Spending a quite evening with Caleb, talking on the phone with my Mom, Hannah, and Kathryn. Counting down the minutes until it's 2008 (23 minutes). I know it's going to be difficult, and it's going to be different, but I have hope and I have faith that 2008 is going to be a better year. And just to make sure...I have TWO cans of black-eyed peas, lol.
HAPPY NEW YEAR'S!!!!!!!!
Ciao! De ;)
Washing clothes, packing, gathering movies and toys to take along on the plane tomorrow as we head out to Texas for my niece's wedding (gasp) and for Christmas with my family.
Wishing each of you a Very Merry Christmas!
Ciao, De ;)
I'm having a hard time feeling like it is Christmas this year. Anyone else? I guess I need to buy a tree and some ornaments. Saturday is my work's "corporate day" at this local Santa theme park and I bought tickets for Caleb to go, so I've got to drag my butt up after working Friday night and go. I know it will be good and Caleb will like it. Then Sunday we will go to Church.
I appreciate everyone's kind words. I am settling in to a different way of life than the last 10 years. Hard, but hanging in there. I still need your prayers. I know I'm gonna find my way.
Love to you all and Happy Thanksgiving!
As always...Ciao! De ;)
Tags: Happy Thanksgiving
I hate the way you treated me I hate what you did to me When you laughed at what I asked When you weren't there when I passed I loved you more than anything I loved that you thought the same thing You made me feel like I was in heaven You now have me seeking a safe haven
by Gary R. Hess
***************
Just a note to my friends in J-Land.This is obviously a difficult time for me right now.
Just want to say thank you for all your kind words.
I just ask for your prayers.
I am going to turn my alerts off for now until I can
resume a somewhat normal life.
A lot going on in the next few weeks, let alone months.
I love you all and will be popping on when I can.
God Bless You ALL!
Ciao! De
Relationships are like glass. Sometimes it's better to leave them broken than try to hurt yourself putting it back together.~~Anonymous
Love?
When love has come
But soon is gone
It begs the question
Was it there
The love was lost
And never found
Lost without you
Lost without me
Lost into eternity
The love was just a figment
A figment of our minds
Something we could ponder
But never express
Was it love or just a feeling
Was it love or just healing
Healing from the hatred
The hatred of our hearts
Our past was deep and full of pain
We needed this to release the stain
For this I do not regret
The time with you that I had spent
by Gary R. Hess
We cannot direct the wind but we can adjust the sails. ~~ Anonymous
Jeez! Who hates AOHell? I had a wonderful entry with appropriate graffics. My first entry in 11 days and it gets eaten..Ahhhhhhhh!
And onto other more important worldly news...
On a lighter note, I have been going to physical therapy for my shoulder, or should I say physical "torture", ha ha. Oh jeez! The actual exercises don't take long (about 20 minutes), then the PT person "massages" out the muscle spasms (that they caused) and applies a tens unit and ice. Jill (PT) feels very strongly that I have a partial rotator cuff tear (just confirming my "diagnosis") and hopefully I can avoid surgery with the physical therapy. Who knew that falling so gracefully out of your chair would be so much fun?
On to some funny stories from work...
#1 Young guy checks into ER with complaint of "other". Okay that means he doesn't want anyone to know. Call him into triage. "So, what brings you in today?" "I think I broke my penis." (Okay this goes under "you know you're an ER nurse if...you have ever had to leave a patient’s room (or triage) before you laugh uncontrollably). "I'm sorry, what did you say?" "I think I broke my penis." Hmmmm, new one. "And why do you think that?" "Well me and my wife were having sex and I don't know what she did but now it's all swollen and I'm in a lot of pain." I'm sitting there wondering what Kama Sutra position I need to avoid, and go, "Okay, well let's get you checked in." Fast forward to the patient's nurse..."hey De, you know that guy you gave me that thinks his penis is broken?" "Yeah?" "No kidding, dude broke his penis, he's going for surgery!" Good golly, how in heaven's name do you do that? Never mind. Some things are better left unknown.
