ICU nursing

I am back at work. Just came in from 6 days off. (that's the good thing about working 12 hour shifts... you get a lot of days off if you schedule them correctly)... So I get pulled to the stepdown unit again... Here we have 3 patients and basically, they are stable. They all sleep thru the night- which is a big plus!!!! I am going to say this- and it is according to my state of mind, hormones, etc- I do not like hospital nursing... I just don't like it.  I have always worked in long term care and I still miss it.  I am a totally different person in the hospital.  I don't have much confidence in my nursing skills, because of all of these problems are acute... I am used to dealing with chronic problems... My buddy is wanting me to go get certified for critical care and that will also give me a raise of $1... I just don't know if it is worth it... I don't know how long I will stay here... but I have been saying that for the last 10 months... and I am still here...hoping that I will find my niche... yes, it has been a learning experience... yes, I am still learning things-- yes, tomorrow, I might like it again... but for today, I just want to be home in the bed!!!! I have a cousin, who likes hospital work.  I cant find the like for it today... I am getting older and need to find a stress free, desk job... just sayin'

Busy...Don't Question It!!! LOL

My life has been so busy in the past 7 months that I hardly have time to breath...I am gonna start my last semester for my RN degree in 13 days and I will graduate in May. As a single mom with an uninvolved father, I have to do all the running for my two children, one in ball, one in high school...I am working two part time jobs and goin to school 3 days a week, not to mention trying to attend church 3 services a week. One day a couple weeks ago, I spent substantial amounts of time in 3 different cities in East Tn...so yes, I'm busy...that's not including keeping the house clean, the clothes washed, (the kids help, Thank God) and all the other routine upkeep to life...trying to pray, study the Bible, study homework, and still have time to take a shower, eat and get at least 7 hours of sleep a night...yep, I'm busy...Now is there any question? I still have to try to spend quality time with the kids, whether it be taking them to eat or watching one of our fav tv shows with them...and Lukas's basketball games haven't even started!!! UGH! yep, I'm busy

School Nursing for Dummies

Okay, I am laughing....My office partner says I should write a book...I just love the excuses the kids come up to see the nurse. I have had a lot of "patients" this morning...which is unusual in itself...but the first 5 needed to hear the story about the boy who cried Wolf...but overall, you got to laugh...

• There was the little Hispanic boy who had broke both thumbs..., BTW, yesterday, it was only the left one, although he could make a fist without pain...today, both of them were broke...but nope, daddy didn't take him to the ER...there is no swelling or loss of movement, so I bet an xray is not needed till school is out...
  
• Then there's the older child who has pulled some muscles and wants to call home...but when I offer Tylenol or Ibuprofen, just the mention of these pain relief tabs obviously is all he needed,cause he suddenly got to feeling better...and said so...Wow! (try this technique more often...)
  
• The child who had chest pain the first hour and really needed to go home but don't call Mom, call Mamaw... and the next hour had vomiting, but she held it in so as not to get it on her desk...(now if she could train all the rest of the student body this trick...)
  
• oh, and the "thumb-broked" little boy came back up, this time with the complaint of "gonna puke". No temp, so I sent him back to class...(if you puke, you have to show an adult...and...if you pick a scab and cause bleeding you don't get a band-aid either)
  
• An older child is next with the complaint of coughing and sore throat...needs Temp checked, cause if he doesn't have a fever, then's he's in trouble...what do you devise from this?? Oh, well that would be obviously he is coughing exceedingly in class to make other classmates laugh...and teacher put a stop to that real quick...

All this happened before 10am...what a day...Finally did get a child with a small amount of blood and another with a fever...so my advice is..if you go into school nursing, these precious children will make you laugh...it's priceless!!!!

Then there is the funny things...the stories that possibly couldn't be true..but after listening to Weirdo Wednesday news, you have go to wonder...

• The child who's grandmother passed away yesterday who was 100 years old and lived in Egypt.
• The child who kept talking about his dead father...which I believed...but when asked how he died, he said, "either drugs or he was eaten by snakes"... WHAT?? ROFLOL
• the child who flies in an airplane everyday from China to her school here, just because it is a good school.
• the child who had a heart attack last night...

The Comet Trail...

So, Haley's Comet passed by Earth between the year 1211 and 911 BC. Its tail is just now being seen on earth...which is way too cool....so last night was the night that Earth was closest to it and able to view it the best. (or this morning, actually...) so we set our clocks for 6am, dragged a blanket, pillow and sleeping bag out on the porch, and laid down to watch the show...yes, it was around 30 degrees outside...but...the sky was so clear...it was the coolest thing to be lying there watching the sky...we actually saw between 7-10 streaks across the sky in the 40 minutes that we laid there...the only thing that got cold was my ears and Morgan's nose...LOL Lukas could not be still...kept wanting to raise up at every sound...I said..."Son, we are not worried about Monsters right now, please BE STILL!!!!!" LOL I think he ended up seeing only about 3 cause of his twisty turny butt!!!!! But overall, it was another memory made for them to remember...the morning we watched the sky in our warm sleeping bags on the porch....

so here is what I found on a website...look up Haley's Comet for more info...

