3/19 What I learned this week: more about employment laws than anything else

[ixchel]

I'm sorry for another late post this week. Honestly, I'm not really sure where to begin. The last few months really haven't been kind, but we might be at the cusp of an upswing. Vacation next week, surgery to follow. If my leave is approved (yes, still waiting, and very anxious about this), I'll be off for quite awhile, which I think I've really needed for my own health. I'm hoping to use a lot of this time to brush up on patho and pharm in anticipation of school this fall. I just wish my employer would communicate with me. I have no idea what is going on.

So, with that said, this week, I have learned:

Malpractice insurance lawyers are not occupational lawyers. I mention this because I see so, so often on here, "contact your malpractice insurance for guidance," whenever someone comes on here with a work-related, potential legal issue. I definitely think no matter the issue, it's good to at least make sure they have your issue on file in case the issue does affect your license or patient care. But, they will not get involved with workplace complaints. Very disappointing and, frankly, scary news in my world right now.

If the body isn't able to be in REM enough, eventually there is a rebound effect during which you will go into REM while awake. Literally, you will be sleepwalking.

Symptoms of the above:

*going from one topic to something wildly different mid-sentence, each thought potentially being understandable or not

*inability to complete things, adequate patient care, maybe even simple tasks, when you may typically be a fully competent, fully functional and great nurse at your baseline

*total personality change in a person who is typically normal and stable

*falling asleep, even mid-sentence

*hallucinations

*essentially appearing to be drunk, doing heroin nods, on acid

I imagine there are plenty more symptoms than that. If you witness this behavior, your first instinct may be send the nurse for a drug test. Certainly that's a good idea. But make sure you send that nurse to the ED for it, so they may be assessed by an MD/NP/PA. Any other person in a hospital with a severe change in mental status would be given immediate medical help. An employee should be, too. This person needs medical attention.

I'm still not sure if I'm employed. This is actually beginning to really bother me.

A dog's normal heart rate is 70-180 with a regular rhythm. Mine goes quite brady and irregular when she's resting. When she gets up, she begins to pant. My nurse brain has decided she needs an ekg while resting.

If you shave your dog to determine if she has a heart block, you may be a little unbalanced. (I did not cross the line. Mostly because of the next line. [emoji23])

It's minimum $600 for an ekg or tele monitor on amazon.

I begged my PRN job's nurse to take a day off because I considered shaving my dog for an ekg. I need to be nursey. I'm craving it!

I left my stethoscope at work.

When I'm not thinking about work's uncertainty, I'm feeling happy again. Legitimately happy. I forgot how good that feels, and I wish I hadn't allowed myself to get swallowed by the big dark cloud that hovered over me.

A lot of very random threads that are older have been getting bumped lately.

TPTB here on AN are working on ideas for better thread visibility. I've discovered my, and guest OPs', WILTW threads have been labeled Journals and I really like that. These things have become journals to me, and I love that I can look back through almost a year now and see where I've been in my growth as a nurse.

I "forgot" how much fun quotation marks can be.

The entrepreneurs hub they just started here has been tempting me, but I don't know how committed I would remain over time.

With all of this uncertainty with employment, I've considered what might be my plan B. I've been stalking a few posters who have mentioned they work from home. Since I'm heading back to school, this may be a good for fit me.

Boy Child is so happy to have his mommy home that I've been stock piling the sweet greetings, snuggles, and unlimited hugs. Girl Child is all like, "whatevs." *sigh*

My step-uncle, who happens to be my grandfather's best friend in this world, decided to move hundreds and hundreds of miles away, when he's never lived more than an hour away his whole entire life. I live hours away. My mom lives twice the distance away that I do. My other living uncle lives an hour away but is very limited in his spare time. My step-uncle was the main support that Grandpa had. Grandpa is going to be destroyed by Grandma's Alzheimer's. I wish I could be there every day for him. I'll be stepping up and being there more for them because I just can't see Grandpa being okay, or asking for any help. I'm furious that my step-uncle would do this, now of all times.

FMLA paperwork requires a diagnosis be disclosed.

The show Cuckoo is hilarious, and I love Greg Davies.

I love that AN has connected me with some of the most amazing, supportive people to help me get through all of the stuff that's going on lately. Far, Ood, WK, and Dogen, I'd be out of my mind completely without you. Thank you!!!

A large number of nurses here only feel comfortable with disclosing their mental health challenges here. On one hand, how wonderful to have this great place to turn to. On the other hand, how sad is it that nursing doesn't accept mental illnesses well in the work place. If you didn't get to last week's thread and you want to bond with others who may share common experiences to your own journey, check out last week's WILTW, which has "ALWAYS taper your SSRIs" in its title.