#2 Goes under the heading of "language barrier". Most of you know that I live in Arizona and we have a very large immigrant population. Well there is often a language barrier in the ER as I do not speak Español. So this young Hispanic lady who speaks un poquito English is brought in the other morning after being involved in a rear-end MVA. She is strapped down to a backboard and in a c-collar (standard). As I go about getting her vital signs I begin my questions "Were you the driver or the passenger? Were you wearing your seatbelt? Did the airbag go off? Did you hit your head?" She is answering my questions appropriately, if not haltingly due to her limited English when we get to the last question of "Did you get knocked out?" "¿Qué?" "Did you get knocked out?" "¿Qué?" Me again, slower..."You know, did you hit your head, did you get knocked out?" M, my friendly Philippine nurse, was in the room helping out and she very distinctly asks the patient in a loud voice (you know if they don't understand, shout it) "You know, did you lose your conscious?" "Oh, si!" You might ask why didn't I just ask her if she lost consciousness, but when I ask it that way people frequently go "what do you mean?" so I have given up and just asked if they got "knocked out". OMG, I was laughing so hard. Here is the language barrier bridged.
#3 
Onto other noteworthy news...
I do believe I will take this opportunity to say goodnight and Ciao!
Tags: Stressed, Funny ER stories, Dumbledore is Gay?, Bo Bice See The Light
Enjoy your Thursday! I'm back at work after being released by the workers' comp doctor.
Ciao! De ;)
Tags: The Seeker
With a love that shall not die
Till the sun grows cold
And the stars grow old. — Willam Shakespeare
Happy Birthday David! I love you!!!
"The strongest oak tree of the forest is not the one that is protected from the storm and hidden from the sun. It's the one that stands in the open where it is compelled to struggle for its existence against the winds and rains and the scorching sun."~~Napoleon Hill
I got hurt early Monday morning last week at work. I leaned back in my chair (just barely) when a doctor called my attention, and the chair tipped over. I didn't even land on the floor as I caught myself with my left hand/arm. I didn't even think I was hurt until several hours after getting home. I completely the last few hours of my shift and by the time I got home I was feeling a little stiff so I took some Tylenol and put ice on my shoulder (the main area of my pain). But I tell ya, the pain kept intensifying and I ended up only sleeping about 4 1/2 hours over a two day period. I called work and went in and filed an incident report and went to the worker's comp clinic. I was supposed to be off work and wear a sling, but I convinced the doctor I could do light duty. I had to argue with the Director that triage could be considered light duty and he reluctantly agreed.
I ended up missing Tuesday night at MV and worked Wed night wearing a sling. It was much harder that I thought possible. By the end of the shift my shoulder was in such a complete spasm I didn't think I would ever go to sleep or not be in pain. So I said to heck with the sling and am just being careful and not lifting anything with my left arm. Thank goodness it wasn't my right arm!
Anyway, I go back to work tonight andtomorrow and I am not wearing that darn sling. I'm supposed to see the worker's comp doc Tuesday morning, but I am going to reschedule that appt to Wednesday. I think I might have torn my rotator cuff. We will see. I might have to go for an MRI (only test that will show a rotator cuff tear) to determine if this is what happened. Who knew?
The kids are on fall break Thurs/Fri/Sat/Sun.
Ciao! De ;)
PS: Here is something to brighten your day! I got out of breath just watching this, lol.
Hey there...I've been meaning to pop more but, once again, my computer was on the fritz part of this week. A whole card fried. I have the worst luck, lol. But, my puter is bits and pieces put together so it gets a little finicky. And, it seems as someone always has an agenda for me lately, but that's okay when it's my family.
Anyways, Hannah made it safely on Saturday! Thanks for the prayers. I'm so happy, despite having her teenage angst arrive with her, lol. She is only going to be here 6 weeks this time as I am trying to make it even/steven for exchange at Christmas and Rachel's wedding. I hope we get to do something fun while she is here. DH is working in Albuquerque next month over a stretch so I hope we can go up there for a couple of days and have a "look-see". Hannah goes back to OKC on Nov 3rd.
