Thankful

First off, sorry for the delay in posts. I know that if I were an avid reader of my blog, I'd be disappointed. My apologies.

Secondly, I'm giving in to peer pressure and pride, so I'm posting on Facebook again. What can I say? I guess I am like every other human and enjoy the attention. 

Thirdly, Thanksgiving was yesterday so I'm going to do the traditional "what am I thankful for" post. 

I'll try to keep it short enough to be readable.

I'm thankful for:

-My fantastic family that lets me come back whenever I need an extra hug or have a few days off. Even though I'm living on my own, they don't make me feel like I have to stay far away. I'm so grateful for the support, the delicious meals, the laughter, the company, and the love that they show me all the time.

-My job. I spent a lot of time this summer worrying about where I would work, but I ended up getting a great job at a great hospital. I am so thankful and even when things are stressful, I hope I can remember how privileged I am.

- My cozy condo. I am so thankful that I don't have to commute back to Indiana after a 12 hour night shift. It's kind of fun making a place your own, and I don't want to take it for granted that I have a safe, warm place to live.

-My friends who I can talk to at anytime. If we're still friends after years of not living close to each other, I am pretty confident that we'll be friends for life. 

- Sleep. Don't take it for granted my friends. Working nights can really throw you off of your schedule, and I have learned to appreciate sleep even more than I did in college- and that's saying something.

-My Impact group. This is the group of sophomore girls that I have had the privilege of working with at my church for the past year and a half. They have taught me a lot and I love them so much. 

-My roommate. I took a risk by signing my lease to my condo before I had a roommate. I posted on my college's message board and found a Christian girl who was willing to live with me. 

-My patients. Getting to care for people when they are at a vulnerable place in their lives is a beautiful opportunity. Sometimes they drive me a little nuts, but I love these people. 

-The wedding I was in last week. My friend from high school got married last Saturday and it was so fun to be a part of her special day. 

- My car. The day she dies will be a sad sad day indeed.
-My coworkers. I am officially finished with orientation, so now I'm on my own. I'm so thankful for the people who are willing to answer my questions and help me become more confident. I also just like them. They're fun people who understand the lifestyle I have.
-Aldi's. Gotta love cheap produce!
-My health. I have the ability to run a 10k on Thanksgiving morning without training (even though running on Thanksgiving morning is a terrible idea. Snow and running combined is just horrible). There are patients on my unit who can't even roll over in bed. My heart is in good condition and that's not something everyone has.
-My new smart phone.
-Hot drinks. For the most part I drink coffee before my shift, but I really just like having something warm in my hand as I leave in the cold dark evening.
-Library cards, Netflix, and Spotify
-My amazing God. He has blessed me in a thousand ways. He has been faithful to me and is continually showing me His power and love. If I am looking, I can see him in a thousand little things that happen every day. Working in a hospital also makes that really easy. God is powerful and He is working through me, through my patients, and through the tough circumstances that surround us. I am thankful for everything that He has done for me. Great is His faithfulness.

-C-

Expectations vs. Reality

Expectation
Patients sleep in the hospital
Reality
No one gets a good night's sleep. Ever.

Expectation
If there's an empty bed at 7pm, it should be occupied by 9.
Reality
The room doesn't get cleaned so there's either a person sitting in the hallway for hours or an admission at 2am that needs admission orders from a doctor who is at home fast asleep.

Expectation
The cute 85 year old woman who is going home in the morning will be your easy patient
Reality
The sun goes down, she gets confused, and you're in her room all night trying to make sure she doesn't try to go back to Beverly Hills in the year 1900.

Expectation
I'll bring healthy food to work and maintain a good diet.
Reality
I get home from work so hungry, tired, and unmotivated that I eat a donut and 3 cookies for dinner/breakfast

Expectation
Sunlight
Reality
I wake up in the dark, I go to work in the dark, I drive home in the sun but promptly shut the blinds so I can sleep.

Expectation
Productivity on my nights off
Reality
Actually, it's half and half. I've been productive on some nights, but there was also a night where I had a Netflix marathon of White Collar.

Expectation
Becoming a zombie on night shift
Reality
Surviving nicely on night shift but having a hard time adjusting back to a day schedule.

Expectation
Living the dream and loving it
Reality
Living the dream and loving it

See ya soon!

Signs and Symptoms of a Nurse

    When in nursing school, one has to make care plans. Each school does them differently, but for the most part, they are the bane of a nursing student's existence. At my school, we would get our patient information the night before we went into the hospital. We would look up the patient's diagnosis, labs, drugs,  and anything else we could get our hands on. Then we would rush back to school and start filling out a mound of paperwork. Every drug required an index card with various information. We had to know lab values and what could make them abnormal. We had to look up a textbook definition of the diagnosis and make sure it made sense to us.
   Then, after the full clinical day, we would come back and make the actual care plan. We'd put all of the information onto a sheet and color code it. We would include different interventions such as 'insert NG tube for bowel obstruction' and then given the rationale behind it. Then we would draw lines. Oh the lines. If a patient was taking an antihypertensive, we would connect that drug to her history of hypertension. If a patient's kidney's function was low, we would connect that to the labs.    
    After all of this, we would write a paper describing each of our lines and how everything was connected. In the end, we would have a stack of papers the size of a novel to hand in and be meticulously graded on. They were a nightmare. I do admit however, that the care plans helped me think things through in a way that I didn't before. It did help me make those connections and realize why I was doing certain actions. I admit it was helpful although it probably gave me a stress ulcer at some point.

