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!!!!