SIGH.....You know, it just never fails.

Nurses General Nursing

Published

OK, my favorite bunch of medical minds, a little something to brighten your day, and maybe give you a reason to get up tomorrow. You never know how or when some small thing you've done for some person, and probably since forgotten, will come back to visit you.

So, yesterday was Monday, and apparently, it knew it.

How do I know this, you ask?

Well, let's see......

Where I live, the high temp for the last few days has been 20. That's 20 degrees FAHRENHEIT, and that's the HIGH. Therefore, the cat had to come in for the night. If the cat is in for the night, it's a safe bet that she will be in the bed with me. It's also a safe bet that if the puppy sees her, they'll do their darndest to level the house.

So, to start, the cat wakes me up at 5:30, scratching at the door to go out.

I open the door for the cat, and then have to settle the puppy, because as far as she's concerned, it's time to get up.

Approximately 30 seconds later, the cat is scratching at the door again, wanting in.

I attempt to get dressed and groomed, and have the sheer joy of chasing my clothes, shoes, hairbrush, and hot rollers (one at a time) down the hall. The puppy likes to help Mama get dressed.

I roll down the driveway, stop for the paper, and realize that the cat it still perched on the roof of the car.

I schlep the cat back to the house.

I head for work. It's freezing. The heater is being stubborn. The bridge is backed up. The Staties have set up a weigh station at the far end for the logging trucks. There are about 10 18-wheelers between me and the end of the bridge. It's a 2 lane road. Praise God for Mountain Dew and Rick and Bubba.

I get to work and find that we're having a fire sale on consults, and that today's special is a-fib. 3 consults in less than 5 minutes.

I get started, and get beeped for my first set of stresses.

I get to the stress lab, prepare to start, doc walks in behind me and scares the bejeebers out of me. He then offers me a script for what he calls "high-dose sedatives".

I run around like the proverbial headless chicken, putting out fires until lunch.

I head back to do more rounds, get beeped, and know that I'm not going to like whatever has happened when the receptionist starts the convo with "Are you REAL busy right now?"

I head back to the office to see a spur-of-the-moment clinic patient.

I decide to take a pee break.

I forget to take off my stethoscope.

The stethoscope slides off halfway, the earpieces get caught in my waistband, and I miss giving myself a hangman's fx by sheer Providence.

I head BACK to the hospital, get all the fires out, and beeper goes off again.

It's my DH. Seems we won't be getting that beach house anytime soon. Lovely.

And just about the time I am ready to commit a mortal crime.........

The patient that came in last month with a K+ in the basement, that we considered a chaplain consult for, walks in, hugs my neck and kisses my cheek. Why?

I was the only one who wished him a Merry Christmas the last time I saw him.

SIGH...............never fails, and the bluster went right out of my sails.

And how was YOUR day?

OK, my favorite bunch of medical minds, a little something to brighten your day, and maybe give you a reason to get up tomorrow. You never know how or when some small thing you've done for some person, and probably since forgotten, will come back to visit you.

So, yesterday was Monday, and apparently, it knew it.

How do I know this, you ask?

Well, let's see......

Where I live, the high temp for the last few days has been 20. That's 20 degrees FAHRENHEIT, and that's the HIGH. Therefore, the cat had to come in for the night. If the cat is in for the night, it's a safe bet that she will be in the bed with me. It's also a safe bet that if the puppy sees her, they'll do their darndest to level the house.

So, to start, the cat wakes me up at 5:30, scratching at the door to go out.

I open the door for the cat, and then have to settle the puppy, because as far as she's concerned, it's time to get up.

Approximately 30 seconds later, the cat is scratching at the door again, wanting in.

I attempt to get dressed and groomed, and have the sheer joy of chasing my clothes, shoes, hairbrush, and hot rollers (one at a time) down the hall. The puppy likes to help Mama get dressed.

I roll down the driveway, stop for the paper, and realize that the cat it still perched on the roof of the car.

I schlep the cat back to the house.

I head for work. It's freezing. The heater is being stubborn. The bridge is backed up. The Staties have set up a weigh station at the far end for the logging trucks. There are about 10 18-wheelers between me and the end of the bridge. It's a 2 lane road. Praise God for Mountain Dew and Rick and Bubba.

I get to work and find that we're having a fire sale on consults, and that today's special is a-fib. 3 consults in less than 5 minutes.

I get started, and get beeped for my first set of stresses.

I get to the stress lab, prepare to start, doc walks in behind me and scares the bejeebers out of me. He then offers me a script for what he calls "high-dose sedatives".

I run around like the proverbial headless chicken, putting out fires until lunch.

I head back to do more rounds, get beeped, and know that I'm not going to like whatever has happened when the receptionist starts the convo with "Are you REAL busy right now?"

I head back to the office to see a spur-of-the-moment clinic patient.

I decide to take a pee break.

I forget to take off my stethoscope.

The stethoscope slides off halfway, the earpieces get caught in my waistband, and I miss giving myself a hangman's fx by sheer Providence.

I head BACK to the hospital, get all the fires out, and beeper goes off again.

It's my DH. Seems we won't be getting that beach house anytime soon. Lovely.

And just about the time I am ready to commit a mortal crime.........

The patient that came in last month with a K+ in the basement, that we considered a chaplain consult for, walks in, hugs my neck and kisses my cheek. Why?

