Frannasmom

Theraputic Communication - Open ended questions, reflective statements, the stages of a theraputic relationship - HUH???!! I have issues with communication in general related to a learning disability, so trying to grasp the theory was & still is - Yikes! No matter how hard I studied that unit, I couldn't grasp it. Thank god our exams are on multiple units, because I would have failed it. As it is, I got all of the questions that had examples of the different types wrong. I know the definitions, just don't ask me for an example.

In the early 90's my nana had an abdominal aneurism removed. When she was in the ICU after the surgery, the narcotics showed me a side to her that I had never seen. One of her doctors was very handsome - ice blue eyes, blonde hair, Adonis body. Every time she saw him, she would come on to him (she was in her mid 70's at the time). At one point she told him that if she could get out of bed and show him what a good time really was. This was a lady to whom a discussion about sex was taboo, and here she was smiling hugely and telling her doctor she would show him a good time. To this day, my family still laughs about it.

I'm due to start my first semester of nursing in a few weeks, and have no experience with patients who are having cognitive issues. My father had his right kidney removed in October - he has kidney cancer. After the surgery, he was very altered as to time/place etc. It took 3 weeks before he was back to normal. To this day, we don't know what happened. Recently, he's begun to act weirdly, or as my mom would put it "out of it." He has periods where he isn't lucid at all, he's started to slur his words, thinks he & mom are still married - they divorced 22 years ago. He called me a few nights ago asking where my mom was, that she wasn't home, and that he was tired and needed to go to bed, but couldn't without her. He had started the day off thinking they were still married, then progressed to them being seperated, then getting a divorce. He's been seeing his parent's, both of which died over 10 years ago. He talks about his dad as if he was still alive. We have an appointment with his PCP, to get a referral to a neurologist, but that's a week away. My question is this, when he starts talking about past things as if it was happening now, do I try to reorient him to the present, or go along with it? How do I handle it?

I'm almost 37 and have 2 kids - a 10 year old and a 21 month old. I've been working towards this since 2005 and have no regrets. I start Nursing I this month and can't wait. If you truely want to be a nurse, you'll make it happen somehow. I am.

I was at that class too! Dec 05, 2008 08:55 AMsunnsandRe: Tell me about CCRI clinicals... It was supposed to be from 4pm-9pm, however it was a small group of us so we made pretty good time and were able to leave by 7pm. It was $45 at CCRI.

I'm due to start Nursing I in January - has anyone else been notified about orientation? I'm getting antsy.