5/7 (on 5/9) WILTW: ixchel is a cornflake girl

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Friday was a "don't even get out of bed" day.

Saturday and Sunday were "Girl Child needs ALLTHETHINGSRIGHTNOWOMG" days.

Friday through Sunday, the precious few spare moments I have had have been spent helping a friend on a writing endeavor.

Today has been filled with the joy of a mac/apple gal (me) trying to maintain patience long enough to create this OP on a 10-year old's windows 10 laptop. (I am now working on my iPhone.)

So, I'd like to present this week's "what I learned this week", days late and a bit patho heavier than usual. Enjoy! [emoji4]

After spending a couple of (a few?) years in the pre-hypertensive range, I'm finally back to the baseline where I used to be - draw-droppingly hypotensive.

Because I have had FMLA paperwork submitted by two different providers, my HR benefits coordinator decided that the overlapping days counted twice, once per leave request. I had no idea until I questioned the end date I was approved for.

Massospora fungus is a cicada STI. After becoming infected, the abdomen of the infected cicada literally will fall off.

I have felt just as sad the last two or so weeks, reading "one year later" stories of the Baltimore riots, as I was on the days they occurred. I've read an article stating the ground zero high school was promised many things by celebrities aiming to help them out with improvement to their school, and literally not one single person followed through on their promise.

Treature Collins Syndrome is a genetic disorder that leads to under- or undeveloped facial bones, especially the cheeks and jaw, and sometimes resulting in cleft palate. The typical appearance of a person with TCS includes eyes slanting downward, few eyelashes, eyelid coloboma (notch of eyelid), and ear deformities (absent, small, or shaped unusually). Many people with TCS have vision and hearing difficulties when the eyes or ears are deformed.

The difference between Rapid Sequence Intubation and Delayed Sequence Intubation is, in DSI, rather than simultaneous sedative and paralytic administration followed by immediate ET insertion, a sedative that doesn't affect respirations is given, the patient is preoxygenated, the paralytic is administered, and then the patient is intubated.

Von Hippel–Lindau disease is caused by a defect in chromosome 3 where the von Hippel-Landau tumor suppressor gene is located. Tumors associated with VHL include angiomas, hemangioblastomas, pheochromocytoma, renal cell carcinoma, pancreatic cysts/serous cystadenoma, endolymphatic sac tumors, and papillary cystadenomas of epididymis or of the broad ligament of the uterus.

If you google "what the heck is wrong with windows 10?" in elementary school computer class and receive a video result entitled "(F word) windows!", your parents might struggle with hiding the giggles when they read your referral.

Stellate ganglion blocks are being used to treat severe post-deployment PTSD in veterans. Using PCL-M (a standardized questionnaire modified for the military to measure degree of PTSD), severity of PTSD is measured before procedure. An SGB is an injection of anesthetic at C5, C6, or C7 depending on insertion technique. Previously, SGB has been used for reducing UE pain, atypical facial pain, and intractable angina. Research seems promising in vets with severe PTSD. I think this is beautiful!

There are three approaches to a pericardiocentesis: subxiphoid, parasternal, and apical. There is risk of liver injury, but lowered risk of pneumothorax, if the subxiphoid approach is used.

Still, work issues persist. I'm starting to think maybe there was a meeting that went something like this:

On a more serious note, though, I have gone back-and-forth about the idea of obtaining a lawyer. I don't want to be lawsuit nurse. The idea of being that person is horrifying. I'm reaching a point, though, where this has gone so far beyond ridiculous. The idea of being lawsuit nurse is horrible, but I'm not sure that this can really go any other way anymore. One of these days, I really hope that I can tell this story. It really is that bad. I got Tori Amos stuck in my head the other day. I was thinking to myself, "this is not really happening."

You bet your life it is. :\

ixchel is a lawsuit girl...?

What have you learned this week?

I learned a lot this week. Nothing positive so I'll spare you. I'm just happy to have a shred of sanity left at this point.

On a more positive note... Congrats to all of the new grads!

I learned a lot this week. Nothing positive so I'll spare you. I'm just happy to have a shred of sanity left at this point.

On a more positive note... Congrats to all of the new grads!

*hugs *

Sure, 3p Sunday at the Rio! I'll be the one giving the graduation speech (the family doesn't know)

She thinks I'm kidding...

Buh???

I deleted the app from my phone because I'm not posting as much, and when I went to reinstall it...it is GONE!

I've learned I may cry over this.

No more app? What gives?

The help desk assures me they are working on one and it should hopefully be out in a few weeks. I too am suffering without the app on my phone. [emoji25]

I learned that I'm "homesick" for my old co-workers. Week 2 at the new job and it feels weird. This too shall pass.