The annual Orionid shower, so-called because it appears from the direction of the constellation Orion, is created when earth passes through trails of debris floating through space.

BUSY Life!

I am soooo busy...actually, that word wont even describe how busy...
so, I started back to school at my job and then on top of that, I am taking 2 college classes at night to begin working on my RN. I had wanted to do that for a long time, but it seems now, the time is right...so actually, I am excited about that, but I really think 2 at this time of the year was more than I could chew... that explains why I haven't posted alot in the past month! Morgan is in volleyball, in a starting position sometimes and I try to go watch her games on Thurs nights.., and of course she has practice every other night...then Lukas has his football games on Monday and practice every other night except Wednesday and Friday...Then I have class on Tues and Fri nights...and church on Wed. so that is my work week schedule...and then...Sunday is church....Saturday is usually filled with kids plans or my plans of fun...

I am taking 2 classes at night...one is in Morristown and one in Greeneville. I actually love getting to meet new people and of course I love school anyway, so just studying and attending is wonderful for me...I would truly be a student for life if I could afford it!!!! LOL As Morgan says, Momma likes to "know it ALL"...LOL The first class is Intro to Speech...I have no problem talking in front of people, so this class is actually a breeze...I teach Sunday School, I teach First Aid/CPR, I teach at my day job usually every week...so I love this class...
The next class is a developmental class! UGH! Algebra!!!!! I hated math in school, and never tried to learn it! not that I would have remembered any of it 20 years later! LOL I have spent the last 2 weeks just reviewing myself over all those math things you never use...not fun!!! But the teacher is good and I like her...we actually had a test yesterday and I am hoping for an A!
I expect nothing but A's...I know that sounds weird, but I have a confidence now that I didn't have in my earlier years...I know I can do it...When I graduated high school, I used to think I never would make it thru algebra...but unfortunately for me, I wasn't pushed by the right people and I settled for less...so now it is my turn! My turn to get the degree I always wanted! When I went to LPN school, I graduated with a 3.97 GPA...I don't want to settle for that this time...I want a 4.0...Sorry, that's just my goal...
Okay, so gotta run, Lukas coming home, gotta go get Morgan from practice, let her change clothes and it is off to church.

The youth trip..

The youth at our church took a field trip..they went to the Haven of Mercy to serve the homeless and then present a program for them. It was a real touching site. For a long time I have had this desire to go on a mission trip...well, every since I worked in Morristown and saw really what a need there is for missions and how great we got it here in America...but anyway, back on track...at this homeless shelter, there was approx 60+ men, with about 5-6 women and at least 2 children that I saw there to get food for supper. They had pot roast, mashed potatoes, green beans, something else I can't remember...but then at another table, they had a salad, bread and dessert pastries. Thanks to the local grocers, (Food Lion, Panera and Atlanta Bread) they had donated thier old bread to the shelter which I thought was real nice...It was explained to me that when they got to much bread, or it all wasn't eaten, they do give out loaves, bagels, etc. to the men who don't live in the shelter to take home...if it is not all distributed, they take it to the local farm shelter, where men are living and farming for food and they eat it or if it is too old, they give to the hogs for food...Pretty cool, huh... but once again, back on topic...LOL There were men of all ages...I think maybe the youngest looked about 16 or 17 and the oldest look well into his 70's. Some men looked rough, others looked like they weren't afraid of hard work. Some looked like they needed compassion. Just a hug I think would have made thier day. I saw some very sad countenances that night...but they ate very heartily...
After dinner was cleaned up, most of the men sat down anticipating the program. Usually, since the ministry is Christian-based, the men who stay at the shelter have to attend church services there every evening...so our youth performed a song/verse performance called "Journey of Praise". It really had an awesome affect on each man there and this is not just speculation. They received standing ovations and approx 50% of the men were actually worshiping along with them. It was truly awesome!!!! One man stood up and asked for them to come back soon. This man was the one who had recently stomped out and didn't want to come to any type church service...God truly worked thru those children that night and even the children got a blessing. It was a awesome experience...

This week...

