gaulkari

Leslie, I am so sorry to hear about your mother...it must have been a very difficult decision for you and your family. I am happy to hear that she passed so comfortably. You have my deepest sympathies. Karin

All you would have to do even if it was D5LR would be to stop the fluids and draw off the first tube and discard it. PICC and central lines have the tip of the catheter placed in the SVC there is such a large volume of blood flow that the results wouldn't be compromised. Also when our pt's have central lines they don't often consent to peripheral draws, most of them prefer to avoid the pain.

All you would have to do even if it was D5LR would be to stop the fluids and draw off the first tube and discard it. PICC and central lines have the tip of the catheter placed in the SVC there is such a large volume of blood flow that the results wouldn't be compromised. Also when our pt's have central lines they don't often consent to peripheral draws, most of them prefer to avoid the pain.

I think better safe than sorry. I had a pt who used to be a oncology nurse tell me she thinks the reason she has cancer now was due to not using protective gowns/gloves/ facemask when she gave chemo. ONS probably should be the final authority.

If she has N/V/D it could be as a previous poster said hypovolemia, also we have had pts that had Hypokalemia that their families said have deteriorated quickly like that. It could be a lot of things depending on the type of chemo and also her reaction to it. Seven to ten days after chemo is usually the time that blood counts bottom out also. I am sorry that your family is going through so much. If you have specifics on the type of chemo she is recieving now I would be happy to send info to you.

Our floor hired five new nurses last December myself included. Two failed their boards twice and are gone. Of the three of us left two are on days and one on nights. Speaking for myself, for the most part I feel very supported by the experienced nurses. There are times when our floor is crazy and I feel bad having to ask for help from one of them. They have always been willing but I know that it can be a strain. I always thank them, and help them out when they are busy to show how much I appreciate them and the spirit of teamwork on our floor. We now have a hiring freeze on new grads untill all of us are able to do chemo etc. so as to not overload the exp. nurses. Yes I have heard a few comments from some nurses about our inadequacies and a comment or two has been made about theirs but overall we all get along well and respect eachother for what we have to offer..

Sorry, forgot to put in website address...http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ESN/content/ESN_3_1x_Reach_to_Recovery_5.asp

The name of program is called Reach to Recovery peer support program and you can get information about matching up a person for your sister at 1 800 227-2345. I talked to them and they said you can arrange to meet in person or talk on lthe phone with your support person. They also have a lot of other support services your sister might be interested in. I hope this helps.

I saw a info spot from the breast cancer society the other day and it was about a program where they match up newly diagnosed women with survivors of approx. the same age and interests to be a support person. I think for your sister it may be a more positive type of support since these people have been through the treatment and are doing well. Just a posibility, maybe worth looking into.

Sorry to hear about your sister, I hope she does well on her chemo regimen. I know she will be thankful for the port as her treatment progresses, our pt's always tell us how much pain it avoids for them. Has the Onc. discussed the use of Neupogen for your sister after her chemo treatments? Some docs use it prophalacticaly to prevent neutropenia .

I have been working Oncology since I graduated from nursing school last December. Most of our pts are gyn Onc, but we get a mix of almost every other type of cancer you can think of.

I don't know anything about that subdivision but you can do a real estate search and that will usually give you a good idea of what is close by. We did that when looking for our home in Gwinett county.

I don't know anything about that subdivision but you can do a real estate search and that will usually give you a good idea of what is close by. We did that when looking for our home in Gwinett county.

That tops the cake!!!!!:rotfl:

Maybe everyone should go back to the reason we are here at all. Most of us want to be nurses in some capacity. Nursing schools try to prepare their students for what will face them when they are on the floor faced with real life people who depend on them. ADN programs get harder and harder because if they don't the nurses turned out from their programs will not become RN's. Both BSN and ADN turn out grads that are excellent and some that are not. I respect the education and ability combined of all different levels of nursing. I personally have my ADN and will be starting on my BSN. I do it because I feel in our field if we don't continue our education we are letting our patients down and ourselves. Each day we need to work together to gain the respect we deserve.