I was the only one who wished him a Merry Christmas the last time I saw him.

SIGH...............never fails, and the bluster went right out of my sails.

And how was YOUR day?

Nice story. Should be on a nurses column or something....

That made me smile.

:)

Specializes in LTC Family Practice.

LOL...I have a cat who does the hood ornament thing on a regular basis, she's an indoor outdoor and her best bud is my rescue Jack Russell Terrier, they are now both leaving elderly and entering ancient, somewhere around 16ish. When asked if I have children my answer is: Oh yes and they all have 4 legs :D...sometimes it takes someone a moment or two to figure it out...LOL.

Enjoyed the story!

Specializes in ER.

sweet! Takes just one great thing to erase all of the negative!

Wow... what a day!!! I'm sure your patients are lucky to have you as their nurse!!!!:nurse::yeah:

Specializes in Addictions, Acute Psychiatry.

sounds like you've got lots of high quality problems; lots to be grateful for!

Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ED.

It's 54F here. I *wish* it was 20! I've been dying to go snowshoeing or skiing, but it's just wet up in the mountains! My day was pretty uneventful. I had the day off from work. I had a dentist appointment and got a filling.

Specializes in ICU, PICU, School Nursing, Case Mgt.

Loved, Loved,Loved your post!!! I laughed out loud about the cat still on the car...I also had a cat a number of years ago that went through the fan belt...Cat was fine but bald for several months...NOW my current cat stays in at all times--was a stray and would love to be outside so she reminds me of that every morning around 5am while walking up and down my back while yowling...not cute but love cat...Also a GREAT dog lover, only have one now and she does not know she is a dog (she is a pug, so she doesnt really even look like a dog)..now that the 2 human children are grown, I have 2 grandchildren with 2 legs and 2 with 4 legs. The daughter with the 4 legged kids is going to vet school! Will probably only have litters, not births...Just to "rub it in a little" I live in south east Florida and we are freezing because it went into the 40's (F) last night. nuk, nuk, nuk, however, I have to confess that I really LOVE the cold weather and wish I was somewhere where there is snow (really) at least for a few weeks! I am sure by next week we will be back to the 80's during the day with about 100% humidity.

Hope your week gets better, are you a clinical specialist or ARNP? You sound like fun..with my sick sense of humor, I would love to work with you--I thought I was the only one who "schlepps" things.

Susan

Specializes in med-surg, psych, ER, school nurse-CRNP.

Moogie, you must live up north! I don't know how y'all do it! I'm usually so hot-natured, and in Alabama, during summer, it gets up to 120 in the shade. You can imagine the misery there as well.

This morning, it was a balmy 11 degrees on the way to work. We're expected to get up to 2" tomorrow of snow, which, in Alabama is code for SHUT THE STATE DOWN! As I drive an hour to work, they know I might not be here, unless I can flag down a passing dog sled and mush to work.

Specializes in med-surg, psych, ER, school nurse-CRNP.

SWS, I am an Acute Care NP. In Alabama, we're all CRNPs, but the diff between me and a regular NP is I cannot see kiddos under 14 or do women's health. I have 2 Master's degrees, did a double major, so I am waiting to sit for my FNP cert. Then, I can see 'em from the cradle to the grave.

I like to think I'm fun to work with, haven't had any complaints so far, but have gotten some giggles (and a rousing guffaw from one of my supervising docs). I have a very dry sense of humor, which goes over big here. There are times that whoever I'm talking to will crack up, and I won't even realize what I said to cause it.

Case in point: Few years back, I was working on a med-surg floor, and my patient was going for a procedure, which my charge had said I could watch. I was in Np school at the time, and always fascinated with stuff like that (hey, my idea of fun is watching an autopsy, go figure). Well, I did my med pass, checked on the lady in question, and found the surgeon at the desk. I asked when the procedure was going to be done, and he told me that they had just finished.

Feeling somewhat put out at having missed the show, I proceeded to express my displeasure with a common phrase (to me, at least), and said "Y'all went WITHOUT me? Well, horse manure!"

Someone else got my attention for a second, and I heard a pounding behind me. When I turned around to the surgeon again, it was him, head down, pounding the counter with his fist, red in the face and tears rolling. Apparently, he had never heard that phrase before. He had an even better reaction a few days later when I informed him that said lady was "madder than a punched monkey" about not getting to go home when she wanted. He called his wife (after he caught his breath) to relay that one to her. Must've been a Yankee. EVERYBODY talks like that where I'm from.

Hey, I'm a hick. Never claimed to be anything else. You have your good-old-boys, I'm a good-old-girl. I like it that way. My co-workers seem to agree.

Specializes in LTC Family Practice.

Angelfire, I live in NE GA and right now we are about 20 with wind chill of 11, I don't mind the cool weather. I certainly appreciate your "folksy humor" around hear Jeff Foxworth is a GOD...LOL

Stay warm and look for those musher's along side the road ;) We now have a 60% chance of snow tomorrow, and like AL it's SHUT DOWN THE STATE...rush to store and buy all the bread an milk up:rolleyes:.

Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.
Cats still need to be in, in extreme weather. I can see your kitty on the top of the car, lol!

Mine won't put one paw outside in the cold.

+ Add a Comment