Sunday September 11th 2022

Tweety, BSN, RN · Sep 11, 2022

Good morning!

Joe, sounds like you have a good day planned.

I think people have to pay for credit reports so probably the landlord doesn't want to do that.

The drive to yoga wasn't too bad. I drive that far to the doggie eye doctor, and to bowling, so I guess I might keep it up. I have three classes on my pass so I'll use them up. Life in a megapolis I guess.

I had insomnia starting at 3:00AM and finally got up at 3:45 since I'm off. Usually I would take 1/2 a clonazepam but decided against it. I putzed around on the internet. Watched the third installment on Amazon of the new Lord of the Rings series, and cooked a soba noodle stir fry for dinner later. I'll go back to bed soon after I eat something. Will go to the gym later.

Have a great day.

nursej22, MSN, RN · Sep 11, 2022

Good Morning. I've been awake since 5 am. Yesterday was okay. I had ice cream for the first time in months. We got it at the Tillamook factory, where they serve it as "flights". I got chocolate peanut butter, butter pecan, and coffee almond fudge. It was good, but I could only eat 1/2, it was so rich. We then drove along the Oregon coast, which was pretty but smoky. We stopped at a little diner with outside seating, because we had the dog with us. The drive back to the campground was along the Columbia river, where we could see huge barges coming and going, likely transporting grain and coal. Youngest ds and I took a little hike with the dog because he'd been in the car most of the day. We are headed home this morning.

According to the weather app on my phone, the air is "unhealthy " all along the Puget Sound. I guess that accounts for my sneezing and gritty eyes. No rain forecast for a week, which is usually what will scrub the air.

Mr. NoStars has recurrent pleural effusions, new onset atrial fibrillation, and ETOH dependence. That sounds like more than an overnight stay. But I've been out of the hospital for a few years, but I hope he doesn't go home too soon, because it seems like it takes an act of God to get him in.

Yoga and gym sounds nice. So does a cool rainy day.

Editorial Team / Admin · Sep 11, 2022

Hello!

Joe, how many ppl in your church? Is is enough that you might hope for/expect a few more in choir? // I watched the last half of the Svengoolie movie. It's interesting how the ppl and the aliens and the ship (blasting off to space) were portrayed!

Tweety, insomnia hit me too. I think I fell asleep around 0630. Got up at 0915. *ahem* yes, I will be going back to bed sometime soon! // Oldest ds is watching the LOTR series. I may start it, too.

nursej22, sounds like a lovely day: ice cream, drive, and all, despite the skies. At least you are able to get away!

I have nothing planned for today (especially having slept so little). Chance of rain is 40% (from the hurricane down in Mexico). We were supposed to get lots of rain yesterday but didn't, unfortunately. I don't hold out much hope for rain today.

Have a good day!

No Stars In My Eyes · Sep 11, 2022

Nannie and I were so exhausted from yesterday that we BOTH slept until 1 PM! When I went down to check on her, she was sitting, half-nekkid, on the side of her bed. I got her into the bathroom and ***'t her to strip, wash, dress, then got her out to the den, and she asked me where she could sit. Ummm, how about your recliner! Gave her the 'morning yogurt and AM meds'. Had to strip the bed and put everything in the wash, because although she had made it up already, it was soaked w/ urine.

Hubby's ER doc called me and said he would be there for another night. She told me they would NOT be doing the thoracentesis (sp?) in the hospital, because for some reason his insurance won't pay for it to be done in-house...which doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense to me, as it has been done there 4 times. Anyway, he will have to go to out-patient once he is discharged to have it done. (stoopit!) // She said they were going to do an ultrasound to see if he has gallstones. She said his bilirubin is 'kind of high'. She also said he seemed to be doing pretty well on his Librium taper.

I called hubby and woke him up (poor thing; no sleep is to be had in the hospital!) He said he felt pretty good and that the doc had told him the same as she told me. I told him to go back to sleep and I'd talk w/ him later.

So, I have the rest of today and tonight to myself. Well, as long as Nannie continues to sleep between meals. Ooops, but the Braves vs Seattle game is on in about 15 minutes, so she'll be awake for that.

Okay, that's all for now-----

Hahaha! The abbreviation of "assisted" had the first three letters ***.

Poor old hypersensitive TOS!

Tweety, BSN, RN · Sep 11, 2022

Glad to hear the doc is keeping touch with you Stars and that the librium is doing well. Got to watch that "Day 3" though. That's crazy about the thoracentesis not being authorized. Weird. The ultrasound, given this symptoms of pain probably is a good idea.

