Schweet

I want to try this but I am afraid my face will break out.

I am so sorry to hear about your Mom. I wanted to thank you for the insight into your current feelings. I have often given condolences by saying, "I can't imagine what this must feel like for you." I find your description gives a slight glimpse of what you are feeling and I am sorry you have to go through it. If you don't mind me asking what's your plan for this year currently? Will you two continue to Facetime with your FIL or do you plan to see him in person? Both of which have their pros/cons. I am struggling with this situation myself. ❤Schweet

No worries@PsychNurse24. This is a long thread ?. Unfortunately, I have to agree we're in this for the long-haul with this despicable virus. ❤Schweet

That is a good point. I know specifically of one person who did just that and then oops, not allergies, testing positive for Covid. I have talked to a few non-healthcare 75+ vaccinated individuals who all appear to have this same mindset, it's a go flag for life again. Hopefully they know the risks, now it's time for them to decide. Also, I find it hard to educate the public when I have to begin everything with, "What we know right now..." and it ends with, "but that remains to be seen." ? Schweet❤

It really is a no win situation. I am sorry to hear he lost both of his family, that must be difficult. I agree it is weird seeing the city streets being empty. I have noticed it was strange seeing on the news famous locations significantly less crowded but it didn't really hit home until it hit home, where I live.

Spoke to my parents yesterday and we laughed more than we have in a long time, I can see why you also felt relieved after getting the vaccine. My hubby's also going through allergies right now, thank goodness Neg Covid. The post nasal drip cough is frustrating since there's nothing as stigmatizing as coughing right now ??.

Freedom, freedom, Freedom. To be able to live this free again. I have a feeling psychologically this is a much easier way to live. ❤Schweet

I suppose I got the vaccine hoping they will find it does more than just prevent serious illness, hopefully make it less likely to be spread but that remains to be seen. Also, less chance if dying from it feels reassuring also. Schweet❤

I am grateful for your thoughtful response, as well as that from others too. I think you guys have given sound advice ? I plan to visit my parents this Spring for an outdoor, masks wearing, no contact visit. While it is frustrating to fly all the way there for such a no contact visit, it's better than nothing. Also it will be well over 2 weeks after their 2nd Pfizer vaccine. My parents both only have so much time left because of their age, it will be so nice to be able to bring supplies and see them. It seems better to do this now than wait until it's too late. ❤Schweet

I know posts can derail naturally but this post is hilarious ? . As you can see from my original post I tend to wonder off topic as well. I get plenty of political discussion from my hubby so I'll kindly just not acknowledge that facet of this thread even if applicable ? @JVBT, thank you for the clarification.

All things I think about also. - Schweet❤

@londonflo I hope my family can do this, it has been 10 months since I have traveled to see my parents. Been texting and chatting on phone only ?. They're in the high risk category. I normally see them 2-3 times a year. @KitigerI feel this way too, "let's cautiously move forward." @TheMoonisMyLantern, I agree. This is a large part of the "dark cloud" hanging over me. Will the Pfizer vaccine we got be effective against those variants is the question? Early studies show maybe partially but we'll see. With all the flip flopping regarding this virus I feel this quote to be so true, "The only constant in life is change." We just have to roll with the changes. Thanks for the responses you guys, I find I can't talk about Covid anymore, my husband said last year I can't mention covid more than once a day (apparently I was talking about it nonstop). I don't say anything to my friends except that work is crazy or at times getting better and my coworkers who would probably be the best outlet, are so busy and stressed like all of us, they can only seem to handle small talk or funny memes. -Schweet❤

