tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366132812024-03-13T13:49:01.772-04:00Lucrative PainMy Life as a Hematology/Oncology Travel NurseChristina RN LMThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03260505524676910667noreply@blogger.comBlogger1603125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36613281.post-65089302464922871332023-03-02T22:50:00.002-05:002023-03-02T22:50:48.842-05:00When in an airborne and contact precautions room<p><span style="font-size: medium;">it behooves one to make sure that one's phone can't accidentally turn on.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Luckily for me, when my audiobook started playing from my scrub pants' pocket, it was an epic fantasy (hello, Bahzell Banakson!), and not a raunchy romance novel. And it wasn't even in a really gory part, either. Unluckily for me, I wasn't able to turn it off because CONTACT AND AIRBORNE PRECAUTIONS. Had to wait until I was completely doffed and clean again. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">My patient got a laugh out of it and even asked me for more info about the book. Again: luckily for me.</span></p><p><br /></p>Christina RN LMThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03260505524676910667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36613281.post-35037392746945463132023-02-06T05:45:00.033-05:002023-02-06T05:45:00.235-05:00Death<p> I deal with death more frequently than the average person. I have no problem with dead bodies. I am respectful when doing post-mortem care. I've learned to cope with the emotional aftermath. But this is the first time in my career that <i>I</i>, the RN taking care of the deceased patient, not only pronounce death (with another RN verifying), but <i>I </i>am also the person who calls the loved ones and notifies them of the passing. </p><p>I count myself as a good communicator, with more-than-adequate interpersonal skills. But I have to tell you, awkward doesn't even begin to describe the first such conversation I had with a deceased patient's family member. The only things that were in my favor: the death was expected, and the notification was over the phone, as the patient's son lived out of state. I am already mortified (no pun intended!) just remembering the phone call. The thought of having had that conversation face-to-face...? </p><p>*shudder*</p><p>Well, I try to look at it as a learning experience, and an opportunity to grow more skills in my field. Also, looking ahead towards the end of my career, I'm leaning towards hospice nursing. So I guess any experience is good experience?!</p><p>What do you think?</p>Christina RN LMThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03260505524676910667noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36613281.post-47852650152214212412023-02-03T17:45:00.003-05:002023-02-04T08:27:55.129-05:00Walmart<p><span style="font-size: large;">Every time I set foot in a Walmart, I feel myself slowly transmorphing into a Karen (no offense to any Karen-named peeps out there). I can't help it. I make sure I've eaten something before I go, so there's no element of hangriness involved, and I take care to be well-hydrated and well-rested.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Is it something they pipe into the HVAC that then slowly disperses into the store? Is it the jostling crowd of equally Karen-morphing customers, which spreads the contagion? No mask can help with this. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Upon every Walmart excursion I ask myself: "Is <i>this</i> the time? Is this the moment I completely transform into KAREN, and can never turn back?"</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">There's a reason I buy most of my stuff online and have it delivered. </span></p>Christina RN LMThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03260505524676910667noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36613281.post-75266463963582530092023-01-09T10:05:00.019-05:002023-01-09T10:05:00.249-05:00Say it ain't so!<p><span style="font-size: medium;">I have a confession to make. I am a vegetarian, and have been for almost a year. As much as I love the taste of meat, my love affair with it is over. Over fifty years is long enough!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I have wanted to be a vegetarian since I was in my twenties, and hey, it only took me thirty years, go me! /sarcasm</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I have had an abiding love for animals since I can remember, and I've always had a hard time reconciling this love with my consumption of their flesh. I'm not here to preach, or convince anyone of the benefits, or argue. You do you, Boo. I just wanted to share. It happened in California (no jokes, please!), which honestly is a coincidence, except for maybe all the amazing restaurants in the Bay Area, which were only too happy to DoorDash me piles and piles of meat. Suddenly, it grossed me out. I just had had too much, and thinking about eating more made me gag. So, on March 1st, 2022 I started my vegetarian adventure. I'm thoughtful about it, and make sure I get enough iron and protein. And nobody will ever take my cheese or eggs away from me! Vegan I will never be.