My boss's boss wasn't sure I encountered any of these in my job in the SU, so she left them off the requirement for my performance review. Consequently, they sent it back and did not review me.
Luckily, she was able to unearth the review this past week and send it back. Of course, it was late. Even more BS to put up with....
Nevertheless, I was not at all surprised when I saw this article about a little boy awaiting a heart transplant.
I have encountered this attitude much more than I'd like at the Hotel and our sister hospitals.
It really makes me sad.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Friday, November 29, 2013
The perils of modern technology
This article on cnn was interesting, because it talks about a variety of ailments that never existed when my parents and grandparents were growing up.
I can almost hear those sage characters laughing when I read about...
Tablet neck and BlackBerry thumb
Grandma L: (on tablet neck) Hunched over? Sit up straight! (on Blackberry thumb) It has a speakerphone? I need one of those. Who cares about typing? I never wanted to be a secretary anyway!
Grandma L. was a housewife who raised 7 kids and called everyone of them (including my mother) every morning. If she could have had a cell phone, she would have had one.
Earbud-induced hearing loss
Grandpa K: (great-grandpa --GG--actually): GET THOSE F**&^% out of your ears, you moron!
NOTE: GG was a foreman in a brewery back in the day. You had to yell for people to hear you on the production line. Another fun part of his job: wake up drunks who fell asleep. He was known for speaking his mind. Ahem...
Screen-related sleep disorder
Grandpa L: Turn off the lights. They're not free.
Grandpa worked nights, and he was not a big light fan. He was retired by the time I was born, and while I don't remember him much, he spoiled me (and my sister) rotten according to reports.
Stiletto strain
My mother: This is why you carry a big purse (so you can stash a pair of flats).
I have lots of photos of my mother in high heels in her youth.
Offbeat biorhythms
Grandma R: It's not good to eat after 6PM.
Grandma R was a tenacious survivor: married three times (first was a youthful romance gone bad, except for my dad) second was the love of her life (widowed) and third was a complete idiot (divorced after 3 years and infidelity on his part).
She worked as a real estate agent and died when I was a little girl. I read a few of her letters my father had, and I admire all she had to deal with in life. I'm sure my tenacity comes from her German-Anglo-Irish background.
I can almost hear those sage characters laughing when I read about...
Tablet neck and BlackBerry thumb
Grandma L: (on tablet neck) Hunched over? Sit up straight! (on Blackberry thumb) It has a speakerphone? I need one of those. Who cares about typing? I never wanted to be a secretary anyway!
Grandma L. was a housewife who raised 7 kids and called everyone of them (including my mother) every morning. If she could have had a cell phone, she would have had one.
Earbud-induced hearing loss
Grandpa K: (great-grandpa --GG--actually): GET THOSE F**&^% out of your ears, you moron!
NOTE: GG was a foreman in a brewery back in the day. You had to yell for people to hear you on the production line. Another fun part of his job: wake up drunks who fell asleep. He was known for speaking his mind. Ahem...
Screen-related sleep disorder
Grandpa L: Turn off the lights. They're not free.
Grandpa worked nights, and he was not a big light fan. He was retired by the time I was born, and while I don't remember him much, he spoiled me (and my sister) rotten according to reports.
Stiletto strain
My mother: This is why you carry a big purse (so you can stash a pair of flats).
I have lots of photos of my mother in high heels in her youth.
Offbeat biorhythms
Grandma R: It's not good to eat after 6PM.
Grandma R was a tenacious survivor: married three times (first was a youthful romance gone bad, except for my dad) second was the love of her life (widowed) and third was a complete idiot (divorced after 3 years and infidelity on his part).
She worked as a real estate agent and died when I was a little girl. I read a few of her letters my father had, and I admire all she had to deal with in life. I'm sure my tenacity comes from her German-Anglo-Irish background.
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Happy Thanksgiving
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow. ~Melody Beattie
May you enjoy your day wherever you are.
May you enjoy your day wherever you are.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
A classic FML
Doc, you are the best. Please don't tase me, though! Enjoy!
Today, my boss's obese bully of a grandson had a seizure. Being the only physician around, I had to rush in to tend to him. Except it wasn't a seizure as such. My daughter had found my taser and used it on him. FML
Today, my boss's obese bully of a grandson had a seizure. Being the only physician around, I had to rush in to tend to him. Except it wasn't a seizure as such. My daughter had found my taser and used it on him. FML
Bubba in public health?
Who knows?
As I had correctly guessed, there was no call from the teacher, etc., because Bubba decided to show off the infamous teen book at the end of the day. Apparently, it sat on his desk all day, untouched.
