Since ixchel is taking a much deserved break, she was gracious enough to allow me to fill in for her. Here's hoping I don't blow up her thread.
My next door neighbor is a retired nurse. She frequently comes over to visit me, which leads me to the title of the thread: where two or more retired nurses are gathered, the talk eventually turns to nursing.
Sharon (not her real name) has a son who works at a local hospital. He frequently fills his mother in with his experiences. She'll often share them with me, and many times the two of us end up shaking our heads in disbelief at how nursing has changed, sometimes for the good, often for the bad.
So what did I learn? I know that now, with greater certainty than before, that I dearly miss nursing, but not what it has become.
I've also learned that I must have some sort of invisible "Welcome, Free Lodging" sign over my head that only respiratory bugs can see. Every year like clockwork these invaders turn me into a coughing, sneezing, snotting host for them. It will get better, but by Oct/Nov. it will happen again.
And when a doctor gives you abx. for a sinus infection from Hades and tells you to make sure you take it with a probiotic, believe. him/her.
So, what have you learned this week? Hope you had a good one!
On the opposite end of the spectrum, one night when I was working in the ED, a 16 year old girl, her boyfriend, and her mother came to the ED for a pregnancy test. (Because, of course, we not only have nothing better to do, but the ED is actually code for "Free Pregnancy Clinic.") The happy couple and delighted Grandma-to-Be looked at me with narrowed eyes and scowls when I suggested that they go to CVS or any drugstore of choice to get a pregnancy test to confirm, then they could follow up with the OBGYN of choice.
"Oh, no!" said the patient. "I know I'm pregnant, because my period is late. I just want to make sure, and anyway those tests are expensive."
Fine. Girl pees in cup, and while the specimen is ferried off to the lab, the three stooges talk about how exciting this is.
The ED doc got the lab result before I saw it. He came over to me and said, "Look at this." And there it was...incontrovertible proof that the grandma to be was the grandma not to be.
The doc told the happy family the bad news, but nothing could have prepared me for their response:
"You're wrong! She's pregnant...we've already scheduled an appointment with an OBGYN."
Poor Dr. S. tried valiantly to explain that the girl's symptoms, which she mistook for pregnancy, were actually related to a UTI, but there was no way, no how, that this girl was pregnant. Ex-grandma pipes up and says, "Maybe you need to do the test again." Dr. S. demurred, then handed the girl an Rx for the UTI. Here's where I thought the three of them were trying to gaslight us.
Mommy-to-Be (not) asks, in complete sincerity, "Is it OK for me to take this? I don't want to take something that could hurt my baby."
That's the point at which our mild mannered ED doc lost his cool: "THERE IS NO BABY!"
I did their D/C instructions, and believe it or not, the Ex-Grandma asked what her daughter should do about her appointment with the OBGYN.
"Should she keep her appointment?"
I said, "Sure, it wouldn't hurt."
Fast forward a week later and Family Not To Be comes in to my clinic. MomFail still has a UTI because she hasn't taken her antibiotics, because of The Baby (not). Comes in for "foul odor in my bagina"... and a pregnancy test.
Which will remain negative until she and Baby Daddy break up because he is ALSO now the Baby Daddy of another MomGirl (this one is 15, and chlamydia on board, and getting the "Did You HAFF SEX?" lecture from my doc.)
Fast forward a week later and Family Not To Be comes in to my clinic. MomFail still has a UTI because she hasn't taken her antibiotics, because of The Baby (not). Comes in for "foul odor in my bagina"... and a pregnancy test.
Which will remain negative until she and Baby Daddy break up because he is ALSO now the Baby Daddy of another MomGirl (this one is 15, and chlamydia on board, and getting the "Did You HAFF SEX?" lecture from my doc.)
I miss the clinic. I really do.
Oh man - really - nobody can make up those stories!!!!
That mental illness is way more disabling than I thought it could be and that you can try what seems like every medication out there and it seems like it won't get better!! I'm sick of it!!! I want to be a working nurse again!!!
That sometimes the people you think will be there for you completely disappear, and people you didn't even realize cared will reach out and try to help you.
That I have wonderful parents and a wonderful family in general.
That hatred and terrorism and cruelty seemingly will never go away in this world and I wish I weren't so idealistic and stupid about it.
That mental illness is way more disabling than I thought it could be and that you can try what seems like every medication out there and it seems like it won't get better!! I'm sick of it!!! I want to be a working nurse again!!!
That sometimes the people you think will be there for you completely disappear, and people you didn't even realize cared will reach out and try to help you.
That I have wonderful parents and a wonderful family in general.
That hatred and terrorism and cruelty seemingly will never go away in this world and I wish I weren't so idealistic and stupid about it.
Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
That mental illness is way more disabling than I thought it could be and that you can try what seems like every medication out there and it seems like it won't get better!! I'm sick of it!!! I want to be a working nurse again!!!
I know how you feel. I'm filing for disability because I can no longer hold down a job. I didn't even make it to orientation of my last job. The job before that I only last two weeks. ðŸ™
1) I have learned that I wish I been better with my finances as a much younger nurse, parent.
2) That I have been working a part time job (in addition to FT) since 1997 and I am exhausted.
3)That there IS a light at the end of the tunnel (35 months or so) for this part time job in LTC. Because I will then be out from 2 HUGE bills and be able to afford a really nice car, at 1/4 of what these two payment are (providing my 2002 car holds up that long).
I am very kind to it and drive about 11K miles a year, so I am hoping my wonderful mechanic will keep her going.
You should check out the book by Atul Gawande called The Checklist Manifesto if you're interested in healthcare reform based on other industries. Its a very interesting read :) Anything by that author is a win really (reply to user @nutella)
You should check out the book by Atul Gawande called The Checklist Manifesto if you're interested in healthcare reform based on other industries. Its a very interesting read :) Anything by that author is a win really (reply to user @nutella)
I started to read it but was unable to finish it. Didn't he also write a book about cancer? I can't recall the title at the moment...
)
Farawyn
12,646 Posts
Fast forward a week later and Family Not To Be comes in to my clinic. MomFail still has a UTI because she hasn't taken her antibiotics, because of The Baby (not). Comes in for "foul odor in my bagina"... and a pregnancy test.
Which will remain negative until she and Baby Daddy break up because he is ALSO now the Baby Daddy of another MomGirl (this one is 15, and chlamydia on board, and getting the "Did You HAFF SEX?" lecture from my doc.)
I miss the clinic. I really do.