I know I am going to get sick

           

  My patient with the 104 temp insisted on repeatedly coughing all over me last night.  Since his temp was 104 I was in his room most of the night.  Share you money, share a funny story, share you wisdom, but please keep your germs to yourself.  After 12 1/2 hours of that I could just tell I was going to come down with whatever this patient had.  Please cover your mouth I asked.  Cover your mouth I instructed.  COVER YOU MOUTH FOR GODS SAKE!   Sigh.  The last few times I went in his room I wore a mask.  Probably to late......  I think I have a scratchy throat and my ear hurts......  I'M DOOMED!  Doomed to be sick on my days off which is probably how long it will take to incubate.

    Nurses are exposed to this all the time.  However, we are only allowed to call in 6 times a year if we want to keep our job.  And actually I have a fairly healthy immune system built up after these many years.  I think that is important.  I worry about people that use antibacterial soap, body wash, hand wipes, you name it.  How is your body going to become immune to anything?  Sometimes we get carried away.  Some germs though we don't want to share.

    Everytime someone is my family gets sick they blame it on me.  Oh man what did you drag home this time!  What!  They have been to the mall in a dozen stores, held on to dozens of door handles and been around 100's of people.  They have worked with any number of people at work.  Gone to the bank ,the grocery store and out with friends.  Get sick and it is because dear old Mom dragged something home from the hospital.  Well excuse me but dear ole mom has washed her hands 3000 times, dear old mom washes her croc's in disinfectant before she comes home.  Uniforms go right in the wash.  I did not make you sick...... but this patient, this patient last night, sigh, probably will make me sick.  Of course not as sick as him as I am a healthy person and he has other problems, but still sick.  WHAAAAAAAAA.

   My last night tonight. We have been really busy.  It makes the nights go fast.  I am ready for a rest though.  My plan for tomorrow, sleep until 1, go to the gym and work out and then go on our Monday date night my hubby and I do and unwind.  Bed by 9.  Unless I am sick already..... for it is coming...... sometimes you just know.

   Got this picture in a email today.  It is titled

             Rednecks time out

Seasonal OCD

                                   

   My husbands seasonal OCD has kicked in just like it does every year at this time.  He gets obsessive  about the lights on the tree and the garland hanging over the window. 

   The tree is always one string short of having the perfect amount of lights.  Every year we add one more string.  We are up to 11 and he has boughten another string for next year.  He is having a difficult time not tearing the tree down to the bare lights and putting them up, but will have to comfort himself knowing they will be there next year. 

   He will sit and stare at the tree, get up move a light sit back down and contemplate the tree again to make sure it looks just right, same with the window garland, a tiny adjustment here, a tiny adjustment there, moving it a fraction of an inch to get it perfect. 

   One year and one year only I put the entire tree up myself while he was at work.  It killed him.  When I went to work he dismanteled it and started over. 

   Now if he only would get OCD about housework, every speck of dust needing to be gone, every thing out of place put in its place..........

        

HOW TO MAKE IT THRU THE WEEK

Sleep  as much as you can...

Frown  when you get upset...

Read  books that you enjoy...

Play  with simple things...

Do  whatever you want whenever you want...

Look  for affection when you need it...

Get  serious once in a while...

Forget  about diets...  

Show  some affection...  

Get  angry once in a while...

Change  your look...

Be  happy, above all, regardless what your challenges may be... Have a great  week!

So many points left, so little time

                         

   What a terrible dilemma to have.  So far today I have had my WW dinner last night, 4 points, my yogurt 3 points, 2 wheat cakes 2 points,  shredded cinnamon wheat  with no fat milk 3 points.  That leaves me 14 more points for the the rest of the day.  Supper is going to be a hamburger patty lean on the george foreman,  sweet potato fries, baked, Brussels sprouts and maybe a salad which gives me around 9 more points give or take.  Not bad.  If I have time I can even have a snack tonight but if work was like last night, well in 12 and a half hours I didn't even get one break.

   Hit the floor running last night, some nights are like that.  One of our new nurses was overwhelmed and started to cry.  We have all been there before.  So I tried to help her out and give her some TLC.  Its bad on a night like last night as we were all so busy we couldn't give her the support she needed.  Unfortunately that happens.  They say we eat our young in nursing but sometimes it is simply because we are all just trying to keep our head above water.  Some sink and some swim. 

  The latest at my job is they are making us do mandatory extra shifts every pay period again.  That way they don't have to hire the help we need.  We have a new CEO who is really cutting us to the bones.  We get in trouble for the overtime, we no longer get a aide and are doing total patient care again and get talked to about how long it takes to get the lights answered. 