Back to the subject of where should I work. According to the poll I put on my last post, it is 4/2 that I should stay at T, my current hospital. But I have to say I'm feeling pretty good about working at the new hospital, MV, especially when my friend C is there. I've yet to work with J (the girl I trained at T), but I did get an email from her saying "when are we working together". I also definitely like the change in patient demographics at MV for sure. Not so many drunks or transients, but more retirees and insured patients.
Oy, I said it didn't I? The hated word, "insurance". It's not supposed to matter for patient care, and it really doesn't except for the attitude of the patients, which in turn effects how you in turn feel about your patient and that affects how you deliver that care. People who have insurance are generally more likely to keep up with their health and take more responsibility in their life as a whole, and be more appreciative. People who don't have insurance (not those that simply can't afford it, but more the "working the system" group) tend to be more demanding, and rude, rude, rude.
I love the invention of the MSO under EMTALA (Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act) laws. Simply put, MSO stands for "Medical Screening Only" (see point #1 at above link). Good business for the ER and for the patient. How you say? Well the ER/Hospital doesn't produce a bill that will not get paid, and the patient is not billed for a non-urgent evaluation, and is instead referred to a clinic for their follow up healthcare. (There is no "refusal of care based on ability to pay" because the patient received an exam by a doctor/pa/nurse practitioner) Now, if the patient wants to receive treatment in the ER for their non-emergent complaint, then they simply pay their co-pay as if they were in a doctor's office. If they choose not to pay the co-pay, then they are simply discharged with information regarding their medical screening, and no treatment or prescriptions are given. The costs to both hospital and patient is beneficial as the hospital reduces it's self-pay (or no-pay) clients, and the patient gets a medical evaluation and direction on where to followup for their non-urgent healthcare (A typical ER visit for routine minor care will cost anywhere from starting at $500-$1000 vs $50-$100 at urgent care). Another side benefit to the MSO to everyone is that it decreases wait time in the ER because beds are less tied up with non-urgent issues like someone who has had a toothache for a year and wants pain medicine, instead that person is given low-cost or no-cost dental referrals.
Okay, so Thursday in the ER was a "get the party started" night. We had the usual trickling in of drunks, though not so many as we will get this weekend. It has gotten to the point that sometimes I just can't tell the weekdays from the weekends when the local college is in session. Case in point...last night received Ms. 17 from the college dorm because she was drunk and vomiting (kids are taught that vomiting when you are drunk is a positive sign of alcohol poisoning and you should seek emergency care - and in some extreme cases that is true except it is more likely your stomach "oy--you should've drunk so much dummy"!). So the sweetie's suite mates called 911. Now on campus that call goes to the campus police who very politely will issue you a ticket for drinking in the dorms, plus a ticket for underage drinking should it apply, and may also include public disturbance, etc (you get the idea). Well there has been such an outcry from the community on the issue of underage drinking and the results (accidents, deaths, etc) that the local college has really clamped down hard on this issue (about darn time) and it's a "two strikes and your out" policy. The student can be kicked out of the dorm, and in some cases, put on probation or suspended from the college.
Once we got Ms 17 checked in we start the usual protocol of putting her on the cardiac and oxygen saturation monitor, drawing blood, and obtaining a urine sample. She of course was oblivious, or at least wanted us to think that because there were definite signs throughout everything I did or whenever I checked on her that she was awake and hearing me (flickering of eyes, rolling her over, following some commands and not others when it was something she didn't like, etc). So all in all I felt pretty comfortable in ascertaining that she was going to be stable medical wise. Now the dealing with the parents who lived in a northern state was something else. Another little law, HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), prohibiting me or anyone discussing Ms 17's medical care without her permission. But wait, you say, she is only 17 and is a minor...nope, not when it comes to her healthcare because she is not living at home, is living on her own (albeit in a dorm) as an adult, attending college, all of which emancipates her and puts her under the HIPPA guidelines. The mom went belistic on me and stated we were breaking the law, we were going to call some 18year olds and not her parents when we were ready to release her, weren't doing our job about checking out the fact she hit her head, was bleeding profusely, etc. So I put the breaks on that one...explained the laws, stated no report or signs of head injury and Mom shouldn't take the words of another drunk minor about her daughter's condition, a doctor had seen and examined and obtained tests to determine her medical condition, etc. The most important issue I stressed was that I would love to call Mom when we were ready to release Ms 17 except whenever she called about her daughter she never spoke to me, the patient's nurse, nor did she leave a phone number where we could contact her. So I very firmly stated that the lines of communication went both ways. That shut her up immediately. "Can I talk to my daughter?" "Absolutely! Given me a minute to hook up a phone." Jeez, please be nice and be polite and you get a lot more out of us, but I did feel she was acting out of concern for her daughter (as I would be) because once I reassured Mom that Ms 17 was "okay" and let her talk to her, Mom was a lot nicer and friendlier. That drinking story turned out good except, according to Ms 17, she was being yanked back to the north and from living away from home.
