I was on night shift the other day. We had a very busy shift. There were a lot of babies wanted to come out in my shift. One of the patients was brought by the Rescue 911 team. The patient’s baby decided to come out at home. The placenta did not come out yet. She was endorsed to me with Intavenous fluid (IVF) inserted. According to the team the baby was already out when they reached to their house. They clamped and cut the cord. The baby had no problems. We waited for the placenta to come. It was out after 5 minutes. Everything was settled. The patient and her baby was discharged few hours after.
Archive for the ‘personal’ Category
Rescue 911
Saturday, June 27th, 2009MY TIRED FEET
Saturday, June 13th, 2009Today, I got my feet tired again. My eight hours of duty requires me to be on my feet all day walking around from patient to another patient, back and forth. Literally there are days that I can’t even sit even in 2 minutes. My poor feet have no choice but to walk around as much. But sometimes, I do not feel them while I am still caring for patients. I usually feel the pain after my shift. I just have to elevate them. I will go to a foot spa for a great massage sometimes. It did help with cramps or strains in my feet. It is really important to pamper our feet and take care of them.
Exercise as a diagnostic tool
Thursday, June 4th, 2009 Did you know about this? Exercise not only boosts fitness and wards off disease, it should also help you feel better. If it doesn’t , pay attention to your symptoms. The rigors of a work out function as a whole-body stress test that can reveal an array of serious medical conditions that might otherwise go undiagnosed and untreated.
For example, the headaches that plagued a 57-year-old man shortly after the start of vigorous physical activity actually signalled the presence of blocked coronary arteries. The Physician and Sportsmedicine, a professional journal, described this and an assortment of other case histories of exercise-induced red flags:
• Fatigue and poor athletic performance: a possible sign of anemia.
• A noticeable drop in speed and nimbleness: Parkinson’s disease.
• Abdominal cramping and diarrhea: inflammation of the colon.
• A severe headache or incoherence: a brain tumor.
• Repeated bouts of tendinitis: hypothyroidism.
Granted, many workout-related aches, pains, and other ailments stem from nothing more than an over ambitious attempt to cram a week’s worth of exercise into a single session at the gym. But any symptom that’s unusual, intense, or persistent merits prompt medical attention. Exercise may be intended to promote health, but don’t ignore its ability to uncover illness.
Adrenaline came rushing
Sunday, March 29th, 2009Today I worked Day shift 6am-2pm. I set my alarm clock at 5:30 am. My alarm went off but I think I was still half awake and turned it off without my awareness. I was dreaming that I am already prepared for my shift. Then finally I suddenly wake up and when I looked at the clock, it was already 5:56am. All my adrenaline came rushing. I jumped off the bed and was fully awake in just a moment. I was kind of confused as to what do I need to do first. Finally I figured it out. Of course, I was not able to have a full shower as I used to before my every shift. Fortunately, I arrived in the birth room 2 minutes before endorsement time. It is good that I am just staying in the clinic where I work.
Renal stones?
Monday, February 16th, 2009Last night I was about to iron my nursing type C uniform for my first day Training. I was very excited by then. But just before I plugged the iron, I suddenly had a very severe left flank pain. I sat for a while and observe the pain. The pain is getting more painful and I started to have scanty painful urination. I drank a lot of water plus buko juice (good for UTIs). I diagnosed myself with UTI (urinary tract infection) but I am alarmed because the pain is confined in my left flank and I was positive CVA (costovertebral angle) and it is very painful even I was not touching the area. I was thinking of having pyelonephritis (inflammation of the kidneys) or renal stones on the left kidney. Because of the pain I decided to have a check-up in the hospital.
The orientation day
Monday, February 16th, 2009I woke up early this morning for our general hospital orientation for the hospital where we will be having our training. I was so excited that even though I set the alarm, I woke up few times and checked of the time just in case my alarm did not went off.
I arrive in there just on time. While waiting for the speakers, I met two nurses and we become friends. It felt so good to see the facilities of the hospital. It is the hospital were we had our affiliation when we were still nursing students. It did have great progress for ten years. Of course for the span of time it is expected to improve. We will start our duty in 3 days. I am excited already though it will be hard and tiring. I will not mind it as long as I can serve people and learn a lot at the same time.
Moody day
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009Today I do not feel good. I was moody. I do not know why but may be due to hormonal changes. Lol. Anyways, someone got me to insert an IV (intravenous) to the patient. I prayed that God would still help me to insert it successfully even I am not in the mood. God really did not disappointment. I got it in one try. To God be the glory.
PRICE is the right treatment
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 I am reminded about my sister’s motorcycle accident last year. She almost broke her leg. Thanks God she only had sprain on her knee. It made her knee very swollen. The PRICE treatment did help. Now she is able to walk without any support.
“Sprain” is used to describe a wide range of injuries. But a true sprain involves damage to ligaments, the bands of elastic like tissue that support joints by connecting the bones. Sprains can often be treated with simple home-care measures. However, there are times you should see medical attention.
To treat a minor soft-tissue injury, remember the letters PRICE, which stand for Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.
• Protection – protect your joint from further injury. An elastic wrap, brace, sling, air-cast, cane or crutches may help support the joint that cause pain or swelling.
• Ice – cold reduces swelling and inflammation, decreases muscle spasms and helps relieve pain.
Apply ice or an ice pack with a dry towel or a blanket for insulation. Apply ice for no more than 20 minutes at a time, several times a day. Don’t apply heat, which can cause more swelling. If you have vascular disease, rheumatism or decreased sensation, talk to your doctor before applying ice.
• Compression – this decreases bruising and swelling. Keep the joint wrapped until swelling subsides. Keep the wrap snug but not tight. Loosen if pain increases or you have numbness.
• Elevation – raising a swollen joint above the level of your heart reduces swelling. This is especially important at night.
Continue the PRICE treatment as long as it helps. You may want to take acetaminophen (Tylenol) for pain or nonaspirin anti-inflammatory drug, such as ibuprofen (advil, motrin), for pain and inflammation (aspirin may slightly increase risk of bleeding).
Hydrogen Peroxide
Monday, February 2nd, 2009I mistakenly used hydrogen peroxide as a facial cleanser today. It took me a while to realize that it was it. I wondered why the smell is very different than my usual cleanser. I remembered that I put a little amount of hydrogen peroxide in an empty facial cleanser bottle. It really smelled very stink. I prepared and brought it with me when we had our youth camp. It was just for first aid emergency use only. The thing was I did not put a label in it. I was so glad that it was not used but I suffered the dose of my own medicine. It is always necessary to put a label when you are putting some thing in a container. This one of the lessons to be learned.