VivaLasViejas

    Does your employer make accommodations for your disability?

    VivaLasViejas replied to VivaLasViejas's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    Well, who knew......."reasonable accommodations" can be a GOOD thing, no matter how or why one arrives at this point. I'm just about to complete the third week of my new schedule, and I have to say it...
  21. VivaLasViejas

    57 and need to start over YET AGAIN!

    VivaLasViejas replied to Bailey246's topic in Nursing Career

    You can say THAT
  22. VivaLasViejas

    Share Your Full Moon Stories

    VivaLasViejas replied to Joe V's topic in Nursing Humor

    Three words: FALLS and UTIs.
  23. VivaLasViejas

    Why Do People Look at me Like I'm Crazy?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Shiner50's topic in Nurse Management

    I think it's because we DO work a lot, and because so many managers/directors are clueless nerds who've forgotten everything they ever knew about bedside nursing. Somehow, I don't think very many...
  24. VivaLasViejas

    automatic suspension for civil commitment

    VivaLasViejas replied to brakke33's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    I'm really sorry. There but for the grace of God go a lot of us, for until our profession regards mental illness like any other medical condition, we're going to be as welcome in nursing as ants at a...
  25. VivaLasViejas

    Tell the CNA to clock out and go home

    VivaLasViejas replied to Blackcat99's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    I'd rather call somebody in early, or work short, than put up with a CNA who's refusing to do her/his job. Over the course of my years as a supervisor, I've sent a couple of them home for that reason,...