Archive for July, 2008
July 31, 2008
· Filed under family, uni · Tagged busy, ear infection, fun, piggies, placement, thunderpants, work
Life is very busy at the moment. I worked 50 hours last week…40 on the ward and then a night shift at work on Saturday. Needless to say I was really tired come Sunday. Big piggie was poorly again on Monday. He has another ear infection. Therefore I had the day off from the ward to look after him and take him to the Doctors. The rest of the day was spent chilling out, which was nice. We watched a film called “Thunderpants”. Twas about a boy who could not stop farting. It was advertised as a “lavatorial comedy”. Needless to say therefore, the piggies enjoyed it immensely.
When i get in tomorrow, I have an essay and a case study to finish. Then I have the weekend off. Completely. No placement, no work. Lovely. We are going to take the piggies out, weather permitting and do some fun stuff.
That’s all for now. Life is good at the mo 
July 22, 2008
· Filed under general stuff · Tagged cardiologist, cluster headaches, dancing, doctor, ecg, fluoxetine, goons, heart, migraines, nursery rhymes, peter, pippy, three little pigs
Have had a nice day today. Pippy and Peter came to visit. Twas fun. Me an Pippy put the world to rights and analysed everything, as normal. Peter played football and swordfighting in the garden with the piggies, as normal.
This evening, me and the piggies were upstairs. Little piggy found a book that has an accompanying CD. Tis all sorts of nursery rhymes. He wanted to put it on, so we did. It ended up with me and all three piggies prancing round the bedroom, singing nursery rhymes at the top of our lungs and laughing like goons. It was much fun. Silly spontaneous fun. Good times.
I went to the Doctors today. About my headaches and my heart strangeness. She was really good, didn’t fob me off or anything. The last Doctor I saw didn’t even come from behind her desk. It was the same one that prescribed me Fluoxetine (Prozac) when I told her I feel a bit down and tearful when I am pre-menstrual. I didn’t take them.
Today’s Doctor was good though. She looked in my eyes, took my BP, felt my head and tapped my cheeks (not too sure why, but still). She has prescribed me some stuff that I have to take when I feel my head coming on, and see if it helps atall. Even if it doesn’t it will help to decide whether they are migraines or cluster headaches, or something different. She has assured me that she thinks it unlikely to be a brain tumour! ( i hadn’t thought it was ). Thats good news then..
I also told her that I was a bit concerned given that my heart is still all over the shop, coupled with my recent discovery of biological dad dying of heart failure at 45. She is going to redo my ECG and then consider referring me to the Cardiologist for a nosey. Good Doctor.
July 18, 2008
· Filed under uni · Tagged atmosphere, clinical practice, knowledge, physical, psychiatric, radiotherapy
My day on the ward today has been brillo. I have done lots of interesting stuff. I took a lady from the ward for radiotherapy today. I knew that radiotherapy was all about lasers and stuff but had never really considered what actually happens. From a clinical perspective it was really fascinating. From a person perspective it was very daunting for the patient and I did really feel for her. The machine that does the zapping is HUGE and very technical looking and it moves around in a massive circle, showing us behind the screen what the lady’s insides look like. The radiographers were really lovely and kind and very very skilled. I liked and admired them.
There has been a funny atmosphere on the ward due to something that has happened recently, of which I am not all together clear. there seems to be some bad feeling between some of the nurses and some of the nursing assistants. I have kept well out of it though seeing as it is not my beeswax and got on with everybody.
The more time that I spend on that ward, the more I love it. I have been pleasantly surprised. I think it helps that I had a really good grounding in terms of basic knowledge and knowing how clinical practice seems to work on my first placement.
I love working with this particular client group. I think aswell that there is a good combination of psychiatric and physical care. I was never inclined to do general nursing, focusing only on the physical, but I am interested enough in the physical for this placement to tick all the boxes for me.
Halfway through nearly. I don’t want it to whizz by too fast, I think I will miss it lots.
July 16, 2008
· Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged big school, branch exposure, day off, essay, grown up, MOT, piggies, summer hols
Today I have a day off from the ward. Nice. I have spent the day doing an essay. Not so nice. It is a branch exposure piece. It’s purpose is to basically ascertain whether I know what my colleagues in child, adult and learning disability are up to. I have finished most of it, it just needs tweaking. I found it a bit pointless really. Twas only 1500 words so didn’t demand for me to look at the roles of the other branches of nursing too closely, so I didn’t really find anything out that I didn’t already know. Silly.
I have also been and picked my car up from the garage. It failed the MOT last week and so has cost me english pounds. Quite a few. Nuisance.
