Do Not let them Pass Cap and Trade.

Congress is talking about health care reform this week but their real agenda is sneaking through the Cap and Trade bill. This is an extremely bad bill and that is why they are sneaking it through the back door like so many of their unpopular bills. Tacking it onto a popular bill and then not giving anyone time to read it or realize it was included in the small print. Write your congressmen, write your government official.

Believe me. You don't want this bill passed. Your energy costs will go up at least 25%. Even if you have never written your elective official do it now. DO IT THIS TIME. You have to do it before Friday. They are destroying our country with these bills. Read here and write. I did. And I will every day. Don't just think about it this time. Act.

What it is

The shot above is the old clothesline pole in the old yard. You can see the white paint underneath and the joint. I just thought it was a interesting shot. Maybe time to get rid of it but it is still standing and rarely I do hang clothes on the old one.

Having fun

I went to the lung doc yesterday but didn't end up seeing him. They still haven't gotten the billing straightened out. I am not going to have tests done and then find out my insurance won't pay. So that was a bust.

Instead we went and picked up the grandkids and my son and went to lunch. It was hot and humid with heat advisory's all over so what was a grandma to do but go buy a pool for her poor hat grandkids. Then we watched them play and have fun.

I worked last night and tonight will be my last night. Then off for 7 days. The kids will be with their dad out of town until Saturday but I will see them most of next week. It should be fun.

Work was good, Slow but good. And its time for bed. So later gater.

Hot

That is how they are listing our weather today. HOT. Heat advisory. Potential Severe Thunderstorms. Oh goody. Thank goodness our air is working and it is cool in the house. Makes me happy.

Today I have an appointment with my asthma doctor. I am going to ask him about my 3 month cough. I haven't gotten rid of it since I had that bronchitis a few months back. Maybe it just takes awhile to go away. Otherwise I have nothing planned today except lunch with the grandkids.

I wasn't able to get out of work Sunday. We were so busy. The floor was almost full and we have some really sick patients right now. A couple should have been in intensive because they were so sick and you were so busy with them they needed almost 1 to 1 nursing. We get upset with one of the doctors as he always moves his patients out of intensive really early but they are still on hourly blood sugar checks and hourly vitals and hourly outputs, they have tubes all over which have to be emptied every 2 hours. Its not that we aren't capable of taking care of these patients but when you have 5 to 6 patients each it's impossible to get everything done. If they need vitals hourly they need to stay in ICU.

I work tonight and tomorrow but then am free all week. The kids will be gone until Sunday though. They are going to a water park with their dad. I guess I'll share them with him. Next week I get them all day. I sure hope the weather cools down so we can do something.

Well, I had better get ready for the doctor. I really like my asthma doc and almost had to stop seeing him. My insurance won't cover him this year for some reason but they told me to keep coming and they will only charge me my deductible so we shall see. If they have to do a lung function test because of the cough I am not sure if that will be covered. Maybe they can just order it and I can have it done at my hospital. It is covered there.

Everyone have a great week and Helen, I hope your daughter starts showing some improvement. Oh, and my tomato plants have tomato galore on them. Yummy.

Happy Fathers Day, Happy Summer Solstice day and Happy Grandkid's day

My grandkids made it OK late last night. I had to work but they are on there way over as we type. Rick has already been over there all day and so has seen them. Best father's day gift he could have gotten. So this will be short.

I put in for low census as we had been low, so last night we got admit after admit after admit. The floor is full and the chance of getting off are slim to none. Sigh.

Anyway. Happy Summer Solstice and Happy Fathers Day.

They are on their way

My grandchildren should be arriving at 1015. They won't get into town until midnight give or take. I hope their flight is on time and is a safe passage. Unfortunately I won't get to see them until tomorrow. I put in for low census so keep your fingers crossed we send about 7 patients home and don't get any in. I am so excited I could spit.

It's not raining today! What a novelty. I got up early because I couldn't sleep and it was dry with blue skies. Lifts you right up. They are expecting some rain later but not enough to make the flight late. Hopefully.
Work went fair yesterday. We were busy and got several admits. We seem to be having a blue light special in A-Fib with rapid ventricular response. Several patients needed repositioning so I decided to try my new lifting restrictions out. Well you know what. It isn't going well. My shoulder was in a lot of pain by the end of the day. If by Monday it isn't better I suppose I will call the doc's office and report in. He said if it didn't work out to let them know. I also am seeing my asthma doctor this week for my regular appointment. I am anxious to see him because I have been coughing steady since I got that bronchitis about 3 or 4 months ago. Getting sick last month on top of it didn't help. I seem to have ended up with a pretty chronic cough. I gave up smoking to get rid of this type of cough. Hopefully he will have some suggestions to get rid of it for good.

