Not always........

but sometimes we get to stop for a few minutes and do the little things that matter. 

We have a few of those frequent flyers.  You know the ones.  You see the name on the census board and immedietly know all about them.  You hardly need to take report.  Everyone knows his name.  Everyone knows her nickname.  During report you tell the off going his medical history instead of the other way around.  You know without being told that she like her ice cream with her nitetime meds (and it must be microwaved for 10 seconds so as not to be rock solid).  You recognize the face of his son and ask what room his father is in.  You hear the voice of her daughter and groan.  There are good and bad repeaters.  The ones that drive you crazy and the ones you fall in love with.  No matter which category, these patients are always special. They get a little special treatment.  A few more seconds of your time.  A little more leniency on meeting their demands. 

We had one of the specials in a little while ago.  She has been going downhill.  She did not look good this time.  Her main problem is COPD.  This to me is one of the worst ways to go.  To live day to day not being able to breathe is a scary thing.  I would rather deal with severe chronic pain than not being able to breathe.  During her most recent stay she had a very bad night and by morning was just miserable.  I was having a halfway decent night on the floor and although the call lights had been ringing all night I managed to get caught up pretty easy.  She asked me to sit and rub her back a little.  Just the gentle rubbing I did was all it took to help calm her.  (the anxiolytic and morphine didn't hurt but the back rub just helped to relax her enough for the drugs to start working.)  I was able to spend about 30 minutes just sitting with her and rubbing her back.  Not a full massage but just running my hand up and down her back while she struggled for breath.  I am so thankful that I was able to bring a small amout of peace to her.  For a little while she wasn't struggling alone anymore. 

This is one of the reasons I became a nurse.  To be there for people at their worst.  I was glad of the reminder, it was just what I needed.  Sometimes we get so caught up in the politics and the routine and the just plain gripin' and seem to forget the real reason we are there. 

Like mother........

Like daughter.  My mother lives by the adage "if you are 15 min early you are in time. And if you are in time, you are late.

My Dr appt is at 900. Here I am in the parking lot at 830. I don't really like being early. I don't like being late either, but I think five or ten min ahead is sufficient. This thirty min thing is really too much.

But I guess there are worse things in life.

Hope everyone is having a great day.

Being in the middle

of a Ford sandwich when you drive a KIA Rio is NOT fun. I saw the Probe in front of me hit their brakes. I hit mine. Just as I thought "whew that was close" I felt someone hit me and I tapped the Probe. Again I was interrupted thinking "oh crap" by another tap from behind and I once again tapped the Probe. The Probe was not damaged at all. The trunk of my poor car is a little crunched and the truck will get a new front bumper. No one was injured and today (the day after) I am not even as sore as I thought I would be.

Everyone was civil and had a great attitude about it. Even the kids Mom was great (the truck was driven by an 18 year old high school kid). The worst part (besides the damage and tickets) was the crazy guy who happened to see it all. He was on the sidewalk waving his passport (yes his passport) around screaming at the kid about being on ectasy in a school zone. (It was a school zone but this kid did not look like the type to be on drugs, dude was just nuts.) The cop quickly dismissed him as he apparently has a history with the police dept and I don't think would have made a very credible witness anyway.

What continues to amaze me were the ones who just had to look. I understand this is human nature but we were ready to form a line and start doing the can-can just so there would be something to see. The thing that really gets me though is the people in convertibles that not only looked but also twisted around backwards in their seats to continue looking as they drove past. I was almost wishing that they would get in a wreck so I could laugh at them.

So two hours and two tickets later I was on my way. One ticket was for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident which irritated me since I had avoided the accident till the kid hit me pushing me into her. The other I got because I failed to have my ins card with me. It was at home. I called and had my policy number and all but I didn't have the actual card. So I can produce proof of ins for the court and it should get dropped.

I am just glad that everyone is ok.  All vehicles are driveable and it is just gonna be a hassle but not a major drama event. Heavenly Father was certainly there watching over us all.

TURQUOISE ROCKS!!!!!!!

Why, you may ask.  Because today is March 31st.  Today is National Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness Day.   Just what is that?  Well just  click here. 


