Is march over yet?

   Well in a little over 24 hours another March will be in the books, and I can't say that I am sad to see it end. The weather has been colder than I like and even a little too wet for me. You see, I am all about sunshine and warmth. You will never hear complaining coming from this mouth about it being too hot or too humid. After all, isn't that why we have fans and air conditioners...oh yeah, and windows that can be opened. I still am trying to figure out how I ended up in the northeast anyway... but that is another story to tell. For now I will have to make the best of it.
   Last night in Trenton was not too bad, if you consider 1 patient (20 yr old male) going AMA - leaving Against Medical Advice , and another grown man refusing to be stuck by a needle because he is afraid of them, a good night. For the life of me I will never understand some patients. You came to the ER...we didn't go to your house to get you, because you are sick...aka (under alot of stress) coming from a 20 yr old. Wow, how much stress could you have, you are only twenty, imagine what it is going to be like for you when you reach my age...almost 50. Then, you let me put a large bore needle in your antecubital for an iv and get some blood. I get the medication that the doctor ordered for you, for your terrible headache, only for you to decide that you now are ready to leave... iv out..please sign here Mr. M....this relieves the  Dr. of any responsibility if anything happens to you if you leave before you are cleared by the doctor...signature obtained. Mr. M. left so quickly he forgot his t-shirt...  I guess he didn't need it.
   Then onto Mr. H.... "so Mr. H. ..my name is Rayna.. i am your nurse tonight..what brings you to the ER tonight (3am)." Mr. H responds that he has been having nausea and vomiting today, and that others in his home have been sick as well. " Mr. H., I need to put in  an IV and draw some blood. I will give you some IV fluids and medication in the IV then."  Mr. H. states that he has poor veins and I will need to use a butterfly. I kindly explain to Mr. H that we do not use butterfly needles to place an IV. As I prepare to place the IV, he becomes increasingly nervous and states that he does not need an IV. I explained to him that all of his medications were ordered IV because he came to us for nausea and vomiting. He refused....okay all meds by mouth and we will see what happens...Mr. H left within an hour...no more nausea or vomiting...
   These are the challenges that we are faced with everyday as a nurse, and in other professions as well...the consumer knows more than the provider...not sure why they seek services if they already know how to fix it. This is the profession I have chosen and I will say that no matter how many Mr. M.'s or Mr. H's I have ....I would not be doing anything different in my life...I love being a nurse.
   An up date on Ms. W.....she is still in the hospital and doing about the same.... she asked me where I had been for the past few days....awwwww she remembered me. How sweet!
   Now...the boys are gearing up for the new " Diary of a Whimpy Kid" movie that comes out on Friday....here they are going to school with their new hats....gotta love these guys.... Blake and Colbey..Darren(not pictured) has already been at school for 2 hours before these guys even start.

   I guess I know how I will be spending my Friday afternoon this week...at the movies...it could be worse. I am ready to spend more time with them before they don't want to spend time with me. I really think we may want to spend some time building an ark for all the rain we are supposed to get over the next week or so. But you know how the saying goes...April showers brings May flowers...so bring on the rain so we will have plenty of beautiful flowers for the wedding in May.
   Hope you all have sweets dreams...and all my patients behave themselves tonight....see you again soon