You still have us! :sorry:

I learned that tremors can be assessed by viewing the tongue...those faking tremors to get withdrawal meds can't make their tongue tremor and those in denial can't hide the tongue tremor!

Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.
She thinks I'm kidding...

No, she doesn't!

https://webcasting.cashmanpro.com/cp/watchliveevent.cfm?eventID=154964

^^ link and countdown time to webcast ^^ No tickets required for live event- c'mon down!

On a more serious note, though, I have gone back-and-forth about the idea of obtaining a lawyer. I don't want to be lawsuit nurse. The idea of being with that person is horrifying. I'm reaching a point, though, where this has gone so far beyond ridiculous. The idea of being lawsuit nurse is horrible, but I'm not sure that this can really go any other way anymore. One of these days, I really hope that I can tell this story. It really is that bad. I got Tori Amos stuck in my head the other day. I was thinking to myself, "this is not really happening."

You bet your life it is. :\

ixchel is a lawsuit girl...?

What have you learned this week?

I'm pretty sure ixchel is a raisin girl, actually.

"I don't do this kind of thing," I explained to the lawyer as I told him about my situation with a previous employer. I felt a little bad for the guy - having the job nobody wants to be affiliated with. And I reminded myself that lawyers are there to protect people like us and to make consequences when (for example) hospitals do things that harm us. It turns out my case would be a different field than the lawyer I consulted with, and would probably cost me more than it did the employer, so I decided to preserve my sanity and stick to reporting them to the appropriate regulatory agency.

If a person or entity put you in a situation that put you in danger or harmed you, going to bat against them legally can compensate you for literal and metaphorical costs and give them a reason not to jack it up with someone else in the future. A lawsuit can be an agent of change.

WILTW:

Sometimes a patient and their family are boogers, and they will be boogers up until the moment they discharge. They will feel uninformed no matter how plainly you explain things. They will get angry over miscommunications (thanks for letting the patient know you each had different treatment plans, docs!) and will not be soothed. They will feel like they have been forgotten or neglected because they were not prioritized. But sometimes... sometimes, how you handle the situation matters. Sometimes "I understand why you're frustrated. This is a difficult situation. What can I do to make it better for you?" helps them feel better. Sometimes "Let me find out what I can and let you know" calms down the frightened patient and angry family. Sometimes "Why hasn't x been happening?" really does turn into "Thank you so much." We DO see people at their worst. They are frightened, they want to know what happened and what's happening. They want to know when and how they will be better. They want to know what we are doing to make that happen. We DO have the power to make that a little more bearable, and there ARE people who will appreciate us for it. I wish there were more of the latter type, but it still feels good to know that I made a difference.

I learned that I can report pain with breathing and just about any thoracic movement, and the doc will tell me to take less of the NSAIDS she prescribed (which I have been out of for several days anyway) because my BP and HR are 20% above baseline during the appointment and NSAIDS can elevate your BP. Um.

I learned that said doc is the Head Honcho of my hospital's employee health, so my request for a second opinion will be much more complicated to carry out than I expected. In the meantime, I'm trying not to be quite as scared as I am that I will never not be in pain again.

Specializes in critical care.
Nurses ask the Siri app a lot of things. My problem is no matter how hard I try to teach her, she just doesn't understand my accent. LOL![/QUOte]

Every time I get cranky over something hubs or Kids did, I lead into my tantrum with, "are you serious?!" Siri will then record and respond to whatever it thinks I said. It's usually hilarious!

Specializes in critical care.

AN is being buggy. :\

Specializes in critical care.
Transient aphasia due to migraine absolutely sucks. I read the word "pulse," but my migraine brain interpreted it as the word "fetus." Confusing and scary.

That's terrible!

Specializes in ICU.

I learned that you can have an incredibly rewarding experience with a patient and a completely devastating one all at the same time... And the reward doesn't always outweigh the negative.

I learned that because I have day classes and am working nights, my schedule is all screwed... And I'm working 3 nights on, 1 off, then 3 on. Let's hope I don't die.

I took a hemodynamics class this week and learned that I've been able to process and retain a lot more than I thought I did. I just took a 12 week critical care class through work which was phenomenal (and frankly so glad I chose the institution I did solely based on educational opportunities). Anywho, I expected to be overwhelmed in the hemodynamics class but it built on things we learned in critical care class and I was able to put 2&2 together and impress myself.

Also, I learned that I keep earning CA contact hours with different classes and lectures I've attended but have no idea what they're for and if I even need them.

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