Medical Monday - Rough Days

That sums it up pretty well.

Being a night shifter, I also get to wake people up in the wee hours of the morning, often when they've 'just fallen asleep' (or at least, it feels that way) to take their blood pressure or check their blood sugar.
In case you're new here - I'm a Nurse Tech at a hospital (a.k.a. Nursing Assistant).
I work on a Med/Surg floor; we get a lot of stroke and back/neck surgery patients.

I get to help people into the bathroom when I've been trying to get to the bathroom myself for the past hour but haven't had time.  (cross your legs and pray you don't sneeze.....)

For the most part, my patients are nice and understanding.  Especially considering that almost NOBODY is at their best when they are a patient in a hospital.

But you do get the others....patients who think that "H" on the sign stands for HILTON instead of HOSPITAL.  They expect you to do anything they ask, immediately after they ask for it.  There's no consideration for the fact that you have other patients (sometimes the nurses forget this part too....).  They want you to cater to them.
And we try - we really do. And if you're lucky you can win them over or at the very least, appease them and get them to sleep.
There are many benefits to night shift. 

There are drawbacks too though - and already I've realized that even though I last worked night shifts only two years ago, I'm not as young as I used to be and they're harder on me than they were.  I work three nights in a row and then I'm off for four, but my sleep schedule never really goes back to 'normal' on my off days.  It did before, but not any more!  I either stay up way late, or wake up at the crack of dawn.

There's very little that 'grosses me out', I've become pretty accustomed to things that some people find stomach-turning.  The other night I was emptying a device called a Hemovac which drains blood & other fluids from a wound.  I noticed the patient's teenage daughter out of the corner of my eye and looked up.  She looked positively GREEN.  She said "OH EM GEE that is SO nasty!"  Her mom said she used to want to be a nurse but after seeing her dad go through surgery, she wasn't so sure any more.

I love working in health care - but that doesn't mean that it's easy.  And just like any job, there are good days and bad days.  That's one thing I love about working three 12 hour shifts in a row then being off for four - on rough nights, I can always tell myself "just 2 more nights" and then "just one more night" and then "tonight is my Friday".....

*Sorry this post is a little scattered; I'm exhausted and have to get up early tomorrow morning for the funeral. Forgive me!*

Pathways and Pawprints

Went for another nature walk here at home today.  This time, I had my new camera in tow!
It was a beautiful and peaceful day.  I slept in, cleaned house and made snickerdoodles, and then we went to visit Hunter's mom.
Then it was time for my walk.  I had a good time playing with the different features on my new camera.  It's fun figuring all that stuff out.
Even though I walk through these woods quite often, it seems there's something new every time.
Like the hidden path, and the critter tracks.
Hope you enjoy walking with me.......

swampy

Smurf houses

sunlight on the creek

hidden path

pretty but prickly

"Prosecuted": Fancy word for "shot".

meandering

soft focus

fish eye effect

raccoon tracks in the soft sand right behind our house

deer tracks right by the raccoon tracks

spiderweb


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Sundays in my City posts!

Pretty Little Tidbits

Well I'm late to the frag party, but that's something I do every once in a while.
Fashionably late, right?

They opened up a new Walmart in my town today.  Hunter was so excited he said it felt like Christmas.  Seriously, I can't make this stuff up.  I told him I hate Walmart, and he looked at me like I'd just said I hate Jesus.
The new Walmart is a nice one.  It's amazing how all four wheels actually turn on the shiny new carts, and they don't make that horrific banging noise.  They actually had more than two checkout lines open too - like 7 or 8!  Let's see how long it takes before this Walmart becomes yet another cesspool....

Have you ever met someone and just clicked?  You like the same things, finish each other's sentences, blurt out the same thing at the same time?
No, I'm not talking about Hunter -I'm talking about his BROTHER.  I just love him!  I met him at Christmas time and now he's back in town.  He is a nurse and came to be with his father and help him get set up for Hospice, but once he got down here he knew that his dad didn't have much time, so he has stayed.
I literally threatened to marry him last night, I just adore this guy.
(he's gay, so it's a safe joke.) ;-)

I've been updating my cooking blog lately.  Today I posted a recipe for Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers.  They're great  - check it out!

I don't know if I've mentioned any of this before, but a few random pieces of trivia:
I went to Kindergarten with Hunter's ex-wife and my first husband.  We were all three in the same class.  It's pretty funny to look at the class picture and see the three of us.
I also went to elementary school with Hunter's (step) brother and sister.  My mom worked at that school and we all remember each other quite well.  The other day when we went over to Hunter's parents house, his sister pulled out a picture from an elementary school performance.  I'm standing beside her.  So, for many years, there's been a picture of ME at Hunter's parents' house.
Hunter's sister married a guy who used to work with my first husband years ago.
Shelbie has went to school with Hunter's son since 7th grade.
Hunter's mom was Shelbie's 9th Grade Algebra Honors teacher.  (hell yeah I'm bragging throwing that "Honors" in there - I have no clue where she gets her Math skills!)

So, hanging out with all of them is not like hanging out with strangers; it's like being in a room of old friends.
One more interesting tidbit - my first husband's late mother (my kids' grandma) and Hunter's mom have the same first and middle names.

You may have noticed that I am using my actual name on my blog, in comments, Twitter, etc. I've noticed many bloggers lately have been using their name and dropping the blog-related nicknames and I've decided to do the same thing.  So if you see a comment from Cyndy Newsome - that's me!

Alright, amigos and amigas.  Hope you're having a great weekend.  

We are just spending time with Hunter's family.  

The viewing is tomorrow and the funeral service will be on Monday morning.
We expect packed houses both days; he was a very well liked and respected man.

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