I was going to stop seeing him because my insurance won't carry him anymore. They convinced me they have it straightened out and not to switch docs so we shall see. Since they started billing with a different company my insurance says they are not covered. Weird. They were covered until that. Just can't get all their little rules and regulations straight.

Another sign your getting older. When you see more 3 specialists, sheesh. Lets see, skin doc, shoulder doc, asthma doc and regular doc. Could be worse. It could be heart doc, cancer doc, dialysis doc......... There are always things worse.



Last but not least. Guess this shot. I took this shot outside. Anyone know what it is?

Computer all fixed

I just got back on the computer after a storm knocked it off line. This daily stormy weather is getting old. My African daisy's don't like much water and they are a sorry soggy mess. My lawn is so long bunnies can hide in it. But.... it is suppose to be nice tomorrow night when my grandkids land which is a prayer I have been sending every day.

Work was good last night. I got report from our drama queen nurse. She told me about one patient that sounded like the patient from hell. Oh my. I was so not ready for it. They had to have administration up and nursing services and she had to sit and hold the patients hand frequently. You had to be so very careful what you said to the patient or you would be reported Great I groaned, 12.5 hours of tiptoeing around. I was assured the family was a huge problem also.

So with shoulders squared and a heavy heart I went into to assess the patient. And found a patient and family that were very nice. Good senses of humor, slightly worried about the procedure in the morning and very receptive to teaching .

Oh man, why do I let myself fall into her drama. After 3o years I have learned you have to make up your own opinion on someone. If I go in there with pre-conceived idea's about this patient it may cloud my judgment.

Don't tell me a patient is drug seeking, don't tell me a patient is just anxious, don't tell me the family is just looking for something to be wrong. I want to go in there with a open mind and a wiliness to do all I can to make the patient comfortable. I don't want to hesitate treating pain or taking a patients complaints seriously. Let me make my own judgment. After 30 years I am pretty good at reading a patients. And most problems, the majority of problems are always a failure to communicate. Fortunately I have pretty good communication skills. not to brag.

So anyway the night went well. We were well staffed, a thrill and I was working with a fun group of nurse, another treat. The night zipped by. Several stormed rolled through and it was interesting to watch them across the sky.

I was reading someone's blog about being officially old. HMD... you know your just a baby and I would be the one calling you a kid, LOL. So here are some surefire signs for you. I won't tell you how many of them fit me but number 17 made me spit my coffee...

1. Your houseplants are alive, and you can’t smoke any of them.
2. Having sex in a twin bed is out of the question.
3. You keep more food than beer in the fridge.
4. 6:00 a.m . is when you get up, not when you go to bed.
5. You hear your favorite song in an elevator.
6. You watch the Weather Channel.
7. Your friends marry and divorce instead of “hook up” and “break up.”
8. You go from 130 days of vacation time to 14.
9. Jeans and a sweater no longer qualify as “dressed up.”
10. You’re the one calling the police because those %&@# kids next door won’t turn down the stereo.
11. Older relatives feel comfortable telling sex jokes around you.
12. You don’t know what time Taco Bell closes anymore.
13. Your car insurance goes down and your car payments go up.
14. You feed your dog Science Diet instead of McDonald’s leftovers.
15. Sleeping on the couch makes your back hurt.
16. You take naps.
17. Dinner and a movie is the whole date instead of the beginning of one.
18. Eating a basket of chicken wings at 3 AM would severely upset, rather than settle, your stomach.
19. You go to the drug store for ibuprofen and antacid, not condoms and pregnancy tests.
20. A $4.00 bottle of wine is no longer “pretty good shit.”
21. You actually eat breakfast food at breakfast time.
22. “I just can’t drink the way I used to” replaces “I’m never going to drink that much again.”
23. 90% of the time you spend in front of a computer is for real work.
24. You drink at home to save money before going to a bar.
25. When you find out your friend is pregnant you congratulate them instead of asking “Oh shit what the hell!”