5 Ways to Avoid Becoming My Patient

I haven't been a nurse for very long when I compare my career to some of the Pros out there, but I have learned a few things. One of the main ones is this: PREVENTION. With all of the sickness, chronic illness and emergency situations we've got out there, there is often a common theme: This Could Have Been Prevented (or, at least lessened to some degree). With this in mind, I sought the assistance and advice my dear friend Meredith, who is basically Wonder Woman: she's in the ER for work, and a Paramedic in her spare time:

This is what Mer looks like on the inside, under the scrubs.
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SO, without further ado (too late!) I present to you:

1. Don't be Stupid

Seriously, people. To quote Meredith: "if it seems like a bad idea, it probably is". A lot of injuries occur because people think things like "just for a second" or "that can't happen to me". It can, it will, and you will be in the ER with Wonder Woman piecing you back together again, because you were dumb enough to stick your hand into the snow blower. (Then again, maybe the ER with Wonder Woman isn't such a bad thing...)

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2. Just Stop

Smoking, drinking, eating crap all the time, not exercising etc. etc. etc. Just as the people above think "it'll never happen to me" before they go and do something dumb, so also do TONS of people think this about their long-term health choices. Some chronic health conditions have genetic components, or environmental factors, but even in those situations, YOU are the biggest piece of the puzzle. Yes, I am being a meanie here, but coronary artery disease doesn't just land in your lap one day: it takes years and years of poor decision-making regarding your health. Cardiac and pulmonary diseases aren't pretty. You are the one with the power over your choices, and you can decide now to make better ones. We are called to be good stewards of all the gifts God gives us; this includes our health and our bodies. 

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3. Educate Yourself

With the above in mind, if you are in a chronic health situation, or have a family history of a particular disease, or are a parent who will probably run into some health crises at some point (so...everyone): do some reading on the subject. Plain old Google searches will get you pretty far, although be careful about drawing too many conclusions without consulting your doctor:

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But in truth, even if you are in poor health, you shouldn't throw in the towel. There is a lot of benefit from making healthy choices now, and turning things around. Did your doctor tell you that your cholesterol levels are off? Is your blood pressure running high at every month's parish health check? Do some research and find out what you need to do to turn things around and stay ahead of the game.

4. Give Your Child the Motrin

This is a special PSA from Meredith. She says that 9 out of 10 times in the ER, she just has to give a sick/fevered child Motrin, make sure they can take in a Popsicle, and they are good to go home. This is encouraging, that there aren't more worse situations going on, but the point is that you can do those things at home and avoid the germ-y ER.  Don't wait to intervene for your child. If she is sick, or has a fever, keep her well hydrated and give the appropriate dose of Tylenol or Motrin. You can help to bring down a fever by applying cool cloths to the forehead or body, and by making sure her fluids aren't depleted: dehydration will cause/worsen fever. Of course, you should contact your baby's or toddler's pediatrician if you are concerned or have more serious issues.

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5. Think Ahead

This piece is in regards to being elderly, so it's for all of us, so long as we make it to age 65+ by following steps 1-4 (::wink::). You are eventually going to be frail, and unable to do a lot of the tasks that are mundane and easy right now. Plan ahead for some of the bigger questions:

-who is going to help you?

-what modifications need to be made to your home to make it safe for you to live in? (necessities on one floor, walk-in shower, wheel-chair accessibility)

-does someone close to you know your wishes for medical interventions?

Also plan some of the smaller things, like taking extra time to be safe. Don't go running down an icy set of stairs in ridiculous (or even sensible) shoes. Your hips might not lie, but they can break!

You can get pretty far with some common sense and an internet connection, but if you get into trouble, always remember to be nice to your nurse...she's the one with the needles!

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"Passed away 8/29/2013"

For the two of you who read this and don't know me personally, I work right now part-time as a home health nurse. I visit people in their homes as a nurse. I actually like it, and it is *mostly* way less stressful than my nursing home days.

Most of my nurse visits are flurries of medication lists, wound care, blood pressure checks and listening to the radio between stops. I don't have *a lot* of critical patients, so I don't often get emergency scenarios like this one from before.

But then I get an email like this (with subject line of a patient's name):
"Passed away 08/29/2013"

...and I am reminded again how life is so fleeting. It is brought close and real again that in the end, we don't last forever. In the end, life gets harder, health fails and we turn the corner.

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My small prayer today is for this patient and his family, and for all of us in the crazy-mixed-up healthcare world. May we keep ever mindful of the fragility of body, and the permanency of soul.  Amen. 

Crossing the Bar

BY ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON

Sunset and evening star,

      And one clear call for me!

