Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Drama Central!!!

What an insanely crazy past weekend...and I'm not talking about the patients! A couple of my co-workers were falling apart. I don't know if there was a full moon or what, but there was a lot of crying going on. I've never seen anything like it. I don't know them that well, but obviously there has to be issues beyond nursing that caused them to cry so much...because it wasn't related to patients. Everyone was telling me their problems. My head ached from all the negative energy around me. I'm not kidding when I say I went home & just stayed in bed all day & night. I was physically and mentally worn out. I still am...but feeling a little better. Next time I'm just packing up my charts & sitting somewhere else.

That's the thing about nurses....most of them carry a lot of weight on their shoulders. They are so busy taking care of others...patients, family, friends...that they forget to take care of themselves & the stress will eat you up. So far I've been able to avoid that...I try not to take life too seriously. Of course there are times/problems that have to be serious, but you also need to find the balance. I think I have that. My biggest problem right now is deciding whether to return my smartphone or not...so I can't complain.

Speaking of smartphones...now I'm leaning towards keeping it...because after all, it was FREE. And it's beginning to be convenient. I have 2 days left to decide & I don't have a sure answer either way. I like seeing my email right on the screen & the test messaging is fun. I'm not obsessed, in fact, I leave it plugged in most of the time when I'm at home & only pick it up to answer a text or make a phone call. So I don't know....if it wasn't free, I'd be more inclined to return it...but it was. These are my options...switch back to the 1500 min/5 line plan with no internet & pay $160 a month, or keep the 3000 min/5 line plan with 2 phones having unlimited internet for $190 a month. I can't get rid of any of the lines...they are all being well used. Decisions, decisions. Still love my ipad, but it's not like I can stick my ipad in my pocket!

I'm trying to plan something fun for Spring Break. It's the 2nd week in March. Do I go to Atlanta? My niece & nephew have been wanting to go...check out the zoo, aquarium...world of coke......OR.......do I just get a place near the beach? The weather in Florida has been amazing. I'm just going to wait & see what the weather is like the closer it gets & decide from there. I'm also checking out cruises...to the Caribbean, for later this year. Gotta have something to look forward to & the Caribbean is always paradise....as long as there's no hurricanes looming. Can't predict that.

Work was exhausting this weekend & not just cause of the crying nurses. We're supposed to only have 3 patients per nurse...because we have no techs. But lately they've been pushing us to 4...which doesn't sound like much, but most of these patients are totals & if they aren't totals...they are demanding. It wears me out. Maybe I'm getting older, I don't know if that's the reason. I had a patient on Saturday night....alcoholic who quit drinking in December. Not because he wanted to, but because he was told he needed a new liver & could not be on the transplant list until he was 6 months sober. Well, I can tell you right now...he's not going to make it to 6 months. His liver is failing & now his kidneys are failing. It's a slow, painful way to die. His issue that night for me was his potassium level. That morning it was 5.4....a little high, but livable. When I got there that night, it was 6.7. Eeekkk...don't like that AT ALL. The day nurse gave all the meds the doctor ordered & redraw was at 8. The results = 7.5. Scaring me now...because that can be deadly if left untreated. The patient's main concern = ice chips. I was trying to "educate" him on potassium levels because all he did was complain when I was giving him the medications we were using to try to get his potassium lower. I don't believe he understood, because all he wanted were ice chips. I gave regular insulin, D50, Diuril, Bumex, calcium gluconate, Kayexelate....2 liters of sodium bicarb. Amazingly I got it back down to 5.4...but I knew it wouldn't last. Hospice was being consulted. :(

I got a Baker Act at 3 am Monday morning. She took a bottle of Tramadol & then tried to convince me she just followed the directions of "take one as needed." Uhhh, ok. She's got a 5 month old baby at home....and her drug screen was positive for cocaine. Sad!

The next 2 weekends I work 3 nights in a row. I'm already dreading it!

1 comment:

Amanda said...

Yikes! Sounds like you need a beach vacation. Love when patients just don't "get it"! Like finding the channel for Survior when you are trying to do an EKG or grabbing juice while they de-sat!