This latest sickness is making me NUTS!

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in ER, ALF.

Hey guys! First off, HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all you amazing guys and gals out here! I hope you all have a great day, working or not!

My vent is just over this latest sickness spell I have had. It started last Friday night at work. Felt achy and feverish, so I just took some Motrin and Tylenol and pressed on! got home, slept, and woke up feeling kinda like death warmed over, but it was 1700, so way too late to call in. Shoot. Went back to the Tylenol and Motrin and put on my big girl panties and dealt with it! Called out Sunday night as I felt even worse. Sunday and Monday was not able to take in ANYTHING PO because my soft palate hurt so bad AND my nose was so congested nothing tasted good! So, Monday I tried really hard to get some PO fluids in the form of popsicles. Figured that would help numb up my throat and give me a little hydration. At this point, still continuing with Tylenol and Motrin q6hrs and some alka seltzer cold/cough/flu stuff with phenylepherine. So by the time early tuesday morning rolls around I take my pulse and find it's in the 130's. So I decide to suck it up and go to my ER where I work, where I found out at triage that my heart rate is actually 154, so I bought myself 2L of NS with that. Also got some solu-medrol and toradol. I felt like a new woman! I was convinced that I had licked this thing, and just added some Tylenol c Codine and some sudafed to my little virus cocktail.

Well, wednesday afternoon rolls around, my L ear feels terrible, and my eyes are kinda itchy. Just figured it was my cats, took my sudafed, and my zyrtec for my allergies and went back to bed. No big deal. Felt ok-ish when I woke up for my weekly karaoke time with my friends. I didn't sing, and felt miserable. Was home by 2300 and back in bed. Well I wake up at 0445 and have to pick my eyes open so I can even get them open. I stagger to my bathroom and freaking amazing... Pink eye. Both eyes. :banghead:

So I call my charge nurse and ask if my ER doc and just take a quick looksie write some Rxs and be on my way. Nope. Gotta go check in. Again. He walks in and goes, "Um yeah... you have pink eye." I also told him about my L ear bugging me and he says, "Oh and you have a pretty nasty otitis in your left ear, too." Fantastic.

So I got my Rxs for Vigamox eye gtts, 500mg Zithromax PO qday, and some vicodin since they T3 wasn't cutting it.

This has also sealed my fate for not being able to go to my parents house for Thanksgiving Dinner today, which is just kinda upsetting. It's my holiday off and I was really looking forward to being with my family, watchin the football games, and helping make dinner. Not so much now. I gotta stay at home. :(

I guess where I"m going with all of this is that I feel like I TOTALLY failed at trying to manage this at home. I feel like a totaly loser for having to go to the ER at odd hours for stuff I couldn't take care of myself. Everytime I thought about going to my PCP I never felt bad enough to go. Of course, at zero dark thirty, I find myself driving my happy little butt across town to work. On the plus side, my friends all took real good care of me! I totally owe all of them hugely for this!

Well, guys, I've whined long enough. Thanks for letting me vent!

And, again, Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Specializes in Critical Care.
Hey guys! First off, HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all you amazing guys and gals out here! I hope you all have a great day, working or not!

My vent is just over this latest sickness spell I have had. It started last Friday night at work. Felt achy and feverish, so I just took some Motrin and Tylenol and pressed on! got home, slept, and woke up feeling kinda like death warmed over, but it was 1700, so way too late to call in. Shoot. Went back to the Tylenol and Motrin and put on my big girl panties and dealt with it! Called out Sunday night as I felt even worse. Sunday and Monday was not able to take in ANYTHING PO because my soft palate hurt so bad AND my nose was so congested nothing tasted good! So, Monday I tried really hard to get some PO fluids in the form of popsicles. Figured that would help numb up my throat and give me a little hydration. At this point, still continuing with Tylenol and Motrin q6hrs and some alka seltzer cold/cough/flu stuff with phenylepherine. So by the time early tuesday morning rolls around I take my pulse and find it's in the 130's. So I decide to suck it up and go to my ER where I work, where I found out at triage that my heart rate is actually 154, so I bought myself 2L of NS with that. Also got some solu-medrol and toradol. I felt like a new woman! I was convinced that I had licked this thing, and just added some Tylenol c Codine and some sudafed to my little virus cocktail.

