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

    Does your employer make accommodations for your disability?

    VivaLasViejas replied to VivaLasViejas's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    Sorry to hear that. ^^ The way I look at it, I'm flat out of options. I can't quit. I know what the job market is like, and for your average 50-something, it's virtually nonexistent. Particularly...
  2. VivaLasViejas

    Describe yourself in one word.

    VivaLasViejas replied to Wushu's topic in Job Search, Interview, Resume

    Well, it's a lot better than "screwy"........ Which reminds me: We used to have a cat named Lucy who was, to put it delicately, a couple cat doots shy of a full litterbox. We called her "Screwloosey"....
  3. VivaLasViejas

    One in Five

    VivaLasViejas replied to VivaLasViejas's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    By the way......February is not only the month for hearts and chocolates, but also for Bipolar Disorder Awareness (hence the green ribbon in my avatar). No, I didn't know this either until about six...
  4. VivaLasViejas

    Compassion fatigue?

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

    Yes. You have to do the one thing that most of us can't, or won't do, and that is to put yourself first. That means striving continually to achieve a work-life balance that allows you to exist away...
  5. VivaLasViejas

    PLEASE HELP !!!

    VivaLasViejas replied to Sheila82's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    Welcome, Sheila82! Glad you've joined us and hope you'll be an active member for years to come. As for your question, schizophrenia is like any other illness: if the condition is managed well, there's...
  6. VivaLasViejas

    It wasn't funny...at the time.

    VivaLasViejas replied to Sterling-RN's topic in Nursing Humor

    This is great stuff!!!! Keep 'em coming,
  7. VivaLasViejas

    One in Five

    VivaLasViejas replied to VivaLasViejas's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    OMG, you really have been through it!!! I've had one miscarriage, lost a newborn daughter 29 years ago, and I thought that was end of my life right there......cannot imagine living through the sort of...
  8. VivaLasViejas

    For extroverts...please don't ask me

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

    So glad to have provided more ammo for your amusement. Just wish my brain loved me like you love it!
  9. VivaLasViejas

    HPMP Feelings

    VivaLasViejas replied to BeOne77's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    Well, as I think you and I both know, bipolar doesn't make us unfit to be nurses in and of itself. As long as we are properly medicated (IMO, it's a must) and our moods remain relatively stable, there...
  10. VivaLasViejas

    POLL LTC Nurses... please answer

    VivaLasViejas replied to Finallydidit's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    CLOTH diapers?! What is this, 1960 or something? If I were you, I'd find someplace else to work,
  11. VivaLasViejas

    One in Five

    VivaLasViejas replied to VivaLasViejas's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    Also good points. Wonder if the so-called experts in human psychology ever sit around and debate that one? I'd like to be a fly on the wall during that
  12. VivaLasViejas

    One in Five

    VivaLasViejas replied to VivaLasViejas's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    'Tis true. Even though I'm an alcoholic with 21 years' sobriety, I've never really seen substance abuse as a mental illness. But of course it is.....it originates in the brain. And NOBODY chooses to...
  13. VivaLasViejas

    Worst start ever

    VivaLasViejas replied to thelema13's topic in Emergency

    Mine was the time I walked into the room of two female patients, tripped over one's catheter tubing, and then proceeded to drop a custard down the side of the other's bed. I opened the door to the...
  14. VivaLasViejas

    One in Five

    VivaLasViejas replied to VivaLasViejas's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    Oh, please don't ever think it's "just" PPD. ((((SunshineDaisy)))) Like many women, I went through it, but I went through it five times, and it got worse with each successive birth until the last....
  15. VivaLasViejas

    After Nursing: Is There Life Out There?

    VivaLasViejas replied to VivaLasViejas's topic in General Nursing

    Love it!! ^^ Yes, the world is a strange place.......but then again, I'm kind of a strange person, so I guess I fit in pretty well after
  16. VivaLasViejas

    For extroverts...please don't ask me

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

    Flaming extrovert here, however not only do I respect introverts, I wish I could be one. Can't seem to celebrate anything without 76 trombones in the big parade, can't seem to fail without a...
  17. VivaLasViejas

    One in Five

    VivaLasViejas replied to VivaLasViejas's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    You make a good point there, Altra. Didn't think about it when I was creating this poll at 2330 last night. Which, of course, I shouldn't have been doing......sleep hygiene being so important to...
  18. VivaLasViejas

    After Nursing: Is There Life Out There?

    VivaLasViejas replied to VivaLasViejas's topic in General Nursing

    Up until about three years ago, I dreamed of becoming a hospice nurse.....I'm good at taking care of the dying and supporting their loved ones, and I am very much an advocate of a holistic approach to...
  19. VivaLasViejas

    I'm drowning!

    VivaLasViejas replied to croppyRN's topic in MDS Coordinator Information

    I feel for ya, hon........just wish I had some words of wisdom to give you, but I had the same problems when I was in your position and there is no real remedy other than working 60+ hour weeks. The...
  20. VivaLasViejas

    Bipolar Nurse Hoping to Open Awareness of Mental Illness

    VivaLasViejas replied to HannaRNBSN's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    I like that quote. Sometimes my rage isn't particularly quiet, but I bite back a whole lot more of it than I ever display. Know what you mean about trying to hide a monster. Mine is called Big Ugly,...
  21. VivaLasViejas

    Job Satisfaction: Can it be real in this field?

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

    All of the above....and then some. Big corporations that know nothing of day-to-day operations, yet want to micromanage everything and everybody. Patients' families, too many of whom are rude,...
  22. VivaLasViejas

    Do you take your work wherever you go?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Brian's topic in Nurses Rock

    Reminds me of the days when I worked in a hospital. I worked the 3-11 shift, and I would come home, leave my Crocs in the garage to be hosed down the next day, and strip off clothing as I walked down...
  23. VivaLasViejas

    Bipolar Nurse Hoping to Open Awareness of Mental Illness

    VivaLasViejas replied to HannaRNBSN's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    I agree! Good for you for being so honest about your illness. I "came out" with my diagnosis fairly early on, and for the most part it's been a good thing. With all the med tweaks and...
  24. VivaLasViejas

    What song describes your workplace environment?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Blackcat99's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    "Please Help Me, I'm Falling" by
  25. VivaLasViejas

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

    VivaLasViejas replied to lntm2925's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    Yeah, but it sure looks bad when it's on your medical record. Even if it's there only because of a reaction to a drug (in my case,