This week, I learned.... (7/25)

[ixchel]

This week, I have learned....

1. Meth is a hell of a drug.

2. When meth is combined with cocaine and booze, it can destroy a 28 year old heart.

3. When you have one random patient across the unit from your other patients, and that patient is the only patient without psych issues, that poor patient is unfortunately going to be a bit neglected.

4. A discharge with EMS transport, ICU transfer and admission happening simultaneously (literally all less than 5 minutes apart from one another) 2 hours before you're supposed to be giving report means you'll be giving report before your last round of (very late) meds will be given.

5. Never been happier for vacation time. (Today is day 4/15.)

6. All play and no work makes ixchel a very happy girl. :)

That's all I got this week! Not much to learn when all I've been doing is playing! :)

What have you learned this week?

[WKShadowNP, DNP, APRN]

This came up a couple of weeks ago, too. I use this word to describe the group of students I was in school with. Is that appropriate? Y'all got me thinking I'm using it wrong now!

You're using it as I understand it.

[scottaprn]

I've learned that some people will never understand the hell that is addiction and that while it's not okay to say obese people don't deserve medical care because they did it to themselves it is okay to say addicts don't and that they should just put a bullet in their brain. Saying that about any other type of person people would be scrambling over each other to declare the wrongness of that statement. But saying a junkie should just put a bullet in their brain, no one bats an eye.

I learned this week that I'm still so thankful that I did not actually put a bullet in my brain like I wanted to so sooo badly every single day of my life that I was a pill crushin IV slammin junkie, and that I am grateful that I had the chance to get better and live a happy productive life.

I learned that reading about your recovery made me happy and gives me hope.

Too many of my friends from high school and college have become addicts and I will never give up on them because of people like you.

[odaat]

I'm happy for you, too.

Thank you farawyn

[pookyp, LPN]

I cringe when I hear my speech delayed 4 yr old singing "Uptown Funk"...... yeah, does not sound like "funk"!

During my 6 yr olds field trip I was the chaperone. On the bus all the kids started shouting "uptown funk you up!" My dtrs teacher had the reddest face Ive ever see and yelled stop it right now! She thought they were dropping the F Bomb. Lol

[odaat]

I learned that reading about your recovery made me happy and gives me hope.

Too many of my friends from high school and college have become addicts and I will never give up on them because of people like you.[/

QUOTE]

This actually made my eyes a little leaky! I know that addicts are truly one of the most difficult groups of people to deal with, I know its not easy...but I also know that underneath all that sickness is a human being that never sat around as a child and dreamed of becoming an addict when they grew up.

I also know that addicts make some really bad choices that put themselves into that position, but that there comes a time when it stopped being a choice a long time ago and that's when the real hell begins.

I know too that one day an addict has to take responsibility for those choices and has to decide they will no longer live that way and are willing to do anything to climb back from that pit of despair and that nobody but them can do that.

I also know that for most addicts getting to that point will come a long way past the point that a sane person would think they'd stop at. A sane person touches a hot stove and learns from it and doesn't do it again. An addict burns themselves over and over and over thinking hey maybe this time will be different, maybe if I touch it this way it won't burn or if I touch it for 5 seconds instead of 3 it'll be okay this time. It takes a lot of burns for them to stop and I can't imagine what it feels like to the people that have to sit there and watch it, who patch them up time and time again only to see them go right back to it.

My only hope for every addict is that they live long enough to make that choice to stop, and that when they do, there will still be someone left for them that didn't give up on them. Addicts make horrible choices but it doesn't mean they're horrible people and it definitely doesn't mean as a previous poster said that they should just put a bullet in their head. We do recover 😊

[scottaprn]

I learned that reading about your recovery made me happy and gives me hope.

Too many of my friends from high school and college have become addicts and I will never give up on them because of people like you.[/

QUOTE]

This actually made my eyes a little leaky! I know that addicts are truly one of the most difficult groups of people to deal with, I know its not easy...but I also know that underneath all that sickness is a human being that never sat around as a child and dreamed of becoming an addict when they grew up.

I also know that addicts make some really bad choices that put themselves into that position, but that there comes a time when it stopped being a choice a long time ago and that's when the real hell begins.

I know too that one day an addict has to take responsibility for those choices and has to decide they will no longer live that way and are willing to do anything to climb back from that pit of despair and that nobody but them can do that.

I also know that for most addicts getting to that point will come a long way past the point that a sane person would think they'd stop at. A sane person touches a hot stove and learns from it and doesn't do it again. An addict burns themselves over and over and over thinking hey maybe this time will be different, maybe if I touch it this way it won't burn or if I touch it for 5 seconds instead of 3 it'll be okay this time. It takes a lot of burns for them to stop and I can't imagine what it feels like to the people that have to sit there and watch it, who patch them up time and time again only to see them go right back to it.

My only hope for every addict is that they live long enough to make that choice to stop, and that when they do, there will still be someone left for them that didn't give up on them. Addicts make horrible choices but it doesn't mean they're horrible people and it definitely doesn't mean as a previous poster said that they should just put a bullet in their head. We do recover ������

Human life is so precious that we can't even comprehend what it is really worth.

I will never forget talking to my PCP about a mutual friend who had relapsed and I started to say that "I just don't understand".

He stopped me before the words got out of my mouth and told me that it wasn't my job to understand. He told me none of the decisions she was going to make during her relapse were going to make any rational sense. He told me that there was no purpose in trying to find a reason for things because sometimes life takes place on a different level that we can't even hope to understand.

We got her back and she made it 9 months sober before the demons of addiction came back. Those were an amazing 9 months to see my old friend.

She has moved away and left her family and sober friends behind. Every time my phone rings I hope it is her asking me to come and get her and bring her home. It hasn't happened yet but maybe tonight, if not tonight maybe another night.

Having been with her before when she detoxed and we couldn't get her a detox bed and having driven more miles than I want to think about to pick her up when she has gotten herself in a bad situation I will admit it gets hard to do it again. But, that is why hearing success strories matter so much. Thank you for sharing yours.

[ixchel]

It seems to be fairly new terminology.

Back in the day, the entire body of students enrolled in school with you were the "Nursing class of 19__". The students in the same rotation as you were your "Clinical group".

Guess "cohort" just sounds cooler.

It sounds totally cooler and I'm a bad ass so imma roll with it. :)

[ixchel]

Except that you guys hate it, so I'm sorry.

[ixchel]

So I've just now (literally this minute) realized that the show naked and afraid literally means naked. I thought it was like.... Some kind of maybe raw foods thing??? Idk. Definitely didn't take it literally.

Eta: my 7 year old just learned that they blur out "front privates" and bleep out words. That's how sheltered my little people are. lol

I'm on vacay and I've had a bit too much beer. :) Don't mind me.

[NICUmiiki, DNP, NP]

1. Little babies won't break if you touch them. Placing an NG/OG tube is a non-issue in infants. How to work an isolette and breastmilk warmer.

2. How great it feels to have a wonderful preceptor.

[Jensmom7, BSN, RN]

Except that you guys hate it, so I'm sorry.

Never apologize for things that are out of your control.

Besides, I don't hate it, it's just more like fingernails on a blackboard lol.

[WellThatsOod]

I learned I hate it when holier than thou people get my favorite threads shut down. It better be temporary.