Something Good...: June 2012

Friday, June 29, 2012

Who's in charge here???

Pretty much most of my life I've known I wanted to be a nurse. (And with how long school takes, I apparently wanted to be a nurse BADLY!)

I normally work in a pediatric unit, where I have everything from child abuse cases, to post operative to cancer. But part of that means I'm also trained to work in the NICU. Tiny newborns where I get to spend my night keeping them stable. Syd was a NICU baby so I feel especially proud when I work there.

There's a hierarchy to nursing, I've been a nurse for only a few years and when I don't know what to do it's okay because next to me is someone who's been a nurse for 20. It's truly been something that in crisis has made me feel safe knowing I'm surrounded by so many other people who know what to do.

I started working in cardiac, I was sure that "when I grew up" I was going to be an ICU nurse. I had an instructor that told me I was destined for Peds, I blew it off but long story short that teacher was right. But having the background I do I have some advanced adult training that I have kept current on just cause I can.

I worked in the NICU last night, I was excited because it's honestly a lot easier to work there than Peds. I spend an entire shift feeding babies and putting my feet up.

The fire in Colorado Springs has really been bad for people with asthma and most of the night the other RN who I was working with kept coughing. I asked her a few times if she had an inhaler and to take it. Then as she gets up to walk somewhere in the middle of the night she looks at me and wheezes " I can't breathe!" The charge nurse is also near so she comes running over as I sit her down. We get oxygen as a bunch of other nurses come running over as well. Theyre all yelling contradictory different things to do while this nurse is still wheezing and fighting to get air in. I suddenly realize being surrounded by only NICU nurses...

I'M THE ONLY ONE WITH TRAINING!!!!

Seriously all these years of experience nurses have no idea how to deal with a person larger than 6lb in crisis. I'm a little proud with how after this realization I just start taking over and telling everyone what to do. Such as....

NO you do not lay someone flat who is having a hard time breathing!

NO she IS breathing (and talking) which means we DO NOT need to call a code!

Just someone freaking call the Emergency Team, put her on oxygen, get respiratory therapy, get her an Albeuterol neb find a wheelchair and GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM!!!

Yikes, living in a world where I'm the most knowledgable person is a little scary...

Something good... I now get to go to sleep
K

Monday, June 25, 2012

4

There are hundreds of reasons why relationships go bad, and I think I may have experienced 99% of them. Lists that run through everyones mind, I've actually written them down a few times myself. Family that doesn't support or understand, friends that question, even moments yourself when you wonder... Hundreds of thousands of reasons to not move forward together.

But in growing I realized that all I need is 4 reasons to trump everything else. And right now those 3 other reasons are under my roof. Everything else is just details that honestly don't matter.

Something good... Beckham has been sneaking into Sydnee's bed every night the past week. It's adorable to find him snuggled up next to his sister that he adores.
K

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Burning up

If anyone has ever had the immense pleasure of coming to visit my family in Colorado Springs chances are we went to Garden of the Gods. I love having picnics and hiking there and we tend to go quite often. Sadly yesterday as we were driving around we noticed one plume of smoke off near the mountains, the kids commented on it and we moved on. I went into a store and when I walked out it looked like a nuclear weapon had exploded out of Garden of the Gods. A huge fire has broken out just west of Colorado Springs in Waldo Canyon. I was "lucky" enough to be called into work at 2am this morning and got to witness the spectacle from the 6th floor of the hospital. The orange moon and sky turned to what looked like is fog and cold, when actually it is 100 degrees, dry and filled with smoke. My kids, although I haven't allowed them to play outside, have been occasionally coughing and I know my eyes have been burning all day. The forecast for my portion of colorful Colorado is only heat and dry for the next week. Huge parts of Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs have been evacuated as ash is also falling like snow in the area. So far the fire is 2,500 acres and 0% contained. Yikes! We're basically riveted to the TV watching as it just grows and grows. Knowing it's taking out some of the most beautiful forests. We live in the NorthEast part of the Springs while this fire is in the SouthWest so we aren't in any danger at our home, but one of my favorite parts of living here is being destroyed. In the picture above quite literally all of the area Sydnee is looking at is evacuated and on fire.