Dianah, sorry about the insomnia. Hope you have an easy day.

J22, the ice cream sounds good! You have to elaborate what "flights" means.

By 10:00AM, I was tired again and slept a couple of hours. Most likely this will ruin my sleep tonight. and so it goes.....

No Stars In My Eyes · Sep 12, 2022

Geez! Hubby went into hosp on Sat AM, and he called me 2 hrs ago and said he has not had one single thing to eat since he's been there. I told him "the squeaky wheel gets the grease." If it was me, I'd go stand in the doorway of the room and yell, "EXCUSE ME! HELLOOOO! I NEED SOME FOOD! I'M DIABETIC!" He said they were very short-staffed. (surprise!) They at first did not want to give him any food, they told him, "because of the procedure". I told him that the Dr said he wouldn't be having the procedure in the hospital, and he should ask the next nurse who passed by his door, if the nurses were aware there wasn't going to be a procedure after all, and so, they should GET HIM A TRAY! And if they don't *I* will go get him some food and bring it in to him. He said he's already had the ultrasound, though no one has said anything about results. // A while later he called and said they had just brought him a sandwich "and some little cakes" (?) Whatever. But he said he would never-ever-ever go back to that hospital again!

This afternoon, Nannie was making some weird comments about "the last time I lived here" and about my hubby, she called him "that guy that sits over here in this other chair." As I tried to get her PARTIALLY on-track, she started asking questions and not remembering what I gave for answers. I ended up giving her at least 1/2 hr of her own personal history, which I had to keep repeating.

She also kept hearing the wrong info from the game commentators even when they weren't doing anything but jabbering and filling time. She insists they said there would be another ballgame tonight. [No. It is tomorrow evening.] She said, "When (so+so) called me on the phone...." [No. You do not even have a phone anymore.] Oh, and a bunch of other really wrong mixed up 'memories'. I was feeling pretty exasperated by then. I can only maintain my patience until early evening, and it was gettin' on past that (ie it's DARK outside; see how I have gotten into the explaining rut?)

Then I had to re-explain how the other team won by one last run at the bottom of the ninth inning, when the Braves had gotten 4 runs in the top of the ninth inning, but the other team made a home-run, so that was the end of the game. She also insisted that the other team's name on the front of their shirts was "Shriner's" (where she went as a kid). Finally there was a clear shot of a players shirt and she saw it said Mariner's. I saved my sanity for a moment, and turned the TV to Celebrity Family Feud, which engages her brain quickly, However, I forgot her propensity for remarking about various people's looks. Every time she spoke I had to hit the mute button, say "WHAT?" She needs to 1.) clear her throat, and 2.) project her voice as if she was yelling at my hubby; and 3.) don't just gurgle and peep at me. -------{Or she could hush up and go to bed and that would be QUITE acceptable to me!}

Signing out now.

Tawk whichoo tamale'!

Tweety, BSN, RN · Sep 12, 2022

Most likely Mr. Stars needed to be NPO for the US but after that they should have tried to get him some food. These are the kinds of things that are important to patients and what they remember most. But short staffed nurses have their priorities, so be kind to us. Hopefully his heart rate and blood pressure are better. But yeah, the squeaky wheel get's the grease. ?

Had a nice visit to the beach. Was cloudy and a storm rolled in. Was nice. Weather was very pleasant in the mid-80's.

Was hard to get motivated after my nap.

No Stars In My Eyes · Sep 12, 2022

Hubby said there was a male nurse doing charge, who also had a patient assignment and was very, very busy; he also said there were 2 nurses/aides that walked up and down the hallway a lot. He said that as far as he could tell, the charge nurse was the only one who was working!

Natch, I thought of our Tweety being in charge and having an assignment and being very, very busy.

Anyway, I'm not going to be unkind to anyone for something way beyond their control, cause I know what it's like to be swamped with work and frustrated at not being able to 'get on top' of things.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Sep 12, 2022

Thanks Stars.

We don't have access to food on my floor and sometimes our kitchen is very short staffed and they just ignore our pleas to bring the patient something to eat. It's very frustrating.

Housekeeping is short staffed and rooms aren't being serviced the way they should if at all.

There's good and bad in the whole new generation out there that are doing the minimum because "I don't get paid enough", "it's not my responsibility to staff the hospital", "I'm not in a good space right now so I'm calling off (2 minutes before their shift)", "I have a family emergency and am leaving (I.e. I don't want to work this assignment today), and with 3% unemployment rates (negative unemployment rates for CNA's and RNs) knowing they can get another job next door in two minutes so they quit on the spot.

It's the patient's who are suffering.