And may there be no moaning of the bar,

      When I put out to sea,

   But such a tide as moving seems asleep,

      Too full for sound and foam,

When that which drew from out the boundless deep

      Turns again home.

   Twilight and evening bell,

      And after that the dark!

And may there be no sadness of farewell,

      When I embark;

   For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place

      The flood may bear me far,

I hope to see my Pilot face to face

      When I have crost the bar.
(source)

{7QT} Completely Random Edition

aka Business as Usual

{linking it up with Jen for day #5 of the blog thing and the 7QT}

(day late and dollar short as usual too...)

1. Blessed Mother, hear our prayer, keep those people in your care.
We learned this prayer in first grade, from Sr. Patricia Williams, and she had us pray it whenever we heard a siren go by on Congress Street outside. To this day, when I hear sirens, I pray this prayer. I've started to teach Leo to pray when he hear sirens or see an ambulance. His cosmology has some room for growth, though...he'll say things like "they're going to see Jesus now?". Umm...there's time to iron that one out!

2. Divisions of labor.
After getting annoyed that I have to feed the chickens all the dang time (gol-ly...it takes 15 minutes or less to feed all the animals that we have...::whine whine whine::), I've decided to suck it up and take it on as just something that I do. Steve can still handle the building of 2-story buildings in the back yard, and the car mechanic stuff, and the washing the dishes when I've ignored them long enough and the mowing the lawn and fixing everything etc. etc. etc.

3. Email update.
So, in writing an email to a friend of mine today, I realized that it sounded like a blog. Or maybe my blogging sounds like emails? Maybe all of my writing just sounds the same?--witty and clever and snarky and informative etc., right? ;)

4.Pageviews

After reading here (pg. 14...but I'm not a stalker...) that Grace of Camp Patton fame gets 190K+ pageviews PER MONTH, I pretty much melted away into the blogger unknown-dome forever. I think this amazingly witty, clever, informative blog has gotten 2,847 pageviews TOTAL (not that I check very often or anything) since it's inception two summers ago. Which leads me to...

5. Kiss the being famous goodbye.
I don't share enough of my life for this blog to get anywhere, right? I'm never going to give you as much info and details as Grace and Jen and Kelly give me...so, sorry, not too sorry, I guess I'll stick to my 17 followers and hope to amuse them once in a while ;).

6.Yup, I'm a nurse...So, I get calls from friends/family (ok...maybe 5 calls ever in my nurse career so far...but still!), and they say, "So, since you're a nurse...". Should I tap into this as a source for future blogs? "The top ten things everyone ought to know about antibiotics"? Mostly my advice would be: drink more water, get some rest, call your mom. So...we'll see. Also, I already give myself enough nurse stress (<<wow. read that link!) over my *actual* patients, I don't really need to give myself more of that. Now, bossing people around, however...that would be right up my ally. 

This is a picture of a nurse I found online.
It is here because there are no other pictures in this blog, and that is sad.
You probably stopped reading 3 takes ago because
there were no pictures to break up the monotony.

7. Elaborate bedtimes.
Currently, Daniel is (*knock wood*) pretty easy to get to sleep. Leo requires bath-time, 2 stories, 3 prayers and 2 versions of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and then *maybe* he'll be satisfied enough to stay in bed *and* be quiet for a little while.  What do you guys have to do?

Be sure to head back over to Jen's for more actual 7QTs.

Tune in next time to hear Larry sing..."Everybody's got a waterbuffalo, your's is fast, but mine is slow..."

All Souls Day

It was a particularly trying All Souls Day for me.  I work night shift (10-6) at a nursing home 3 nights/week.  I worked last night into this morning, and at the very end of the shift, there was an emergency, and one of my residents ended up dying in the hospital after leaving the facility.  It was a whirlwind of rushing around, trying to remember all of the right protocols, trying to assess the situation, trying to act like I was in charge, and it was all over within the hour. 

Reflecting upon the situation on my drive home, I realized that today was All Souls Day.  The first time that I have a death of a resident on my shift, and its the day on which we pray for and remember the dead. 

There is a lot to be desired in the healthcare industry.  It is so surreal to me that the emergency situation was over, and I had been notified of my resident's death within an hour.  It took two plus more hours after that to document properly what had occurred.  "If it isn't documented, it didn't happen." The legal constraints which bind us are often helpful and necessary, but all too often they are cumbersome and frustrating.  It felt stark and robotic to spend that time with paperwork. 

However, I am hopeful that my presence as a nurse is developing and pruning my soul as well as being a balm to those I care for.  I was able to pray for my resident during the emergency, and afterwards to lift up her soul as well. 

I hope that my work may be a prayer, that my life may be a light.