Hot and Bothered…

Well, I haven’t worked a 20+ hour shift on only 4 hours of sleep for about 8 years and found that I really LOVE it!!! I must be somewhat of an adrenaline junkie, after all! But a lot happened to pique my interest and challenge me. I worked with deaf Nurse who can’t hear alarms or ANYTHING. I love her to pieces, but we really need to work on our communication! She can’t hear me with my high pitched voice; and I often can’t hear her as I am listening for Tele alarms with diligence. She asked me to input orders and I couldn’t hear every parameter, so I had to ask her the same question umpteen times (yes, I am probably a little deaf, too).

Furthermore, HOTNESS was there. I didn’t expect that my 20 hour shift would include him because I thought he was off for the Holiday’s…but he was there…it is a smiley moment and an adrenaline rush in and of itself to see his face lit up when he smiles or  laughs. I melt a little inside whenever he and I engage in polite conversation…(a rareity because even though I would probably stop crushing on him  if we were friends, I just can’t win him over enough to be anything more than “ancillary staff,” so the awe I have for his beatific countenance has to suffice). The BIG adrenaline rush came when he and I had a brief discussion about how divorce makes too many adults egocentric and the kids, who should come first don’t. THEN it got better!!! He needed someone to brace a patient who had been admitted for a drug overdose…the patient was having seizures and tremors and an ART line needed to be placed.

Hotness can usually get his ART lines in lickety split…this one was a bit more challenging because the patient would twitch immediately after the line was threaded and a flash occurred. So after four attempts at this I devised a better way for my 4″11″ frame and child sized hands to hold the arm of the trembling patient…I sat cross legged on the floor under the arm of the patient. I was able to get a good angle, hold the arm down and the muscles taut…and we had success!

Part of the adrenaline rush I felt came from the fact that I have never seen an ART line placement up close and personal. I got to see how the RT places sutures in the line; the appropriate technique to palpate for the artery then the method used to thread and tie the suture. In addition to the rush from the learning process. I got to be near my idol and admire his work, handsome face, lovely abductor longus pollicus, and chat with him about anything, nothing, and everything. Although I had butterflies in my stomach the whole time (worried I would say or do something wrong) I realized the pricelessness of the moment…I will never have an opportunity to engage idol in this carefree (yet serious) manner again.

Some of the other interesting happenings from this eventful shift…I got to work with one of my favorite Doctor’s — he is thorough and brilliant, he admitted three other patients to our ICU…I was able to complete all of the orders, run labs and their results, and help with patient care. I think this Doc appreciates my work (I am diligent and have a strong work ethic) so he kept asking me to reprint results and do a few things for him as I was running from patient to patient to ensure all cares were completed.

The only moment we had differing opinions about was a peaked T wave. I felt the elevated measurement was high enough to indicate it as a peaked T wave (a sign of electrolyte imbalance) and he felt it was normal…so I was humbled and taught another valuable EKG lesson….

It was a hot night in terms of  all I learned, witnessed, and attempted to do…such an amazing night of learning and figuring out better ways of doing things; with an amazing EKG strip to boot…and although I completed all of my required work, I didn’t get the extra “AnnieC” touches finished..and that is why I am a little bothered…

A Million Bucks…

I often will float to another unit and work as a C.N.A. so that I keep skill levels with patient cares current, and so I can keep a full pay-check. Well, I worked with the sweetest patient EVER! She had been gravely neglected by a Nursing Home (they had failed to remove a back brace that was only to be placed on the patient for durations when she was sitting. Because they never removed the brace and she was in it on a continual basis her skin grew into the brace. When the brace was taken off she had severe stage 4 decubitis ulcers)….we were instructed to be very, very attentive and there were many care protocols to follow because the family advised the Hospital they were planning to sue the Nursing Home. Well, the poor dear had a NG tube, was a little confused and kept trying to pull it out. I was in and turning her consistently; and had to stay and hold her hand until the Nurse could acquire sleeping and anti-anxiety meds to prevent her from pulling out the NG tube (no restraints ordered). So, I was pampering and primping my patient and she said to me: “you take care of me, I should give you a million bucks.” My reply: “we all would like a million bucks.”

