Clinical Day II

Today was my second day of clinical in the hospital. I have to say that I felt much more confident when I hit the floor at 0630--I hope that trend continues.

By the luck of the draw I got paired with another awesome nurse today. My assignment was to pick a single patient, complete my assessment, and then collect enough data to write up a total care plan. Given how awesome my nurse was, I made the executive decision to tag along with her and watch her manage the care of 5 acute patients instead. As a result I ended up with doing 5 assessments instead of just one, and all before 0830. After that we started passing meds, and she was so cool. Her challenge to me was that if I could correctly name the drug's purpose off the top of my head without looking it up, I could relay that information to the patient as I...ahem...happened to hand the patient the little medication cup that may, or may not have had the medication in it. I may have pushed a few syringes that may, or may not have had medication in them as well. Of course I couldn't *officially* pass meds since I haven't been checked off on that skill. But let's just say that my years as a pharmacy tech really paid off today...

Amongst our patients today was a patient I got to know last week--a 36 y/o male who'd had a suspected stroke. He was in a semi-coma and completely unresponsive. The docs really had no idea what was going on with the patient though. He'd spiked a bad temp, but wasn't responding to any of the antibiotics they threw at him. None of his cultures were growing anything either. Such a young guy, in good shape too, and has a wife and young kids. Anyway, as the tech and I were giving him a bath today, I noticed when I was washing his back/sides he was twitching a little bit like I was tickling him. So I said something to the nurse, and he started squeezing her hand on request. Later when doing oral care on him, he was retracting his lips to help. And then he started lifting his head and following you with his eyes. When I was leaving for post-conference he actually spoke to the nurse.

That was a pretty amazing experience--he's been admitted for two weeks today, and completely unresponsive the whole time. Until today. I've been blessed with some pretty awesome experiences in my two days of clinical. I hope the trend continues, because I've heard of classmates of mine not being quite so lucky. Personally I think someone is watching out for me. I just don't think I could handle a shitty clinical experience with everything else that's weighing on me right now.

Anyway--the next two weeks we're in lab instead of clinical, so no stories of codes or miraculous awakenings. Although, stay tuned for a post where I talk shit. Literally.

Checked Off

Had my NG Tube Placement, Foley Catheter Placement, and Sterile Wound Dressing check offs today. All went smoothly, and my assessor was really nice. She showed me some real world modifications of the book's procedures, so that was really helpful.

There was a job fair at my school today sponsored by the Career Services. Several hospitals were among the employers there to recruit. I had planned on visiting between my check-off practice this morning and my check offs at 1300. I dropped by and everyone in the place was in business dress and I was in my scrubs. And the room was absolutely packed. I just didn't feel like dealing with the extra stress, so I bailed and studied my check-off material instead. I have a pretty short list of hospitals I'd like to work at, and none of them were there, so I didn't stress about it too much.

Today is Mrs. Drofen's birthday, so I stopped at the local mom & pop bakery where we got our wedding cake made to get her a birthday cake. Unfortunately they no longer accept debit cards due to all the fees associated with them. Well, I didn't have cash and I'm not allowed to carry checks, so they ended up losing a sale completely.

I've debated about whether or not to blog this next part. To blog it validates that it pisses me off and that it affects me. Remember this post? Well it wasn't long after that I noticed that she was no longer on my friends list on Facebook or Myspace. So I headed over to her blog (that she gave me the address to) and left a comment along the lines of: "Hey I noticed you unfriended me on FB and MS, I don't know that I completely understand why, but I can respect that. I just wanted to let you know that there are no hard feelings and that I hope things go well for you."

Big mistake apparently. I happened by her blog again yesterday, only to discover a long post about me. She apparently believes I am cyber-stalking her, (nothing could be further from the truth,) and claims that I have threatened her, (never happened.) She proceeds to tell me that Big Brother is watching, and that she's recorded my IP address etc, (uh, duh?!?). She says that my comments regarding her FB status quote that started all this were multi-paragraph tirades, (they weren't.) And her little crony friends all made snide comments on the post, how much of an idiot I am, etc. The worst part is where she says that we're not friends, will never be friends, and never were friends in the past. I had always considered her a friend back in high school. We had multiple honor's classes together, worked on multiple class projects together, I played tennis with her boyfriend, etc. It just makes me wonder how many people I consider friends never were... So, it pisses me off to have my character libeled like that, but I think I'm just going to let it go. The LA sun & smog has clearly cooked her brain tissue.