Another drunk who is a frequent visitor to our ER didn't fare so well. I'll call himMr 25. He arrived drunk (duh), combative, and strapped down to a backboard and c-collar as he had fallen and EMS wanted to make sure he didn't seriously injure himself. We couldn't take him off the backboard until he had been cleared via x-rays (which were ordered immediately). But at some point while we were waiting on the x-ray results Mr 25 began vomiting. We could here the noises coming out of his room and the heart monitor started going off so up we were to check it out. You've heard of people drowning in their own vomit (Jimi Hendrix ring a bell?), well that is what Mr 25 was doing. We quickly rolled him over and began suctioning him, but it became apparent that he had aspirated his vomit into his lungs. 5 minutes later he was intubated and deep suctioning down into his lungs began. Now the real problems would emerge as I am sure he would get pneumonia and could end up sick enough to die. Hopefully we eliminated the possibility of brain damage from lack of oxygen as we were in the room immediately and worked on securing his airway, but you never know. Why do people have to drink so much? Ugh. Please be responsible!
Okay, enough of my story telling. So the real news of the day is that...(drum roll please)...I finally got the official word from the Director and I am staying at T. I was walking into work Monday night at MV and the Director was driving through the parking lot and hollered at me and we talked it out. She said she would love to have me permanently at MV but wanted me to be "happy and productive." I said I could be at either place but felt T was more "home" since I had been there two years, and that is why I wanted her and R (T Director) to make the best decision for both ERs. So the Director said putting it that way she would like for me to stay at T since she had plenty of staff and virtually no turnover and T was always in a flux, and that she could really use my "experience" there. The Director also said that at anytime if I change my mind to let her know because she would love to have me at MVas well and I could pick up as many shifts as I wanted. So that is where it is at, ladies, after months of fence straddling, lol. I know things are going to change at T (we were supposed to have a meeting Wed night but it got canceled), but I'll just roll with it. And then I will try and work at MV on Sun/Mon/Tues as that is when C is there.
So I'll leave you all with that and get off here. It is late and I should probably head off to bed. Have a terrific weekend!
Tags: Drink Responsibly
We can throw stones, complain about them, stumble on them, climb over them, or build with them.~~ William Arthur Ward
OMGosh! I didn't tell you I had a stabbing walk in last Saturday night did I? Of course not, I have been incognito. Yeah, this guy just came in and said "I need a little help here cause I'm bleeding." Okay, not the first time I've heard that one. But he was standing behind the counter and I couldn't tell what was bleeding by just looking at him. So I grabbed a pair of gloves, walked around the counter and he was holding his stomach. So I go "let me see...okay, we are going right back". That was kinda fun (I know sick sense of humor) because we practiced "real" nursing for about 45 minutes until we got him air flighted out. The rest of the lobby was filled with the entire college campus the entire night, or it seemed that way at least. I'm thinking, "don't you have anywhere else to go?" Of course not. Oh well, job security!
Not a lot to say this morning. I've got to head back to bed for a nap as I've got to stay up all night running at work. I think it's another home game at the local college campus. Yipee!
Have a great weekend, and I'll catch up with you guys on the flip side!
"I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired." ~~Fannie Lou Hamer
Sometimes don't you just wish you weren't sick? I mean I am around sick people for twelve hours at a time two-three days a week. I hardly ever get sick. But when I do...man.
