nurseby07

We stay in until wound is healed, going out 1xweekly for skilled observation.

Hello everyone, Isn't home health great? I cannot believe some of my foley cath insertion stories and was wondering what stories everyone else has. Today I cathed a 600 pound woman, it took four other people to hold back the flesh. She was so sweet, it made me sad to think about what the reasons are that made her get so big. I will point out that I was also kneeling in urine saturated carpeting. Uugh. My other most difficult cath patient is a sweet gal with MS. She is so rigid I have to have her daughter pry one leg while I straddle her other. We are working on getting her a suprapubic, but until that time the three of us sweat through the exhausting feat of getting her cathed. All sterile technique goes out the window. Those are just two stories. Was just curious what everyone else's are.

I know this sounds very is cliche, but those patients tend to irritate me more when I have pms. Hang in there. Some people are so irritating. Be glad they aren't on daily wound care, like my current difficult family.

UGGHH. Sorry.

The last few weeks for me have also been filled with annoying family members. It would be so much easier if we could ask the family members to step outside, like we could in the hospital, but in HH you can't. Uggh. I hope you find what you need.

Sounds like you're the judge and jury now. It was just an honest question, no need to berate.

Oh this is the most annoying part about home health. I call at 9, get this groaning, slow...."heloooo" No I don't want to see you before noon. I was up all night watching tv. I hate the new gal's hair, but I am legally blind. Or the ones who are in the ALFs and you have to schedule around their bingo/ meetings/ lunch from 11-1, then a nap. Ugggh. Or the annoying foster care owners. No! You can't that flu shot, she never wants one. But the worst....the VERY WORST...are the annoying family members who hover, say "that's not how so and so did it in the hospital" get mad when you call at 8:30 for an appointment, hover some more and covet your supplies in the back bedroom you're not allowed in. They BRING you two gloves to use. Oh God. It has been a rough couple of weeks.

Yes of course you can, especially since you doubt you'll even want to go back to nursing. Please take care of yourself, jobs will always be there if you decide to return. All the best.

Thank you for being such a great nurse.

Complacent? That would be like a runner scoffing at another runner for "only" doing a half marathon. Geez. Becoming an LPN is a huge accomplishment.

And nobody doubts you aren't needed. You are. You just aren't there to assess.

I am the person from the original post. As a nurse I have made mistakes. I have never ignored obvious signs of infection. I doubt there are many nurses who would do so. Fever, redness, pus at op site warrants a look see by a doctor. I was not her nurse at the time, she didn't have one. Now she does.

I would have if I had been the one calling about the fever. I was calling for a med clarification.

Thanks Batman, The MD knows all of the above. I didn't even think about the BON. I shall do that tomorrow. First thing. Thanks.

Today I was at a patient's home and had to call the doctor. The answering service said "If you would like to speak to a nurse press 3" So I pressed three. A girl came on, "This is Tina" and I said "Hi Tina I'm a nurse with so & so and your machine prompt says press three for a nurse. Are you a nurse" Tina says "Yes. Well, an MA, same thing, go ahead" Hmmm. What to do what to do? May I also point out that the reason I am seeing this woman is for a major abdominal post op infection? When she came home from the hospital she developed a fever of 101 with redness and pus at the wound site. She called the service and the "nurse" told her to take an advil and come in for her scheduled appointment in a week. This was the MA who I had spoken to. The doctor flipped when he saw the wound and she was immediately readmitted for iv abx and debridement. What is going on and who do I report her to?