It has been an extremely busy week for me, from overtime to educational opportunities, I am exhausted!
As the days get shorter, I'm thankful for being able to work midshift, although the possibility of interesting patients and families make for an...interesting encounter-to put it mildly.
I had three days to recharge my battery, mainly because I needed the rest; I hate to be off schedule, but sometimes rest precludes the mind and what it wants.
So, what I learned this week:
Sickle Cell Disease and trazodone is a risky mix for priapism; to balance a reduction while getting my other patient ready for emergency appendectomy surgery was a balancing act in itself;
Intracaverosal Phenylephrine can help with reduction of priapism, especially in drug-induced states due to the drugs alpha-agonistic properties.
Attempting to inform a healthcare worker that a no urine production is dehydration in children and NOT urinary retention, and the constant badgering of numerous attempts to bladder scan said child and still near the end teaching is necessary can be arduous at best.
Even swallowing healed tissue from a post T&A and the subsequent blood can produce over 500 mL of ingested blood, while the pt next to you undergoing anaphylactic shock can have an infiltrate produce extravasation within five minutes of checking the IV's patency and the pulse oximeter producing a 70 percent saturation; the infiltration went down with elevation and ice packs, and I was able to get my patient to emergency surgery by wrestling the ENT surgeon who was exuberant enough to almost get my patient whiplash by crashing into a wheelchair and taking over.
I also leaned despite these interesting cases, I was able to manage complications with ease and teamwork while I maintained management of my patients.
