That's nice

Sometimes, like today, I have the best patients. They are the ones I get to know. I get to know their family. Thier friends. It's nice. They know my name and I actually remember theirs! Since I am usually horrible with names, it is very nice that I can just look at my papers with their name on it, or their armband. It makes it easier to be able to cheat before I enter the room.
But some people you just remember. Like today. Some of my patients today I have taken care of many, many times before. My patient, who inspired this particular blog, got stuck being in a semi-private room with a puking roommate. Speaking from experience, I knew it was safe to say he would not have gotten much sleep last night, and knowing him, he likes to sleep in.
Days like this I love the autonomy of being able to flex my "nice nurse muscle" and let him sleep in. I didn't ignore him, and lucky for him, he did not have any morning meds due. So I let him sleep. It put a smile on my face to afford him those few extra hours. Not wanting him to think he was without a nurse, I wrote him a note to the effect of "I get to be your nurse today, and you looked so peaceful sleeping, I'm gonna let you keep right at it. You don't have any pills, and I will be checking in on you, but call if you need me. Your nurse, Laura"
He didn't wake up till about 11:30, and when I peeked in at 12, he was all smiles and so happy for the "beauty sleep" as he put it. And he loved the note. I think I may have mentioned the green Ireland shirt I was wearing today too.
Things like that make me feel really good. I guess every nurse became a nurse "to make a difference in a person's life," but I really enjoy when I can make being stuck in a tiny hospital room a little better. Days like this, little things like that, well, I love my job! It's good to be me.

No comment.

Favorite, or at least very amusing, quotes of the week from patients:

74 year old woman to our CCP (clinical care partner, also a woman) "Turn around and let me see your bum-diddly-umptus. Are you working again tomorrow?"

Mother of a 32 year old patient: "Can you add some soda bicarbonate to his iv fluid?"

Me (patients nurse) "Are you having any pain now?"
Patient: "No pain, but my stomach really hurts."

65 year old man: "I don't know why it is asking for so much to allow me to take a half hour to take this dressing off so you, the wound nurse, the attending physician and all the residents, fellows, and interns can see it all at one time. That is why you need better communication so we can work as a team. If we schedule this, it works better, don't you think?"



And my "internal dialog" that goes along with each quote, respectively.

~My what? And yes, I will be working tomorrow, but I will be sure to request to not have to take care of you!

~"Would you prefer diet or regular? Coke or Pepsi bicarbonate? Maybe both, since you wanted bi-carbonate." (The proper word she was looking for was "sodium" not soda.) But please, if you want to kill the patient, please do it at home, not here.

~I didn't realize "pain" and "hurt" were different things!

~"You are right sir, we should all get together and plan this so all 15 of us can arrange our time to suite your whim. While we are on it, if you could please schedule your next bowel movement so I know when it will be......



It's good to be me. Or at least amusing.

What's in the bag?

It occurs to me that most people probably don't know what nurses carry around in their "nursing bag." Well. I'll tell ya. I am sure back in the days they carried more "work appropriate" things. These days you will find in every nursing bag a cell phone (if it is not being worn clipped to their scrubs) a bunch of loose change (for the vending machines) a whole bunch of alcohol wipe pads, a few syringes and a few needles (no we don't take them home for our own personal use... they just end up in the bag cause they were in our pocket and no we don't "do drugs". We pass them) a few caps for IV's, a granola bar or some other kind of prepackaged snack that won't expire anytime soon (to be kept onhand for the days that someone cleans the refridgerator including your lunch, and you have no loose change or money) a stethascope, a hemostat or two, a few rolls of loose tape, a colace, senacot, atenolol, or some other loose medication that a patient refused (remind me to write the blog about "refusing" meds...) a wallet, a planner, the schedule for the floor for at least the current and past 2 schedules, advil or some other pain reliever for those kind of days, a few tampons and/or pads, and a handful of pens, highlighters, and other writting devices. I am sure there are variations.
It's good to be me. It just is. And now you know what I carry... What's in yours?

More good pages

"Hurry up. Go into 375. Patient crying."

"Room 345 wants to know if he can go have a smoke."
-Answer to that, always NO!

"Stat colace for 325." (Colace is a stool softner that takes a few hours to work...)

"Patient would like to see you." (no room number, no name...)

Better and Better!

I don't know why we didn't think of this sooner?!?!?! My favorite doctor pointed out the joys of Laser Tag!!!
Technology is my friend! And right now, I'm not "it."
It's good to be me.

Anna Nicole. Or "The Crud." Samething, different story

Everyone here at work is pretty much OVER the whole Anna Nicole thing. We are all just amazed that the drama goes on. But at least it gives us something to talk about. It's so yesterday though.
The latest topic...."The Crud."
It is going around the hospital, staff I mean. Not patients. Symptoms include mild cough, congestion, cruddy eyes, feeling lousy, and just generally sick. This is, of course, diffentiated from the last round of whatever, "The Junk." We like to personify what's going around. We have also had "The Wheeze," "The Flu," "The Other Kinda Flu", "That Throat Thing," and "Gastrointestinal Enteritis." Of course, the last one sounds the most impressive, and I guess it is when you have you know what shooting out of you know where. (Not puke.)
So we have about 40% of the staff running around with masks on and wearing glasses cause they can't hack contacts. That's "The Crud" for you.
I don't have it though, so knock on wood cause it's good to be me!

Bang Bang! Zap!

The fun continues at work. The "guns" have taken over, and we have had a few rounds of cowboys and indians. Or rather, as we walk down the long hall towards each other, sometimes we have inpromptu draws. The person who wins is usually the person who has the idea to draw; the other person has forgotten they have a gun too. It's still new, and I am sure we will get better.
We also have fun all pointing our laser beam on the charge nurses paper, butt, or back. Depends on the person in charge...brings to mind the Monster comercial with the monkeys who also have laser pens and direct them on the presenters screen, and when he turns back to face the board has about 50 red laser dots on his fannie. Hilarious!!!
We never grow up!
Some people have found the guns in the pocket to be too big. We can remove the handle, and those people now carry Tazers. Fun fun fun!!!!
We are such a kind, loving, caring group of nurses. Really. I swear!
What is really fun for the Tazer, is that they can be set to vibrate, creating a very realistic tazer-like effect.
I love my job!!! It is good to be me!
And yes, I have been likened to a "very good grocery clerk." I'm adorable.

Afterthought: the laser directions are as follows:
Avoid Long-Term Viewing of Direct Laser Radiation.



So many thoughts.....Define long term.....Radiation, eh? I work on an Oncology floor, where most patients have already been exposed to radiation, how does it compare?..............Does that mean "don't stare into the laser?"......................Can you really see radiation?