What I've Learned So Far

I’m stealing borrowing this from The Mom at Shoved to Them because it’s an awesome idea and isn’t imitation the sincerest form of flattery?
So, this is what I’ve learned in 31 years of life, in no particular order:

1)      When in doubt, start anything in the microwave at 2 minutes.

2)      Chronic ditziness never, ever goes away.
3)      There are usually three versions to a story of how someone got injured or sick.  One version told to the EMTs, one version told to the ER nurse, and the real version told to the ER doctor.
4)      The mess in the back of an ambulance after a squad run is directly proportional to the seriousness of an injury or illness.  The bigger the mess, the more serious the injury or illness.
5)      Drama kings and queens usually stink as workers.
6)      The more kids someone has, the more patient they are as nursing home residents.
7)      Good neighbors are worth their weight in gold!
8)      Using someone’s full first name or first and middle names together is bound to get their attention, even if they are old enough to be your parent or grandparent.
9)      A good nurse always has alcohol wipes in their pockets.
10)  If you start an IV or remove an IV on someone on any type of blood thinner, even 81 mg of aspirin a day, you better be prepared with plenty of 4x4 gauze and ready to put your entire body weight on your thumb to either stop the bleeding until you get the tubing attached or a clot forms.
11)  The best sound ever is a baby crying as you walk in the door of someone’s house when you’ve been called out for a baby not breathing.
12)  Cream cheese icing + Town House crackers = awesome snack!
13)  Just because you forgive and forget someone doesn’t mean you allow them to make the same mistake again.
14)  Lists and schedules keep me sane.
15)  #14 saves my sanity for those times when every list and schedule has to go out the window.
16)  Inside jokes are the best jokes.
17)  If you fax any type of paper to anyone, you better call them and confirm they got it as soon as you send it, or else it’ll be lost.
18)  The amount of psychotropic medication someone is one is not proportional to their level of sanity.
19)  No soap can make you feel as squeaky clean as after you’ve gone to Confession.
20)  The only church is the Catholic Church.

Bellybuttons

You remember when I started this blog I promised that my postings wouldn't be regular?  Well, I lived up to that this quarter.

This past quarter (I took and passed the final today!) was dealing with med-surg, as in caring for people before, during, and after surgery, caring for people with medical illnesses, and learning to care for the specific needs of the elderly.  This quarter my clinical site was about 50 minutes away, which gave me lots of time for prayer and letting my mind wonder.  (By the way, the iBrevary app is awesome!)

During the quarter, we each had an opportunity to observe in a surgery unit.  I was fortunate to be able to observe two gallbladder removals during my day in surgery.  As someone who had their gallbladder removed at the tender age of 11, I was eager to see how this happened.

While the patient was being prepped for surgery, my fellow student nurse and I observed the surgery team cleaning the patient's abdomen and paying particular attention to cleaning the patient's bellybutton, including pulling lint out that I'm pretty sure was older than me!

My classmate and I were watching and silently trying to figure out why they were paying so much attention to the bellybutton, when, just as my classmate asked me if I knew what they were doing, it dawned on me.

They were prepping it for an incision! 

Typically, this surgery involves four small incisions; one just below the breastbone, one on either side of the abdomen, and one at the very bottom of the bellybutton.

The rest of the surgery was uneventful and the whole day, and quarter, went smoothly.

God bless!

Merry Christmas!

I want to wish everyone a very blessed Christmas season. Remember, today is the first day of the twelve days of Christmas!

God Bless!

Christmas Ideas

Having a hard time shopping for your favorite EMT/STNA/RN student?  Need a gift for your favorite cardiologist or ER doc?  I present the defibrillator toaster!

One more picture is available here.  I found this initally on Dr. Grumpy's blog.  While it is just a concept product, I think someone could make some serious cash making these and selling them at medical personnel seminars.

Queenly Edicts

If I was Queen of the World for a day:

1)  Nothing Christmas related would be displayed at least until Advent started.
2)  If a person is sick and/or disabled enough to live in a nursing home, they are too sick to continue smoking!

That's all for now.  I'm still alive, nursing school is going well (A- average!), and in about 3 weeks I'll have break!

God bless!

The Dress

I found it at the second shop we looked at.  It was the only dress with sleeves (a must!) in my size.  When I tried it on it fit perfectly, like it was made just for me.  We looked at a few other stores, but nothing compared to that dress.  I knew it was going to be my wedding dress.

The day of my wedding, I remember standing in shock, looking at my reflection in the mirror.  Until then, I never saw myself as beautiful.  In that dress I saw myself as beautiful.

I walked down the aisle in the dress and promised to love, honor, and cherish a man who I thought I would be with the rest of my life.

After the wedding, I put the dress away and dreamed of the day I would use some of my dress to make a baptismal gown for a future little one, or maybe a future daughter would walk down the aisle in the same dress.

Then, one day I woke up and I found out that my life wasn’t how it seemed.  I realized that the man I married wasn’t who he presented himself to be.  So, I cried a little, took a breath, and started picking up the pieces.  I believed that things could still work and I would still have my happily ever after.

After awhile, I realized that instead of things getting better, they were getting worse.  I found out that the man I thought I married was nowhere near to the child he really was.  I realized that to stay in this marriage would mean spending the rest of my life not as a wife, but as a caregiver to a mentally ill man.  So, I got angry, cried a lot, took a lot of breaths, and, with the help of God and a lot of amazing people, left that marriage and started rebuilding my life.

While rebuilding my life, I found out how amazing, strong, and beautiful I really am, even if I’m wearing an old skirt and t-shirt and repacking an entire house of stuff!  I realized that things with huge sentimental value, like wedding dresses, are just things.  I figured out a new definition of happily ever after and am working towards achieving that dream, with the new understanding that I must keep my mind open to God’s will for me.  My favorite prayer is, “God, this is what I think you want me to do, if not stop me!”

And the dress?  Right now it’s at a used bridal sale.  With any luck it’ll sell and I’ll use the money towards my new happily ever after.

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

School started this week, so and I think I did pretty well on my break list:

1)      I didn’t get to work any extra hours.  The hours available were days I was either already working or had to be home as soon as work was over because I was on call with squad.

2)      I made some decent progress on The Hidden Manna.  I found the first hundred pages or so to be very tough reading, but once I figured out who were heretics and who were not, it became much easier.  I’ve often wondered what exactly the Protestant “reformers” were thinking when they left the Church; after reading parts in this book, I’ve concluded that they weren’t thinking!

3)      The car is clean!  Labor Day morning was spent washing, scrubbing (including hubcaps!), vacuuming, and waxing.  It shines like brand new!

4)      I was able to do 1.5 hours of CEUs on bath salts, as that’s all that was available.  I’ve never completely understood why people would want to ingest substances that caused them to lose control of themselves, so abusing substances is beyond me!

5)      As you can see, I adjusted the blog layout and added as patron saints of this blog Mother Thrice Admirable, Queen and Victress of Schoenstatt and St. Michael.  I’m still not sure if I like it or what I should change; it seems more crowded now, but I’m not sure what to do about it.  Any thoughts would be appreciated!

6)      I have a few blog pieces written ahead of time and a few more bouncing in my head.  It seems when I get a few out, a few more come in!

7)      The books are bought and, when stacked up, measure around 3 feet high!  Amazon and the college bookstore wanted my firstborn, but when I explained I didn’t have a firstborn, they were happy to take my debit and credit cards!

God Bless!