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Vegetarian, I think I can handle. And I can eat guilt-free. </span></p>Christina RN LMThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03260505524676910667noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36613281.post-50289670870573483422023-01-06T10:00:00.001-05:002023-01-06T10:00:00.249-05:00Ask not for whom the cock crows...<p><span style="font-size: medium;">...because it crows for you.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Or not.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Dear unknown neighbor who owns a rooster who likes to cock-a-doodle-do between 2 and 4 AM every blessed day:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. You live in the downtown area of a major metropolitan city. Are you even zoned to own livestock?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Your cock suffers from premature crowing, you might want to look into that. I'm sure there's a treatment.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Speaking of treatment, you need to consider making chicken and dumplings <i>tout de suite</i>, because your rooster is going off half-cocked, shall we say. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Yes, yes, I know I work nights, but that's only three nights a week. On other days, I revert to a "normal" schedule, and like to be peacefully snoozing during the time of (your) cock's crow.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Thank you, that is all.</span></p>Christina RN LMThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03260505524676910667noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36613281.post-37922732906877579732023-01-04T09:54:00.000-05:002023-01-04T09:54:14.483-05:00Wow...<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> I haven't posted in a really, really long time.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">*brushes off cobwebs*</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> Part of it is inertia. I'd like to blame social media, but I've foregone it for quite some time, only popping in on Facebook periodically to check on peeps. Maybe I have nothing to rant about? Or nothing funny to share?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Nah, that's not it!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Regardless, here I am again, for the 2.5 readers I have left. Hi!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I've been travel nursing for just under two years now, and for the most part I really enjoy it. Weirdly, I really love the logistical aspect of it, finding housing, purging my belongings (yes, I have to do it EVERY MOVE), efficiently packing and then loading the car, planning my trips and booking hotels. Yes, I actually love it!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">As a person whose baseline is <b>ANXIETY</b>, I certainly struggle a bit at the beginning of each new contract, but over time, it's gotten much easier. I mean, one of the reasons I decided to do travel nursing to begin with was the challenge, and to confront my anxiety by completely jettisoning my comfort zone. That's been a success, as far as I can tell!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">New things I've experienced outside of work: </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">-horseback rides on or near the beach</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">-hiking in many different types of terrain and landscapes, and dealing with the aftermath of faceplanting and hiking out (slightly) injured</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">-lots and lots and LOTS of different foods!!!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">-learning to enjoy road trips, thanks to a new-found love of audiobooks (my lifesaver!)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">At work, I've become semi-decent at starting IVs and phlebotomy, something that most nursing programs don't address or teach at all anymore. Doing predominantly oncology nursing, most of my patients have really shitty veins, so I think overall I might even be better than semi-decent!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I've found that I really hate certain EMR (electronic medical records) programs, like Meditech and Cerner (especially Meditech), I'm an Epic girl all the way, and that some hospitals really, really overdo the "necessary" charting. It consumes SO much of nursing staff's time.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Also, I had a contract doing outpatient infusion (that was in the Minneapolis area in summer of '21), and really enjoyed it. I haven't had the opportunity to do it again, but would really like to. I'd like to alternate inpatient and outpatient contracts, just to prevent burnout, so I need to get cracking on my search for outpatient opportunities, maybe widen my search scope.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I've been using the Duolingo app to learn Spanish, and I've been able to use it more and more at work, which really makes me happy, and the Spanish-speaking patients appreciate it, too. Yeah, my fluency in German serves no purpose here in the U.S.!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Speaking of German, I recently discovered that I might be able to obtain dual citizenship (German/US). It's a somewhat laborious process, since my German mom died quite some time ago, and I have none of her documentation. It would be pretty amazing to accomplish, thought! Think of all the opportunities!