The piggies break up for the summer hols tomorrow. For big piggy, this coming academic year will be his last at junior school. Then he will be all big and at seniors. I don’t like that idea atall. Tis scary. The thought of him going to big school scares me and then the thought that it doesn’t seem like too long ago that I could hold his whole body in one arm scares me too. They really do grow up too fast. It’s not just a cheesy adage. Middle piggy goes to junior school next year. He is beginning to look really grown up. His teeth are beginning to fall out and he has lost his baby face. Little piggy starts school next year. The thought of him in a school uniform makes me feel like laughing and crying at the same time.
I can’t think of a concluding line, so this will be it.
July 14, 2008
· Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged consultant, cross, david walliams, essay, exams, pass, placement, spots, wine
Today I discovered that I have passed my first year nursing exams. I am most happy about this. I went and picked my essay up from Uni first. I was very pleased with my mark and the lovely comments from my tutor. Then I logged my little self on to the online results and it told me that I have passed and actually done really well. Hooray! What a brill feeling.
Another good day on placement today. I went into ward round. The consultant looked like David Walliams. That made me laugh very much. On the inside. I couldn’t have done it on the outside because these situations demand a certain level of professionalism and decorum.
I was a bit cross in ward round. There is a female patient who came from a residential home where she was overmedicated, so zombied all the time. She developed pressure ulcers from being in this state and just sitting on the sofa or being bedbound. She has recurring urinary tract infections. When discussing where to go from here, her husband stated that he wanted her to go back there. Consultant Walliams very diplomatically said that he felt that the home didn’t understand Lady’s needs properly which was why this had occured in the first place. Basically, she was in the wrong place entirely, and to send her back would mean that she would likely go back to the state she was in when she was admitted.
Husband ignored this comment and said that he wanted her back there because it was “handy”. My initial reaction was to feel cross about this. He is fit and well and in his late sixties as opposed to some families who are well into their eighties. However, I then weighed up the fact that I didn’t know the full extent of his experience, and therefore…couldn’t judge the man.
I am going to have a glass of wine this eve to celebrate my passes. I think I deserve it. However, I have noticed that when I don’t drink alcohol for ages, my skin clears up, and when I have a couple of glasses of wine, it seems to get spotty again. Not sure if it’s just coincidence. I can live with getting a zit or two though this week!
July 13, 2008
· Filed under general stuff · Tagged call out, cleaning, haircut, music, piggies, pj's, reading, rumple, work
I went to work last night. When I got there however, I realised that my shifts had got muddled up and there was already somebody doing the night shift. So I got to come home. Which was nice. Good thing is, Rumple did a call out yesterday. He earned the money that i lost from not doing a shift. So alls well that ends well and all that jazz.
I got to go to bed at midnight rather than 8 o clock this morning and it has done me the world of good. I got up this morning and spent the morning chilling out with the piggies, reading my book and generally dossing in my lovely pink night garments
Rumple has taken the piggies to ma-in-laws for dinner and so I am having a little potter round, doing a bit of tidying up with my music on very loudly. Wonderful.
Exam results are due in this week. Every time I think about it, my belly does a little spin. I’m a bit nervous and can’t wait to get the finding out bit out of the way. I don’t care if I’ve scraped through by the skin of my teeth. To have done well would be nice but as long as I’ve passed, thats fine.
I had my hair cut yesterday.
I’m going to clean the bathroom now and then read another chapter.
July 11, 2008
· Filed under family · Tagged dad, death certificate, father, harriet rarebit, heart, Miss P, pippy, twelfth fairy
I visited Miss.P and the twelfth fairy today. It was much fun. Their house is very cosy and welcoming. I also met Miss.P’s family. They seem lovely, just like her. Miss P made me a pressie. It’s a rabbit. I have named her Harriet. She looks like a Harriet. Shes brill.
When I returned from visiting, there was a little piece of my history sat on my doorstep. My biological Father and my Mum split up when I was a very little person. A few months old. Mum met my Step dad and the rest is history. I consider my Stepfather to be my Dad. I have never considered him as anything else. He is the one that has looked after me all these years. I have however always been curious about my genes. My biological father died when I was 13. I never had any contact with him, so rememeber nothing about him. I only saw a picture of him for the first time about 5 years ago. I look very like him.
Pippy is very history orientated. She has been researching the family tree and stuff. She suggested getting hold of my Fathers death certificate. So I did. Thats what was there today.
He died at 45 of a massive heart attack. He was a chronic alcoholic so says his death certificate, and was acutely intoxicated at the time of death. He died outside his house. It isn’t that far from me, just the other side of town and I have driven past his house without knowing it.
