Drill Seargent

Attention!!!!! I have been given the title of drill seargent on my unit. We receive post op heart surgery patients and early ambulation is a key factor in recovering. I am the nurse who doesn't take no for an answer! I don't ask you if you are ready to walk, I tell you it's time to walk. I don't allow patients to lie in bed all day, they must sit in the chair most of the day.I battle with patients and their enabling families about this and I am always the winner. It is my goal to get you back home and not have you endure a lengthy stay. So yes I will take the name drill seargent any day. At ease soldier!

All comments are greatly appreciated!!!!!

Winding Down

For those of you who don't know, nursing is a veryyyyyyyyyyyyy stressful job. We deal with alot of things on a daily basis. Our jobs don't just consist of giving out medications and wiping butts. We deal with sick patients (some of which are very unpleasant and angry because they are ill), their family (some of whom are very demanding and think they know more than the doctors and nurses), doctors (some who think nurses are just stupid even though we are the ones who do all the work), management ( most think this is the way it should be done and there is no other way even though they wouldnt be able to do it themselves), other departments (some think their job is of utmost importance and yours isnt), student nurses (Help them for they do not know what they are getting into lol), family issues (those who want u to play security and give a list of those who are not suppose to visit.......guess they dont know we arent door guardians) and also coworkers (some of whom think they know any and everything. So occasionally we get off work and go grab a drink to wind down.

Last night we visit Cezuela's which is a mexican restaurant. Margaritas were 2 for 1 and so we all had our 2 and got a nice meal, vented about our jobs, talked about our families and just enjoyed ourselves. You need to unwind every now and then with people who understand your job and how it affects your family life as well. I must say I truly enjoyed myself and am looking forward to the next "Margarita night".

What do you do to wind down after a long day of work? Have any venting you would like to do about your job? All comments are greatly appreciated!!!!!!!

Too Hot to Handle!

With the temperatures being as hot as they are, we need to take some precautions. Heatsroke (aka sunstroke) is a very serious heat-related problem. With people doing their gardening, mowing the lawns, cleaning out gutters and such you need to make sure you have adequate fluid intake. If your body temperature is rising and there is not proper measures taken to cool your body down dehydration and more serious things like organ failure can occur. Organ failure means your heart, brain, liver or kidneys cannot work properly due to lack of oxygen.

Signs and Symptoms include:
Headache
Confusion
Passing out
Nausea
Seizures
Flushed skin, sweaty,cold clammy skin
Temp of 104
Irregular,fast heart rate and low blood pressure

If you notice any of these symptoms while out in the heat, you need to seek treatment ASAP. You can apply ice packs to the neck,armpits and groin area. You cna drench yourself with cold water. DO NOT GIVE MEDICATIONS FOR FEVER!!!!

Remember if your kids are playing outside, make sure they come in frequently for water or popsicles or place a water cooler outside for convenience.

All comments are greatly appreciated!!!!!

Morning Routine

How do you start your mornings off? Do you have the same routine every morning? The beginning of my day varies. On a great I get up at 5 am and get on the treadmill for 45 min, shower and am ready to leave for work at 6am no later than 6:15. If I need uplifting I tune in to some gospel music otherwise I laugh with Tom Joyner and his crew. I need to be in a good mood so I can be pleasant to my patients! A happy nurse usually generates happy patients although some people are determined to just be grumpy. Sometimes a smiling face is enough to brighten their day.

Have a routine you would like to share? What motivates you in the mornings? All comments are greatly appreciated!!!!

Brain Attack

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in America and a leading cause of adult disability.
Up to 80% of strokes are preventable.

A stroke or "brain attack" occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery (a blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the body) or a blood vessel (a tube through which the blood moves through the body) breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain. When either of these things happen, brain cells begin to die and brain damage occurs.

Stroke Symptoms include:
SUDDEN numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg - especially on one side of the body.
SUDDEN confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.
SUDDEN trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
SUDDEN trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
SUDDEN severe headache with no known cause.

Anyone can have a stroke. But your chances for having a stroke increase if you meet certain criteria. Some of these criteria, called risk factors, are beyond your control -- such as being over age 55, being male, being African American, Hispanic or Asian/Pacific Islander, or having a family history of stroke. Other factors which are controllable include: smoking, obesity, high blood pressure, alcohol, alcohol use and diabetes.

Knowing your risk factors and taking responsibility for those you can control is important. I know I have a genetic risk factor because my father died of a stroke in his sleep at the age of 46. He was a smoker and had high blood pressure which he was noncompliant with taking his medications. Probably because it messed with his libido like a lot of men do but guess what you cant use it if you become paralyzed from a stroke!

For more information on strokes visit the National Stroke Association

All comments are greatly appreciated!!!!!!!!!

Crack is Whack!!!

I have never understood what would make a person sacrifice everything they have for drugs. We recently had a 39 yr old female who admitted to being a crack user. She had 3 children, 2 boyfriends and a girlfriend. Out of curiosity the nurse asked her what made her want to do crack and this was her response. She stated she was dating this girl and one day the girlfriend was at her apartment and went to the bathroom. She apparently was in there for a while and she knocked on the door and asked what she was doing. When the girlfriend opened the door she noticed the smell and asked what she was doing. She decided she would try crack out and said the feeling she got was like no other feeling she ever had. It was undescribable. Needless to say she kept trying to get the feeling again and has been unsuccessful but is very much addicted. She looks more like 69 than 39, she is probably 90 lbs soak and wet, has no teeth and looks a mess. If the outside of her body looks this bad I can't imagine what the inside looks like. More and more young adults are becoming addicted to drugs. Whether it be crack, marijuana, cocaine, ectasy,popping pills or others. It is important we talk to our kids and let them know it is cooler to be drug free! Make them feel comfortable talking to you about ANYTHING especially drugs and sex. Remember they respect you more than they show it. Your approval and acceptance means alot to them. No matter what, let them know you are there for them and show it as well. Let's keep our kids drug free!!!!!!!!!!
Know of any similar situations you care to share? Have your own story you would like to tell? All comments are greatly appreciated

