Question about injuries and illness directly related to bedside nursing

[oramar]

Do you have an illness or injury that you feel you would not have if you have been a secretary or IT professional. This is for bedside nurses only.

[Fgr8Out]

While my reply to the poll was "No"... I want to clarify this by saying that I wouldn't be surprised if my bedside nursing occasionally weakens my immune system, thereby leaving me more vunerable to all the bugs a hospital carries.

2 weeks of Strep... and then 2 weeks later I found out my undertreated strep developed into 6 weeks of time off with pneumonia... yeesh.

[TIREDmidnightRN]

I do not know a nurse without heel spurs!

[Tookie]

after 3o odd years in nursing and when we started (hospital trained) there wasnt much at all in the way of manual handling traingin OHS or anythiing to protect you - My back is not good - directly related to lifting-

[Tookie]

After 30 odd years in nursing and when we started (hospital trained) there wasnt much at all in the way of manual handling training, OHS or anything to protect you - My back is not good - directly related to lifting-

So I dont do hands on at the momnet - thinking about it again - would like a change but my back reminds - especially when it rains and as l go into the menopause thing!!!

[night owl]

I have to go with Tookie on this one, the back problems that I have are definately related to all of the lifting in my 25 years in nursing. A word to the wise...If you're just starting out in nursing,

please use those lifts even if it takes up more of your time because after awhile, you'll wish you had!

[NurseDennie, BSN, RN]

Yep, me too. Back/hip pain, sciatica (sciatic a$$ lock) etc., etc.

*sigh*

Love

Dennie

[StaceRacer1]

Ouch, I thought I was the only one with a heel spur!!

[Tiiki]

Illness? Injury?? Gee, where should I start!!! :) Lets see, I had a psychotic patient dislocate my clavicle. We once had a 750lb patient who required turning, everyone suffered back problems with that one! My personal favourites are the new admissions you get who after 2-12hr shifts, come up as being TB positive. So far I've been lucky in that dept, but know of several nurses who have latent TB as a result. The best gift I received from a patient to date was Whopping Cough. Off for 3 weeks, gave it to my youngest daughter!

[live4today, RN]

Originally posted by oramar

Do you have an illness or injury that you feel you would not have if you have been a secretary or IT professional. This is for bedside nurses only.

H-E-L-L YES!!! WHERE DO I GO TO COLLECT FOR MY INJURIES?

[patadney]

I got carpal tunnel in both wrists-working in dialysis,we did BP's q 30" on 12 pt with those wall-mounted BP cuffs.Took a lot of pumping. When doc told me to try using L hand part of the time,my boss said "won't that just cause carpal tunnel in your L wrist?" Guess what? She was right! Now they have automatic cuffs on the machines. I also hurt my back when I totaled a rolling cart with hundreds of pounds of supplies.Tried to stop it tipping over.Didn't work! Now I don't do that much lifting or BP's so I am still hanging in there. Have to work until old enough for Medicare.

[night owl]

Forgot to mention that back in the late 70's early 80's I worked in a building that had asbestos removal in the basement. Many people were compensated. (ie) The people who removed it, housekeeping, Everyone except for the people who worked in the building at that time...namely the nurses. One person that I know of died with lung cancer. Three other people died with different types of cancer and I worked with all of them in that building. I just hope that my days aren't numbered like theirs were...