    I didn't mean to make the explanation for care plans that long....The whole point of that rant was to let you know that with each diagnosis, a patient has signs and symptoms that can be recognized. Duh.  I meant to set up the rest of my post, but it didn't end up making sense. But now I've typed it, so I'm going to stick with it. Pretend that the rest of this post makes sense and flows cohesively.

    There are certain signs and symptoms that can help you identify a nurse (Phew! Finally got to my punchline) Here are a few to help you spot one a mile away:

-A feeling of being uncomfortable in business casual clothing; I mean, they're used to wearing pajamas all day!
-Hearing call lights and heart monitors even when off duty (It's getting bad, people)
-An uncontrollable urge to use every hand sanitizer station they see
-A fast and purposeful walking stride
-A depressed or absent gag reflex- although this symptom is stronger for some nurses than others
-A twisted sense of humor
-Eyeing and commenting on people's veins in public
-A bladder of steel that is prepared to wait for 12+ hours
-An unnatural ability to do things using only one hand
-Memory loss that occurs at the dinner table when they forget that some people don't like discussing the color of vomit, the smell of a wound, or invasive procedures
-Eating food as if they only have a few minutes before it disappears
-Diagnosing people on the street
-Absentmindedly taking their own pulse
-Countless stories; funny, sad, sweet, or absolutely ridiculous.

Hope this helps. If you see someone who has a number of these signs and symptoms, you might want to walk in the other direction. Nurses be crazy :)

-C-

A Truth

Here is a statement that should be taken very seriously: No matter your age, nationality, background, gender, culture, or personality, farts will always be funny.

I hate to break it to you. Some of you might think of yourself as being classier than me and are shocked that I would mention this in a public setting. I don't care. If someone audibly breaks wind, I know that you will at least attempt to stifle a giggle. I take pride in the fact that I can admit this. Also, working in a hospital provides ample flatulence stories. This world is sometimes a hard place and sometimes we need to be able to share these stories to lighten the mood and relieve stress.

So.... I was working with a patient in a semi-private room. I was giving him some pain medication when there was a loud noise on the other side of the curtain. The room was dark, it was 3 in the morning, and my patient and I had been speaking in whispers. You can hardly blame me for literally jumping back with a slight surge of adrenaline. It was loud. It was long. It was hilarious. I looked around the curtain and the guy is fast asleep. In my defense, I tried very hard to maintain dignity and composure, but it was a losing battle.

I believe there are at least a few people who read this blog who have had a colonoscopy done. If you are unfamiliar with this procedure, they clean out your intestines, blow them up with air, and take a look around. Afterwards, you pass a lot of gas. You're supposed to. If you don't, something is wrong. I have to admit though, it's still funny. Patients apologize and I assure them that it's normal and expected. Then I leave the room and chuckle. It's shameful, yes, but if I can't laugh when someone cuts the cheese, where will I be?

(Note: I just googled fart synonyms- the English language goes above and beyond the call of duty to make sure there is a word that is suited for your poot)

On another note, I had my first patient try to attack me yesterday. I was admitting her and she was very confused, scared, and in pain. Luckily, she was wasn't very strong, but let me tell you, I got an major adrenaline rush. No harm done whatsoever, but I wonder how frequently this happens. I'm thankful that I'm still with another nurse who can support me and be there when things are tense.

Other than that, first week on night shift went well! Come back soon!

-C-

A Jumble

A. Roasted sweet potatoes with olive oil, a little thyme, and garlic salt is one of the most incredible things I've ever tasted.

B. The hospital is not a five star hotel where you have special guest services. Yes, we want to serve you and care for you, but grumpily asking for a backrub at midnight when I'm finally getting to catch up on my charting is assuming a little much.

C. On the other hand, bringing someone some graham crackers and juice before they ask for it doesn't take that much energy and can build a lot of rapport in a relationship. There's a balance between taking an extra step to make someone happy and becoming their personal slave and getting burned out.

D. Here's a link to a Buzzfeed article that I really liked. (Warning- there's some language)
 http://www.buzzfeed.com/carolynkylstra/nurses-are-angels
A lot of these facts are so true I just want to kiss the person who wrote the article. There are others that don't apply to me as much. But I do have a lot of poop stories, there are days when I forget to drink water or go to the bathroom, I have no clue what I'm walking into every time I walk on the unit, and I love what I do.

E. Taylor Swift's new album is awesome.

F. Doctors are humans too. Some of them are fantastic people who tease me and teach me and help me out as much as they can. One doctor knew I was busy and put in all the admission orders himself. Another doctor helped explain a test that I didn't understand.  Others can be kind of rude. Or ignorant. Or think that I am only working with their patient and have nothing else to do. Or refuse to answer my phone calls.

G. I have gone to the dark side. I ordered a smart phone today. I'm leaving the Age of the Dinosaur behind.

-C-