Just sucks getting kicked in Internet-balls for no real reason.

And that's my post for today.

Clinical tomorrow morning butt-ass early.

I Am Second

If you don't know this story, watch it now.

I Am Second

The Holiday

I remember when the previews for this movie were playing on TV I thought that it sounded like a good story, but something about the previews made me think it would be disappointing. As a result I've never watched the film, and once again the Netflix Queue surprises...

When I started watching the film last night (after a full day of in-law exposure,) I was tired, and honestly needed something fluffy to soothe my brain while the day wound down. I wasn't prepared at all for how endearing and witty this movie actually was.

As the movie began to play I was repeatedly pleasantly surprised as familiar faces filled the screen. I knew it was a "Kate Winslet" movie, but was happy to see Jude Law, Cameron Diaz, and Jack Black fill out the cast. Even more of a pleasant surprise was meeting Eli Wallach for the first time.

The movie follows several story lines simultaneously, a la Love Actually. We meet Iris (Winslet) and Amanda (Diaz) on opposite sides of the The Pond, but their situations couldn't be much more similar. Both are emotionally stunted in the way they relate to others, leading empty un-fulfilling lives as a result. Fed up to the very breaking point, both end up on the web searching for a way to get away from it all. Where their lives intersect is a home-exchange website, and on a whim they agree to swap homes for a few weeks vacation.

The two leading ladies here are fantastic together, and I have to say I was a bit surprised. This is a wonderful example of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. I'm ambivalent about both of these actresses. Kate Winslet will forever be tarnished by Titanic for me (eww, Leonardo Di Caprio cooties!) and I often find Cameron Diaz terribly obnoxious and annoying. Here however, Diaz actually finds subtlety within a self-absorbed, obnoxious L.A. socialite of a character. She does an excellent job of bringing out a tender side that leaves the viewer actually caring about her situation. Kate Winslet's character is just as beautifully played, and watching the transformation in her life as she spreads her wings through the course of the movie was particularly enjoyable to watch.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again--I really like Jude Law. I think he's a remarkably versatile actor, and painfully underrated in the Hollywood scene. Here he does not disappoint, playing Iris' brother, and Amanda's new love interest. He's refreshingly open, honest, and vulnerable, but shields a secret close to his heart. I won't give away his secret, just in case you haven't yet seen the film. Suffice it to say when I finally got a handle on his character, my heart ached in hope for him and Amanda.

Jack Black on the other hand is a bit of an enigma to me. Slapstick comedy that shows up in many of his films (Nacho Libre?) just isn't my cup of tea. I tolerated School of Rock--saved only by his tender heart for the kids. Much of the same to report with Shallow Hal. He really does have a great heart that comes across in most of his characters, and this film is no exception. A little quirky, but lovable, he's good medicine for Iris--if only their loyal hearts will allow them to accept the manner in which they met.

One of my favorite characters in this character-rich film is Arthur Abbott played by Eli Wallach. Eli Wallach has a rich cinematographic history spanning almost 60 years. This film is the first I've seen of him to my knowledge. Arthur Abbott is delightfully quirky with a wonderful outlook on life, and I really get the sense that Wallach didn't do much acting. If he did, it was masterfully, if not seamlessly done.

Overall this movie was wonderfully romantic, and beautifully shot. The areas depicted of Surrey, England and L.A. both were just gorgeous. The film left the viewer rooting for its characters, and that's always a good thing.

This film is rated PG-13, with a few sexual situations that seem to arise in modern dating relationships. No nudity, and only a small amount of cussing--nothing terribly distracting. Watch the movie, you'll enjoy it.

I give this movie an A-.

Evolve Quote of the Day #5

Evolve Online, fostering improved relations between doctors and nurses.

A client becomes nauseated after eating lunch and is vomiting. The physician has written an order for Compazine 10mg PO or rectal PRN nausea. What action should you take?

• A. Contact the physician to recommend the rectal route.

• B. Notify the physician that the rectal route will be used.

• C. Contact the physician to determine the route of administration.