   When will these desk people ever figure it out.  They want perfect patient care on a shoe string budget by killing the help they have.  Then the nurses quit and go to greener pastures where they are treated better, we get shorter and shorter on the floors, and then they make the already stressed out and overworked nurses work extra and mandate double shifts.  Since the management rarely peeks their heads out of the offices and spend most of their time in meetings talking about how to cut costs without actually seeing the results of what their cost cutting is causing, it is a stressful situation.  I have been through this before quite a few times.  Our only hope is the next CEO has a different agenda.  We go through CEO's about every 3 to 5 years.  Wouldn't it be great if patient care was really their top priority!  I mean things have to be getting pretty bad for me to be looking around for something better.  Sigh. 

   I know they have a huge problem with trying to get in the black.  We bite the bills of soooooo many patients who never pay and Medicare pays around 1 pennie for every dollar spent.  I don't believe in socialized medicine either but that is what we are coming to.  What happened here is we took a system that had a few problems and created one with alot of huge problems.  Starting the day they went to letting the insurance companies have control.  If the government gets their hands in the mess it will only get worse.  We need to go back in time, 30 years ago, health care most everyone could afford.  Get rid of the huge uncaring doctor clinics, back to the family doctor, get rid of unnecessary law suits and put a cap on what lawyers can get.  They have caused so may problems everywhere.  It is time to make them accountable for the mess they have caused.  Rant and rave.  Tripping off my soap box here.  Once again I seem to be such an angry old toot.

_________________________________________________________

   Sorry everyone, I must not have gotten enough sleep,  Whine and witch.  Tonight will be a better night and actually since the doctor bills are piling up the extra money from BEING FORCED TO WORK ON MY DAY OFF, will be nice.  Off to work Hi Ho Hi Ho, its off to work I go.......

12 Days of dieting!

On the first day of Christmas the dietier took from the fridge,

a bartlet pear on cottage cheese.

On the 2nd day of Christmas the dietier took from the fridge,

2 slices of melon,

and a barlet pear on cottage cheese

On the 3rd day of Christmas the dietier took from the fridge,

3 lettuce leaves,

2 slices of melon,

and a barlet pear on cottage cheese.

On the 4th day of Christmas the dietier took from the fridge,

4 ripe red grapes,

3 lettuce leaves,

2 slices of melon,

and a bartlet pear on cottage cheese.

On the 5th day of Christmas the dietier took from the fridge,

5 golden delicious apples,

4 ripe red grapes,

3 lettuce leaves,

2 slices of melon,

and a bartlet pear on cottage cheese.

On the 6th day of Christmas the dietier took from the fridge,

6 carrot sticks,

5 golden delicious apples,

4 ripe red grapes,

3 lettuce leaves.

2 slices of melon,

and a barlet pear on cottage cheese.

On the 7th day of Christmas the dietier took from the fridge,

7 radishes heaping,

6 carrot sticks,

5 golden delicious apples,

4 ripe red grapes,

3 lettuce leaves,

2 slices of melon,

and a bartlet pear on cottage cheese.

On the 8th the day of Christmas the dietier took from the fridge,

8 ounces of water,

7 radishes heaping,

6 carrot sticks,

5 golden apples,

4 ripe red grapes,

3 lettuce leaves,

2 slices of melon,

and a bartlet pear on cottage cheese.

On the 9th day of Christmas the dietier took from the fridge,

9 figs a dancing,

8 ounces of water,

7 radishes heaping,

6 carrot sticks,

5 golden delicious apples,

4 ripe red grapes,

3 lettuce leaves,

2 slices of melon,

and a bartlet pear on cottage cheese.

On the 10th day of Christmas the dietier took from the fridge,

10 rice cake crackers,

9 figs a dancing,

8 ounces of water,

7 radishes heaping,

6 carrot sticks,

5 golden delicious apples,

4 ripe red grapes,

3 lettuce leaves,

2 slices of melon,

and a bartlet pear on cottage cheese.

On the 11th day of Christmas the dietier took from the fridge,

11 slices of kiwi,

10 rice cake crackers,

9 figs a dancing,

8 ounces of water,

7 radishes, heaping,

6 carrot sticks,

5 golden delicious apples,

4 ripe red grapes,

3 lettuce leaves,

2 slices of melon,

and a bartlet pear on cottage cheese.