One of the nurses where I work is dealing with this very thing right now.  The little guy (and the entire family) have come a long way, but they have a long road still ahead.  So when you see turquoise today think about these babies and their families.  Say a prayer for them. And if you have healthy babies at home, thank your Heavenly Father for that.

Mornings........

SUCK!!! It's a good thing that I don't work day shift. I would never be on time. Last week I had a staff meeting which meant I had to be at work at 0745. I woke up at 0710. I threw clothes on, sprayed some smell-good, jumped in the car, and didn't sit too close to anyone. Today I had a meeting at 0800. Was supposed to meet a friend for breakfast a little after seven. Instead I awoke at seven. I jumped into the shower, threw on clothes, grabbed a granola bar, and raced into town. Thank goodness that all the rest of the week I am working at night! You day shift people can have it!

RN, LPN, CNA..........

Well, I have been thinking lately on a simple truth I learned when I first started in this business more than seven years ago. A good CNA can make a bad night a little smoother. Some nurses seem to have this crazy idea that a CNA knows nothing. How untrue. I have worked with many an aid who has seen more than I have. They may or may not be able to explain the physiology of the problem but when they say something ain't right well something ain't right.


And I will NEVER forget Iris. Iris was the toughest aid we had when I first started. She had been there close to thirty years by this point and easily knew more than this girl. As green as I was even I knew that.


We had a patient on the floor one night who had diarrhea. And I mean the running off the bed to puddle on the floor kind. I don't remember now if I had asked her to help or if she had told me to come along but I remember seeing that mess and thanking the heavens above that we were in it together. I thought to myself that if I had been alone on that one I would have been clueless as to how to start this monumental clean up task. But Iris was here. She would take the lead and I would watch and learn.


Imagine the sheer PANIC that overtook me when this woman (who had been doing this since before my mother had graduated high school) put her hands on her hips, heaved a big sigh, looked at me and said "Well kid, where do we start?"  Under her direction though we finished the bath and I have never seen a worse mess since. A few have come close but nothing has topped that night. Of course a few years of my own experience may have helped that too.


And all the nurses on the floor knew that if Iris said to go look at the patient, well you had better go have a look.


Some people today think that help like that just isn't around anymore. I disagree. A while back I was working on the floor with two very good CNAs. I enjoyed working with both of them. My assignment that night was to split the floor with the two of them so that we could match with one RN and do team nursing. Just before I started to tally I&Os on my group one of the RNs became ill and had to leave the floor in a hurry.  There was no time for a full report so I had to take her notes and go with it. This was on a team that was entirely different from my own. But rarely does anything in nursing go as planned.  I asked one of the other aids (whom I affectionately call 6-7 in reference to his height of six feet seven inches- a full foot and six inches taller than myself) to do my I&Os which he readily agreed to do.  I of course promised him a beverage on me as soon as I could access vending.  I finished up her meds and turned them over to the next RN at eleven.  However one of our docs had come in at eleven to discharge a pt.  I was working on this discharge and had even told my RN that midnight vitals would be late.  She understood.  I underestimated the discharge paper work however and was getting a little frustrated with it.  6'7 saw this and graciously offered to do my vitals for me.  Earning him a bag of peanut M&Ms and my undying love and devotion. 

So just a reminder for you.  Don't piss off the most valuable members of your team.  Treat them well and you will forever be grateful.

Ok here's a new story for ya.......

Allright now that I have found a new blogging app that I like I am gonna try to do a post for ya.

So  one of my favorite patients lately was a confused little old lady that was a challenge to some.  She has a habit of becoming very confused at night.  By.morning she would usually revert to being a civilized lady who was slightly fuzzy around the edges.  all through the night however she was incapable of finding satisfaction with what we did for her.  My favorite phrase that she used often was  "You son-of-a-bit**ing ba****rds."  This was her favorite as well as she used it often.  You see for some reason getting cussed by the confused patients doesn't bother me.  It is the alert and oriented thirty year olds that I find bothersome when they are rude and nasty.  It is these patients that I want to remind just who it is that holds the keys to the narc cabinet.

Just a random thought for you all today.

Also, please excuse any typos for a while. I am posting from my phone so may not catch all the mistakes.