Day 4, not that I'm counting.

And 2 nights down at work. 2 more to go. Tonight I have to be charge and tonight is the holiday for night workers. So I work with a bunch of nurses I don't usually work with on the weekend. I love the people I work with on the weekend so that is the sad part. But I am switching my holidays so this is the last time that will happen.




Work was wonderful last night. We were staffed perfectly and I had wonderful patients. They could all move by themselves so my shoulder is doing pretty good. For the first time I am feeling slightly hopeful this might heal without surgery. I guess it will depend on how it does when I finally start lifting again. They can't keep me on restrictions forever or I will get canned. If you can't do the job you were hired to do.......


I have had 3 patients in their 50's who had to have open heart surgery this week. That is cutting way to close to home. And my age group. Lots younger then we used to see. In fact I see the trend is getting younger and younger. Healthy eating isn't practiced much these days, lots of pop consumption, to much work to many hours. And diabetes is through the roof. It almost seems that it won't be if I get it but when I get it. Well, I don't want it. Nasty disease with all kinds of nasty side effects. If you can prevent it I would start now.


I heard from my youngest sister. The one with the heart problems. She found a lump in her breast and they will be biopsying it in the near future. Please send her some prayers. She doesn't need cancer on top of a failing heart. I am hoping it is OK.


The weather outside it lovely I have been told. Course I slept though it but I am glad it is nice for the people who are off. Both my son's are off and my youngest is having a party at his house so nice weather is a plus.

Some of the nurses I worked with last night were here the last time we went self staffing. They are dreading it as much as me. We all work full time and aren't interested in working more every week. Give us a break. Plus if they take you off your shift you may end up getting a call at 3 am telling you to come in.

We are all going to give it a trial period and then if it is awful again this time look elsewhere for employment. Wouldn't our boss just love it if the most experienced nurses on her floor moved to a different department. 3 of us have been here over 25 years. All leave at the same time. Because as I have said, patients are patients. I like heart patients, but I will take care of anyone. And I have to think of myself also. I have to do this for at least 12 more years. Got to pace myself you know.

Well, hope everyone has a great weekend and Happy Easter.

Good Friday

“On the third day he rose again.”

Tell us, Mary, what did you see
that early morning
on your way?

“I saw his tomb,
I saw the glory of Christ,
now risen,
angels who gave witness.
I saw the cloths
that covered his head and body.
I heard him speak my name
and turning, saw he was alive
At daybreak
I came weeping to the garden
for the one I lost.
But now, the Sun risen,
it was paradise,
and I, a new Eve,
had news of life for all the living.”

Day 3 of blogathon

I just got off work and thought I would do my day 3 entry. What about.... well work of course.

I started out the first 4 hours on my floor. Got a chest admit right off the bat having active chest pain. I had another pt who was going to be a heart surgical in the morning and one patient who was post op day 2 from heart surgery. Not a bad group. So of course I got pulled to another floor at 11.

The only thing about going to self staffing is we won't get pulled. But it goes both ways, when we're short we won't get help pulled to us. Being pulled isn't so bad. Pt's are pt's no matter where you go. They all need help. And I get to see some nurses I don't work with often. I picked up 5 pt's there which was rare. They usually have lots more apiece. So it was a good night there. I had one pt no matter what I did I couldn't get her comfortable. She was just restless. Not really bad. That can be a sign of some underlying bad things going on so I watched her carefully. Rest of the pt's were nice and stable. A good pull all in all. And it sounds like things were cooking on my floor while I was gone. A patient came in with a dangerously low heartrate in the 20's. They had to hook him up to the temperary pacemaker and start a drug to raise his blood pressure. He was being prepped for emergency permanant pacemaker when I left. So I got out on time while the staff I usually work with had to stay late.

Now I am listening to the road grater digger out my ditches. Why he decides to do it today when I will want to be sleeping I have no idea. They have needed it for a month. Now he does it. Oh well, hopefully he will be finished soon and I can sleep. I am so tired. I have been awake now for 24 hours.

So on that note. Night all. Have a good day.

Easter Breakfast Rolls (Resurrection Rolls)

Easter Breakfast Rolls (Resurrection Rolls)..

You can either make your own bread dough, or use 1 pkg. frozen bread rolls, thawed..

25 Large Marshmallows

1/4 Cup Butter or Oleo,melted

6 Tablespoons Sugar

1 teaspoon Watkin's Cinnamon...

Press the thawed bread dough into flat circles.. Place a marshmallow in the center of each roll.. Pinch the dough securely around the marshmallow.. Roll the marshmallow filled rolls into round balls... Brush each ball with butter & sprinkle it with the Watkin's Cinnamon & sugar.. put the rolls on a baking sheet & let rise til double ( about 35 to 45 minutes).. Then bake them at 350 degrees until they are golden brown... Just like the tomb on Easter Sunday, these buns are empty...

Work

I re-read The Art Of Happiness at Work by the Dalai Lama again just to get myself back in the mood to work. Sometimes when I am tired or sick of the new politics at work I need to be reminded.

I got a email from a friend at work that we are going back to self staffing. Oh goody. Being forced to work on your day off, being on call. I hate being on call. You can't go anywhere, you have to be able to get to work within 20 minutes. No beer on your day off. If your short staffed no chance of getting help from the resource team. And getting people to work the night shift! Not happening.