The date on my camera is wrong. I just took that about 6:00pm.
Ummmm, like no fair, they had a better camera!
"Everything works out right in the end. If things are not working right, it isn't the end yet. Don't let it bother you, relax and keep on going." ~~Michael C. Muhammad
On that note, I thought I would do this little quiz that I found over at Julie's:
| You Are a Red Crayon |
 Your world is colored with bright, vivid, wild colors. You have a deep, complex personality - and you are always expressing something about yourself. Bold and dominant, you are a natural leader. You have an energy that is intense... and sometimes overwhelming. Your reaction to everything tends to be strong. You are the master of love-hate relationships. Your color wheel opposite is green. Green people are way too mellow to understand what drives your energy. |
Kinda funny that it says my opposite is green, because I think Julie understands me as we are sister nurses, lol.
On that note...Ciao! De ;)
There has been several discussions in the past couple of days over at Donna & Dawn's concerning friendships, and how good ones are hard to come by. Words said or unsaid, feelings hurt, hearts and feelings bruised. A while back I posted a quote by James Allen that states "Circumstances do not make the man, they reveal him." I definitely feel that this statement is true.
So moving on now, let's go to Thankful Thursdays, and here are my five...
Ciao! De ;)"I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do." ~~Helen Keller
I don't think I told you guys about receiving notice that a sexual offender (luring a minor for sexual molestation) has moved into my neighborhood. While it is discomforting to know that someone of this caliber lives near my family, it is even more disturbing that my neighborhood, and his house in particular, literally borders Caleb's elementary School. Not only that, but there are two private gate that exclusively leads from our neighborhood directly into the school grounds. I have contacted the DPS, and have been advised that no law currently exists in the state of Arizona that requires sex offenders to live certain distances away from schools, child care, playgrounds, etc. It horrifies me to learn that the government of this state has such little regard for the safety and welfare of our children.
Well, I haven't seen this man in the 3-4 weeks since I received the notice, but this morning after dropping Caleb off at school I saw him. My stomach did a bunch of flip flops. He was walking along through the neighborhood and just smiled when I looked at him. His appearance is slightly changed from the police photo and he now supports a mustache, but it was definitely him. Isn't that funny that I get home in the mornings after work at approximately the same time I saw him this morning and have never seen him out and about, but now it's the start of school and we've got kids who walk to school or to the bus stop in our neighborhood. As a matter of fact, I saw a young girl this morning walking all by herself. I don't think me seeing him this morning on the second day of school was a coincidence, do you? I think I'm going to vomit now. I did write a letter to the Attorney General, but I need to write one to the Governor as well. Gotta get this changed!
Okay, now for some lighter fare and entertainment from Dawn...
I say _______ and you say _______.
Temptation - Fighting back not to kill off the sexual predator who moved into my neighborhood.
Laboratory - Rats. Thank goodness for them because medical experiments lead to new ground breaking discoveries that improve our quality of life.
Olympics - Games, it's almost time for the Summer 2008 in Beijing.
Pearl -
Harbor. The official beginning of our involvement in WWII.
Gear - Head. Car enthusiatics.
Magnetic - poles.
Well, on that note, I had better get ready for work.
Ciao! De;)
Here are a couple of pictures I managed to snap with my cell phone this morning. Darn kids playing with my camera and I got there and the battery was dead. Should've known and checked first, ugh. But anyways, you get the idea.
Big difference from last year where he was sooooo overwhelmed. We went in the back and avoided the really, really, really loud music. Plus Caleb saw some friends and was like "hey, hey, hey!" and off they ran.
Caleb said he had a "great" day, but he couldn't "remember" anything to tell me. He did say he liked Ms Stockton, though. That is good. I found out this morning that the reason she looks so young is because she just graduated in May! Wow, first teaching job. She was student teaching when I saw her last year. Well, we'll see how the second day goes.
Oh I was over at Donna's and she said "try the Smilebox, you won't be sorry". So I did and she is right, it's fun!
 |
 |
| Click to play | Make your own Smilebox |
Hope your day has been great!
Ciao! De ;)
Tags: First Day of School, Smilebox