He decided to show a friend one of the drawings. There really aren't that many in the book, but there is one that shows a circumcised penis and an uncircumcised one and the changes in puberty.
He was written up and had to spend two hours in the Principal's office doing work. His offense: "Not respecting other's body parts". Even if the "other" was a book illustration. (The boys pointed at the drawing and laughed.)
Ah, growing up is full of all sorts of adventures.
More to come...
As I had correctly guessed, there was no call from the teacher, etc., because Bubba decided to show off the infamous teen book at the end of the day. Apparently, it sat on his desk all day, untouched.
He decided to show a friend one of the drawings. There really aren't that many in the book, but there is one that shows a circumcised penis and an uncircumcised one and the changes in puberty.
He was written up and had to spend two hours in the Principal's office doing work. His offense: "Not respecting other's body parts". Even if the "other" was a book illustration. (The boys pointed at the drawing and laughed.)
Ah, growing up is full of all sorts of adventures.
More to come...
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Never a dull moment
Bubba likes to tell me he's a "preteen". He's growing up.
So to get ready for the those awkward years, I bought this book, geared to 10-12 year olds. He was not even remotely interested in it. It's written by folks from the American Medical Association, who have over 2600 other titles there.
Today he decided to take it to school, and it was promptly confiscated, after he showed it to another kid.
I explained that it was not his job to educate his classmate. My job is to educate him, and that was not a choice I would have made.
We shall see how this goes. So far, no note from the teacher or phone call.
The movie in health class is scheduled for March right before spring break.
More later...
So to get ready for the those awkward years, I bought this book, geared to 10-12 year olds. He was not even remotely interested in it. It's written by folks from the American Medical Association, who have over 2600 other titles there.
Today he decided to take it to school, and it was promptly confiscated, after he showed it to another kid.
I explained that it was not his job to educate his classmate. My job is to educate him, and that was not a choice I would have made.
We shall see how this goes. So far, no note from the teacher or phone call.
The movie in health class is scheduled for March right before spring break.
More later...
Monday, November 25, 2013
TGMG (Thank goodness Monday's nearly Gone)
Every day begins with an act of courage and hope: getting
out of bed.~ Mason Cooley
Yes, it was courageous in RehabLand today because it's cold again. I am happy it was not as cold as Sunday, or that my sister-in-law's holiday wish (snow) did not come true. Bubba needs to go to school as long as possible.
I worked on a lot of weird stuff because I may be relocating soon due to construction. Our business manager returned from medical leave recently, so I'm hoping the construction manager will give her information on when that might take place.
I just love being in limbo.
Stay tuned...
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Sunday Stealing, Thanksgiving edition
The Thanksgiving edition of Sunday Stealing. Enjoy it!
1. What do you have for breakfast on Thanksgiving?
Depends on when I get up. Usually something light.
2. Do you go to a Thanksgiving parade or watch one on TV?
Watch on TV.
3. Do you serve appetizers, lunch, or snacks during the day?
We eat around lunchtime and nibble the rest of the day. If I'm really prepared, I have appetizers (nothing too big or heavy.)
4. What are the traditional favorites?
Turkey, bread stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy (all scratch), green bean casserole, cranberry sauce and pumpkin (and other) pies.
5. What new recipes will you try this year?
Maybe a dessert.
6. What part of the meal do you never compromise?
Stuffing.
7. Who gets to carve the turkey?
Usually my husband.
8. Family style around the table or buffet style and everyone sits wherever there’s room?
Combo. We have a small kitchen.
9. How many will be at your table this year?
Under a dozen.
10. Once you're at the table, do you say grace or a toast or does everyone go around and say what they're thankful for?
We say grace, then the race begins.
11. Cranberry sauce… yay or nay?
Yes, my husband would have a coronary without it.
12. What time do you eat Thanksgiving Dinner?
We like lunchtime or early afternoon.
13. Three best pies for Thanksgiving dessert?
Pumpkin, pecan and chocolate (although Dahey doesn't think it's a holiday without mincemeat)
14. Do you have dessert right after the main meal or later on?
Depends. I try to wait a bit before I serve it.
15. Favorite leftover?
Everything.
Doctor data?
You may very well see one, as personalized medicine becomes more common, according to this BBC article.
Having seen how far in the dark ages we are using the technology around us in healthcare in my own family, I am not surprised.
Enjoy!
Having seen how far in the dark ages we are using the technology around us in healthcare in my own family, I am not surprised.
Enjoy!
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Gender bender
A sad story about an upcoming clinical trial to fight cancer.
We are going places in healthcare we never dreamed of going and sometimes we can't keep up.