So, I’ve been thinking: what would I do with a million bucks. Some of the things I would do would be to ensure security for myself and my significant other…like, use some of the money to replace the money we lost in stocks over the last few months. I would also pay off my car and set aside enough money so I can finish my educational endeavors….but, more importantly, I would give back to the community. I would use some of the money to open a Homeless shelter (being a rural community we don’t have one; and so our ER ends up treating the homeless in the winter and providing them a bed/warmth for a night….which limits resources), I would start a community garden whereby people would pay $10 a month to have their own plot to plant vegetables and fruits…it would beautify my area of the community; and, my ideal is that if people had too  much they would give the food to the food bank so those that are hungry could eat. I would give some money to one of my friends whose dream is to fly and buy an airplane….I would buy my mom a house so I could feel certain that she was stable in her retirement years….and I would set up a trust fund for those in my family who want an education, so they would always be able to afford tuition AND books (I’ve often gone with no books because money has been tight), I would allot some funds for the care of animals, and, I would try to give money to help save our environment. As I write this, more idealistic intentions come up…but, alas, the American dollar is so weak, $1 million dollars really wouldn’t stretch very far. Since I was not meant to be a philanthropist, I guess my way to give back is by trying to nurture those I care for…always give 110%, always try to be kind, and always give of myself — even if I am lacking….not much but perhaps it is the little things that will ultimately make the difference. Blessings and Light.

Char-broiled…

You know the day is going to make you feel like a char-broiled piece of meat when it starts out: “Code purple..room 2-0-2.” A pediatric code is very, very rare in our rural hospital, but devastating when it happens. Even though I don’t respond to the codes as a Tele Tech, I am innately aware of every nuance being done to save a life..in this case the life of a newborn. The entire hospital is on edge, and tension is felt everywhere. Because of the code, many post-ops, and a stable ICU patient, I was asked to work two units…ICU as a Tele and Med-Surge as a C.N.A. I don’t mind helping in any capacity I can, but by the end of a shift like this I often feel like a yo-you that has been tangled or a piece of abused meat. Initially, the night started out in such chaos that I felt like the latter. I was in a patient’s room for nearly an hour assisting her to the bathroom, and attending to personal care. However, things calmed down at about 9-ish and the rest of the night was uneventful…well, not entirely. I went from feeling char-broiled to giddy. My mentor and the one person I idolize the most engaged me in a liberating and wonderful conversation. I love connecting with this person because I am always enlightened, made to feel better about myself, and never demeaned. I have at times been intimidated by this person’s sheer genius (and attractiveness) but have always hoped to the point of despair that we could become friends. While I am not naive enough to think that friendship will ever happen, I am glad that I can converse in a meaningful way, for not to have a connection with my idol would bring back darkness in my life; and, I would feel char-broiled for infinity.

“Art” imitates life…

I was dreaming about rhythm strips yet again when my subconscious ponderings reverted me back to a cardioversion I assisted with about a month ago….prior to the cardioversion, the patient was in SVT with a Heart rate ranging between 197 bpm and 260 bpm …the Hospitalist opted to use meds only as the means for the cardioversion. Well, I was printing strips like mad to capture the conduction of the patient’s heart. My dream reminded me of the catharsis I felt when I saw the beauty of that long pause before the rhythm went back to into normal sinus rhythm with a heart rate of 87 beats per minute. Well, my life has been seemingly out of control and sucky…kind of like what I imagine one feels when in SVT…but if I remember to pause…normalcy eventually prevails — and my life is in balance and beautiful again. So, the artwork of my colorful and detailed dream reminded me to decompress and de-stress….because eventually there will be a pause.