2000-05-31 - 1800 / current mood: creative

Tomorrow night I start in the SICU after being out of work for 6 weeks after I had an operation on my right foot(mentioned in previous entries), and like I mentioned I'm anxious, and excited. I'm working 4 12 hr. shifts in a row.OH, my poor gimpy foot.

Here's a small snapshot of a 12hr. shift(work sleep cycle) on a surgical floor as the nurse:

Wake up ~1700, wonder where I am as visions of the previous nightmare uh, I mean night, at the hospital slowly evaporate. Remember, resist urge to close eyes, think positively, dress, bring Bella out, put in kennel with her baby (she's still having accidents) bad Bella. Arrive at work ~1900, get report. Run. Run. Run. Gastric-bypass man who is 480 lbs. wants to be turned every half hour. It takes at least 5-6 of us. To locate 5-6 and make the turn takes ~half hour(mental note* call weight team next time, which consists of 1-2 people -sigh-). Transfer from ICU woman makes me nervous........Nurses can detect danger just by one look, trust me. Think. Think. Think. She's not peeing, blood pressure dropping, neurologically fuzzy, third spacing........Call intern.

Tell him my concerns "Oh, Dr. ICU said she was stable before they transferred her..........."

Pancreatitis man is calling every 10 min. for pain meds(hint*drug seeker). Run. Run. Run. Screaming, Crying, Body Fluids, Blood, Angry family members.........

Hospice lady is dying, no room in hospice, console family, morphine drip is all that's left, we wait.............

Run. Run. Run. God, I've got to go to the bathroom. Can't, no time.

ICU lady-Blood pressure-70/0. Think. Think. Think. Fluid overloaded, but intravascularly dry--how many fluids in/out today?, neurologically worse. Call intern again. Damn, I told him. Expletives under my breath while ICU lady's life is tenuous beneath my hands. Get ICU lady back to ICU. Whew. Welp.

Bells ringing, "where's my medication?" Screaming. Crying. Run. Run. Run.

Make it to the bathroom. Comtemplate how every non-nurse person's bladder is the size of a plum, while mine is the size of a watermelon, and still growing........

Crash. 80 y.o. nursing home man (who should be back at the nursing home in the morning) is on the floor; he exclaims: "I told my wife to bring me those dang sausages 2 hours ago" . Every tube, and iv is out. Foley(tube in penis for urine) on floor. Blood spurting out where iv was. I could cry on the spot. It brings a tear to my eye now.

Run. Run. Run. Call. reassure. Clean. Blood. Body Fluids. Think. Think. Think.

Dressings--Interesting, I can see your intestines moving.

Grab half of cold sandwich at nursing station---It's 4am.

Ohhhh, Karen by the way I forgot to tell you , you have an admission coming right up, an 18 y.o. male ran his car off a bridge, they say he's real lucky, alot of road rash though............

Run. Run. Run. Screaming. Yelling. Swearing. More Body Fluids. Blood. Think. Think. Think.

Try to write up all my patient's assessments at the same time so I can leave before 9am.

Give report. "Exactly when did you give last pain med?" "When did you do that dressing?" "What time did Nursing Home man fall out of bed?, Isn't that him screaming down the hall, you better see what he wants before you leave." "When was the last time Gastric-bypass man was turned?" etc.........

Make it home. Bring Bella out. Make a point of greeting all animals. Feed. Sometimes pass out on futon with scrubs on.

Repeat.

I don't know how often I will be writing after I start tomorrow. The next couple of months are going to be very stressful. Determining when or if I can get into Nursing Anesthesia school.

See ya on the flip side. Love, me

Oh, and love your nurse :)

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