Thanks, Dr. Grumpy!!!

I haven't written much because I have had a few uneventful (love that word) nights at work. Last week couldn't have been any easier. It's times like those that remind me that being a nurse isn't so bad. Last night changed all of that.

I started out with 5 patients, but somehow the planets aligned themselves & we got an extra nurse so I was able to give up one of my total cares. That left me with 3 walkie talkies and one lunatic. I mean lunatic in the best sense of the word. She was out of her mind & what's scary...it could happen to any of us at any time. She had been in a car accident a few years ago & it left her with permanent brain damage.

I am not kidding when I say she yelled all night long. No matter what I gave her, it did not work. I was actually afraid I might kill her with all that I gave her...so I stopped giving her anything by early morning. She had received before I got there....1 mg of Ativan IV. I added in a sleeping pill that was ordered, not PRN. By midnight she was still irate & driving the entire staff up the wall. So I gave her Benadryl IV. That slowed her down a little, but within a couple of hours, the yelling was getting louder & louder. I was shocked. I take Benadryl PO sometimes & am out for like 6 hours. I couldn't imagine it IV. She's a dialysis patient too, so I was a little worried all of these meds were staying in her system...that's why I stopped giving any more meds. They were having zero effect on her.

One time I walked in there & she was insisting on calling my mother. I tried to picture that scenario in my head. Don't think my mom would be too pleased. :)

So I did the next best thing...let her yell at herself & left the room. It seemed I agitated her more by trying to carry on a conversation with her. Instead I spent some time catching up on Dr. Grumpy's blog (he would be proud...lol). It was a quick reminder that I am not the only one that ends up with some bizarre situations. Thanks, Dr. Grumpy!

I work this week and next week...then I get a week off. I am not sure what my plans are for that week off. Part of me just wants time to myself...to relax, do nothing...that's paradise to me. The other part says get out & see the world...life is short.

So maybe I should actually leave my town & go somewhere. There's plenty of options.....starting with Orlando & all the theme parks. It's too hot, so that makes me weary of that. Then again, there are a lot of water parks. But being around a bunch of screaming kids/tourists reminds me too much of being at work. I could go to the beach....that image is looking good, but the thought of getting sunburnt & dealing with the Florida heat...once again, changes my mind. So I don't know. We'll see how I feel next week. Good thing about living in Florida...can plan things at a moment's notice as there are 9032490309340923490 hotels in this state.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week!