Of the 3, I think "B" is my favorite--imagine, if you will, how that conversation might go...

Clinical Jeopardy

Category:

• Nursing School

Clues:

• Insertion of a rectal tube.
• Deep tracheal suction.
• Bagging of a coding patient.
• Bagging of a freshly intubated coding patient.
• Grabbing the ankles of a seizing patient and dragging them back into bed, inches from hitting the floor head first after a doctor took the headboard off the bed.
  
• Helping move and transfer approximately 19 million patients.

Answer:

• What are things Drofen did during his very first day of clinical?
  

Fireproof

We watched this movie at a dinner party for our small group from our church. As soon as I heard of the movie I knew that it was definitely one I wanted to see. We almost went and saw it in the theater, but decided to wait until it came out on DVD.

First an observation about the movie and where it fits in the world. The movie very clearly and unapologetically carries Christian under/overtones. On IMDB there is a rating system that relies on user votes, and not surprisingly there is huge spike at either end of the scale--1 out of 10 stars and 10 out of 10 stars. Obviously the movie contains some pretty controversial content.

The movie gains the viewer an inside look at the Holt marriage, and frankly it's not a pretty picture. Caleb Holt, played by Kirk Cameron, is hot headed, selfish, and unappreciative. His marriage is in shambles, and all he can say is it isn't all his fault. His wife, played by Erin Bethea, is bitter and at the end of her rope. She's sure that their marriage is over and flirts with the shady line of an affair. Enter the Love Dare and watch the fireworks fly...

This movie was important for me to see. My marriage isn't as healthy as it could be, as hard as that is to admit. We struggle sometimes. And Kirk Cameron echoed some of the things that come out of my mouth on a regular basis when we fight. It is an ugly experience watching the very worst of yourself on screen. It's tough to sit passively in a group of people when you're afraid someone might recognize you on screen.

That being said, as good as the story is, the acting was abysmal. Terrible. Awful. I've seen after-school specials with better acting. The acting was forced, preachy, clunky. It was demeaning in the sense that clearly the writers/producers/actors thought we, the audience, were too stupid to pick up on subtlety. So to be sure we didn't miss the message, they lit it up in Vegas style neon, but without the style.

But. I'm going to recommend that you see the film, especially if you are married. Even if you think you're about to be divorced. ESPECIALLY if you're about to be divorced. It's an important message--heaven knows this country's marriages need any help they can get.

Even if it comes in the form of the proverbial sledgehammer to the noggin.

Overall I give the message an A, the acting a D-.

The Rite of Parenthood #10

The successful parent knows the importance of raising a courteous and respectful child.

The successful parent realizes that it's the spirit and earnestness behind the words that matter more than the actual words.

For example, when the 2 y/o belches, and is prompted, "What do you say when you burp?", it is completely appropriate when she says in all earnestness and gravity:

"Thank you!"

Massaged

So my massage was this morning. It was...interesting.

Jamie turned out to be Janice. Janice turned out to be 4'11" with hands the size of a 9 y/o. (I know, I have one.) And she wore a fanny pack.

Janice was very interested to hear that I was a doctor of chiropractic and said, "Maybe I should come work in your office."

She said, "Maybe this is my interview."

I said, "Maybe."

I didn't have the heart to tell her that I didn't have an office.

Massage therapists should be happy. They definitely shouldn't hate their job. Or if they do, they should keep that to themselves. Janice didn't seem very happy. And she didn't seem to like her job much.

I probably wouldn't have hired her if I did have a practice.

Overall it was nice. But massage therapists hands shouldn't start shaking halfway through the massage from the effort. Also I would have rather she spent less time on my face and my glutes and more time on my back, but apparently my 50 minutes were up because I got a cursory swipe and wipe on my back.

It was a really great gift, and I'd love to have another.

Just probably not with Janice.

Search Engine Fun

This is truly amusing - if you read it, consider yourself tagged :)

Type in your name and the word "needs" in quotes ("[Your first name] needs”) ("Amy needs") into your favorite search engine and see what comes up. List the first 10 that actually answer the question.

