Saturday February 19, 2022

Joe NightingMale, MSN, RN · Feb 19, 2022

Morning Tweety

NJ22 I'm not sure I could handle that coworker 5 days a week either

Stars it seems a wiser approach not to argue with her

Hi Amo

Work featured a meeting that was supposed to last an hour but ended up lasting nearly 2. And a brief email advising me of some things I had forgotten to do. Neither was a big deal but I tend to deal poorly with both delays and criticism so was not happy. Though by the end of the day I was feeling better. I got everything done and I know my charting is good if not perfect.

Did meet up with J for dinner. He had gotten his PICC line in the morning and had a satchel to hold the pump, he follows up with the hospital every other day to get refills. He'll have it for a total of 6 weeks, though he has a recheck in 4, so hopefully it'll be done sooner.

Today will head out for coffee, then a morning meeting of the church capital campaign committee, the 4th in 4 weeks. Getting fairly convinced this was a mistake and that going forward I should avoid anything finance/fundraising related. We'll see how this goes I guess

Meeting dad for lunch. Going to skip Svengoolie, I think he has Attack of the Puppet People which is pretty dull, think it was from the 60s. I tend to prefer the stuff he shows from the 30s and 40s

Going to be in the 20s, might get a little snow. Hope the wind calms down, was nearly gale force last night

Editorial Team / Admin · Feb 19, 2022

Hello all!

Tweety, hope you are adequately staffed today, and you don't have to stay OT. I have heard we are having a staffing crunch as well (not just nurses) at our facility. I guess I am contributing to it, choosing to retire now. I do have mixed feelings about leaving but overall, I think this is the right time for me. OK, back to Tweety! Hope you can get out and get some mandatory beach photos for us, soon! I so enjoy them. And George's smile!

Hello Joe, I hate meeting interruptions as well, especially when they go over the allotted or predicted time. Good you were able to finish the day's work in spite of the meeting. Nice to hear you and J got together, the PICC insertion went smoothly, and that his treatments are all arranged. Is he in the medical field? Have a good coffee this morning, and I hope your finance meeting goes smoothly. When is your next vacation?

I was in Stress Lab all week, and did Case Mgmt when I could get to it, to help my office partner. She is such a whiz at Case Mgmt, so creative and has a vast resource network in her brain!! I wish I could have infused mine with some of her smarts/know-how! But, no use whining about things. Next week we have Monday off (President's Day), then I work Tues and Wed, and am off Thurs, Friday, and the next week. We will pack up on Thursday, and on Friday morning head out to Topock, AZ for some jamming at a parking lot campout/get-together. Will meet up with some old friends, which will be nice!

Then on Monday we will head over to Lake Havasu City for camping (on the river!) and jamming all week, as a precursor to the weekend Bluegrass On the Beach festival. More bands to hear, vendors to visit, jamming to do. We are looking forward to the whole time away! Right now I am mulling over: what food do we want to bring/fix?

When I return to work, on Tuesday the 8th, I will have just over two weeks until my retirement date of 3/25. All the paperwork I fretted about, has been submitted and things are rolling along. I am just trying to stay focused, to continue to do the right things and remain alert on the job, till after 3/25!

Yesterday I spoke with a friend whose husband is undergoing stem cell transplant -- for the second time. The first one lasted 11 years then tumors began popping up again. She was warned that this one may not last as long as the other. We continue to pray and hope for the best! He is doing well with treatments. Apparently this time the antiemetic is VASTLY improved (read: EFFECTIVE!) compared with 11 years ago. That in itself is a relief.

Tomorrow I have some errands to do. We are slowly replacing all our litter boxes with new ones. I think the old ones just get too old and don't work as well containing smells. The two new ones I got, two weeks ago, are a big improvement. Now to replace the other two boxes! (yes, for 7 cats you need more than one box!!)

I will also swing by Sprouts and look for a non-dairy, coconut-based whipping "cream" that we were introduced to last weekend, at our friend's. It was so delicious! I have tried the local HFS, and grocery store. Neither one carried this particular brand. So. off to Sprouts I go!

Have a good day!

nursej22, MSN, RN · Feb 19, 2022

Good morning.

Yes, Tweety, I have fingers crossed that you have decent staffing, and no unusual issues to deal with.

Joe, I too, like older movies. There is something about ones from the 50s and 60s that seem so cheesy, or like they tried too hard. And the colorization was harsh. And yeah, those meetings that run over, especially when you have work waiting is frustrating.

Ooh, Dianah, it seems like retirement is rushing up! I feel at sea with case management often times. My job share goes too far, I think at times, like going to provider appointments with clients. Oh well, she is retiring in July, I think.

Yesterday afternoon was tough. I was having a lot of discomfort in my legs and hips, and really wanted to go home. Sometimes, laying down is the only way to get relief. But I was waiting for a call back to confirm a home visit that never happened. And OCD co-worker wanted help with an insurance form, but wasn't ready until right at the end of the day. I did go outside and stretch which helped, and then dh picked me up and we went out to dinner. I have a yummy pasta primavera. And then home and straight to bed. I did have a nice short run in the rain this morning, and listened to our radio show. Dh and Angus are snoozing on the couch. I have some flower seeds to start, and I need to checkout some flower bulbs that we overwintered, to see if they are viable, and will pot them up if they are.

No Stars In My Eyes · Feb 19, 2022

Oh, I agree with not jumping on Nannie about her clothes being worn 5 days in a row. How many old folks have I known who do the same thing, and fuss if they need to bathe?! The way *I* do it is tell Nannie that I'm going do laundry the next day, and I'm going to put out some clothes for her to wear when she gets up in the morning, so I can wash the ones she's had on. She says OK, and there is no fussing. I gave up telling her that if she doesn't move her legs around at all, she stands a good chance of getting blood-clots. She thinks she is "ten foot tall and bullet-proof" as the country song goes.

I had taken her lunch tray upstairs before I started on the laundry. She was holding a cup of pudding, and she waited until I had sat down again and begun with the laundry stain treatments and she said, "I don't have a spoon for my pudding." I got her a spoon and sat down again to I resume the stain treatments. Then she had quickly finished her pudding and her drink and held them up, saying, "What am I supposed to do with these?" (Imagine what I bit my tongue to keep from saying back to her!) I said, "Just a minute, and I'll take them upstairs." She slammed them down on the chair-side table. Slammed them down! Don't know why she couldn't have just set them on the table to begin with. Oh well.

I went back to sorting the laundry and treating the stains, and as usual she watches me like a hawk when I do it. I kept looking up at her and she'd glance away. Then after half a dozen times of this, she closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.

She isn't talking to hubby. He said she's been that way all of her life; if she gets mad, she won't talk...sometimes for 2-3 days at a time. (If only.) He has said he will bring her back to the doc who increased her meds (which did very, very well, until just lately.) and see if he can prescribe something more or something else.

By the way, there is a very good article about 'the nursing shortage' in the most recent issue of Reader's Digest.

Time to switch out a load of clothes and start another one. Oh what fun.