My parents cried, they were so elated to finally get the vaccine. "We can finally not worry anymore and have the whole family over!" My Mom said this with such enthusiasm and it was the first time over the last 10 months she seemed carefree. I wanted to immediately correct her since she had this "I am untouchable now I got the vaccine" way of thinking but I will let her revel in it until the 2nd Vaccine. Instead, I politely reminded her full immunity comes a week or so after the 2nd shot. If she starts planning an Easter party, I may need to have a discussion sooner. I thought to myself, how many people are thinking this way? Is this much anticipated, solution to our problems vaccine giving too many of us a false sense of security? (Of course, I'm exaggerating a little) After experiencing a similar emotion after my 2nd injection I sort of understand. I had a moment when I thought this changes everything, but does it really? As a nurse I already researched the vaccine, coming to the realization we don't know enough about the vaccine, and we can't to go back to regular life. I had to mourn the loss of my old life just like everyone else. Had to go thru the 5 stages of grief. The stages went something like this- 1-Denial This isn't happening! Covid Must be like another flu. (Boy were we wrong) 2- Anger Stay at Home! Can't tell me what to do...what, everything is closed...guess I will just stay home then. 3-Bargaining- Viva Las Vegas If I just wear my mask, stay far apart then my 2020 Vegas trip will be just like before...nope, not the same. Life just is not the same. 4-Depression My kids never going back to school, I am going out of my mind stuck in this house! On the super depressing side, I see patients, coworkers and friends dying. None of us have ever seen so much death. No time to dwell on this, no time to process these pesky emotions, back to work. I Will schedule appt with a therapist after all this is over... I.e. who knows when. 5- Acceptance Not sure I have reached this one yet. Is tolerating something the same as acceptance? If so then I wavier between this stage and the last three depending on the day. We all have our own version of this I assume. Every one of us going through this loss together but separately, not to mention the loved ones lost. I feel encouraged by the vaccine, all the while black clouds of uncertainty loom overhead. I read things like this and feel again like we have a long road ahead. - Safety and Effectiveness of a COVID-19 Vaccine What I mean is this, after I got the vaccine I felt relief knowing I am less likely to get COVID. Unfortunately, studies haven't been done yet to determine if I could still carry and transmit it. I think that's the part so many of us are forgetting, which is easy to do. Maybe they will do studies and find otherwise but until then I am considering every risk I take. Am I wearing a mask at home? Obviously not, but when my friends say to me we should go out now since I have the vaccine and my parents say come over, I think not yet. I am in the thick of this, working with COVID + patients every shift and the risk is still too great. I would rather not even think about it, any of it. Alas everywhere I turn these thoughts invade my mind, situations bring up these questions and others. I want to get out there so badly. I was even less cautious for maybe 4 months, back when things slowed down. Part of me wants to go out with them but wear a mask and be outside? I try to rationalize that if others see their extended families, then so could I. That's when my logical side kicks in and for me, at this point it's worth waiting a little while before a family reunion. I would feel horrible if I unknowingly brought an uninvited "guest". So, thanks for letting me say my piece (sometimes wondering off topic but will bring it full circle here?) Now that you know my inner struggle on this topic (sometimes hopeful, sometimes reality gets too real), I am wondering about others point of view who have been vaccinated, are you staying away for now or is the vaccine a green light for you to be around others? I know it's a personal choice but want to see other nurses' inner dialogue to see the reasons behind those choices. Thanks, ❤ Schweet

I have experienced this at my doctors as well. It's very frustrating from our perspective, though, if the tables were turned I might be the same way as these offices (especially if they haven't had much Covid desensitization, like we have). Also experiencing this when I went to give blood. Their message was, "Donors Urgently Needed!" But healthcare workers must not have inpatient Covid pts for 14 days, which isn't going to happen. I understand their rationale but it sure feels like a slap in the face. Was on my way to work in clean scrubs picking up food and I got looks & questioned if I was coming or going to work. Do they think I would go in there after 12+ hrs with Covid patients? No ma'am. While I understand their hesitancy and reasons, not wanting exposure to the awful C19, I am disappointed I feel the need to hide my RN status. Don't know why anyone displays the RN car sticker anymore, but each to their own. On the flipside the free Starbucks and Frontline discounts have been nice.? So, I feel your frustration and alienation. One day we'll just be known as heroes. - Schweet

Got the 2nd Covid Pfizer Vaccine & here's my experience: Day 1(day of 2nd dose): slight injection site pain, mild swelling/redness, size of a dime and warm to touch. Day 2 (next day): Similar injection site pain/swelling with more pain in deltoid & mild armpit lymph node tenderness. In the afternoon I had a fever/chills, sweats, mild headache (responded to tylenol), fatigue the rest of the day. Tylenol made everything more tolerable. Would recommend getting it despite the day of S/E. I feel more at ease knowing that soon I am less likely to bring home Covid to my family thanks to the vaccine. -Schweet❤

Got the 1st Covid vaccine a few days ago, no pain during insertion. Slight soreness at site next day but no side effects otherwise.

Tuesday I love it! And it does make more sense. For a visual, it was very nun looking. ?

Also just found this Medscape article specific to HCP PPE skin probs: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/929590

Early Covid, Management says: No masks on the floor out of patients rooms, especially not your own masks from home. During Covid: Masks mandatory everywhere, and by the way, we don't actually have enough, so...if you could just bring yours from home...yah, that would be great.

