Monday, August 24, 2009

Mind reader

I survived the weekend!!  It actually wasn’t bad at all.  We only had fourteen patients on the floor on Saturday (we can take up to 38 when we are completely full), and then on Sunday we only had eight when I showed up at 3pm.  I guess people aren’t getting sick or are deciding not to come to the hospital.  It doesn’t help that there are no scheduled surgeries on the weekend.  (A surgeon is on call for emergencies, but no planned surgeries occur on the weekend.)  My patients were fairly easy as well, except one of my patients was a bit different . 

She was old old…there’s old, and then there’d “old old,” which is people 85 years old and older.  Although hard of hearing, she was totally with it.  I walked into her room to check on her, and she had been throwing tissues on the floor and exclaimed, “Where have you been??  I’ve been yelling all this time!”  Maybe I just didn’t hear her, but I’m fairly certain she wasn’t yelling.  Also, she had been using her call bell throughout the day, so if she needed something, she most likely would have used the call bell.  I asked her what was wrong, and she just kept saying, “You’re the nurse, you’re supposed to know!” I explained that I can’t help her unless she tells me what is wrong, but she repeatedly told me that I just needed to know.  After going through a series of questions (Are you in pain?  Having trouble breathing?  Do you need to go to the bathroom?  Are you uncomfortable in bed?  Are you nauseated?  etc etc), examining her, and checking her vital signs, I ended up repositioning her and she thanked me for my help.  And then continued to throw tissues on the ground.

I have no clue what any of that was about, but I’m apparently supposed to be a mind reader.  However, she later told me that one of her friends was blind, and she prayed for her and then she could see.  I’m not really much of a religious person (but if you are, more power to you), but that seemed a bit of a reach for me.  Interesting people in this world, let me tell you.

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Since I switched my running schedule around, I had my 17 mile long run this morning.  The nice part about working evening shift is that I can get long runs in before work without waking up at 4am!  I ended up getting off work around 1am  last night (we had two admissions and a transfer between nine and ten…yikes), so I woke up at nine and was on the road at ten.  The run was really nothing to write home about.  I carried water with me and was able to refill, but it wasn’t even that hot so it was a nice run.  Lots of people said hi back to me as well.  :)  Nine miles to go after 17…woo!

Monday, August 24
17.1 miles in 2:20:53, avg pace of 8:14
Splits:  8:17, 8:23, 8:36, 8:14, 8:21, 8:10, 8:08, 8:17, 8:41, 7:48 (oops?), 8:12, 8:35, 7:57, 8:03, 8:07, 8:05, 0:46 (7:36)

Garmin got a little crazy in the middle (it was telling me I was running a 4:30 mile…ummm no), but I was kind of consistent overall and able to drop the pace a little at the end.  I should probably still be going slower, but overall I’m pretty happy with this run.

I got cancelled from work today, so I’m off to work on my to do list and then head to Princeton until Wednesday…yay!  Mondays aren’t so bad sometimes.  :)

16 comments:

  1. Ahh, mind-reading, that elusive skill. People expect it of you, but if you actually had it, they'd probably think you were possessed by the devil. Sometimes you just can't win.

    Great run!! I'm hoping to hit 17-18 this weekend and then it's Pfitz time! :D

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  2. Lol crazy about the old lady.

    And nice work on the run!

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  3. They don't teach you mind reading in nursing school? Sheesh, hope I never get sick. :o)

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  4. Oh my gosh, I hope when I'm old old I don't act like a crazy person....yikes.

    Nice work on the 17-miler!! Wow, you're doing great.

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  5. LOL! If you decide to do critical care, wait until you have to try to decipher an intubated patient's manic gesturing :)

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  6. In response to your comment on my blog: No, you don't sound like a broken record at all!! I feel the same way, hehe and I love comments where people are enthusiastic about reading something exciting, like critical care!

    And about the "old" patient: hahah. Just wait...and the fact that you work nights. yep, sundowner's. have fun:) I've also found that old people can be stubborn and seem to make no sense, but I still love them!!! I never thought I would, but I much prefer a 92 year old over a 30...any day!!

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  7. Oh my gosh, I'm terrified of getting old. And yes, some people are so weird. I've definitely learned that working in the service industry the last couple of years. Even those that are NOT old!

    17 miles!? Wow, you are a running machine! Have you tried Camelbaks? I have to have water when I run and I'm thinking of getting one.

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  8. Awesome job on the run! I have kinda the same off schedule as you - sometimes early/afternoon and sometimes dinner.. and I definitely like getting my long runs in and done on Friday am before working the dinner shift!

    I'd rather think people are just not getting sick instead of not just getting treated.. but unfortunately it's probably the latter of the two. :(

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  9. Nice run!

    I wonder what the throwing of the tissues meant...if only you were able to read minds.

    Have fun in Princeton.

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  10. there are some interesting people. I remember getting yelled at by the old guy who was on bolus feedings and I went in to verify his weight because the computer and charts seemed wrong, and he just went balistic and I just left. Great run! You always amaze me girl! have a great day off :)

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  11. Oof, that old-old lady sounds like a trip. I hope that I'm not crazy and mean when I'm old, though I feel bad saying things like that since she IS old-old. More power to you for putting up with her.

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  12. Oh man that sounds like an interesting patient that you had there

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  13. Ha, hospital days are just never predictable. Nice job on the 17 miles! hope you enjoyed the unexpected day off too :)

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  14. Ohh, sounds like my geriatric rotation will be challenging. I hope I have some nice nurses on my floor! :-)

    Great job on your 17 miler. I have never ever run that far in my life (maybe someday?)!

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  15. great job on the run!

    ah, i have mad respect for people that work in the hospital/health care field. it takes a special kind of person.

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  16. I love hearing all your adventures in nursing stories. They keep me motivated really.

    Great job on the 17 miler! Do you have a time goal for your upcoming marathon? I hope I'm as fast as you one day.

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