On the 12th day of Christmas the dietier took from the fridge,

A healthier way of eating,

11 slices of kiwi,

10 rice cake crackers,

9 figs a dancing,

8 ounces of water,

7 radishes heaping,

6 carrot sticks,

5 GOLDEN DELICIOUS APPLES ( SING OUT LOUD HERE)

4 ripe red grapes,

3 lettuce leaves,

2 slices of melon,

and a bartlet pear on cottage cheese.

Pretty Pink Cast

  My granddaughter is now sporting a pretty pink cast.  They don't think they will have to do any surgery but in 2 weeks they will take the cast off and see how it is doing.  Once she got the pretty cast she felt much better because " Pink is my favorite color Gramma".  Poor little thing.  She assures me since it is her left hand she will still be able to open presents, color, open doors and eat.  The important things, LOL.

   Well. Time to eat supper myself and get ready for work.  Hope it isn't terribly busy, I like to ease into it.  Usually though on Thursday it is a hit the floor and run day.

   I am having the worse time with these stupid fonts.  Half the time they are tiny and you can't read, half the time huge and a couple time a little of both.  And once in a very great while, they are perfect!  I never know what I will get once I hit the save key, or if it will even safe.

What is mid-life?

To my patients, most of which are in the 70 to 80 age bracket I still get called girl sometimes, giggle.  To the new nurses on the floor, some not old enough to legally drink,  am the senior old fart nurse.  What is middle age these days.  Years ago I would have been a senior as the life spans where so much shorter.  I would have looked it also as the health care was worse.  Now I still look pretty good but am feeling the senior aches and pains and Arthur Itis has become a frequent visitor.  In my family I am probably in my twilight years, maybe on my last leg but I don't feel like it.  So what does everyone think?  When does middle age start and end.  Am I an official old toot yet?

   Got my exercising out of the way early and am doing the type of cleaning I always leave to the last day.  Prograstination is my middle name.  I did get all my packages sent which is a good feeling.  It cost me an additional $40 just to mail them out.  Might have to do the gift certificates next year but that seems so impersonal. 

    I also got a bill from my Doctor for surgery.  Man that ticks me off.  Do you really ever reach your deductable anymore.  I go to the web site and it says my balance is zero, but I still get bills.  $300!  I used to think when a doctor agreed to accept your insurance that meant they accepted the payment from your insurance as payment in full.  Oh so trusting. 

    I pay around 600 a month for insurance, 2000.00 out of pocket per person, 600 for lab and other tests, 20 dollars for each visit.  Its official, I am now one of those people you hear about about who can't afford health care.  And it is going up Jan. 1st. 

   I am no longer going to the doctor after this year unless I am near death, and even then I will think really carefully about if my life is worth the cost!  I have refills on my meds good for a year with my asthma doc, can still get refills on phone for my fluid pills from my regular doctor and hopefully after next year the damage to my lungs from the chlorine will be better and I won't need the medicine anymore. 

   The only people who can afford to see a doctor these days are the seniors like my MIL because she has medicare plus a suplimental, the poor and illegal aliens, and the very rich.  Those of us who fall in the middle just don't go anymore.  I see more and more patients who don't take their meds because they can't afford to.  They are labeled noncomplient by the doctors but that isn't the reason, who can afford to keep up with the bills.  If I didn't have a pharmacy plan I wouldn't take my pills at $114.50 a month!  Ricks would be $200.00 a month.  What happens when I retire?  Off our meds we go.  Ho Ho Ho. 

   Remember the old days.  I had a great family doctor.  He had a small office uptown and it was staffed with the woman at the desk, a nurse and him.  Eventually he got a partner and they each had a nurse.  The total visit would be maybe $15.00 which in my case usually included stitches, did I mention I was a tom boy?  I always got a sucker. 

   Well I have to go,  my  son keeps calling.

   Just got off the phone with my son.  My granddaughter broke her elbow.  Ouch.  Yesterday she fell at daycare and put her arm out to break the fall, it broke alright.  They iced it all day and last night they called me to see what I thought.  She could move her fingers and everything but couldn't lift her arm up to scratch her tummy, she put the phone down to use the other arm.  I told them I though she might have broken it and just because she could move her fingers didn't really mean anything.  It could be just sprained though.  It is so hard to tell with kids but I thought it should be checked out.  Well my DIL's parents, probably her dad, didn't think it was necessary.  This morning she was still in pain so my DIL took her.  The elbow is fractured and she has to have surgery to get it fixed.  Poor baby.  There goes her dancing!

  I was just speaking of insurance.  How terrible is it that along with being worried about your child they now have to worry about paying a huge surgery bill.  Times are bad all over.