so this is what you call a day OFF

   The four nights are over and I now have a day OFF. My day off begins at 729am, because my co-worker got report before 730am which allows for me to leave early....1 minute...thanks Jill. The 6minute trip to the parking garage, with bags in tow. Always go outside to get a breath of the new morning air and wake up for the 30-40 minute trip home after a long 12 hr shift. Ms. W. was resting comfortably when I left so it made the long night all the better.
   Now to conquer the to do list...first stop is the produce junction for veggies and flowers. Flowers were not that great today, but did manage to get a deal on the veggies. On the way, noticed that Bottom Dollar Foodstore had bananas for 39cents a pound....great deal...next stop..for bananas. Got two bunches of bananas along with some paper towels...store brand 25 cents a roll...good deal but oh wait...limit of 4 when i got to the register. (no signage at the towels). "Ms. there is a limit of 4 paper towels, do you want me to do the others as a separate order"...no thanks, just trying to complete my to do list and already paper towels was not on the list.
   From one food store to another, Redners for their famous 5 packages of meat for $19.95. Well, you know how that goes...you walk in the strawberries are on sale 2/$3.00...so 4 packs later on to the next item not on the list...great northern beans for the white chicken chili later...two cans ..check....now to the meat department...large family packs of center cut pork chops.bogo...so two large packs later I finally make my way to the 5/$19.95. Ahhhhh....3 packages of ground beef and 2 packs of small steaks. Oh, and by the way...a call on the way home to Rannell...can we have liver for lunch....well there go my plans for lunch with Blake and Rannell..well lunch out of the house anyways....two packs of liver later and oh yeah, these look good to make some vegetable soup...soup bones 2 packs ...check... Oh, then there is the sale on turkey hill drinks 2/$4.00 ...check...3 packages of shredded cheese for $5.00...check and last but not least slices american cheese on sale also....check..I say...it is not 9:30am yet....
   Home sweet home...unpack the groceries....I should be paid for all the bags i put in and out of the car in one day. Cleaning the fruits and veggies...need to get it done before Rannell  thinks more veggies to go to waste...
   Front door opens, in walks Matt...."hey MOM"...he did refrain from asking me if I work tonight on his opening statement...Hey Matt....whats new...details of the wedding and they have decided against a hearsal dinner and rehearsal...cook-out the weekend before....sounds like a blast....cant wait...now less than 60days....They are doing an incredible job of planning and I know the day will go off without a hitch.
   Time to get Blake, wow 11:20 already, so Rannell goes to get him leaving me to prepare the liver and onions for lunch. Blake gets home but is too tired to eat lunch...must be rough being a kindergartner. So much for his haircut today...cut and paste to tomorrow.
   Lunch was great...if i do say so myself.... groceries all put away....think i will catch a few zzzzz's. I did do three items from my list as i said i would do. Now I know why i don't like days off....there is more work on those days than a work day. On the plus side I get to eat dinner with the boys and put them to bed...nothing like hearing a little one say "can we get a good night kiss". MMMMMM...good night, sleep tight don't let the bedbugs bite...see you in the morning."
   Now for some adult time with Danielle and Rannell... orange creamsicle drink....whipped creme vodka and orange juice....yummy. Wow....hit me like a brick. Details of Danielle and Steve's weekend and the wedding...which Danielle remembers very little of....she is such a lush. Glad that Steve has become a part of her life....what a change...her dad would like him...he is funny and a good person, all the qualities that a father wants for him daughter.
  Well, time to hit the hay so I will be ready to start my new day.....work will come soon at 11pm tomorrow.  An eight hour shift in Trenton in the ER....should go smooth....HAHA....nothing goes smooth in the ER or in Trenton....
   For anyone interested, here is the recipe for the white chicken chili...courtesy of the RR show..
Mandi's White Chicken Chili

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•1 box (32 ounces) chicken stock

•3 (14.5 ounce) cans white beans (undrained)

•5 cups cooked chicken (rotisserie or boiled)

•1 jar (16 ounces) salsa

•1 block (8 ounces) pepper jack cheese (grated)

•2 teaspoons ground cumin

•2 cloves garlic (minced)

•Black or white pepper to taste

•1/2 cup finely crushed corn chips (optional for thicker chili)

Place all ingredients except corn chips in a crock pot and cook on high until cheese is well-incorporated. Chili may also be cooked on stove top on medium-high heat until cheese is well-incorporated. When chili is ready, add finely crushed corn chips and let simmer for 10 minutes to thicken. Garnish with more crushed corn chips, cheese or sour cream.

