It's official!

Yes...it's official!!!  Well, a few things that are official.

1)  I'm officially on vacation!  I got someone to cover my last 2 shifts so as of right now, I am on vacation & don't need to return back to work until June 27th.  Ahhhhh!!!  It feels good, although I'm tired after working last night.  I can't complain though, I had a good night.  I only had 3 patients & they were really easy to care for.  I don't think any of them even used the call light once they went to sleep around 11 pm.  They actually slept the entire night.  I think that's a first ever. 

My first patient was a man that had pancreatitis last month & was treated at a different hospital.  His wife did not like the care he was receiving there, so she had him discharged & then drove him straight over to our hospital.  He was diagnosed with sepsis, uncontrolled hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and coronary artery disease.  He had a peg tube (feeding tube) put in & was started on tube feedings.  He was tolerating it well & seemed to be getting back to his normal self.

My second patient was in with chest pain and had a positive stress test.  He was scheduled today for a cardiac cath.  He was a pleasant guy that just wanted to get home & go on with his life. 

My third patient was in with hypotension (low blood pressure) and chest pain.  The day nurse somehow missed on her chest CT a pericardial effusion.  I told the day nurse that she should let the admitting doctor know of this.  She just blew it off saying he only wanted to know if she was positive for a pulmonary embolism.  I really don't think she understood what a pericardial effusion was.  It's when fluid accumulates around the heart & causes pressure which changes the way the heart can function.  She just had surgery a few weeks ago to replace an aortic valve, so this could be a complication as a result.  The day nurse wouldn't call the doctor.  So I did just to cover myself.  The result = the doctor said "We'll worry about it tomorrow."  Ahhhh...scary!  Luckily she remained stable without any chest pain during my shift.  So it was a good night overall.

2)  It's official...my favorite high school baseball team won the state championship!  I went to Sarasota for the weekend & watched them bring the title home.  It was fun & exciting.  This team has been to the state final four the last 5 years straight...but this is the first year they won it all. 

3)  It's official...I will be getting a puppy when I get home from my vacation.  I've been thinking about it a lot & I have no doubts anymore.  I miss the fun & companionship of a dog.  Now the decision is whether to get one puppy or two (to keep each other company) and what breed to get.  I'm partial to mutts.  I've had purebreds and I've had mutts and I find the mutts are much better dogs.  There's just something about them.  I'm leaning towards a lab mix or a german shephard mix.  I'll decide when I get back & see what's available out there. 

That's all for now!