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Also, I'm finally pulling the trigger on something that I've wanted to do for more than a decade: Live and work in New Zealand for at least a year. Now that I'm an experienced nurse, I qualify for a particular work visa, though they've been changing and modifying the visa requirements far too frequently, in my opinion. I really need to get a move on, though, because there's a legal age limit that I'm rapidly approaching. The process of getting my NZ credentials is expensive and time consuming, so I really need to get a move on.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Well, this has been quite the info-dump! My apologies. It's good to be back, though. Hopefully, I'll be posting more, but I make no promises (I've learned my lesson about those...)!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Take care, y'all! Stay safe and healthy out there.</span></p><p><br /></p>Christina RN LMThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03260505524676910667noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36613281.post-48298393791771593392021-11-02T13:23:00.000-04:002021-11-02T13:23:02.053-04:00Guess<p><span style="font-size: large;"> Guess who got floated off of the oncology floor to take care of COVID patients?</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_eBFijsyQRl03dig_DvE6EV2dhMNRcy6vvMzs4Q7N5ujXYEYq7E6DqQlPgdvuz9YTibCBpHM6lJRCZ9BTMZv-czu0QLicJ9lxghMrvJUtru5jxziaZWqN06AbAaPb1XMIRoO35w/s2039/COVID+ME.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2039" data-original-width="1867" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_eBFijsyQRl03dig_DvE6EV2dhMNRcy6vvMzs4Q7N5ujXYEYq7E6DqQlPgdvuz9YTibCBpHM6lJRCZ9BTMZv-czu0QLicJ9lxghMrvJUtru5jxziaZWqN06AbAaPb1XMIRoO35w/s320/COVID+ME.jpg" width="293" /></a></div><div><br /></div><b><span style="font-size: large;"><div><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>THIS GIRL!</span></b><div><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><div><span style="font-size: large;">Tired now, off to bed.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">TTYL.<br /></span><p><br /></p></div></div>Christina RN LMThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03260505524676910667noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36613281.post-85636474949929022412021-10-31T10:53:00.002-04:002021-10-31T10:53:26.889-04:00I'm in California!<p> I never planned on coming here. It's expensive and it's crowded, at least in the Bay Area where I'm working right now.</p><p>But it's also really, really beautiful here, the weather is generally fantastic, and everyone at the hospital I'm working at has been very nice and helpful.</p><p>I'll keep you posted on any fun activities I do and/or craziness I see (or perpetrate, lol). Since I've been here, I've been so overwhelmed with orientation at work and all that goes with it, that I've just been taking long walks around the neighborhood.</p><p>I'm renting a house with another nurse who I befriended a couple years ago when she was a traveler at my old hospital in New Hampshire. Unfortunately, she had to delay her arrival because her car's engine shit the bed in Colorado! She should arrive by this Friday, fingers crossed!</p><p>That's another reason I haven't explored much. Exploring and adventuring can get expensive, and since my buddy isn't here yet, I've been paying the entire rent on this place myself, ugh. Speaking of expensive, HOLY SHIT, housing is expensive here!</p><p>Ahem.</p><p>The unit I'm working on is Medical/Surgical Oncology, which again is a slightly different discipline than I'm used to, but it's so awesome that I'm learning new things with a new patient population!</p><p>Let's see, most of my experience is inpatient Hematology/Oncology in NH. Then I did inpatient nursing on a dedicated Bone Marrow Transplant Unit in TX. My last gig was at an outpatient chemotherapy/biotherapy infusion center in Minneapolis! Now med/surg onc in California. We see a lot of post-op urological and gynecological cancer patients.</p><p>Obviously, the core of my job is still the same, and my goals are always the same: take the best care of my patients that I can!</p><p>I'll keep y'all posted.</p>Christina RN LMThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03260505524676910667noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36613281.post-21451361405184426782021-09-15T07:00:00.032-04:002021-09-15T07:00:00.254-04:00Oooookay...?<p><span style="font-size: large;">I pull back the curtain of one of my three infusion rooms and greet my patient. He's going to have an hour-long immunotherapy infusion. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I have all my supplies set up to access his <a href="https://www.whatnext.com/blog/posts/chemo-port-pros-and-cons">implanted port</a>. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I ask him to show me his port site, so I can visualize and palpate it prior to accessing. And he whips off his shirt. Completely.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">He's sitting there in his slightly grubby jeans, smelling like cigarette smoke, just looking at me, as if daring me to question him or comment on his action.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I stare at him thoughtfully for a moment, then I say,</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">"Oooookay...as long as you keep your pants on!"