We are going places in healthcare we never dreamed of going and sometimes we can't keep up.
A little light reading
I was reading this funny article about hair dye gone bad when I found out about butter "bulletproof" coffee.
Interesting concept, but I really like my butter with a side of toast, coffee made in a cup (not a blender) and two fried eggs over easy, with two sausage patties.
BTW I eat eggs every day. My cholesterol is good and so is my skin.
Now I'm hungry...stay tuned!
Interesting concept, but I really like my butter with a side of toast, coffee made in a cup (not a blender) and two fried eggs over easy, with two sausage patties.
BTW I eat eggs every day. My cholesterol is good and so is my skin.
Now I'm hungry...stay tuned!
Friday, November 22, 2013
Give life
I've been thinking more about organ donation this week because Rexie lost her son in an accident. While they couldn't donate all his organs, Rexie made sure his family donated the ones they could.
So many things are done now for organ donation that were not even possible a few years ago. Today the HOPE Act was signed into law (HIV Organ Policy Equity), so research can begin so HIV positive patients can receive viable organs from other HIV patients.
Hep C patients can also receive organs from Hep C positive donors as UC Davis advises patients in this article.
Don't wait. Let your family know that you want to donate. Give the gift of life.
So many things are done now for organ donation that were not even possible a few years ago. Today the HOPE Act was signed into law (HIV Organ Policy Equity), so research can begin so HIV positive patients can receive viable organs from other HIV patients.
Hep C patients can also receive organs from Hep C positive donors as UC Davis advises patients in this article.
Don't wait. Let your family know that you want to donate. Give the gift of life.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Weird uses for alcoholic beverages
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
What not to do as a nurse postscript
Normal nurse: you obey the law, because your state can (and will) revoke your license if you don't.
Our nurse: was dodgy and always on his/her cell phone. Now we know why. Must have been to the lawyer or the bail bondsman or someone else.
Security came recently and escorted him/her off the premises.
Never a dull moment at the Hotel.
Our nurse: was dodgy and always on his/her cell phone. Now we know why. Must have been to the lawyer or the bail bondsman or someone else.
Security came recently and escorted him/her off the premises.
Never a dull moment at the Hotel.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Pain at a distance
I talk to a lot of people I don't normally get to see through Facebook. Yes, I know Facebook is now for old people, but in terms of socializing, with the crazy life I sometimes have, it's the only way to be a part of someone's life.
Most of my friendships are cemented by life events. Kindergarten. High school. College. Nursing school. Rexie and I met in nursing school. The knockdown drag out year that was accelerated nursing.
We decided to sit near each other. Being creatures of habit, we gravitated to the same spot with our friends, D and J. We anchored our section in the lecture hall, and we bonded. We collected papers for each other. We called each other if anyone got sick. We commiserated after exams at the local coffee shop.
Rexie has been teaching since we got out of nursing school. She had another interesting life before nursing school which helped her land that job. It also helped that the professor wanted to train someone before she retires.
But today, Rexie is back in the town she grew up in, and I can't help her. I can't make anything better, because Rexie's son died in a terrible accident. It was supposed to be fun: the men out for the weekend. It wasn't supposed to end like this.
As her friend, I can only see her pain from a distance; an uncomfortable space I have only travelled reluctantly in my life. I watch from afar. And pray. Pray she makes it through everything in the coming days.
More later...
Most of my friendships are cemented by life events. Kindergarten. High school. College. Nursing school. Rexie and I met in nursing school. The knockdown drag out year that was accelerated nursing.
We decided to sit near each other. Being creatures of habit, we gravitated to the same spot with our friends, D and J. We anchored our section in the lecture hall, and we bonded. We collected papers for each other. We called each other if anyone got sick. We commiserated after exams at the local coffee shop.
Rexie has been teaching since we got out of nursing school. She had another interesting life before nursing school which helped her land that job. It also helped that the professor wanted to train someone before she retires.
But today, Rexie is back in the town she grew up in, and I can't help her. I can't make anything better, because Rexie's son died in a terrible accident. It was supposed to be fun: the men out for the weekend. It wasn't supposed to end like this.
As her friend, I can only see her pain from a distance; an uncomfortable space I have only travelled reluctantly in my life. I watch from afar. And pray. Pray she makes it through everything in the coming days.
More later...
The pain of misdiagnosis
Trigeminal neuralgia is not uncommon in the patients we see at the Hotel. How this lady was treated is unusual.
Thank goodness we do not do this as a common treatment.
Thank goodness we do not do this as a common treatment.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Dear Mother Nature
Please stop the tornado/severe weather crap. Tornado season officially ended November 1.
