Summertime Sweets
10 months ago
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Code Blue
I went over to "The Dark Side" this past weekend; that's what they call working the night shift. I worked in the Cardiovascular Recovery Unit (for my Preceptorship nursing class) Friday, from 11pm-7am, and Saturday and Sunday, 7pm-7am. That's why I'm up right now! At 11:46 pm! I'm not sleepy!
Friday and Saturday were pretty slow. I was caring for a patient who was doing great and sleeping through the night. The only thing that I really needed to do was assess every 4 hours and check up on/get urine output every hour. But... in the middle of the night on Saturday going into Sunday morning, I heard over the hospital-wide intercom "Code Blue, (#) floor, (unit name)" My preceptor looked at me and said, "Wanna go? Look for the room with all the people in it." Off I went, just down the hall from where I was. Turned out that the patient had more of an episode of distress rather than an actual code (which is when the heart/lungs stop working). I hung around for a few minutes then went back to my unit. Not 30 minutes later, I hear the Code Blue call again, and I go running. I exit my unit's doors and see 3 other nurses running down the hall; with a Code, nurses from many floors respond, as well as respiratory therapists and a few doctors. This time, the patient was coding. When I entered the room there were 3 other LU nursing students there as well; one of them being my good friend Kelsie, who responded with her nurse from another unit. The respiratory therapists were bagging the patient at the head of the bed (giving him air through a face mask), the nurses were getting drugs from the Crash Cart and pushing meds to try to get the patient's heart functioning while one nurse was doing chest compressions. Then, the nurse doing compressions called one of the LU nursing students to switch out with her, then Kelsie switched out with that student to do chest compressions as well! It was such an adrenaline rush. The doctors had to shock the patient because the patient went into Ventricular Tachycardia, a fatal arrhythmia. I was hoping to be next in line to do chest compressions if anything else happened, but the patient needed some tests done to determine what the extent of the underlying problem was, so I had to head out of the room and get back to my unit. But boy, it was so interesting to be "part" of the code. It made me want really want to be an ICU nurse! NICU, PICU.... we'll see!
Friday and Saturday were pretty slow. I was caring for a patient who was doing great and sleeping through the night. The only thing that I really needed to do was assess every 4 hours and check up on/get urine output every hour. But... in the middle of the night on Saturday going into Sunday morning, I heard over the hospital-wide intercom "Code Blue, (#) floor, (unit name)" My preceptor looked at me and said, "Wanna go? Look for the room with all the people in it." Off I went, just down the hall from where I was. Turned out that the patient had more of an episode of distress rather than an actual code (which is when the heart/lungs stop working). I hung around for a few minutes then went back to my unit. Not 30 minutes later, I hear the Code Blue call again, and I go running. I exit my unit's doors and see 3 other nurses running down the hall; with a Code, nurses from many floors respond, as well as respiratory therapists and a few doctors. This time, the patient was coding. When I entered the room there were 3 other LU nursing students there as well; one of them being my good friend Kelsie, who responded with her nurse from another unit. The respiratory therapists were bagging the patient at the head of the bed (giving him air through a face mask), the nurses were getting drugs from the Crash Cart and pushing meds to try to get the patient's heart functioning while one nurse was doing chest compressions. Then, the nurse doing compressions called one of the LU nursing students to switch out with her, then Kelsie switched out with that student to do chest compressions as well! It was such an adrenaline rush. The doctors had to shock the patient because the patient went into Ventricular Tachycardia, a fatal arrhythmia. I was hoping to be next in line to do chest compressions if anything else happened, but the patient needed some tests done to determine what the extent of the underlying problem was, so I had to head out of the room and get back to my unit. But boy, it was so interesting to be "part" of the code. It made me want really want to be an ICU nurse! NICU, PICU.... we'll see!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
RUF
Love. It. (I hear Mom saying "I told you so").
But here's the deal, I actually have time to go enjoy myself on Thursday nights as a senior. Last year, Thursdays were dedicated to writing 20-35 page profiles, beginning the project around 2pm and finishing around 9pm. **shivvvvver** Soooo glad to be done with those.
As I mentioned before, this meeting began with Opal Hargrove from MTW speaking to us about opportunities for a summer program/spring break missions trip. One option is in the middle of Mexico where we'll do construction work, another option is Cherokee, NC where NCPC has gone before (these are both for a spring break trip). The trip I am excited about is to... GREECE. If we went to Greece, it would probably be over the summer for a week or so. While in Greece, we would be serving the community by picking up trash each morning (evangelism is illegal in Greece so this is a good way to serve). Another amazing opportunity in Greece is a ministry with girls who have been trafficked (sp?). I really hope to be able to go on this trip with RUF! We'll see where God decides to take us :)
But here's the deal, I actually have time to go enjoy myself on Thursday nights as a senior. Last year, Thursdays were dedicated to writing 20-35 page profiles, beginning the project around 2pm and finishing around 9pm. **shivvvvver** Soooo glad to be done with those.
As I mentioned before, this meeting began with Opal Hargrove from MTW speaking to us about opportunities for a summer program/spring break missions trip. One option is in the middle of Mexico where we'll do construction work, another option is Cherokee, NC where NCPC has gone before (these are both for a spring break trip). The trip I am excited about is to... GREECE. If we went to Greece, it would probably be over the summer for a week or so. While in Greece, we would be serving the community by picking up trash each morning (evangelism is illegal in Greece so this is a good way to serve). Another amazing opportunity in Greece is a ministry with girls who have been trafficked (sp?). I really hope to be able to go on this trip with RUF! We'll see where God decides to take us :)
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Remember When...
I miss Guatemala. It's hard to believe that it was nearly 3 years ago that I went there on my missions trip. I was looking through my pictures today:
Sunday, September 13, 2009
To Grandmom, Pop Pop, Mom-Mom and Poppy
HAPPY GRANDPARENT'S DAY!What a blessing to have such wonderful grandparents in our lives! Lots of love!
Friday, September 4, 2009
What I Should've Said Was...
I learned something in my Mental Health class today.
Anyway, this has to do with those "brain burps" you have when you're discussing hot topics with someone. Here's what I learned about why you always feel you come up with better things to say after a conversation has come to an end.
Ever been in a confrontation-type conversation (that sounds nicer than asking if you've ever been really angry and arguing with someone) and couldn't think of what to say until it was all over?
Here's why: when you are in any such type of discussion, your pre-frontal cortex in your brain slows down as the limbic area is in overdrive. This means that your IQ (part of the pre-frontal cortex) actually goes down when you're angry! That's why you can't articulate when you are in the moment and why afterwards, when you calm down and your pre-frontal cortex comes back up to par, you can think of what you wish you had said!
God's way of helping us hold our tongue.
Funny, huh?
Anyway, this has to do with those "brain burps" you have when you're discussing hot topics with someone. Here's what I learned about why you always feel you come up with better things to say after a conversation has come to an end.
Ever been in a confrontation-type conversation (that sounds nicer than asking if you've ever been really angry and arguing with someone) and couldn't think of what to say until it was all over?
Here's why: when you are in any such type of discussion, your pre-frontal cortex in your brain slows down as the limbic area is in overdrive. This means that your IQ (part of the pre-frontal cortex) actually goes down when you're angry! That's why you can't articulate when you are in the moment and why afterwards, when you calm down and your pre-frontal cortex comes back up to par, you can think of what you wish you had said!
God's way of helping us hold our tongue.
Funny, huh?
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