Well, wednesday afternoon rolls around, my L ear feels terrible, and my eyes are kinda itchy. Just figured it was my cats, took my sudafed, and my zyrtec for my allergies and went back to bed. No big deal. Felt ok-ish when I woke up for my weekly karaoke time with my friends. I didn't sing, and felt miserable. Was home by 2300 and back in bed. Well I wake up at 0445 and have to pick my eyes open so I can even get them open. I stagger to my bathroom and freaking amazing... Pink eye. Both eyes. :banghead:

So I call my charge nurse and ask if my ER doc and just take a quick looksie write some Rxs and be on my way. Nope. Gotta go check in. Again. He walks in and goes, "Um yeah... you have pink eye." I also told him about my L ear bugging me and he says, "Oh and you have a pretty nasty otitis in your left ear, too." Fantastic.

So I got my Rxs for Vigamox eye gtts, 500mg Zithromax PO qday, and some vicodin since they T3 wasn't cutting it.

This has also sealed my fate for not being able to go to my parents house for Thanksgiving Dinner today, which is just kinda upsetting. It's my holiday off and I was really looking forward to being with my family, watchin the football games, and helping make dinner. Not so much now. I gotta stay at home. :(

I guess where I"m going with all of this is that I feel like I TOTALLY failed at trying to manage this at home. I feel like a totaly loser for having to go to the ER at odd hours for stuff I couldn't take care of myself. Everytime I thought about going to my PCP I never felt bad enough to go. Of course, at zero dark thirty, I find myself driving my happy little butt across town to work. On the plus side, my friends all took real good care of me! I totally owe all of them hugely for this!

Well, guys, I've whined long enough. Thanks for letting me vent!

And, again, Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving to you too. Gotta remember, no matter how hard we try, we have to seek help when we get sick too. I know as nurses we are always trying to treat ourselves and go on. Take some time for you, rest, recover. Hope you feel better soon.

I wonder if you had two different infections illnesses in a row. First a viral illness that took out your immune system. Then a bacterial infection moved right in and took over. Only good thing about the situation is that you will get well. Good luck, Best Wishes and God bless.

Specializes in ER, ALF.

thanks for the wishes for getting better guys!

Oramar, thanks for providing some outside logic for this whole mess! I never even thought of that!

Highlandlass- Yep... I sure as heck have learned my lesson with this! If anything, I have learned I'm not super nurse, and can't fix myself all the time! :)

Doctors and lawyers who counsel themselves are looked on as fools.

;)

Happy Thanksgiving, and feel better soon!

Specializes in ICU.

Cee, I feel your pain. :o I ended up in the ER last night because I was having simultaneous vomiting/diarrhea NONSTOP for like 6 hours.:barf02:

By midnight, my HR was like 140 and I was dizzy and weak. That bought me a couple of liters of NS and I was feeling better when I got d/c'd at 4am but now I'm laying in bed miserable with a 101.1 temp. So much for thanksgiving for both of us!

:crying2:

Ewwwww.. Sick people...Stay awayyyyyy.:wink2: Hope your both better soon

Hey guys! First off, HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all you amazing guys and gals out here! I hope you all have a great day, working or not!

My vent is just over this latest sickness spell I have had. Thanks for letting me vent!And, again, Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Cee, I feel your pain. :o I ended up in the ER last night because I was having simultaneous vomiting/diarrhea NONSTOP for like 6 hours.:barf02:

By midnight, my HR was like 140 and I was dizzy and weak. That bought me a couple of liters of NS and I was feeling better when I got d/c'd at 4am but now I'm laying in bed miserable with a 101.1 temp. So much for thanksgiving for both of us!

:crying2:

Happy Thanksgiving! Hugs, and please take this time to rest and rejuvenate.:hrnsmlys:

oramar, and i, are thinking along the same lines.....do what ever is in your paradigm for immune support......stay away from other sick persons. and dont rush back to work......

Specializes in ER, ALF.

Sadly, I have to go back to work on friday night. I am on a weekends-only contract where we are allowed only 3 weekends off in a 6 month period. I used my first two for a glorious 18 nights off of work at the start of this contract (10/27-11/13). Even if we use just ONE day of a weekend(say I go to phoenix to see family on a monday, and don't fly back til friday night) it constitutes the use of a weekend. So, I don't have much choice but to go back to work tomorrow nght, sadly!

Thanks for all the well wishes guys!!

Sue, sorry you're feeling super poopy too!!! HUGS!!!

Specializes in Pediatrics.
I wonder if you had two different infections illnesses in a row. First a viral illness that took out your immune system. Then a bacterial infection moved right in and took over. Only good thing about the situation is that you will get well. Good luck, Best Wishes and God bless.

I thought it sounded like adenovirus, but that could be the peds person in me!

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