1. Drofen needs money.
2. Drofen needs a fair trial.
3. Drofen needs your help.
4. Drofen needs to see.
5. Drofen needs a sanctuary, a periodic retreat from the...
6. Drofen needs to postpone visit.
7. Drofen needs to keep in touch with the people that really matter.
8. Drofen needs the boot.
9. Drofen needs a cup of joe.
10. Drofen needs very attentive supervision in situations with strangers.
    

My back...

...is hair free.

That is all.

A Girl Named Herman

I alluded to selling my truck to pay for nursing school, and driving my LandCruiser instead. Since she's a little special, I thought I'd introduce everybody.

She is a 1984 (25 years old this year, classic car status baby!) Toyota LandCruiser FJ60. She's definitely named Herman. And she's definitely a "her", moody as can be, and you have to whisper sweet nothings in her ear occasionally to make her happy. So, without further adieu, here she is:Herman will be growing up over the next few weeks--a lift, some larger tires, tint, new windshield, so stay tuned for pictures.

Valentine's & Such

Valentine's Day was pretty good this year.

My wife brought me flowers, and she wanted to make sure I let everyone know that she decided to that before she read my blog about only receiving flowers once before in my life.

I also got a card, and inside that card was an appointment card for a 50 minute massage at a new massage clinic in town! Never had a massage before, so that will be...fun? Stimulating?

There was much discussion with her and some of my other friends about whether the massuese will be male or female. To muddy the waters the appointment was made with "Jamie" a la Pat from SNL. Some one suggested that if it were a guy then I wouldn't have to worry about a certain parasympathetic reaction occurring. My retort to that was the only thing worse would be if that happened and it WAS a guy masseuse!!

My appointment is for in the morning, and my wife has promised to help me with some grooming functions in preparation--namely back hair, which I unfortunately can't reach with my electric clippers.

In return I got my wife a card and a pedometer so she can start counting steps.

Our small group had a couples only dinner, and then watched Fireproof. I'll be doing a review of the movie here soon. It was a really nice evening. Capped it all off with some painful but soundless (Baby Drofen was in his bassinet at bedside,) adult recreation.

So thank you Mrs. Drofen for a lovely Valentine's weekend. And thank you for trying to get us 'back in the saddle.' Mostly thank you for trimming my back hair for me. :)

Spinach Olive Potato Fritata

Ingredients:

1. One large baking potato
2. 8 eggs
3. 2 tablespoons chopped black olives
4. 1 cup chopped fresh spinach
5. 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
6. 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese

Directions:

Coat bottom of an oven safe 10" omelet skillet with olive oil and heat until hot. Cut potato into 1/4ths lengthwise and slice thinly. Brown potato slices on medium high heat, then cover and turn down to medium low heat for 10 minutes, or until potato slices are cooked through. Meanwhile, crack 8 eggs into bowl and mix with fork. Stir in black olives. Turn heat on skillet back up to medium high, and add egg/olive mixture. Sprinkle chopped spinach evenly over skillet, pressing in until embedded in egg mixture. Cook until bottom and sides of eggs are set up, with only a liquid center. Sprinkle both cheddar and Romano cheese evenly over the top, and place skillet on top oven rack, 4" under hot broiler. Roast, checking often, until center is set and cheese is melted. Let stand at least 5 minutes before serving.

Variations:

I've tried this with diced tomatoes and grated onions added as well. If you're a big olive fan, sliced olives work well too--my wife isn't and the chopped olives are lower profile.

One Word

Stolen from Danasaur.

1. Where is your cell phone? Pocket
2. Your significant other? Reading
3. Your hair? Short
4. Your mother? Practical
5. Your father? Old
6. Your favorite thing? Happiness
7. Your dream last night? Anxiety
8. Your favorite drink? Water
9. Your dream/goal? Happiness
10. What room you are in? Living
11. Your hobby? Photography
12. Your fear? Failure
13. Where do you want to be in 7 years? Packing
14. Where were you last night? Couch
15. First kiss? Junior-high
16. Rockets? Houston?
17. Wish list item? Weight-loss
18. Where you grew up? Farm
19. Last thing you did? Walk
20. What are you wearing? Clothes
21. Your TV? Backyardigans
22. Your medium? Light
23. Friends? Some
24. Your life? Searching
25. Your mood? Tired
26. Missing some one? Myself
27. Car? LandCruiser
28. Something you’re not wearing? Hat
29. Your favorite store [designer]? J. Crew
30. Your favorite color? Olive
31. Your favorite food? Fresh
32. Your favorite smell? Rain
33. When is the last time you laughed? 2y/o
34. Last time you cried? Fight
35. Who will repost this? JK
36. One place that I go to over and over? School
37. One person who emails me regularly? Friend
38. Favorite place to eat? Colorado
39. Why you participated in this survey? Bored
40. What are you doing tonight? Daddying.