</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">He didn't give me a lick of trouble after that, though he didn't put his shirt back on until he was ready to leave, either!</span></p>Christina RN LMThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03260505524676910667noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36613281.post-22800312160332783712021-09-11T21:55:00.005-04:002021-09-12T00:54:01.438-04:00So...this happened.<p> <span style="font-size: large;">I guess I haven't checked in for quite some time. Like, my entire contract in AUSTIN, TEXAS.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I worked on a Bone Marrow Transplant unit, nights. It was quite the educational experience for me, and I learned a lot. I learned a lot about myself, too! I learned that it is NOT OK for me to take too much time off with no plans or anything to do. I turned into a depressed sloth. No, a SLUG. It was absolutely disgusting and it made me realized that if I'm not working, I still need something the fuck to do!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I give myself permission to do absolutely nothing at least one day a week, though. I'm an extroverted introvert, so, since I'm around people all day long, interacting and taking care of them, I need my alone (*cough*hermit*cough*) time to decompress. So, in my jammies I stay, allllll day long!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Anyway. Austin happened. It was fine. Considering that it was only the second hospital I've worked in since I became licensed, it was a great learning experience. Some of the practices made me raise my eyebrows. Some made me shake my head. But I knew going into this travel nursing gig that I would encounter sometimes big differences in the way things are done from place to place, organization to organization, facility to facility. I've bitten my tongue, but also pointed out some questionable things. I figure, as long as my patients are safe and I'm not doing anything that could cost me my nursing license, I'm ok with whatever.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Now I'm in Minneapolis, and have been since the end of June. I'm close to wrapping up my assignment here, too. My last day is October 1st, and I already have a contract signed for another night-shift hospital gig in the Bay Area starting October 18th, medical oncology this time.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The interesting thing about my job here in Minnesota is that it is an Outpatient Infusion Clinic! I have never done outpatient anything before, so this is an incredible opportunity. I'm learning so much about chemotherapy regimens that we just don't give in the hospital. I'm also getting very good at some important nursing skills that they just don't teach in nursing school anymore, and which we weren't even allowed to do at my "home" hospital in NH, like STARTING PERIPHERAL IVs!!! Something so basic, the average person on the street just assumes every nurse will know how to do it. Nope. But now I do, and it makes me sooooo happy.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">ANYway, I'm here in Minneapolis because my oldest child SystemsReady (aka Silver, or Silver the Evil Chao, way back when), lives here! I'm totally crashing in her living room on a queen-sized air mattress, lol! I took a job that honestly pays peanuts, just to spend time with her, since we hadn't seen each other in so long (THANKS, COVID). Soooo worth it. We've had a blast, and I'm going to miss her terribly once I leave.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">She's doing great, BTW, thanks for asking. Kick-ass, Goth Chick, computer-programming, stick-shift driving, Manic-Pixie-Dream-Asexual-Autistic-Girl! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">So proud of her. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">She turned THIRTY this year, BTW!!! She was fifteen when I started blogging. Damn, I'm old.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">And here I will stop. I have an anecdote from work to share, but I will time that particular post for a few days or maybe a week from now. I want this one to sit here for a bit. Maybe some of my loyal readers (hi, you two!) will wander back over and find it.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">TTFN!</span></p>Christina RN LMThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03260505524676910667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36613281.post-62091744789408007042021-02-20T16:30:00.001-05:002021-09-12T00:56:07.863-04:00Shenanigans!<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> The joy of working with youngsters...</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Like when your pod partner (*cough*Tyler*cough*) writes your name on a white board in LARGE letters and places it at the foot of his dementia patient's bed where she can easily read it, and over the next few hours you really grow to hate your own name..."CHRISTINA! CHRISTINA! CHRISTINA! CHRISTINA!"</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">It can get really old, really fast. But, yes, it *was* funny!</span></p><p><br /></p>Christina RN LMThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03260505524676910667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36613281.post-35857881143180420592021-02-11T11:51:00.002-05:002021-09-12T00:55:13.364-04:00Long time, no hear...