Work It...

So generally nurses are escaping the harsh realities of the economy, with a few exceptions. But reality hit a couple weeks ago when we were notified that our "bonus" pay was being taken away. Bonus pay is getting paid time and a half for 16 hours instead of 12 when you work an extra shift or for 12 hours when you work an extra 8. The last day to get bonus pay is this Saturday. So while I usually work 3- 12 hour shifts a week, last week I worked 4 and this week I'm working 6. That comes to 10 out of 11 days. I have 2 days left of this. I thought I would write about it if anything exciting happened, and it has. Here's a brief overview so far.

Day 1 Things go smoothly until 5am, when suddenly a patient's oxygen saturations go down to 70% after coughing and hearing a pop. I had just checked him 10 minutes before and he was about 92%, which is MUCH MUCH better. Apparently his lung had re-collapsed. I transferred him to ICU. 

Day 2 Again, things are going relatively smoothly until 5:30 am, when a patient who rarely calls for me does. She's there for a gastrointestinal bleed (yep) and she has bled. EVERYWHERE. The bed, the floor, the bathroom, herself. I don't think I've ever seen that much blood. She is pale as a ghost. I start a blood transfusion within 5 minutes, and she goes to ICU.

Day 3 The calm after the storm. Everybody is happy. A patient who for several reasons has been there for 3 months celebrates his birthday. John stops by to say hi and finally gets to see where I work. Fun day. It gets a little busy after he leaves, I admit one patient. Things are good.

Day 4 Busy. Busy. For a few hours, and then absolutely a perfect day. My patients are nice, and everyone of them is continent. I am busy for about a half an hour of every hour after 1. That's a good night. Everybody has a lot of medications, but that's the clean stuff that I like.

DAY OFF Bridget has her 26th b-day party. We go to AZ-88 and have an awesome dinner and then to The Gelato Spot for dessert. So fun. Sunday to church and then back to work...

Day 5 I have 5 happy patients, include one who is very young and very sweet. I feel like his mom and his best friend. Also one passive aggressive patient, who is a little strange but tolerable, one lady who is totally with it whose family vacation is being ruined by C. Diff (you can look that one up if you want to), and one guy who had an amputation and is not accepting blood because he is JW and is scaring me a bit. Very chill night after fixing up the mess the nurse behind me left...she didn't exactly take care of these people how I would. 

Day 6 3 of my happy patients go home. I knew this would happen!! I run around until midnight getting my new patients all settled. A big texan with a blood clot, a ponytailed guy who can't breathe. My young little patient has left me a note on his dry-erase board thanking me for taking such good care of him. He's going into the Marines, and we bonded talking about going shooting. awww.. My C. Diff lady is going home tomorrow, so she tells me to make sure I stop by to say good-bye in the morning. I do. I really like her. 

Day 7 I realize now a day in this has disappeared. I think maybe day 5 was a lot like 2 days. I did neglect to mention that on Day 5 or 6 I talked to a guy (who keeps thinking he needs to take his wife to Village Inn for breakfast) about volcanoes until he realized that I really was going to forcefully place him back into bed that he decided to lay back down and try to go to sleep. This is really

Day 8 Everyone I work with is getting sick. I am taking my vitamins, being very very good to myself, and I slept like a dream yesterday. From 8:30 to 5. I was very awake today, my patients were all happy, except one guy who is very forgetful and thinks that I am ignoring the fact that he is coughing and warns me twice that if I don't stop it he might get rectal bleeding. I call respiratory and make them suction his throat. Whatever dude. He actually is nice enough. Some people just get irritable when they realize they have no idea what's going on around them. Also, make baby shower invitations with my boss for a few minutes for a co-worker. Definitely a pleasant shift. A little busy at the end when I try to put in 2 IV's and miss both. grrrr....

Day 9... I'm on my way in an hour. They are resurfacing the pool at my complex right outside my window. Due to an incessant jackhammer, I didn't sleep all that great today! Luckily, they will not be back tomorrow. Updates soon!