A Loss

       

 

                               Where Do You Find a Dog With No Legs?

                                    (Scoll to bottom for answer.)

 

   I stepped on the scales today before my shower and it shows me down 1 and a half pounds.  I weighed in a day early I guess.  Now I hadn't eaten a thing and was in my birthday suit, but I will take a loss anyday. 

    What would they do at the doctors if I stripped down in the hall to weigh?  The male doctors would prescribe a anti-depressant, but the women would all understand.  My crocs weight 6 ounces and that counts.  Why take any credit for heavy clothes?

  I am showed and ready for the doctor.  Feeling silly now about going since I am feeling better.  If I hadn't already met my deductable I wouldn't go at all.  I am thinking of this like a freebe, silly me.   Then I have to take a class today.  It is our anual see if you remember how to do this class on pacemakers, code blues, bubble studies, defibulators, chest tubes, tracheotomy care, and airways.  Even though I plan on never having to intubate anyone ever, we have to know how to do it.  This class should take around 2 to 3 hours and then I am free from work until next thrusday. 

   Today is the day I am calling about the job I read about.  It involves taking care of handicapped children and it sounds like mostly overnights.  I can do that.  I worked in peds for 3 years and had my pediatric advanced life for years.  I am used to staying up.  I love children.  Sounds good. 

    The only thing about home care is you're out of your comfort zone.  When there is a problem you can't call the rapid response team or call a code.  There is just you and a phone plus some very anxious parents.  I did a home care one other time on a baby.  At that time I had no pediatric experience and had been refusing this assignment for a week.  They finally talked me into it by assuring me mom was a ICU nurse and the baby was stable.  I walked in that morning to a very frightened mother who was a friend from work and not thinking like a nurse in this scary time, just like a mother who's baby was very ill.  The night nurse hadn't shown up.  I checked on the baby and about had heart failure.  Blue lips, heaving chest and retractions, nares flaring.  I didn't know babies at the time,but I had emergency down pat.  I quickly packed up the baby, oxygen, mom and drove to the hospital.  I was sure I looked as terrified as I felt.  Sadly the baby died a few weeks later.  I was this babies nurse for a short half hour but it felt like hours.  Surprisingly this mom thanked me later for being so calm and taking control of the situation.  She said she knew the baby needed to go to the hospital, but that her brain had just shut down from fear. She needed me to say the obvious, and I needed someone else to be responsible for this tiny baby.  She never knew or guessed that I was scared to death.  I am thankful for that.

   For those of you who keep journals, have you found that you use journaling for more then you had originally intended?  I was just going to use this to keep track of my food and weight loss progress.  It started out as a private journal.  Now, as you can see, I just ramble on about anything and everything.  Kind of like my thoughts as I get older, all over the board.

   My breakfast was the usual, shredded wheat and bran.  Since I am now off work I will increase my fluids for this week.  I want to hit the gym later today and sometime this weekend plan on fishing at that fishing hole my patient told me about.

   Well back from the doctors and I am happy to report those years of smoking haven't totally destroyed my lungs.  They are actually functioning pretty darn good.  He is diagnosing me with exercised indused asthma.  At my age!  That is good news as far as they started me on advair inhaler and if it things are better in 4 weeks when I see him again I can try my water aerobics.  I was still wheezy when he listened to my lungs but otherwise doing good.  I knew I was feeling better.  He said if I was to do the same tests right after my exercise he thinks he would see a lot lower results.  So good news.  Of course I realize asthma can be very serious and people die from it all the time, but I don't think I have it that bad unless it continues to get worse.  The bad news is Advair is extremely expensive.  I got a freebe this time but next time I will have to pay.  I hope my insurance covers it well.  The medicine takes about a week to kick in so by this time next week I hopefully will be feeling better.

                                    Right Where You Left Him         

                                           Your Nutrition Information

                                                          Actual                                       Target

Calories                                            2,150                                         1500

Calories from Fat                                510                                        280 - 530

Total Fat                                               59g                                       32 - 61g

Saturated Fat                                       18g                                        <= 17g

Cholesterol                                           95mg                                   < 300mg

Sodium                                              3,340mg                                  < 2400mg

Total Carbohydrate                            208g                                      180 - 260g

Dietary Fiber                                       17g                                         >= 25g

Sugars                                                   4g                                             *

Protein                                                 63g                                       41 - 142g

Vitamin A                                              *                                                *

Vitamin C                                            20%                                             100%

Calcium                                                60%                                            100%

Iron                                                      90%                                     100%