SthRNBelle

ok guys...I am another young one with some type of autoimmune disease. I have fallen between the cracks into the group of "mixed connected tissue disease". I have a positive ANA with a high speckled titer pattern, but the other definitive test were inconclusive. However, I don't feel as if they are taking my symptoms seriously. I have extreme joint pain, hips, knees, leg pain and back, shoulder pain. I have esophageal spasms at times and now my hair is falling out even worse. I also have keratitis (spelling?) of the eyes often. I have mitral valve prolapse with tachycardia (controlled). I have had joint pain for 4-5 years and within the past year or so my new PCP began running the test. So...I am on Plaquenil 200mg BID and Flexeril 10mg BID. But I still have the joint pain. I drink lots of water and exercise and that seems to help. I just don't feel like the Rheumatologist is being very proactive in my case....what do you guys think? What do you know about "speckled ANA patters?" Thanks in advance!

Think of all the other wonderful peoples life that you touched and helped to get better.....I'm sorry for your loss. :icon_hug:

oh yeah...and i continue to have stupid days every now and then....HAHAA :rotfl:

THANKS!! Thank you all for the great information that you shared. Hopefully this will lead me in the right direction! :)

I have a BSN degree and I am interested in going back to get ANP. However, I need an online program. Anyone know of great online program for ANP degree? Thanks for all your help in advance. BTW...I am currently in NC. Thanks!

OK guys....Today is Monday and I had my gallbladder removed last Thursday. I am still feeling nauseated....Is this common to have nausea after the surgery?? It's almost as if I have a reflux type nausea. Any advice would be greatly appreciated......I am miserable. Thanks, Amy

Hello everyone, I needed some moral support. I will get to endure the pain of becoming a patient this thursday to have my gallbladder removed. I have been so sick lately. Last sunday I went to the ER with terrible wretching and back, flank, side pain. I had been taking ABX for UTI and was sure i had a kidney stone. they scanned me and did I/O cath which was the most wonderful thing... Anyway...my UTI was better except for my nitrates we high. WBC was normal. Usually they are both elevated...right? Anyway...had a Ultrasound and found some polyps but no stones. Then had a HIDA scan and my EF was on 18%. Anyway...I just needed some other sound advice that I'm going to be ok...LOL Thanks, Amy

Try http://www.acls.net You can actually run a code online and it has all your protocols for each rhythm. It has helped me lots. good luck! Amy RN

Girl...you need a break. Take a word of advice...slowo down. I tried to do the same thing as you and I almost didn't make it through nursing school. I passed my first semester by 9/10 of a point. But anyway...I didn't work as much and my grades did complete 180 degree change. You may end up with school loans...but I think it is better in the end. Good luck!

So....I assume this will be a touchy subject, but I needed somewhere to vent as well as ask for some advice. I am a floor nurse on a busy med/surg/renal floor. The hospital i work in has the largest ED in NC....and not enough staff in the hospital to efficiently care for all of these patients it brings. It was so bad last friday that we had 750 beds full and holding around 50 patients. So this is the issue...we have lots of turnover on our floor cause it is very hard, very busy, and the renal patients can be very demanding. We usually have 6 nurses with a charge nurse who doesn't have a patient load but is a resource for us and does labs, IV, etc. On this particular day we were already one nurse short so the charge nurse had to take a team of patients and at 3pm we were going to give us 8-9 patients. We have a nurse manager and a head nurse who never want to help us take care of the patients. They stay in there office with the door shut, despite the fact that we are out on the floor drowning. So on this particular day, she again refused to take a patient assignement. She called a meeting in the conference room with all the nurses that were there that day. All of us voiced our opinion that we didn't think it was a wise choice in management for her not to help us. She basically told us that she had too much paper work to do..blah blah blah. I explained to her that we are all tired of being overworked and always working short with no support from management. :angryfire I also told her that if she didn't start making her staff a priority instead of her paperwork ...that she was going to be in worse shape with staff than she is now. So needless to say...she left crying and took the entire next week off and left us there to 'fend' for ourselves still working 2 nurses short. Needless to say I have been looking for other places to work because it is making me hate my profession....and I went to school too long to already be getting burnt out. Any comments or advice?? Thanks for listening!!

I haven't heard that 70/30 was going to be D/C....however if that happens i don't think its a good idea. I really haven't seen any good results from lantus. Seems to have a tailwind effect and makes sugars drop quickly in the AM if given at night. 70/30 seems to have a more well rounded approach to control.

Heck yea...that is the best idea I have heard all week. It constantly a joke with all nurses on my floor to decipher md writing. its ridiculous. there malpractice insurance is going to go out of the roof due to poor hand writing and the inability to read and follow thru!!

hello all, I am a recent new grad working on a renal/med/surg flool. I have a patient load to myself with 6 patients. It is all going well...but for some reason I always feel like I am behind and just have trouble being productive and speedy. I am slow but I feel like I am thorough. Any advice to controling the overwhelming "frazzle" of such a busy unit?? SthRNBelle

I just graduated at the beginning of may 04. It was definetly a long 4 years but i think it has been well worth it. Many times I was so frustrated with stupid assignments and stupid professors. But I kept coming back for more...I just couldn't give up. I didn't know what else I would do. I knew since the time that I could remember that i wanted to be a nurse. it was just my calling and the good Lord has seen me through. I know without a shadow of a doubt that he is the only thing that got me through. it is tough, but when you know that nursing is your calling, you can't give up on it. Good luck! Amy RN-BSN

I just took the NCLEX at the beginning of may. I took the test of Friday and by the new Tuesday I checked the ncbon.com to verify my RN certificate and I was there and had passed!! But those few days in-between are terrible! Good luck!