<p><span style="font-size: large;"> Well hello there, Strangers! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I'm embarking on a new adventure in a few weeks:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I'm finally going TRAVEL NURSING.</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Watch this page for updates. I have signed with two agencies and two recruiters, so we'll see how it goes with contracts. I'm oncology nursing certified as well as chemotherapy and immunotherapy certified, so I'm definitely focused on heme/onc inpatient nursing and/or infusion clinics.</span></div><p><span style="font-size: large;">I'm hoping for my first assignment to be in the Dallas/Ft.Worth area, but we'll see. Anywhere in the Southwest is fine in my books, I just want to get out of the fucking COLD. And snow. And ice.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I really don't want to bust my ass in the parking lot again. Just my luck, I'd break something and be out of work for a while.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Yep, really need to pay off those nasty student loans before I hit retirement age. I'm in my fifties, after all!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Gotta think ahead. I would like to eventually own my own home and have a place to settle down to enjoy my golden years. ;)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Anyway, that's it for now. See you on the flipside!</span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Christina RN LMThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03260505524676910667noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36613281.post-46897096913269872052020-03-17T14:23:00.001-04:002020-03-17T14:23:14.515-04:00Overheard in a Patient's Room<span style="font-size: large;">***while I was holding the urinal for a male patient with tremors and BPH.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">"C'mon, George!"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I did NOT need to know that my patient's penis is named "George". </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">That's my dad's name, and his dad's name.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">My patient, btw, is NOT named George.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I'm bewildered AND slightly disgusted.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Christina RN LMThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03260505524676910667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36613281.post-23430590804669564362020-01-28T22:53:00.001-05:002020-01-28T22:53:49.879-05:00Not what I expected to hear...<span style="font-size: large;">from my 88-year-old patient.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I answered a call light in the middle of the night. My patient beckoned me over to her bedside and we had the following exchange:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">"This is gonna be an odd request..."</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">"Don't worry about it, I'm here to help!"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">"My snatch is itching, could you wash it for me?"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">*blink blink*</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">So I did. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I cannot make this shit up. Seriously. I can't.</span><br />
<br />
<br />Christina RN LMThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03260505524676910667noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36613281.post-42870314274785818752019-03-17T16:56:00.001-04:002019-03-17T16:56:21.826-04:00That time when... (no pun intended!)That time when you're working the night shift when Daylight Saving Time starts.<br />
<br />
And your *very insistent* patient demands that you adjust the clock in her room. Right. NOW.<br />
<br />
And the clock slips out of your hand, falls to the floor, and on the way down triggers a Code Blue.<br />
<br />
I can't make this shit up.Christina RN LMThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03260505524676910667noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36613281.post-74542221384688222752019-02-04T17:39:00.000-05:002019-02-04T17:39:16.079-05:00Overheard on the Cancer WardSo, after having a *ahem* firm discussion with Eeyore* over the phone about why my patient, who's likely perfed his bowel, can't come to the radiology department for <b>STAT</b> <b>portable </b>x-rays, she finally shows up, and the following conversation takes place.<br />
<br />
<u>Me</u> (joking while piling on the lead-lined gear, as I'm needed to hold the plate behind the patient for a specific view of the abdomen.):<br />
<br />
"Meh, I get more radiation flying on a plane...and I'm almost fifty, I'm done having babies!"<br />
<br />
<u>Eeyore</u> (seriously):<br />
<br />
"You could always get cancer..."<br />
<br />
Really? You don't say? You realize that this is the oncology unit?! And we're in a room with a patient who was just diagnosed with lymphoma, a tumor of which likely punched a hole in his bowel about an hour ago...? And I'm an oncology nurse, who handles (carefully!) chemotherapy agents almost every shift?<br />
<br />
