Monday, October 17, 2011

Do what I say, not what I do!

Haven't been around a computer much... or at least one that I can blog on, so that would explain why I haven't blogged lately.

This past weekend I spent working... little good that did me because my DARLING daughter gave me her cold/flu... and I ended up having to leave yesterday which by policy at my hospital spelled WALK-IN since OC health was closed.... and of course NO nurse slipped me in (which is what I was told "should" have happened) and spent 2 1/2 HOURS waiting to see a doc so that I could have a "sick" note.... to spend 2.5 seconds with the doctor to be told exactly what I knew was wrong! And to just go home and rest - which is what I was trying to do in the first place!!!! Geeze, sometimes I really hate the system, the health care system that is!

Now for those folks who DON'T know, I live with the husband and kids and my in laws and 3 BIL's.... makes for a cramped house and a lot of frustration (on my part mainly)... because I'm always reminded by things that THIS HOUSE IS NOT MINE!!!

I can't wait to be finished school so that I can move to Texas and get my own friggin house! Now everybody, DO NOT EVER MOVE IN WITH YOUR IN LAWS!!!!!!! I did it because it solved a lot of financial difficulties, but while it solved that, it sure did make up with other difficulties.

NOTE*** I'm about to get personal so you can skip this part if you want...
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Like how do you have sex with my husband with a house full of people?! And of course it can't be where "we" want to have it, and it has to be quiet.... who REALLY wants to watch what they say and how loud they say it when they're in the throes of love making????!!!!
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Ok I can speak again about less personal stuff.... like what would you ladies/gents do if you lost 12mg of hydromorph?! Of course make an incident report but SHIT did I want to piss in my pants when this happened to me! Now I have to meet with my manager, my nurse educator and my charge nurse.... damnit, damnit, damnit!!!!


Ok well I'll try to post more often... especially since we bought another computer!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!! It's beautiful and I love it... I'll do another post devoted to this soon.... until then, ciao everyone!

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Trying to keep a balance

I've been working on my own since the beginning of September and while I still face MANY challenges, I find that it's becoming slightly easier to maintain a balance at work. I find writing my time line out helps a bit - what throws me is when ppl do things that they shouldn't, or I find things on assessment and I seriously have to think on my feet....

Like last night... I had a pt who had a PICC line in the left AC area who was c/o double/triple vision and said that he/she was becoming blind. The MRP knew about this and JUST at shift change had ordered a stat CT scan, a 500cc bolus of NS IV (over 1 hr), 25mg Maxeran, and 25mg of benadryl the latter first and they are to run concurrently with the bolus. The nurse giving me shift report hung the bolus for me and the benadryl - but the PICC (large) port was blocked and we had to use the small port but couldn't run the bolus that fast and so we had to run the bolus over 2hrs but also lower the bolus when hanging the other meds concurrently or the pump would beep - fastest we could run both meds was a TOTAL of 230cc/hr. Ok, no prob right?!

The benadryl went through and I hung the maxeran (which was supposed to help with the headache that was being complained of)... and I explained that we were giving medications to help with the complaints and that we were going to run some tests to see if anything was going on with the brain that would explain what was going on.

But little do I know that this explanation doesn't mean jack sh*t with this pt because while I'm assisting a fellow nurse in another room trying to take blood (I even had the tourniquet in place and the butterfly in my hand) - I get paged STAT to my pt's room for assistance... to find out that my patient had PULLED OUT THE PICC!!!

HOLY CRAPPPP!!!!!!!!!

Another fellow nurse was thankfully in that room and had put pressure on the AC area, and the PICC on the other side of bed. I grabbed the PICC line but couldn't determine whether the PICC tip was intact as they surgeon MAY have cut it to make it fit in place. So I go in search of a ruler to measure the PICC line... and cross reference it to what it says it SHOULD measure. Thankfully they DO measure up the same. I get a hold of the MRP and let her know what's happened and that the bolus couldn't go in - and instead of dealing with the situation herself says that she'll have the on-call medicine physician come and assess the patient. The on-call medicine physician says that she's not going to come and assess the patient until it's her time (another hour away).

When she eventually gets around to coming and seeing my patient, she simply talks to her and changes her meds to TRY to placate her... but it worked!

Ya I was wiped to say the least