After last week's fun and games, I'm feeling rather boring!
Here is what I've learned:
1. Hepatitis, PVD and pyoderma gangrenosum are a horrible combination for medical history. HORRIBLE!
2. Chasing a person's heart rate, blood sugar and blood pressure all night long while this normally walkie/talkie person won't wake up, makes it a bit frustrating to have an extremely conservative hospitalist on board that night.
3. Going completely out of your way for a complex dressing change (moving slowly to let pain ease, knowing the lady in #2 will be crashing again soon) makes it incredibly frustrating to learn this guy complained about getting two changes in one shift. Dude. First time was for assessment and that shizz was nasty. Second time was because dude acted like he had compartment syndrome (he did not), and the bandage was again nasty.
4. I've been a city mouse in the country way too long.
5. My little girl does not want to be a nurse when she grows up, but she does very much want to learn nursing stuff. Her timing could not be more perfect. My son helped me study for my bachelors degree. Now she can help me with my doctorate!
6. That same little girl has been a wonderful wound care nurse for my biopsy site.
7. The original Siamese Twins had 21 total children. Their cause of death - one had a stroke and died a few days later. Apparently you don't survive having a dead person's blood running through you. Incidentally, they shared a liver.
8. Morphine is a hell of a drug.
9. It is actually possible for a systolic blood pressure to go from 90s to 190s and back to 90s in the span of a half hour without medication being administered and with absolutely no change whatsoever in patient or blood pressure cuff. (Would absolutely love to hear theories on this.)
10. People respond better to smoking cessation education when you cut them some slack.
11. Smokers can also sniff out a never-smoker from a mile away. I'm sorry to say it, guys, but many (if not most) of these smokers are tuning your out as soon as they hear, "quit smoking". It has nothing to do whether they're considering quitting or not. They know you don't know how hard it is to quit and they feel judged.
12. Scarlet fever comes with a white strawberry tongue.
13. If you're getting lidocaine SQ/IM, ask for a nurse to give it to you. I have gotten this stuff from doctors and they just go grab the biggest needle, draw a bunch up, and shove it in. This NP grabbed an SQ of reasonable size, injected a tiny bit, waited, then injected the rest rather slowly, making sure the first part was able to numb the rest. This is why nurses rock. We think of stuff like this.
14. Hope for Alzheimer's research: the brain of a mouse has lymphatic vessels, draining fluid and WBCs from the brain. Also, medications which enhance the "brain cleaning" system (preventing/decreasing the amount of tau buildup) are being researched. Unfortunately, those already known to be affected won't benefit from this research. But it is certainly promising for those of us being left behind by Alzheimer's sufferers.
15. Apparently a kid played a trick on his nurse mom by convincing her she won the Powerball. If any of you is that mom, I'm sorry. So, so sorry.
Alright, peeps. How about you? Learn anything good?
Specializes in long term care Alzheimers Patients.
I learned that being a nurse and being a caregiver are two totally different things. My husband has terminal pancreatic cancer and has decided that if the chemo they want him to go on doesn't kill him, it will make him wish he were dead and he wants no part of it. As a nurse, I can maintain a clinical distance and discuss these things intelligently with his doctors; as a wife, I'm scared and sad and I don't know the first thing about any of it.
Late to the party! I took a few weeks off of AN partly due to being overwhelmed by negativity here. Hopefully it's calmed down a bit?
So what I've learned:
To be grateful for our healthcare system. Despite its flaws, I can call my PCP, be seen the same day, pickup my antibiotic and buy OTC meds without having to sell a kidney to afford it. (Half joking) Providing free clinic care in another country has really opened my eyes.
Chronic, untreated conditions that require only basic treatments can morph into major, life altering problems.
I can apparently spot small differences in limb length without measuring.
I am definitely moving into the right field. The care and connections I have given and formed in the last couple of weeks has shown me that nursing is where I fit.
If you replace the fluid in a synovial cyst with long acting steroids, it may not grow back. At least that's what I have been told, I'm currently researching this.
I learned that being a nurse and being a caregiver are two totally different things. My husband has terminal pancreatic cancer and has decided that if the chemo they want him to go on doesn't kill him, it will make him wish he were dead and he wants no part of it. As a nurse, I can maintain a clinical distance and discuss these things intelligently with his doctors; as a wife, I'm scared and sad and I don't know the first thing about any of it.
VivaLasViejas, blessed be to you and your hubby. Cannot imagine how hard this must be.
There was a mix up at my PCP's office and my appointment for the cyst is now next week. Thankfully the inflammation seems to be decreasing.
So last night I learned I'm a bully with "mental issues". I'm still too inexperienced to be a COB so not sure where I fit in here...
I tried PMing Far & Jensmom but I guess it didn't go through - wonder what that's about?
We had our last appointment with one of my mother's favorite specialists - so sad he's leaving the state for another hospital. He is a good physician.
I have no idea what I want to do next - get back into nursing? A (big) part of me was awfully relieved when I realized I don't have to...
But there are areas of nursing I'd like to try - WOC sounds fascinating, ED would be interesting, and I've even considered joining the ranks of the school nurses though I am equally terrified at the thought.
There was a mix up at my PCP's office and my appointment for the cyst is now next week. Thankfully the inflammation seems to be decreasing.
So last night I learned I'm a bully with "mental issues". I'm still too inexperienced to be a COB so not sure where I fit in here...
I tried PMing Far & Jensmom but I guess it didn't go through - wonder what that's about?
We had our last appointment with one of my mother's favorite specialists - so sad he's leaving the state for another hospital. He is a good physician.
I have no idea what I want to do next - get back into nursing? A (big) part of me was awfully relieved when I realized I don't have to...
But there are areas of nursing I'd like to try - WOC sounds fascinating, ED would be interesting, and I've even considered joining the ranks of the school nurses though I am equally terrified at the thought.
Thanks for letting me vent, you are great! XOXOXO
I'm here and I'm getting PMs!
In fact, I just got one from Jensmom!
Are you trying to group PM? That doesn't always go through.
Are you trying to group PM? That doesn't always go through.
Bet that's it.
Suffice it to say I need to follow Jensmom's rules better. Some people here could give the girls in your high school lessons in honing their immaturity and ridiculousness.
Apparently, 12 year olds do engage in sexual activities and become pregnant. It's odd to hear about it in your community, even though you do know that it happens. Sad stuff.
There was a mix up at my PCP's office and my appointment for the cyst is now next week. Thankfully the inflammation seems to be decreasing.
So last night I learned I'm a bully with "mental issues". I'm still too inexperienced to be a COB so not sure where I fit in here...
I tried PMing Far & Jensmom but I guess it didn't go through - wonder what that's about?
We had our last appointment with one of my mother's favorite specialists - so sad he's leaving the state for another hospital. He is a good physician.
I have no idea what I want to do next - get back into nursing? A (big) part of me was awfully relieved when I realized I don't have to...
But there are areas of nursing I'd like to try - WOC sounds fascinating, ED would be interesting, and I've even considered joining the ranks of the school nurses though I am equally terrified at the thought.
Thanks for letting me vent, you are great! XOXOXO
My PM is working too-Far and I are both talking instead of working lol.
Meh, I got called a drama queen and a bully last night. Princess took offense at something I said.
I wanted to send her this, but then I thought I would just be opening a whole messy can o' worms, and I restrained myself. [emoji56]
Dogen
897 Posts
Pimping.