Ugh. Some people.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
*AKA the morose overnight x-ray techChristina RN LMThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03260505524676910667noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36613281.post-34573595937313752742019-01-03T18:25:00.000-05:002019-01-03T18:25:20.853-05:00Stop and ReflectI roll my eyes as my ass barely hits my chair when the patient in 403 hits the call light. Again. For the millionth time this shift. I need to get my charting done!<br />
<br />
I take a deep breath and let out a sigh. We're working without an LNA again this shift. I guess they figure things are "quiet" at night and we can manage without one. We can. Barely and sometimes poorly.<br />
<br />
I step into 403 and say,<br />
<br />
"Hey Steve, what can I do for you?"<br />
<br />
And he answers,<br />
<br />
"I just wanted to tell you what a great job you're doing! Sorry for being such a pain.."<br />
<br />
Instantly I'm ashamed of myself. Being a patient totally sucks. Especially when you're as sick as Steve. He has no control over anything, except the call light. I get that he is lonely and wants someone to talk to.<br />
<br />
I need to do my job, which yes, includes charting (oh, so MUCH charting), but mainly involves patient care.<br />
<br />
Patient care isn't just pills and assessments. Patient care also means taking the time to tend to the emotional and mental well-being of the folks entrusted to us. It's a big responsibility. I need to focus on that more and on the minutiae of charting less.<br />
<br />
It makes me a better nurse, and a better person. And all of my patients benefit.Christina RN LMThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03260505524676910667noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36613281.post-50824392194691392362018-10-29T18:39:00.003-04:002018-10-29T18:39:35.393-04:00Creepy...That creepy/awkward moment when you realize that your fifty-something patient is calling her *husband* "Dad"...<br />
<br />
And calls urination "tinkling".<br />
<br />
*shudders*<br />
<br />
<br />Christina RN LMThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03260505524676910667noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36613281.post-55238463292848176502018-07-30T15:31:00.001-04:002018-07-30T15:31:33.311-04:00That moment when...you wake up in the very quiet, deserted, pitch-black, middle-of-the-night infusion suite and realize you accidentally forgot to actually START THE MOTHERFUCKING TIMER when you began your break (aka "nap").<br />
<br />
And now you were off the clock and unavailable for an hour instead of 30 minutes.<br />
<br />
Oh, well. Everybody knew where I was and nobody came looking for me.<br />
<br />
And seeing as I haven't taken a real break in WEEKS, unit <strike>manglement </strike>*<strike>,</strike> I mean MANAGEMENT better not say a word...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
*I totally stole this, but I don't remember from whom/where!Christina RN LMThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03260505524676910667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36613281.post-58233823684833218252018-07-16T18:47:00.000-04:002018-07-16T18:47:39.247-04:00Overheard in the hospital...<span style="font-size: large;">Me: What would you like to drink to take your meds?</span><br />
<i><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i>
<span style="font-size: large;">Patient: <b>VODKA!</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-size: large;">Me: I'm so sorry...we don't have that...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Patient: <b>Then why did you ask?!</b></span>Christina RN LMThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03260505524676910667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36613281.post-52598192562352421832018-06-27T21:04:00.000-04:002018-06-27T21:07:15.994-04:00Incentive!I hate running.<br />
<br />
OK, let's be real. It's more like a slow jog. A trot, if you will. But, still. I hate it.<br />
<br />
I'm in the middle of doing a Couch-to-5-K program. I guess my thinking is that I can run anywhere. It's an exercise I can do outside or inside on a treadmill, and get some good cardio in, in about thirty minutes.<br />
<br />
Plus, I really want to do some 5K's for charity(ies).<br />
<br />
The running is a recent development. I signed up at a local gym a few months ago, and it had nothing to do with New Year's Resolutions! I hadn't been getting any exercise at all. Nope, my incentive was one particular patient.<br />
<br />
I only took care of her twice, on two different admissions, about a month or so apart.<br />
<br />
I am an excellent nurse. I have compassion, empathy, mad skillz, all the good stuff. But even the best nurses can eventually run out of patience (no pun intended). When you have a patient who needs help, that's par for the course. But when said patient <i>apologizes</i> constantly, it can sometimes get annoying. It really depends on the patient. This lady has many health problems (obviously, otherwise she wouldn't be in the hospital!), most of which are directly related to her being obese. I won't go into detail here (HIPAA and all), but will say that she had very frequent, messy bowel movements and was unable to wipe herself. She would get off the toilet and, well, bend over and <i>present.</i> She explained that at home, she had to get in the shower every time she had a BM, because it was the only way she could clean herself. She told me how she used to love having friends over and entertaining, but she just couldn't manage it anymore. And she apologized CONSTANTLY. Incessantly. Irritatingly.<br />