I am a bit saddened. Not lots, just a bit. I know that I have a brother who is about 5 years older than me. I would like to know who and where he is. I know his name, but that is all. i wonder also about any implications for me. I had investigations recently for an arrythmic hearbeat. The doctor said I was probably stressed. In light of this new information though, I am wondering if there any hereditary issues that I need to be considering. My father had a coronary arethnoma. Basically, his heart was knackered. I think I will tell the doctor just to be on the safe side. I have never been able to answer questions about my medical history in terms of family history before.
In terms of tracking down my biological family, I think Pippy is going to get on the case.She’s good at that kind of stuff.
July 10, 2008
· Filed under uni · Tagged compassion, dementia, developmental, ECT, interesting, one flew over the cuckoos nest, placement, relatives, sensitivity
I have learned loads of interesting stuff in the last couple of weeks. Some of it formal, other things that I have picked up on just by being there.
I find dementia far more fascinating than I expected to be honest. All aspects of mental illness interest me, and I am happy to learn about whatever, but this has been very interesting. One of the nurses spent some time with some relatives yesterday. I sat in, just cos I was eager to learn how these very sensitive issues and awkward questions are dealt with. The nurse explained to the family that their relative wasn’t going to recover from dementia. She went on to say that it is especially difficult because where as with cancer or other serious diseases, there is still hope. With dementia, there is none. She talked about how bascially, it is a reversal of developmental stages. To imagine all the things that a baby learns to do, and basically work backwards. There is no easy way to deliver that kind of information, yet she did it with such sensitivity and compassion that she managed to tell the relatives what they needed to know without devastating them entirely. I was very moved by it all.
I went to see the ECT suite yesterday. I can’t go and see the procedure until a bit further on into my training, but I got to look at the equipment and stuff. It wasn’t as daunting as I expected it to be. The nurses in there were dead helpful and answered all my questions and gave me info packs to keep. It is nothing like it looks like in One Flew over the Cuckoo’s nest I can assure you (although I love that film. Jack Nicholson is ace) Far less scary looking than I thought it would be. Still freaks me a bit to think of the brain being electrocuted however, but for some people it is highly effective and really improves their quality of life. Therefore, I am all for it.
I love this course.
July 10, 2008
· Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged birthday, older adult, pink, placement, tired, washout
I thought I had best give you all an update on my life (are you ready, you two?)
Ok. So..placement has been brilliant. I loved the last one but I have REALLY fallen in love with this clinical area. At this moment, I would say that the career for me is definitely working with older adults. However, I will probably change my mind a gazillion times by 2010. That’s how I feel about it now though.
My mentor is ace. She has a very strange sense of humour that I find most amusing and I am genuinely enjoying spending time with her which is nice, cos I HAVE to. I get the vibe that I’m not massively popular with the n/a’s (nursing assistants). I feel that they feel that I spend too long in the office learning how to do the documentation and stuff rather than on the floor. I would say in fairness that the time I spend learning about the paperworky type stuff is 60% and the time spent on the floor is 40%. It has only been like that this week though cos I am playing at being somebody’s named nurse and therefore have had to do her assessments and all that jazz.
I might be wrong, I might just be a bit paranoid, but if it is the case then never mind.
My birthday was a bit of a washout..for various reasons. Again..never mind.
Generally I am feeling pretty good at the moment. I am tired, but that is fairly normal. I have also got some wonderful pink pj’S, a fluffy pink dressing gown and some pink slippers. They make me happy
July 6, 2008
· Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged acute ward, bank job, dilemma, flower fairies, placement
Ok, so I have a dilemma. Here it is:
When I left my last placement, they moved to a different area of LaLa Land Trust. Their new premises happen to be right next door to my ward. Today I was leaving the ward (early may I add, thanks to my very kind mentor who is lovely) and I bumped into the ward manager from next door. I really liked her when I was on my last placement. She didn’t recognise me at first seeing as my hairy do is very different to the last time she saw me…but when she did, she offered me a bank job!!!!!
What do I do??? I adored my last placement. The staff were brill, the patients were ace…the whole experience was excellent. However, I do have a job already with the flower fairies. I can’t do both as it stands. I love my job, it’s also regular money, which we desperately need at the moment. However, in terms of learning and experience, the acute ward would be ideal. It would be foolish to pass up the offer I feel.
My preliminary idea is to put my name down on the bank. After all, the shifts may be few and sporadic. I could then drop a week shift at my job, and only work a Saturday night. Then if I do get a bank shift…all good, and if I don’t, I get a rest.
It’s very hard knowing what the best thing to do is in these kind of situations. A bit of a crossroads really.
