What I learned this week (7/4/15)....

Nurses General Nursing

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I can't wait to see what our ED nurses might contribute to this thread tomorrow morning.

This week, I learned.....

1. I understand anorexia comes hand in hand with laxative abuse, but I'm pretty sure my non-anorexic self may consider an abuse of laxatives habit after the number of little old ladies I keep getting with bowel obstructions. For reals, y'all.... This never ends well.

2. A rat will dissolve in Mt. Dew in 30 days.

3. I have officially created a "do not touch me" list with two MDs names firmly on it. I have made my wishes known to my coworkers.

4. Every now and then, one of our hospitalists will comment to how great our nurses are - how they're supportive of the MDs, attentive, alert, etc. I always figured they just say that so we don't turn on them. lol We had a MD leave last week, though, and he expressed this same thought. The supportiveness of the nurses is the exact reason I came to work at this hospital, so its very awesome to hear that my instincts were good from people who have experienced nurses at other facilities.

5. People with insecurities will project them on to people they feel jealousy toward, especially in the professional environment.

6. I need to meet ZDogg.

7. Lorazepam is a hell of a drug.

8. To all the MDs out there, if nurses are telling you something big is being missed with a patient, PLEASE listen. We don't want to bug you over and over just as much as you don't want us to bug you over and over.

9. Never underestimate the power of counter transferrence. I saw an MD cry this week as he informed a patient she may likely have cancer.

10. Regarding the patient, cervical cancer looks very icky "face to face".

11. Also regarding that patient, it is so weird what people will lie about. Its better to admit you haven't seen a GYN in years than to pretend you were just there. By the size of that black icky spot, you haven't been in awhile.

And for my PSA, ladies get your paps and pelvics whether you've bumped uglies since the 90s or not.

Be safe on this holiday, loves!

What have you learned this week?

Specializes in Education.

First year residents are adorable in how serious they are. And that as long as one asks them, they'll okay anything and let you do a lot. (Luckily for this one it was an IV, fluids, and some PO ibuprofen. And lots of education to both the patient and the resident.)

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Specializes in Hospice.
There seems to have been a lot of sadness and loss this week. (((Hugs))) I hope the hearts of all involved can find peace.

Some weeks just have two Mondays in them, ixchel. That's why it's nice to have a place to talk thins over with people who talk the talk and walk the walk.

I, too am a child of an alcoholic parent. It seems to run on one side of the family. When I was in my teens I made a conscious decision to stay in control. I've been married 32 years, my husband says I'm the cheapest date he's ever had-he figures he's spent about $150 on me for booze. I'm ok with that.

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Specializes in my patients.

Vacation is IMPORTANT.

You don't necessarily need to go anywhere, you just need paid time off of work. It's good for your body, good for your soul, and good for your mind. DO IT! (no matter how many times they might call and leave you voicemails asking if you're in town...)

Allie

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Specializes in my patients.
I learned again that synthetic marijuana is really bad for the noggin and combined with a full moon makes for entertainment for all the family members in the ICU......even after we closed the little cupcakes door so his outbursts wouldn't be quite so audible.

Um...now I'm hungry for a cupcake with yummy white frosting...

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Specializes in Hospice.
What I learned this week (7/4/2015)

1) Being slim and fit doesn't protect you from death. One of our very fit, very active OR nurses up and died last Saturday. She was at work perfectly fine on Thursday had some heart pain and pfffff. Wow!

Very sorry, Mavrick.

2) Even in Seattle, concentrated sun reflecting off a window can burn a hole in a brand new composition roof.

The sun is allowed to shine in Seattle?

3) They just don't make 'em like they used to. 89 y/o with migraines brought in her own ice bag (made in the 1940's) and it still held ice water without leaking. Wow!

My grandma had one of those big ol' ice bags from that time. It was awesome.

4) Two dogs >> fireworks >> two slices of honey wheat bread hand fed in little bitty chunks over two hours >> let sleeping dogs lie.

Three cats>>first boom of fireworks, they all lifted their heads, gave me their "Who farted?" look, and went back to sleep. Stephen King calls cats the gunslingers of the animal world. He's right.

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I learned that a good doc will cry with the husband of the woman he's coding (she didn't make it)

I learned that the ICU hallway is the longest hallway to walk

its ok to cry in private after the code is over. Its cathartic.

I will miss my co-workers greatly when I change jobs at the end of the week.

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When a doctor comes in at 0630 on a weekday to write orders, it is beneficial to socialize with the doctor and offer them coffee. Their orders will be written in when the next shift is on and you'll be free of any responsibility.

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I learned I totally forgot I was starting a home care job orientation tomorrow! D'oh!

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Specializes in Neuro ICU and Med Surg.

That the trauma page you get at 0530 will be for a guy out riding in his friend's jeep with no doors. Friend makes a left and trauma pt falls out of the right side of the jeep. He was in this jeep with no doors and unrestrained. I learned that was just another way to get ejected from a vehicle. Thankfully this guy was not hurt too bad. He had a serious case of road rash though.

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Specializes in Neuro ICU and Med Surg.

I also learned that we are getting raises again.

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Specializes in Hospice.
When a doctor comes in at 0630 on a weekday to write orders, it is beneficial to socialize with the doctor and offer them coffee. Their orders will be written in when the next shift is on and you'll be free of any responsibility.

Lol you have this down to a science, don't you? 😀👍

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That having a wife as a nurse is a good thing. Conversation follows:

Riiiing. (Hubby, while I'm at my second office job.)

"Honey, my lips are swollen. Nothing happened--I didn't bite them or hit them or anything. They are just swollen."

"You're on enalapril, right?"

"Yeah, what's that got to do with anything? I've been on it for years."

"Did you forget I'm a nurse? Are you having trouble breathing? Is anything in your mouth swollen?"

"No. What's my blood pressure medication have to do with it? You're making no sense!" (He's getting frustrated...and so am I.)

"Dude, back off. I'm trying to help. It's called angioedema. It can happen any time when someone is on an ACE inhibitor, for reasons unknown. Get off the phone with me and call your doc."

Sheepishly: "Ok. I love you."

"I know...CALL YOUR DOC!"

I just had a patient a few weeks ago who walked in for an outpatient procedure with lips and tongue visibly swollen. Patient had chalked it up to a reaction to the bowel prep even though it's happened once before.... Patient wasn't in any distress, but I still alerted the anesthesiologist. Even though pt takes an ace inhibitor, anesthesiologist said not to worry because patient's "been taking it for months". I've seen angioedema from an ace inhibitor in a pt that had been on lisinopril for 3 years so severe that pt was trached and transferred to ICU, but I'm not getting into a p***ing contest with a physician. I watched this patient like a hawk and documented my tail off. IV Benadryl helped with the swelling a little, but the physician's indifference was really unsettling!

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