Almost Done!

Let's see here... hmmm...

Oh yeah. I'm almost done with nursing this semester! Yay! Today I passed my IV checkoff. The only thing I messed up on was forgetting to close the clamp before I spiked the bag. But I realized I did it before it was too late and verbalized it. So she didn't count that against me. My infusion to give was 1000 ml of D5 1/2NS to be given at 140 ml/hr. My drop factor was 15 so that came out to be an even 35 gtt/min (I like NEVER end up with an even number). When she came over to count it she came out with 36 gtt/min, which is awesome because we had a +/- 4 gtts/min. YAY!

The only checkoff left is Foley Catheters! That'll be a toughie I'm sure. Maybe not. I just can't find any volunteers to let me practice with. Hmm... any volunteers? It's real simple, really. I'll just shove a tube into your bladder and then take it out.

I've passed all my exams and I only have 2 more left (I think) plus the final. I feel pretty good about it, but I don't want to get overconfident. I tend to overstress about things but that keeps me from getting lazy. Sometimes the overstressing is bad though, when I'm overstressing about too much at once it proves detrimental to my health LOL

Oh yeah, speaking of which, I got to talk to my dr about my stinkin blood pressure. I'm on Atenolol and my bp has been spiking alot lately. I'm so terrified of having a stroke or heart attack. My grandmother died of a stroke within a month of finding out she was a diabetic. I was so traumatized. So now here I am a diabetic for what? 6 years? My A1C's are decent (around 7) but my dailies are not. Plus the HBP doesn't help. And I could definitely stand to lose a few. And my dad had like a quadruple bypass earlier this year. Anything he gets physically, I tend to as well. He's diabetic with HPB with the same liver crap that I have. WAAAH! Ok Amy... chill tha hell out. Yer fine!

Ok everyone! I'm off to the land of sedation heaven! Muchos lovos and stuff.

Clinical Update

Well I'm officially half way through clinicals! Hell freaken yeah!

I went to the hospital Wednesday and picked up my patient assignment. Ok. She's on literally about 40 drugs. For each of those drugs I have to go home and research them and compile the data on a med sheet. So I'm thinking "Shit. And I have to be up at 4:00 am? I should just practice for MD residency now while I'm ahead. No sleep for at least 3 weeks eh?" Not to mention the pre-clinical paperwork I have to complete, including research on her condition and medical tests.

Bright and early Thursday morning... like 6:00 am. I check my patients chart to see how she did overnight. SHE GOT DISCHARGED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Son of a...

I have a new patient. I spend the next hour researching HIS condition and meds. Ok, it's pneumonia no biggie. I've learned alot about pneumonia. God blessed me cause this dude was awesome. He took care of himself, was very independent, and had to have a million diagnostic tests done. Thursday I accompanied him for a Persantine-Thallium Stress Test. Took 4 hours, but it allowed me to complete 10 pages of paperwork on him.

So last night my sleep deprived bootie goes home and researches all of HIS meds. I go to bed around 11:00 pm. BACK UP at 4:00 am I feel like I'm catching a cold. It's pitch black outside. And raining. And Atlanta peeps don't do rain. I'm heading up 285 and it's not even 6:00 am and I'm TIRED! And night blind. And sleep deprived. Ok.

I get there and my patient is going to the Cardiac Cath Lab. How cool? I go with him and watch his test and the guy ahead of him. That was the coolest thing watching the doctor shove a wire in his groin area up to his heart. And I got to watch the tube go into his heart and shoot dye into it and watch it pump away.

Next I figure, I'll go ahead and get my 17 page, once a semester detailed evaluation done with him. He's a very pleasant patient. An hour before quitting time I go in his room and he's starving, but still flat on his back from the cath. It's time to allow him to sit up but first we have to get a blood glucose on him. The techs stole all the freaken Accu-Cheks! So the nurse and I have to go hunt down an Accu-Chek before this dude grabs ahold of his food and starts chowing down.
Finally we get it done and he just wants to be alone with his food. I give him his privacy and get a head start on my other 10 pages of paperwork I have to do. With half an hour to go before post-conference I go back to his room. They FREAKEN TOOK HIM DOWN FOR A PULMONARY TEST! Fuggin A man.

So what's my impression of clinicals this week?

!!!AWESOME AS HELL!!!
!!!GIMME MORE I LOVE IT!!!
!!!!!!!AHHHHH HAAAA!!!!!!!

My First Patient

Ok, I'm working on the Cardiac Telemetry Unit. My patient on Friday will definitely leave an impression on me for the rest of my life, probably.

She's an 81 year old woman admitted for pneumonia sepsis. She isn't quite with it and is unable to talk. Her skin is paper thin and she develops blisters and bedsores very easily and non-stop it seems.

I did all sorts of stuff with her on Friday and even got to give her a sponge bath. I Got her some clean, fresh bedsheets and gown. She has a special lotion that needs to go on her skin and I put that on after her bath. Then I gave her a real gentle back rub. The tech that was keeping her on her side said that she really enjoyed it. I was like "Really? You think?" and she was like "Yes! Don't you hear her?" She was letting out these really soft moans like it felt good! Oh I felt good cause I knew she's been in so much pain.

A few times Respiratory Therapy had to come in and give her breathing treatments and suction her out. That was hard to watch. She had tons of stuff in her. And I knew it was painful for her. But the lady from Respiratory Therapy was absolutely fantastic. She really talked to her throughout the whole thing.

She had this little stuffed dog next to her bed and I asked her son about it. He said she used to have a dog at home, but he died. So this was her dog. After my shift was up I went to her room, got her comfortable, and tucked her in. I got down next to her and called out her name. She opened her eyes and looked at me. I spent probably 5 minutes smiling at her and talking to her about her day. I told her she had a bath, a new gown and sheets, a backrub... I told her she was treated like a queen! I told her about all her visitors, including her granddaughter from Michigan. Then I showed her her dog and she looked at it and I told her he was going to lay in her lap. Then I told her that she was a very sweet lady. She just looked in my eyes like she was really listening to me and enjoying me talking to her. This was probably the first time someone really paid this much attention to her in awhile. At one point it even looked like the corner of her mouth turned up like she wanted to smile. At least I hope she did. I couldn't believe how much she was paying attention to me. The previous few days she was getting more and more unresponsive.

I don't know what's going to happen to her for sure. She probably won't be there next time I come in. I know her family was trying to decide whether or not to send her to hospice. But regardless, even if she has a few days left, I hope I really touched her and gave her a few minutes of peace and relief. I wish I knew her before she got this sick.

It was definitely a spiritual experience. I felt that we looked into each other's souls just about. It was intense. I definitely found my calling. I've always known I wanted to be a nurse but I never realized how badly. I am definitely not an office person dealing with a bunch of ungrateful assholes that stab you in the back and treat you like shit. I know I'll have patients that are that way but knowing that I'm there to help them might make it easier.

Happy to report week 1 of clinicals was more than successful!