When I was younger I worked lots of extra shifts. 16 hours all the time and once 20 hours. I simply can't and don't want to do it anymore. I love my days off and I don't feel they have the right to correct their staffing problems by working us all to death. Overwork nurses, make them work long shifts without breaks or days off, and you will start seeing mistakes. And our mistakes happen to people because that is what our job does, takes care of people.

Who decided this also. The nurses? The people who it effects? Or some suit in a office who gets 30 x's what I do and works 8 - 5. His mistakes don't cost life's. He can't be sued. Well actually his mistakes could cost lifes. Should we ask the patients who they want taking care of them. A rested nurse or one who is going on her 15th hour and who hasn't had a day off in a week. And I don't give a hoot about on call pay. Government is just going to tax that all away anyway. I don't even buy a lottery ticket anymore. Obama said he will take 90% of it so why bother. Not that I put much store in that far fetched dream.

So anyway that has gotten me in a funk. I really am going to start looking around for something else. Less lifting would be good.

Lets see, what else to blog about. I see we are going to build Bill Gate's a new bridge for his microsoft building with 11 M of the stimulas money. Gee, being a major contributor pays off well doesn't it. Maybe I should have donated some money and then I wouldn't have to do on call. Being a campaign contributor paid off for Acorn, unions, and billionaires. Looks like actors and pro-ballers are getting the short stick though. They want to put a cap on their earnings.

I had PT yesterday and it is official, my muscles are wasting away on my left arm. I am up to 4 pounds and am going to increase my exercises. I need to have this shoulder get better before my arm is just a useless flabby mess.

We also went and got some Easter cards to send to our grandchildren. The lady came to help and apologetically said, here is one but it is religious. Well hello lady, it IS a religious holiday! No apologies needed.

Now for the good things. I slept great, the weather is wonderful. Zoey had a bath and her fur is sooooo soft. We just did our taxes and don't have to pay more. And I still have a job, even with all the problems I still have a job and it is a good thing. Oh... and the troll on my photo site, I deleted the comments and there have been no new ones so they must have gotten the hint.

Happiness belongs to the self-sufficient as Aristotle said.

Mini Blogathon

Martha at Menargerie has proposed a mini blogathon which means a entry a day for a week. Since I almost always post some boring little trivial nonsense I decided to play along. So here goes.

Chester says hi by the way. He is always hanging out the door begging for a treat or a scratch behind his ears. Happy to do it for ya Chester. He is so cute.

Headline news on Newsweek. End Of Christian America? Is it? I was raised Christian and went to church often 3 times a week. I sang in the chorus, and went on trips, church camp in the summer, the whole nine yards. Then in my late teens I joined a different church. Alternative church. Left such a bad taste in my mouth I left the church and first became agnostic and then a proclaimed atheist. I always said how can a thinking person truly believe in God. And I was a thinking person back then. I studied everything I could get my hands on. Studied other religions, politics, cultures. I was searching for something. A answer to my questions and my doubts.

I was bitter about organized religion who I saw many times have just become a big business and when you are a questioning person like I was, or still am, the lack of being able or open to answering my questions made me slam the door shut.

Then I met someone who explained God and heaven in terms I could live with. It is what it is, he said. There is no explanation needed, it just is. Sounds so silly and simple, but it was what I needed. It is what it is to me. I believe there is a beautiful place waiting for us when we leave here. I believe things are so perfect, the smell of a baby, flowers colors and scents, ground that nourishes growth, these things just couldn't have happened accidentally. So here I am in my middle 50's believing just because. And it feels right to me. I meditate and pray daily but haven't been in a church since my grandchildrens baptism. And with my very limited poll on the side it seems I am not alone in believing.

I believe also because I have been with several people when they die. I used to say it was your bodies way of fight or flight defense to help you through a difficult time. People can get shot and not feel it at first, your body protects you. Maybe the people who reached out for loved ones at the end were experiencing that. Now I think it is what it is. The loved one reaching out to help them in the travel. It is what I knew all along, but questioned. For me it was as simple as that, but not that simple, it took me probably 30 some years to come to this acceptance.

OK, enough of that. Today is my last day before work. I have to clean my freezer. The critter cage. It looks nice out, I want to be outside. I got my flower beds ready yesterday. My wrist was so bad this fall I didn't get them ready for winter and they were covered with old dried growth. And I just realized I have PT today and I had forgotten. Hope I am not late. Bye all. Have a good one.

Good Morning

And a beautiful one it is also. The weather looks good outside, however it is cold. Teasing us with the promise of spring.

Well, I am all over the stomach issue and now my sinus's are acting up again. This cold, warm, cold, warm weather does a number on you. Your body doesn't know how to react.

Yesterday I had PT. I am so wimpy. I do exercises with 2 pound weights and by 10 my muscles in my arm are shaking and I am wore out. It is a total embarrassment. But believe it or not that is an improvement. I was even weaker last week. So the exercises are working.

Today I have no plans but shopping for groceries. The kids are still here as the house is still not ready. It has been going well. I have even been doing some cooking, shock. It might be another week yet but that is fine. I gets lots of quiet time during the day so sleeping isn't a issue when I am working and since they all get up so early they go to bed around 8:30. They are a little lost without TV but the computer is keeping them entertained so that is good.

Well, really nothing to say here. I will be working this weekend and am looking forward to holiday pay for easter. Take care all.