Hello, everyone! ixchel has been a trooper, juggling many things on her plate, so I have relieved her for this coming week. Here are some of the things I've humbly learned throughout this week:
1. That confused LOL who presses the call light constantly, and presses it several times while you're in the room with her, is charming for the first 5 minutes you meet her. Every time the call light goes off after that makes you want to run in the opposite direction, as fast as you can. Now, I understand what people mean when they say they hear a call light going off during the night. I've been hearing call lights ever since I got home.
2. I'm almost as giddy as my patient when his Foley and wound V.A.C. are removed after weeks of being hospitalized.
3. I emptied my first colostomy bag and was able to teach my fellow cohorts how to do it as well. I've never felt so happy to see a BM (On a side note, am I the only one who notices that my BMs smell like my pt's later on in the day?).
4. A positive Kernig's and Brudzinski's sign are indicative of meningeal irritation and that's not good.
5. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a gram negative bacteria that is multidrug resistant. Also, not good.
6. Just plastering a smile on your face throughout the shift can really brighten people's days. Although internally, I might not be feeling it, I don't let it show because, come on, the people in the hospital need a LOT more cheering up than I do.
7. Don't inject air into Dilaudid because it will blow the end off the vial. Thankfully, I did not do this, and my instructor told me not to before I even started drawing it up. I also got to flush a central port.
8. My sarcasm and dark/dry humor is not wasted on my clinical mates.
9. There are doctors who don't see some tasks as "beneath them". Garbed in isolation dress, I poked my head out to have a fellow mate grab me some iced water. Seeing my searching gaze, a passing doctor - who was easy on the eyes - asked me what I needed and then brought me some water for my patient.
10. I've been having trouble with frequent urination, including waking up in the middle of the night, even though my bladder isn't that full. It's been irritating, and I'm wondering if I should go see my doctor sometime. I haven't been too concerned, but since it's been persisting for a month now, I do wonder... I've ran through, in my head, the possibilities of diabetes, cancer, and hyperthyroidism with my current symptoms.
A repeat from the end of last week's thread - football players sustain essentially shaken baby syndrome over their entire football playing lives multiple times a game. This is a fact that was not researched and then denied by the NFL until this decade. The condition was named chronic traumatic encephalopathy and has lead to the suicide of multiple players due to the literal torture they have felt with this condition. As of 5 years ago, it was estimated roughly a third of football players will end up with this disorder.
I REALLY want to start my 3 year old daughter in pee-wee football. She loves it! And her "Omaha" is perfect. But this is what I'm afraid of, that even in pee-wee I could be allowing life long damage to happen. Sigh.
(I will add my WILTW later, the bebes are calling my name after a 12 hour shift).
I REALLY want to start my 3 year old daughter in pee-wee football. She loves it! And her "Omaha" is perfect. But this is what I'm afraid of, that even in pee-wee I could be allowing life long damage to happen. Sigh.
(I will add my WILTW later, the bebes are calling my name after a 12 hour shift).
My kids played football. My younger son still plays. He will be Captain next year. He had a bad concussion this past October. He loves it- not just the game, but his teammates, the bond, all of it.
We are going to let him play. It is his Sr. year. We have trepidation.
ixchel, you need to cap the "F" in Farawyn (practicing) I'm so happy about your job!
I've learned a lot about ED protocol on suicidal patients, and that is does vary, and that we need so much more education on mental illness and depression across the board.
I've learned more about myself and non nursing stuff within the last couple of days. Not all of it is bad, either. :)
(I will add my WILTW later, the bebes are calling my name after a 12 hour shift).
I saw an image that I'm not allowed to share here. It said something like, "parenthood is... whispering "for ****'s sake" before answering to your name".
I saw that image about an hour after I got out of the shower, which was serenaded by Girl Child literally shouting "mommy" every 15 seconds. Literally.Every.15.Seconds. And there was my husband. Just chilling. Impervious to it all.
This week I learned that there is something called an apple peel defect that can come with an atresia of the jejunum or ileum. So there's a complete obstruction in the intestines and then more small bowel wraps itself around an artery. I don't want to clog up the thread with a picture, but it's a really interesting looking thing!
I learned that I should replace my work sneakers earlier next time instead of waiting until they're pretty much worn to the ground. I almost fell over walking in the hallway because I forgot how it felt to have cushioning in my shoes.
Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.
I learned that when three different people diagnose you with the same thing, you ought to start believing it.
I learned that I miss nursing more than I thought I would. Having my husband's hospice RN visit us every week reminds me of what I used to love about being a nurse. I'd give almost anything to be able to come back, but the politics and the ridiculous workloads would drive me even crazier than I already am. I know---I've been through it.
I learned that watching someone you love fade away is a little like Chinese water torture. Every day it seems there's a new symptom, a little less energy, a little more discomfort. It's awful to witness, and there's not a damn thing I can do about it.
I saw an image that I'm not allowed to share here. It said something like, "parenthood is... whispering "for ****'s sake" before answering to your name".
I saw that image about an hour after I got out of the shower, which was serenaded by Girl Child literally shouting "mommy" every 15 seconds. Literally.Every.15.Seconds. And there was my husband. Just chilling. Impervious to it all.
I learned that when three different people diagnose you with the same thing, you ought to start believing it.
I learned that I miss nursing more than I thought I would. Having my husband's hospice RN visit us every week reminds me of what I used to love about being a nurse. I'd give almost anything to be able to come back, but the politics and the ridiculous workloads would drive me even crazier than I already am. I know---I've been through it.
I learned that watching someone you love fade away is a little like Chinese water torture. Every day it seems there's a new symptom, a little less energy, a little more discomfort. It's awful to witness, and there's not a damn thing I can do about it.
Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
I have learned what family is there for me & what family isn't while we are struggling. It's very eye opening. My psychiatrist also doesn't believe I need to be on disability so I don't know how to go about applying for that. If he thinks I can work but I know I can't what do I do? At this point no one will hire me.
I learned that when three different people diagnose you with the same thing, you ought to start believing it.
I learned that I miss nursing more than I thought I would. Having my husband's hospice RN visit us every week reminds me of what I used to love about being a nurse. I'd give almost anything to be able to come back, but the politics and the ridiculous workloads would drive me even crazier than I already am. I know---I've been through it.
I learned that watching someone you love fade away is a little like Chinese water torture. Every day it seems there's a new symptom, a little less energy, a little more discomfort. It's awful to witness, and there's not a damn thing I can do about it.
I REALLY want to start my 3 year old daughter in pee-wee football. She loves it! And her "Omaha" is perfect. But this is what I'm afraid of, that even in pee-wee I could be allowing life long damage to happen. Sigh. 
OyWithThePoodles, RN
1,338 Posts
(I will add my WILTW later, the bebes are calling my name after a 12 hour shift).