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

    Important development

    VivaLasViejas replied to BeOne77's topic in Psychiatric

    Pretty much the same thing happened to me a year ago, although I wasn't hospitalized. Massive meltdown at work, had to go out on medical leave for several weeks at a critical time (we were expecting...
  2. VivaLasViejas

    Interventions for Auditory Hallucinations

    VivaLasViejas replied to Isastorm's topic in Psychiatric

    Interesting! No, I don't recall the "songs", because they just sounded like bits of classical music cobbled together in ways that didn't make sense. They were beautiful though, with the distinct...
  3. VivaLasViejas

    Important development

    VivaLasViejas replied to BeOne77's topic in Psychiatric

    Amen to mzaur's post above. Even as recently as fifty years ago, doctors didn't have a lot to offer mentally ill patients, which meant a lot of them wound up in deplorable conditions in state...
  4. VivaLasViejas

    anxiety depression and adhd have caused me to struggle to find my fit as a new nurse

    VivaLasViejas replied to brad0428's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    You need years of experience, preferably in geriatrics and/or long-term care (nursing home, assisted living, memory care etc.). You also have to be a team player in every sense of the word, because...
  5. VivaLasViejas

    The stress of nursing is ruining my general psyche.

    VivaLasViejas replied to AB1489's topic in Health, Stress Management

    Been there, done that, got the emotional scars to prove it. Being the float nurse stinks---you get all the crappy assignments, you're pulled here and there, and nobody gives a hoot whether you get...
  6. VivaLasViejas

    Important development

    VivaLasViejas replied to BeOne77's topic in Psychiatric

    Point taken. But even though we all learned psych in school, you and I also live it every day of our lives. Again, meds are not for everyone, but they definitely are for me. I'm just glad that...
  7. VivaLasViejas

    Why did this happen to me?

    VivaLasViejas replied to sarit's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    That's a nice thought, but trying to get nurses to come together on a particular social issue is like herding cats. We are not a monolith, nor do we agree on how best to approach a problem....just...
  8. VivaLasViejas

    Important development

    VivaLasViejas replied to BeOne77's topic in Psychiatric

    Wow......it's as if he's saying mental illness itself doesn't exist until psychiatric drugs are introduced. So what does he think people do---imagine we're "sick" and make up our symptoms? Do we...
  9. VivaLasViejas

    Psych meds and hyperglycemia

    VivaLasViejas replied to Meriwhen's topic in Psychiatric

    Geodon is low-risk when it comes to raising blood sugar. I've been on it for over a year and my sugars have been fine. About two months ago we added Zyprexa to my regimen even though it raised my BS...
  10. VivaLasViejas

    Interventions for Auditory Hallucinations

    VivaLasViejas replied to Isastorm's topic in Psychiatric

    I am going to have to remember this the next time I have auditory hallucinations, which (fortunately) only happen when I'm severely manic. With me, they take the form of classical music that (to my...
  11. VivaLasViejas

    Important development

    VivaLasViejas replied to BeOne77's topic in Psychiatric

    I am a psych patient myself and very well-versed in what psychotropic medications can do to a person. I am on five, including two anti-psychotics, and I wouldn't trade them for anything because I know...
  12. VivaLasViejas

    Noro-virus Blues

    VivaLasViejas replied to jadelpn's topic in Nursing Humor

    ......and makes you throw up everything you've ever eaten in your entire
  13. VivaLasViejas

    Noro-virus Blues

    VivaLasViejas replied to jadelpn's topic in Nursing Humor

    I am laughing so hard the tears are about to run down my leg!! Not at your plight but your description of it. Last year I got Norovirus after half my assisted living facility got it.....I was the...
  14. VivaLasViejas

    Need expert advice on how to pass 39 patients' medication in a 2-hour time frame.

    VivaLasViejas replied to OneMurse's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    I think med passes would go so much better if doctors and families weren't so fond of feeding residents supplements. Honestly, when you've got someone with advanced dementia and swallowing issues, why...
  15. VivaLasViejas

    Do you tell?

    VivaLasViejas replied to CapeCodMermaid's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    I had to go to an urgent-care center recently where they don't know me, to have my big toe looked at (I broke it in a minor car accident). I didn't say anything about being a nurse until the doctor...
  16. VivaLasViejas

    Mental Health Awareness Month

    VivaLasViejas posted a topic in Nurse Disabilities

    Raise your hands: How many allnurses.com readers know that in addition to mothers and deceased war veterans, the month of May is dedicated to mental health awareness? Give yourself a gold star for the...
  17. VivaLasViejas

    Mental Health Awareness Month

    VivaLasViejas replied to VivaLasViejas's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    I know what you mean about low confidence levels. I also am considering a part-time home health position and I'm nervous about possible doing patient care again, although I think I could handle the...
  18. VivaLasViejas

    Common Nursing Procedures in Nursing Homes

    VivaLasViejas replied to souleater11's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    IV therapy, PICC and other central line care, wound vacs, suctioning, hypodermoclysis (infusion of fluids subcutaneously), G-tube insertion, respiratory care including nebulizers and BiPap or...
  19. VivaLasViejas

    Mental Health Awareness Month

    VivaLasViejas replied to VivaLasViejas's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    I've dug up this old thread from a year ago because we are entering May, which is once again National Mental Health Awareness Month. Last year, members with different types of mental health...
  20. VivaLasViejas

    Nurses helping nurses

    VivaLasViejas replied to valeriewalsh's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    Hello, and Welcome to Allnurses! What you're proposing is a tall order in a culture that values the individual---and an unlimited capacity for hard work---above almost all else. Health care is...
  21. VivaLasViejas

    j-tube?

    VivaLasViejas replied to chanie911's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    I don't see where it would be an employer's business if you have a tube, unless it interferes substantially with your ability to meet the expectations of your job. Obviously, you'd have to be careful...
  22. VivaLasViejas

    essential tremor

    VivaLasViejas replied to nataliewalsh4's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    I have hand tremors, but mine are medication-related. I find that they get worse when I'm really tired, so it's best if I can do tasks requiring fine motor coordination in the morning and early...
  23. VivaLasViejas

    Where are all the nurses?

    VivaLasViejas replied to CapeCodMermaid's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    I'd come work for you. You're an awesome
  24. VivaLasViejas

    Really Upset

    VivaLasViejas replied to newmommy26's topic in Nurses Recovery

    Thank you. :) I did forgive myself after I confessed to my psychiatrist and my priest (and received absolution from both). I figured if God had forgiven me, I certainly had no business trashing myself...
  25. VivaLasViejas

    Really Upset

    VivaLasViejas replied to newmommy26's topic in Nurses Recovery

    You really must stop being so hard on yourself. You are a worthwhile person who deserves better! Being so negative about yourself can threaten your recovery; in your place, I would even go so far as...