back for more on night four

   Well, here it is night four of four at the hospital. Again Ms. W. is not doing as well as I would like her to be doing. Somehow I believe that 75% of her respiratory issues are her baseline, but even that stinks..to put it nicely. Nothing like hearing wheezes from the hallway, only for respiratory therapy to show up and say she sounds awful...you should hear her after the treatment, now that is awful. But Ms. W. takes it all in stride and never fails to holler back a thank you...you see Ms. W is legally blind, which means she sees shadows and hard of hearing...aka deaf without her hearing aids in. She is the kind of patient that we would like to have every night but that wont happen.
   My other patients seem to be doing well but you never know sometimes with men. Mr. P thinks that he is here from Lock Haven because he couldn't "shit", but Mr. P, they can help you move your bowels in LH just as well as we can here at a world renowned hospital 4.5 hrs away by ambulance...they just dont get it sometimes. Just give me my pain meds and dont worry about my blood pressure.
   Then there is Mr. L which just happens to be a nurse himself and is taking the role of patient very serious... you know, I need this and I need that...but Mr. L. we need a Doctors order for that. I guess being the patient is different for everyone. I am just glad to say that these men are behaving themselves tonight so I can focus on Ms. W.
   After 4 nights here, I am glad to say I have a day off to do the 15 items on my to-do list. I will be happy to get 3 of the things done. The boys are in desparate need of haircuts or DYFS will be knocking on my door for neglect.
In 60 days from today my second bouncing baby boy, now a man, Matthew will be getting married to the love of his life Joanna. Blake is the ring bearer and said to me on Saturday, that soon he is wearing a tuxedo for the wedding. He is so excited...as we all are. I know that if his father Daniel were here, he would be looking at him and telling him how proud he is of his accomplishments and with where his new life is headed. Matt, as his friends call him.....great job......keep up the hard work as nothing in life is easy....that is why it is called LIFE. To you Joanna.... welcome to the family...we are crazy at times but you cant take life too serious or you will go CRAZY. 

   May 27,2011 cant get here soon enough for us, but I'm sure Matt and Joanna are thinking it is coming up too quickly. Bring on the celebration.
   


















   

night three of four

   Well it is night three of four for me and it doesn't get easier. Ms. W..has not been having a good night and getting the proper care shouldn't be like fighting city hall or the US Government but it has. You see, I am a Registered Nurse working on the night shift at a busy city hospital. I have had the privilege of being a care giver for most of my life. First, as a volunteer in a military hospital as a teenager, where i learned my first lesson....I faint (vomit) at the simplest of task (removing an IV).
   It was at that time, that i realized that I  had things to over come to be the nurse I continue to strive to be at the young age of nearly 50. From volunteering to school with my sister, becoming  an LPN was the next step. My father had retired from the military and without the grades to get into the university, my father agreed to pay for both my sister and myself to attend a vocational school in town for 1 full year.
   Well, we survived the year together and became an LPN.  Shortly after passing the board I added more to my plate. It was in November 1980 that I became the wife to my then loving husband Daniel.....back to the military life again.....from a small western Pa town to Suitland, Md was not far but what a world of changes.....
   Thirteen months into the marriage we added to the family with the birth of our beautiful daughter, and love of her fathers life Danielle. You see, Daniel was raised in a house of all boys and wanted nothing more than to have a girl in the house....Danielle was the only name that was thought of the moment we knew she would be coming into our lives. No ultrasound, just a strong love and desire for a daughter. The love that her father had for her was the kind of love that all daughters long to have from their father.
   As a military wife, things were always both changing and challenging. After Danielle's first birthday we were sent to Biloxi, Ms. where we had our first son, Joshua. As his grandmother would say, he looked just like his father...guess that makes him a favorite. While in Biloxi, our lives would change but again because my husband would be required to change his profession or leave the Air Force. Daniel chose to continue his career in the military, but no longer as a Radiology Technician but in the Communications field. Many hours of school would lie ahead for us and then the next change. We were now headed to the sandy beaches of Florida, Fort Walton Beach to be exact. It was there that we again added to the family, do you see the trend, new place new face. We would welcome our second bouncing boy, Matthew. Along with Matthew came yet more changes...Daniel would now be spending the next 12 months alone (without his family) in Korea. The positive was the hopes of getting the next assignment as we desired. So off to Korea he would go only to leave myself and his 3 young children behind....now comes the challenges of being the military wife with your spouse on deployment. All I can say is, thank God for neighbors and great friends, for without them we would not have made it and remain sane. Thanks Chris and Ron.....
   Well back to my third of four nights.... Ms. W is finally getting some rest and all is right with the world in the world of medicine...I love it or I just couldn't do it everyday.... wonder what night four will bring for Ms. W and myself.....we shall see..