ang75

Sorry, no info about lozenges or patches. But I do have a few things to say... First off, congrats on being brave enough to post this thread. I know a lot of smokers who choose to be closet smokers because of the criticism. Well done! Second, there are some anti-depressants that are pg safe. NOT saying that you are depressed. They do help with smoking cessation, this is another option for you. As mentioned above, your NP can help the most. But you did the right thing by getting some ideas together before your appt. Good luck!

Ditto to Pams post. Except our nurse to pt ratio is usually about 6 or 7:1. In the field we have standing orders, so its just memorize, memorize, memorize. I think it is good for me to pull shifts in the field. It reminds me how hectic things are out there and I can actually defend the crews when my extra special coworker is constantly complaining about how long it takes ems to get a patient to the er. All ER nurses should at least do a ride along once. It is so much easier to understand why extrication takes so long.

Never. Completely out of their scope of practice.

Well, I do both. I work full time in the ER as an RN although I have kept my MICT current. I do occasionally pull shifts in the field. Once in a blue moon I work in the air. Not often though. Now that I am pregnant, I try to limit myself to ER. (my server drops me constantly, so this will probably be in parts-sorry) In the field, we are pretty much flying solo of course we do call in for orders from time. In the ER, it is not even close to the same. We often get docs that want to order the saline to wash the wounds with. Drives me nuts. speaking of driving me nuts, the dogs are whining to go outside and chase squirrels. The only way to get them quiet is to take em out. So I will try to get into this more later today. Sorry

People are such freaks. Sometimes I think of switching over and taking care of animals instead. But then we wouldn't have all of these hideous stories to laugh and gag at.:) Please say it isn't so...

travel nursing. To go where ever I like whenever I like would be fabulous!

What part of the country are you looking for? I had a great INS co while in denver. Here, it is another story. I dislocated my knee 1 yr ago and had to go to the OR for open reduction. I had sheared off part of my patella and my ins co just sent me a letter stating they finally sent payment to the doc and hosp. A whole yr!!!

exactly tee it up tom!

Ok, so this one is not about a fb, but close enough. Very, very dirty lol came in by ems, escorted by hus, for "just not right". It was very obvious by both appearance and aroma that neither of them could care for selves or each other any longer. EMS tells us that roaches were all over the house and were now all over their truck. NICE! Well, lol was altered, febrile and not at all mobile and very large. Went to put a foley in and there were roaches in her labial folds!!!!!!!! Frickin nasty! If I ever get to the point that I have any kind of rodent/pest farm anywhere even near my body that will be my breaking point. Dip me in some clorox and put me in a home.

We use O2 for "cluster headaches". Works wonders.

Always two sides to a story. And all of us know that to the er pts 20 minutes seems like 2 hrs. About the asthma...if the episode was so "severe" she wouldn't have lasted 2 hrs.

I have seen many fb's in many places, but the one that got to me the most was the roach in a guy's ear. I don't know why it bothered my so much. Wasn't my ear. But just the thought of it wiggling around in there still makes me cringe.

We had a ff that came in at the age of 24 for pain meds for "knee pain" . MS was the ONLY thing that worked of course. No limp, normal gait, dnv's intact, no crepitus, nada. One of our ER docs got so tired of her that he just snowed her. I wasn't taking care of her, but I walked by the room shortly after her pain meds were given and she was drooling all over herself. I freaked out! Not saying that what he did was right, but it was effective. Didn't see her for a year after that. I have no idea what he ordered or how much but he apparently got what he was looking for.

We had another guy who came in with a glass coke bottle (open) stuck in his bum with the open end up. We all placed bets on how they were gonna get it out because of the vacuum it had created. When we were standing in the hall and heard the glass break, I coughed up my ten bucks and laughed for days. The funniest part? He drove himself to the ER. Hope he didn't hit any speed bumps!:rotfl:

There was so much swelling there that they actually had to use lidocaine and make a small incision on the dog to get the blood to drain. Is there anyone in this world who could have done that with a straight face? I totally believe that there are some situations that it is ok to laugh, vomit, gag whatever.

The ones that really drive me nuts are the ones that come in with Burger King in hand and 5 people in tow, laughing joking all out having a great time and tell me they have a migraine that is so terrible that they just can't take it anymore. And, it's not always migraines. I have had a seeker who was working off of back pain too.

You get your volunteers to run to the lab? I am so jealous! I can't get our volunteer out of her chair. She sits there on the phone, occasionally answering questions for guests and that about sums it up. Oh, and one year she gave us all Bourbon balls for the holidays. They were pretty strong. After eating one of them I understood why she never gets out of her chair. If she has eaten any she prob has a pretty good buzz.:rotfl:

OK, first, I am not a pervert.:chuckle I lived next to a dog breeder for a while. Dogs have a part of their "member" that swells like a bulb. I'm not sure what it is called ball? Anyhow, this makes it easier for dogs to breed with other DOGS. It kind of keeps them there for sometimes up to an hour until blood flow returns to normal. (There is really no way to describe this that sounds decent. I am really struggling here.) This would be my guess on how they get humans "stuck". Augh GROSSSSSS! There is division amongst species for good reason. So noone gets stuck humping a dog.

I have had a couple that nothing short of barfing and Kevorkian? would make me feel better. It hurts just to take a deep breath. So I know what you mean. I worked with a ER doc once that believed in 5omg Benadryl and 1 liter of NS for migraines. Amazingly, he had quite a bit of success. I hope you find some relief for yours. Good luck.

NICE! There's a winner for you. :)

SLOW DOWN! No one was trying to offend you here. I am perfectly aware that there are pts with little to no relief for what ails them. I wasn't pointing fingers at you or anyone else. If you will recall, the title to this thread was drug seekers and their antics. That's exactly what I was talking about...seeking. Sorry to have struck a nerve with you. Never intended it that way.

You might try looking under the gen nursing discussion on this board. I think there is a thread about it in there.

I have no idea what she was planning.The only thing close to her was a bottle of lotion. I told her the Vicodin would stop her up and that we have remedies for that. Actually, now that I think about it, wouldn't it be nice if all of our patients gave themselves their own enemas? Of course, with the proper equipment, not a NG. It would sure make my job smell better.

Oh and also, our staff are divided by scrub colors defined to each area. ER is royal blue, OR purple and pale blue, NICU pink, respiratory maroon etc, etc

We wash our own and wear them in to work, except for OR of course. I'm glad to wash my own. At least that way they get fabric softener. Hosp washed ones are like wearing cardboard. The ones we wear in the OR are hosp washed and supplied. The other reason I like having my own is that I can wear something bright and goofy when I choose, depending on my mood.:)