Anytime you take off your mask in the break room to eat you think, I wonder how much Covid is actually in here...dun dun duhn. But you continue to eat anyway.

You know you are a Covid nurse when: Your "coworker" is not above wearing disposable underwear under a makeshift pillowcase hair cover when they forget their surgical cap and the unit is out of disposal hair covers ? Need some humor in this mess.

I can tell you that my Covid patient would break out in a coughing fit every time she used hers. Not saying IS is a bad thing or a good thing in this situation but this patient only really coughed if she used it. I certainly don't want to be in the room during use due to viral spread.

I feel your pain. The 'maskne' is real. Due to new surge policies here, reusing peroxide cleaned masks and use of face shields, my face looks like I am a pimply teen again. After reading this article I found it isn't necessarily caused by hormones, it is acne mechanica, which is different from other acne. I will link the Shape Magazine article I found. https://www.shape.com/lifestyle/beauty-style/maskne-face-mask-acne-mechanica Outside work I have also noticed a few important factors affecting my facial irritation. Those nets that protect my mask in the washer also seem to affect how well it gets washed, so I do extended cycles like extra soak. Also, the extra rinse cycle helps with getting out all the soap that can irritate my skin. I use unscented, hypoallergenic soap now. I find some cloth masks really irritate my face more than others. Cloth masks should never be reused before washing, especially now for many reasons. We all know that most non-healthcare workers (& some healthcare workers too) are using the same mask for days, even weeks. "If I just put it in the sun it's fine," but does the sun get rid of the skin oils and what about the bottom side not facing the sun. I hope we can go mask free again because this maskne situation is annoying, let alone the bridge of the nose skin ulcer from 12 hrs of N95. I would like to know how ANYONE could wear the N95 the whole time without taking it off. I sure can't and the shifts I don't have time to take it off very often I get a nose sore ? ?

I saw your recent post that you wish it could be deleted, but I believe it's better that you got to vent. Sometimes we all need to vent and feel heard/understood. As for pay, not a simple question. There are two questions I noticed being answered on this post, the 1st being are we getting more specifically for Covid pt and the 2nd is how much per hour are we making (which it seems the original post didn't seem to ask this, more of a rhetorical question of "is any pay worth it" in general, due possibly to feeling under valued ?) I want to address them separately. As for Covid, our hospital does not pay more specifically for that unit, just the usual extra to float in general. There is special pay to work extra shifts (more than usual) From what I hear, many other hospitals directly around here also don't pay extra for Covid patients either. Regarding general pay amounts. This is a complex question with many factors such as hospital unit vs clinic v LTC, which all pay vastly different with different pt ratios. Also, where you live matters, even within a city I see hospital pay vary dramatically. My experience, the hospitals with more assistance, CNAs and lift team, pay the RNs less while the hospital that pays the most has less assistance and RNs do total care (VS, Baths, go for work, etc). Each hospital having its own benefits and problems. The grass is ALWAYS greener on the other side in experience. The question "Is it worth it" comes to every nurses mind, especially during hard times, let alone during this extreme situation. There is no right answer and it's truly a decision for each person to carefully consider. But I can say, each new job has its own new problems and benefits. It's always best to make a Pro/Con list and be truthful with yourself. Sometimes its just a reaction to being overwhelmed and other times it's really time to move on in our career. My Pro/Con list helped me decide to stay at my hospital job working directly with Covid patients for many more reasons than I could see to leave. Back in March I felt very different than I do now (fear, anxiety d/t Covid at that time), & that may not be a good time to make any life changing decision, in my case. If you are frustrated and/or scared, those feelings can cloud your vision and an objective point of view on paper may help you see things more clearly. Also ask your family for input, they may (or may not) have some insight. My husband told me to quit, so they aren't always right ? And more pay doesn't ensure happiness or make up for hazards, especially right now when there is less opportunity to spend money. But maybe more pay does help us feel better about risking our lives, you know, that "perception of feeling valued", does wonders. -SW

However, little to no college debt I think is nice. While these programs are very competitive, it is possible. Look at the criteria they use to determine who gets picked. For instance, some may give priority to those in that city, higher grades especially among the core science classes, etc. While many jobs say prefer BSN, many of those colleges you listed produce quality ADNs that make the cut from what I have seen. On the other hand, for a hospital to become magnet they need a certain % of their nurses to be BSN. There are many pro/cons to going BSN vs ADN which need to be considered. I am sure they are listed somewhere on this forum. Also the frank message before mine also brings up some true realities.