You guys learn anything good this week? Perhaps something happy?

Small reminder - please try to keep this thread mostly related to topics regarding nursing, employment in nursing (including nursing assistants), or nursing student-related topics. Veering away from this too far will make the thread disappear, but it is okay to discuss side thoughts briefly, and always, always, always respond to each other with encouragement, questions, whatever you'd like to keep the conversation going. This thread is meant for hijacking, provided we stay mostly nursey. Thank you for this! I love these threads too much to see them leave the yellow side.

This week's video?

I'm fairly certain I've accidentally become this song. Except for the whore part.

[OrganizedChaos, LVN]

Add me to the hugs givers, OC.

I've learned that surgeons can actually be decent singers. At the same time as operating. Who knew an OR could be turned into a karaoke bar?

Thank you. Today has been a hard day. *hugs*

[middleagedRN]

Today I learned that the adrenaline rush after participating in my first code blue ever makes it difficult to sleep when I get home

[middleagedRN]

*learned

[MedicFireRN]

OC- hugs from me, too. I'm so sorry. It's true, you must first take care of yourself. I'm crossing my fingers that things look up for you soon!

I learned that I LOVE my preceptor even though I was warned that she's tough and there were people who couldn't hack it with her. We get along splendidly and she is a wealth of knowledge, yay!

I learned that full grown men will cry real tears even when you reconstitute their IM Rocephin with Lido. That stuff is no joke.

I learned that mobile people who are not from a nursing home may come in with sacral skin break down. Weird.

I learned that it is possible to get so drunk that you don't remember that you're married, or your husband's name or phone number (not me....)

I learned how to use ultrasound to help place a difficult IV line, sweet! I also learned that I'm better without it (for now anyway) lol

There's a ton of other specific things I learned about our department flow, our charting system, BCMA, which Pyxis has what meds, which have to be requested from pharm, etc etc. It has been a great first week.

[mindofmidwifery, ADN]

I learned to not read a Nurse Jackie thread if you're barely into the first season 🙄

[OrganizedChaos, LVN]

OC- hugs from me, too. I'm so sorry. It's true, you must first take care of yourself. I'm crossing my fingers that things look up for you soon!

Thank you. *hugs* Today has really been a tough pill to swallow.

[MedicFireRN]

Thank you. *hugs* Today has really been a tough pill to swallow.

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

Some days feel like they aren't just pills to swallow, they feel more like eating a whole elephant

[stephatron289]

Today I learned that I apparently know more about insulin than I thought I did.

[ixchel]

* I wish my md would have talked me out of a tubal, and pushed an IUD instead. I know my body cannot handle another baby, I know this. But the thought that this baby being my last is absolutely ripping my heart out. It hurts more than anyone knows. (In tears as I type) I think I would've done better if the decision was made after the post-partum period when my hormones are back to normal.

I'm not sure if this helps or not, but I'd like to share my experience with this.

My entire life, I've had intermittent back pain. Sometimes it's been self-resolving, sometimes I've needed help getting back to normal. I learned awhile back that I actually have fractures in my spine. Anyway, long story later, another baby could paralyze me, cause permanent incontinence, and lady partsl birth could fracture my pelvis (not to mention injure a baby or cause trauma from the weight pressing on exposed ends of bones sitting in the wrong spot).

I jumped into react mode. I thought through all the stuff I should do. Tubal was one of those things. My OB was wonderful through it. He agreed it was necessary. Like, medically required to be safe. I scheduled it. I did it. And my heart ached so deeply. The choice was taken from me. I already have such beautiful children, but I never once had decided they'd be my last.

This is in a way secondary infertility. Our parts may function, but our bodies have made the decision that it is no longer possible to be pregnant. It hurts. A lot. That hurt doesn't ever go away, but I do promise you it becomes manageable. The hurt changes a bit. You will reach a point where you realize resolutely the decision was a good one. That helps to lessen the regret. And on hard days, you just have to let yourself feel it. Then look at the beauty you've already baked, and find gratitude for that life being part of yours. Another thing that will help as time passes is that when your baby is closer to middle school or high school aged, it will occur to you that another baby would mean starting over completely. That thought has been helping me a lot lately as I march forward into graduate school.

I offer gigantic hugs, and encourage you to get in touch any time you feel these feelings and need to talk them out.

[OrganizedChaos, LVN]

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

Some days feel like they aren't just pills to swallow, they feel more like eating a whole elephant

Thank you so much for that. [emoji57]

[cracklingkraken, ASN, RN]

I just learned about menstrual cups and placed an order. How did I not know about these before?

[Jensmom7, BSN, RN]

(((((OC))))) I wish I could do more than a hug. You've had a rough time lately.