Friday, January 25, 2013

Survived! (Nursing sans AT post)

Well, I survived the first 48 hours of hell that I'll endure weekly for the next 7 weeks. Working my first shift to shift was exhausting but not at all bad. As a student I don't feel right about sitting in the nurse's station, though most other students do. So I was on my feet from when I got up at 4am until I got home at 7:30pm, except for my 30-minute lunch break. My dogs were barking and my feet were killing me. The ends of my toes felt like they had been stubbing rocks all day and everything hurt except maybe my hair. But the day was educational and I worked in the ICU which I loved! One of my two patients took 90% of the time. Her stats were all over the place all day and just when one thing finally stabilized, something else went wonky. The ICU is definitely a delicate dance and my patient never fully stabilized. One thing I like about critical care over the ER is that these patients are truly critical and sick. No vaginal complaints at 3 in the morning, no frequent drug-seeking flyers, etc. BUT, there's something in the ER that's missing in the ICU as well. The ICU is constant monitoring. Hourly vitals, blood sugar checks, lots of poop wiping which can get a little tedious but also keeps one busy. And the camaraderie just isn't the same in the ICU. Six code browns (use your imagination) left my back aching but the next morning all my parts were back in working order which was good because then I tackled my longest school day of the week. Until this level, I always had the day off after clinicals which was great because I would be exhausted (one never sleeps the night before clinicals...can't risk that alarm not going off). But this level I have a clinical day and then my longest school day. It actually wasn't bad at all. Pedi lecture kind of makes me want to kill myself but that's just from 9-12. Jurisprudence is from 12-2 and I thought that was going to be an ass whipping but it was actually super interesting and then ACLS from 2-5:30 (think "CLEAR!") which ROCKS! I'm so going to love ACLS this level and our final exam is running a code (normally the physician role) so all in all, I think it will be a fun and fast semester. Just the weekly 48 with little sleep.

105 days. =)

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Nurses and AT hikers, UNITE!

So, this is kind of a delicate subject. I was poking around on whiteblaze the other day, dreaming/obsessing 4 years into the future, when I had a thought: What do women do that time of the month on the trail? I mean, it's a 4-6 month hike. I'm going to be 50 so the Pill is out. The thought of managing tampax and cramps while hiking 20+ miles/day doesn't sound fun. Well, it turns out that a lot of women do just that. "Pack them out" in ziploc bags until they get to a place where they can be thrown away. Again, doesn't sound like much fun.  THEN I saw input from some hikers talking about this thing called a Diva Cup. I read all the posts about it and it sounded intriguing so I checked out their website. It's a silicon cup that fits like a diaphragm only it's not as wide and is longer. It only has to be taken out and cleaned twice per day. It has a little pouch to carry it in when not in use. Yeah, it sounds a little messy but so does packing out used tampons...yuck.

Then I got to thinking about it from a nursing perspective. Ask any nurse you know and she'll tell you that during a 12 hour shift, you're lucky to get 2 pee breaks. If you're an ER nurse during flu season, finding 30 seconds for ONE is a God-send! This doesn't work well during that time of the month. Tampons generally are not okay with waiting 12 hours..."oh no, I won't leak, don't worry about it." Yeah, right. So I thought if I ordered a Diva Cup, it would work great for both. So I did. It came today. I inserted it according to the instructions and I can't feel a thing. I'm going to practice inserting and removing it for the next week before I'm due start but will keep you posted at how well it works during the critical period (ha-ha). Oh, and a plus side...something about the silicone is supposed to get rid of cramps. How awesome is this invention?? I'll keep you posted!

Monday, January 21, 2013

Clinical Nerves

So after being on break for eight weeks, I hit clinicals again this week, which  means skills, skills, skills. I'm nervous as hell.  I haven't even SEEN an IV in 2 months, have yet to start one and am in the ICU, SICU, ED, and telemetry units over the next 7 weeks. So today I'm going to watch hawknurse videos on YouTube to try and increase my confidence with some review. I'm not normally nervous about clinicals..they're my favorite part of the nursing program. But I anticipate not much sleep tonight or tomorrow night. It's also our first full rotation which means we're there from report to report. Basically 0600-1900. Hopefully I won't do anything wrong that can't be easily undone. And hopefully I'll nail my first IV to help boost my confidence. I know I won't get them every time but the first time would be great! Wish me and my patients luck!

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Bears and okra

Ever since I have committed to hiking in 2017 and have been voraciously devouring all things AT, I have had this recurring dream about bears. It's always the same. I'm hiking and look down and there's an adorable cub. But I'm smart so I'm not captivated by it's cuteness, I'm terrified and try shooing it away (yes, it's not a mosquito but you know dreams). I know where there's a cub, there's a mom. So I look up and sure enough, mama bear is coming down the hill, charging me at top speed. I'm scared to death when it stops short of me and is in my face. But I offer it some raw okra and it and the cub eat it and leave. So pack some okra when hiking. =)  p.s. For the record, I hate okra and would never have it on my person or think to bribe a bear with it. But you never know....

Welcome to my inner world...I'm constantly entertained.