Monday, Morgan had volleyball practice till 5pm, Lukas had to be at football field at 4:45pm...Morgan then had a birthday party to go to at the park at 6pm...She ended up walking with a bunch of her friends to the park...Lukas won his ballgame by 2 points. It was a really good second half. He played the Vikings. They are a real challenge this year. I tried to mow some with the push mower when I got home. Accomplished a little, then it was too dark to see.
Tuesday, Morgan had a hormonal breakdown early in the morning...mostly because I had told her that her duffel bag was not to be used as a book bag and the strap came loose as she was going up the steps to catch the bus...well, this was icing on the cake, because she had already gotten up with only 30 minutes to get ready for the bus. Tom had told me last night that he couldn't take the kids this morning, so I went up and set her clock for 5:30 and her phone for 6:00...still she didn't get up.
So after having a screamin fit, saying "Why does my life have to be this way??? I can't handle it" I just told her to come back inside and I motioned for the bus to go on. (then all day I worried about Lukas, since he was on the bus expecting the driver to wait on her) But, I left Morgan with Mom and Jaida and she had a day to rest. Lukas had practice this afternoon and Morgan actually went to sleep in the car while I studied my Intro to Psychology.
Wednesday, Tom called and said he was working the floor at the nursing home and if would be great if I could come in and work from 4pm-7pm...Morgan has practice this afternoon, so I picked up Lukas from school and this is what I done...got the Pal's on the way home to eat, since it was almost 8pm.
Thursday, I am so tired and I go straight home after having a bad day...chest pressure-wise, worried, and I get Morgan's fuzzy blanket and lay on my bed and doze off to sleep...Lukas comes home in about 10 minutes, but he doesn't wake me, although I hear him come in....then I wake up at 4:20 to take him to football practice. Morgan is gone to her game on the bus with the school. It was too far away and she isn't playing much on varsity anyway, so I didn't go.
At football practice, I can't go back to sleep in the car, so I read..I am reading Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks so I read some...Tom comes, which ends up not being a good idea at all. I go to the nursing home to take Lukas to see Tom since he has to work graveyard, which will make him working 24 hours, I go get him something to eat and decide to just work a little since I have to wait in town for Morgan to get back from her game...(they won) come home and can't sleep because of chest pressure and caffiene!!! Talk to Tom on the phone for a little while, then I toss and turn all night..
Friday, plan on going to the Cherokee Ballgame tonight since it is homecoming and the kids are saying all thier friends will be there...
Saturday, plan on going to Dollywood since Jason Crabb will be there in concert....

A day in the life of a school nurse

For sake of an update, I did get my job at Baileyton Elementary as the school nurse. I really like it and wanted to give you a blow by blow account…
8:00am…I am greeted at my office by an 8th grader who states she was combing her hair this morning and heard a pop in her neck. Basically, there is nothing I can do here, but give her advice…
8:05am…A little cute freckled faced, red haired 2nd grader steps into my office complaining of a stomach ache… She does this quite frequently and it almost seems as if she is wanting to smile. I am not sure if it is attention she is wanting, but I check her temperature and it is fine…after a little conversation, she goes back to class…for the record, I see her in an hour and she is playing and jumping around…
8:30am…A young man (8th grader) comes into my office and states he has got a splinter under his fingernail and wants me to help him get it out…we work on it and succeed without any blood…he does look at my daughter’s picture on my door and asked about her and states, wow, she is pretty…Does he want me to break his nose????
Nothing exciting happens in the next hour or so…I do make a trip to the office to copy an emergency card…I have to have a copy of all 370 students in my office… I also check immunization records on two new transfer students, putting a red stamp check mark on their permanent record to confirm I have checked it and they are up to date.
11:00am Meet Julia…she is a little2nd grade diabetic, who I am principally here for. She is on an insulin pump and I have to check her blood sugar before meals and then administer a bolus of insulin after meals. Today, she is high, so we go off to the bathroom to check ketones in her urine. None, so we are fine…Off to lunch she goes. I usually make my way to the cafeteria sometime while she is eating. I glance at her plate to see what she has and then either help the teacher on lunch duty roll around the garbage cans, or wipe off tables… I can’t stand just to sit and not do anything!!! After Julia finishes, we figure her carbs and she puts in the bolus amount into her pump. I then decide to eat. Today we had soup beans and cornbread…their beans are very good…it was that or fish sandwich or corn dog nuggets….They usually have a pretty good lunch and if they don’t they have a very good salad bar.
12:00noon I have 2 children that I administer daily medication to. Both of these meds are for ADD. I usually catch one child in gym and the other in the library.
12:30pm Most of the classes are out on the playground at some point between now and 3 pm. So I usually get several abrasions, cuts, and scratches…at the beginning of the year, we were getting several yellow jacket stings…but that seems to have passed.
1:00 I sit down and work some on a newsletter I am getting prepared to send out to parents. Just introducing myself to the parents, reminded them about medication policy, wrote a little article about the importance of breakfast, handwashing, and one about lice. In one particular week, I had to send 3 kids home with live bugs in their head!
1:30 pm It is time for the little diabetic girl to come up and get her afternoon snack bolus of insulin… she is very rambunctious and everyone in the library knows she has arrived when she does.
1:40pm I spend the rest of the day just piddling aroudn... not really doing much...I know several children have gotten sick with the stomach bug, so I take the sanitation wipes down with me and wipe off the banister on the steps, doorknobs, etc. I got the stomach bug, but that is a whole other story...
3:00 I get my things and go home to wait on Lukas getting off the bus. Not a bad day at all.