It's in the Jeans

I get reminded quite often about the "fat gene" at family gatherings. My family loves to eat and it shows. I have made a conscious decision not to let the fat gene sneak upon me and my jeans! Yes it will take dedication along with exercise, healthy eating and lots of will power because I love food as well. Up until now I didn't have to worry about it but as we know, when you get older your metabolism slows down. I am reaching 40 in another year so I need to start planning right now. I have tried the 50 million pound challenge and I did complete 30 days but there is just so much brown rice and veggies I can take. I am going to try the frequent small healthy meals to increase your metabolism method. I also plan to get back to getting on the treadmill before work and taking a jog or walk around my subdivision in the evenings. No matter what remedy I can find, I am determined to keep my jeans looking good!

Have any good diet or exercise plans? I would love to hear them. What do you do to keep in shape? All comments are greatly appreciated!!!!!!!!!!

The Throne

Most people don't realize the effects pain medication has on your digestive system. The most common side effect from taking pain medications is constipation. When you are in pain you tend to not move around a lot which decreases your activity level. Well if you want to get back to your visits on the "throne' you need to increase your activity. Taking in some fiber wont hurt either. It is the biggest complaint of patients taking these medications. Get up, walk around, drink some prune juice (yuck) and if need be take a laxative. I try and give my patients a nice cocktail of warm prune juice and milk of magnesia. It works wonders. Besides you don't want us to unstop you with a plunger do ya? Hahahaha

All comments are greatly appreciated!!!!!!!!!!

Say it isn't so!!!!!!!!

I was playing an online game (Black Hawk Down) and somehow we got on the subject of seafood when someone blurted out shrimp was high in cholesterol. Now I am a seafood fanatic and I eat alot of salmon because it is suppose to be good for you and I also love shrimp and pretty much all the shellfish. So this is very dramatizing to me. I will admit I don't really pay attention to how many calories, fat or cholesterol is in the foods I eat. So I decided I would investigate because my seafood just cant be bad for me. Well to my disappointment, I found it to be true. The highest of high cholesterol foods are eggs and liver. Some other foods that are high in cholesterol include:

Whole-milk dairy products
Butter
Cream
Ice cream
Cream cheese
Certain shellfish, such as shrimp
Other organ meats, such as kidney and brain
Duck and goose (which have more cholesterol than chicken or turkey; the skin on these animals is high in cholesterol).

Why be concerned with high cholesterol? Well it causes a condition known as atherosclerosis, which is narrowing and hardening of arteries. This is caused when your body cant rid itself of the cholesterol in your bloodstream and it begins to build up on your artery walls, along with other fats and debris. This buildup of cholesterol is called plaque. Over time, plaque can cause narrowing of the arteries. This plaque buildup is called atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis can cause angina (chest pain), coronary artery disease, heart arrhythmias (irregular heart rhythm), TIA's (Transient ischemic attacks "mini stroke"), heart attack, stroke, peripheral artery disease and high blood pressure.

So now I must try and limit my intake of shellfish. It is going to be hard because I crave it at least once a week but where there is a will, there is a way!!!!!!!

All comments are greatly appreciated!!!!!!!

My New Abbreviation

I have developed a new medical abbreviation recently. It is PPN (Piss Poor Nursing). This abbreviation is acceptable and describes quite a few nurses. I am thankful not to fall in this category. The acceptable candidates for this category include but are not limited to the following:

1.They were too busy to do the dressing changes
2.They didn't have enough time to restart the IV the patient just happened to pull out at the last minute (even though the patient or family will tell you its been out all day)
3.They haven't given any medications all day including the much needed antibiotics
4.Your patient tells you he hasn't seen his nurse but once today
5.You have orders on your chart which have not been carried out yet (probably written much earlier in the day)
6.Your IV fluids are bone dry!
7. You have to give blood which should have been started hours earlier!
The list goes on and on!

Now for those of you who aren't in the nursing field and are reading this, fortunately there aren't alot of these nursing out there but they do exist. Most of us work hard to make sure we do our jobs but it is these kind of nurses that cause the "I have to write down everything they do and give" attitudes from family members.

Have any similar stories or labels you have for your field of work you would like to share? All comments are greatly appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!

The Unlicensed Registered Nurse

There are a lot of knowledgeable Patient Care Assistants out there and I thank them for their assistance in the care of our patients. However, there are some who need to inform me where they acquired their nursing license from! They have the odacity to tell the nurse what treatment the patient needs. Last time I checked they weren't passing out any nursing licenses on the street even though I am quite suspect of a few nurses lol but that is a whole nother subject.

I think the PCA's forget their job titles and job description sometimes. You work directly under the nurse. The nurse is in charge of you! Not the other way around. Yes we rely on you to do your job but we are also capable of doing your jobs! Can you do mine? The answer is no!!!! Now don't think I am by any means belittling your job because I am not. I started my career as a PCA and took the initiative to advance myself.

Just remember your job title and what in entails. We worked hard for our license and were taught the necessary skills and knowledge to acquire them. So needless to say we can get a little teed off when told what we should be doing by someone without the knowledge or the skills to know what is needed!

All comments are greatly appreciated!!!!