<br />
At some point in the last decade or so (she is in her fifties), she must have had the opportunity to think, "Hey, this is going in a direction I don't like! Maybe I should do something about it." But instead she has ended up in the position of needing oxygen even when at rest, and being unable to tie her shoes, cook a meal, or wipe her own butt.<br />
<br />
Believe me, I understand being addicted to food. I have been morbidly obese. I was anorectic as a teenager. My weight has yo-yo'ed since puberty. But when I developed gestational diabetes in my late thirties, and knowing the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes increases dramatically when you've had GD, I decided to do something permanent about my weight. I had bariatric surgery, and now can actually see my toes when I look down.<br />
<br />
I'm not saying it's the answer to everything. It's not a magic pill. But the gestational diabetes was a wake-up call. Diabetes scares the shit out of me. It affects every organ system. It can dramatically shorten your life-span, and it can lead to inch by inch amputations. Trust me, I've seen it. Scary.<br />
<br />
Which is kind of ironic, seeing as I'm an oncology nurse! You'd think I'd mainly be scared of cancer. But nope, it's the diabeetus.<br />
<br />
So this patient really lit a fire under me. I thought to myself, "I do NOT want to end up like that! I need to get stamina, strength, and flexibility."<br />
<br />
Hence, the gym membership and the "running". Yep, not looking for a beach bod. Don't want to compete in any weight lifting competitions, nor run any marathons. I just want to stay healthy. I don't want to end up like her. And when I'm feeling lazy and don't want to go to the gym, I say her name in my head, it's like a mantra. And then I go. And I run.<br />
____________________________________________________________________________<br />
Anyway, the tl;dr version of this incredibly rambling post is: I had a patient who kicked my butt in gear when it comes to exercise, by being a cautionary tale, so to speak.Christina RN LMThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03260505524676910667noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36613281.post-37554705673808947892018-02-28T13:37:00.002-05:002018-02-28T13:37:53.826-05:00Someone please explain to me...how it takes SEVEN people, including three hospital security guards, to get a 78-year-old, 5'6", 125 pound patient with Parkinson's disease and Lewey body dementia, back into his bed and restrained (with LOCKED restraints, I might add)...?<br />
<br />
I was sore the next day. Time to hit the gym.<br />
<br />
Bonus, I dodged his foot and thus didn't get kicked in the face!Christina RN LMThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03260505524676910667noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36613281.post-58598912908095185502017-09-09T16:42:00.002-04:002017-09-09T16:42:49.459-04:00Awkward.When your patient describes with relish how he beat the shit out of his wife's boyfriend and broke said boyfriend's nose.<br />
<br />
I mean, what do you say to that?<br />
<br />
"Great job! Now here's that Tylenol you asked for..."<br />
<br />
"So, how much did he bleed, exactly?"<br />
<br />
"Pics or it didn't happen!"<br />
<br />
Like I said, AWKWARD.Christina RN LMThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03260505524676910667noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36613281.post-66800107114644507072017-08-27T09:31:00.000-04:002017-08-27T09:31:30.514-04:00That feeling when...your patient copiously and incredibly foul-smellingly shits the bed.<br />
<br />
Out of spite.Christina RN LMThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03260505524676910667noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36613281.post-73185452837404537312017-08-18T09:47:00.000-04:002017-08-18T09:47:02.117-04:00Is it nerdy of me...to be a little stoked when I'm introduced to patients and family member as "the Night Nurse?"<br />
<br />
In my head I'm thinking, "Fuck, yeah! I'm the NIGHT NURSE, bitches! Superheroes come to ME for help!"<br />
<br />
*ahem*<br />
<br />
I said good-bye to a long-time patient of ours this morning. We'll see her again for in-patient chemo in a few weeks, but her discharge has been a long time coming, and she's understandably really excited about leaving the hospital.<br />
<br />
She wasn't part of my assignment the past week or so, but when I found out last night that she was leaving in the morning, I made a point to go see her before I went home.<br />
<br />
I almost cried when she hugged me and thanked me for "being the light in [her] nights."<br />
<br />
*sniff*<br />
<br />
This is why I'm a nurse. I can get past all the bullshit with charting eating up all our time, and "patient satisfaction" being the be-all, end-all of healthcare, as long as I can help my patients and their family members and make a positive impact on their experience in the hospital. <br />
<br />
<br />Christina RN LMThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03260505524676910667noreply@blogger.com2