Yours truly (because I would like the SU to be standing tomorrow, so I can go to work),
RehabRN
Yours truly (because I would like the SU to be standing tomorrow, so I can go to work),
RehabRN
Ask me...
That's what this week's version is called at Sunday Stealing. Enjoy!
The ASK Meme, part one
What’s your favorite candle scent?
Vanilla
Do you know a hoarder?
Yes. Dahey is one.
Can you do a split?
Regular = no. Chinese = back in the day I could!
How old were you when you learned how to ride a bike?
Six
How many oceans have you swam in?
None. Have waded into two.
How many countries have you been to?
Six.
Is anyone in your family in the military?
Yes.
What’s the worst grade you got on a test?
I've flunked a few tests. (I have always passed the classes, though.)
What was your favorite TV show when you were a child?
Emergency.
What did you dress up as on Halloween when you were eight?
Don't remember. Went as a hobo more years than I can count.
Have you read any of the Harry Potter, Hunger Games or Twilight series?
No.
Would you rather have an American accent or a British accent?
I am fine with my accent (American) thank you very much.
Do you know who Kermit the frog is?
Yes...why are there so many songs about rainbows? And now that you have that song in your head, see the bottom of this page.
What language, besides your native language, would you like to be fluent in?
Chinese
Do you spell the color as grey or gray?
Depends. Earl Grey tea and a gray sweater are fine and dandy, as my old sales manager used to say.
Is your father bald?
Nope.
The classic song that question made me think of...
The ASK Meme, part one
What’s your favorite candle scent?
Vanilla
Do you know a hoarder?
Yes. Dahey is one.
Can you do a split?
Regular = no. Chinese = back in the day I could!
How old were you when you learned how to ride a bike?
Six
How many oceans have you swam in?
None. Have waded into two.
How many countries have you been to?
Six.
Is anyone in your family in the military?
Yes.
What’s the worst grade you got on a test?
I've flunked a few tests. (I have always passed the classes, though.)
What was your favorite TV show when you were a child?
Emergency.
What did you dress up as on Halloween when you were eight?
Don't remember. Went as a hobo more years than I can count.
Have you read any of the Harry Potter, Hunger Games or Twilight series?
No.
Would you rather have an American accent or a British accent?
I am fine with my accent (American) thank you very much.
Do you know who Kermit the frog is?
Yes...why are there so many songs about rainbows? And now that you have that song in your head, see the bottom of this page.
What language, besides your native language, would you like to be fluent in?
Chinese
Do you spell the color as grey or gray?
Depends. Earl Grey tea and a gray sweater are fine and dandy, as my old sales manager used to say.
Is your father bald?
Nope.
The classic song that question made me think of...
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Animal adventures
WildDog is a typical senior citizen dog. He eats, he sleeps. He goes outside.
Lately, his "going" outside is turning into "going" inside. Thank goodness for protective finishes on floors, but I think the carpet cleaning firm is going to send me a thank you card this year for all the business WildDog has made for them. Scotchgard or not, we still have to have them cleaned regularly.
WildDog is very attached to the carpets Dahey has on some of our floors, because he sleeps on them.
He's getting better. Most of the time he's having accidents on the reasonably priced (and easy to clean) doormats my friend F. told me about at the hardware store where she works. They also keep him from sliding on the shiny parts of the floor.
Bubba is having adjustment issues to his braces. He's wearing some interesting spacing appliance now that has to be tightened each day. He's keeping his mind off the soreness right now by watching animal shows.
Maybe he'll be a doctor after all, like some of his relatives, but a doctor for pets instead.
For me, I just want to go here and see these animals as I slide down the water slide.
Hope you enjoy your weekend wherever you are!
Lately, his "going" outside is turning into "going" inside. Thank goodness for protective finishes on floors, but I think the carpet cleaning firm is going to send me a thank you card this year for all the business WildDog has made for them. Scotchgard or not, we still have to have them cleaned regularly.
WildDog is very attached to the carpets Dahey has on some of our floors, because he sleeps on them.
He's getting better. Most of the time he's having accidents on the reasonably priced (and easy to clean) doormats my friend F. told me about at the hardware store where she works. They also keep him from sliding on the shiny parts of the floor.
Bubba is having adjustment issues to his braces. He's wearing some interesting spacing appliance now that has to be tightened each day. He's keeping his mind off the soreness right now by watching animal shows.
Maybe he'll be a doctor after all, like some of his relatives, but a doctor for pets instead.
For me, I just want to go here and see these animals as I slide down the water slide.
Hope you enjoy your weekend wherever you are!
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