In Common

Q: What do the following have in common:

• a 2 y/o drenched from armpit to knees in pee.
• a baby sized wet spot in the middle of mommy & daddy's bed.
• 2 piles of cat vomit on the bedroom carpet visible only to daddy's bare feet.
• 3 onesies in under an hour soaked in vomit or urine.

A: The beginning of Friday the 13th morning in the Drofen household.

The Rite of Parenthood #9

The successful parent realizes that certain sounds in the English language are more difficult to pronounce than others. For example, the hard "C" sound can be particularly troublesome for the 2 y/o palate. Often the child will approximate the sound as best they can from the repertoire of sounds they have already mastered. For example, a 2 y/o might substitute a hard "T" sound for a hard "C" sound.

The successful parent realizes that to avoid discouraging a child from learning, it is important to maintain a straight face when this approximation makes for unfortunate mistakes in the pronunciation of words.

Even when the 2 y/o chases the cat around the house shouting, "Here "T"itty, "T"itty, "T"itty!"

Significant Other Significant Facts

Another survey stolen from Christy because, well, I'm particularly succeptible to the power of suggestion lately.

This is a survey about you and your significant other and if you're reading this, consider yourself tagged:


♥ What are your middle names?
Dawn and a name that is never uttered aloud.

♥ How long have you been together?
Almost 10 years, been married for 3.5. It's complicated.

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating?
Again, complicated. How long did we know each other before we were emotionally involved? A few weeks. How long before we were officially able to date? 4.5 years.

♥ Who asked who out?
I asked her out, incessantly until she agreed just to shut me up.

♥ How old are each of you?
I'm 33, she's about to turn 30, HAHA!

♥ Whose siblings do/did you see the most?
Hers--she has 7 of them and most live within a couple hours. I only have one and she lives about 10 hours away.

♥ Do you have any children together?
Two, the 2 y/o and baby Drofen.

♥ What about pets? Names?
A golden retriever, Bo, two cats, Dusty and Babycat, and a Russian tortoise named Nadya.

♥ Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
Hmm, probably a tie between the stepmother/daughter relationship between her and the 9 y/o or the whole chiro school debacle.

♥ Did you go to the same school?
HS no, but we met in microbiology class in undergrad.

♥ Are you from the same home town?
Negative. She's from Greenville, TX (One time official motto: The blackest earth and the whitest people.) Seriously.

♥ Who is the smartest?
I know I have the smartass-iest mouth, does that count?

♥ Who is the most sensitive?
Toss up really. I get my feelings hurt way too easily I think.

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple?
We don't really eat out anymore, but when we did probably Mexican restaurants.

♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Probably Belize, or maybe NYC, I'd have to look at a map to see which is farther.

♥ Who has the craziest exes?
Dunno, the easy answer is me since I have that ex-wife we have to deal with on a regular basis. But she had an ex that would openly booty call her even after he knew we were dating.

♥ Who has the worst temper?
Blow the top, definitely me. But she gets testy much more often.

♥ Who does the cooking?
I do almost all the cooking.

♥ Who is more social?
I am, or at least I have way more people I talk to on a regular basis.

♥ Who is the neat-freak?
Probably her, although since we've had kids she cares less and I care more than we used to.

♥ Who is the more stubborn?
I am hands down.

♥ Who hogs the bed?
Right now, her & baby Drofen

♥ Who wakes up earlier?
Toss up. She's been up more in the middle of the night, but I'm the one up every morning to get the 9 y/o out of bed for school.

♥ Where was your first date?
Hmm, we went to an ultimate frisbee park to walk and talk soon after we realized we had feelings for each other. Official date, I'd have to play male and say I don't remember.

♥ Who has the bigger family?
Her--6 sisters and a brother.

♥ Do you get flowers often?
I've never gotten flowers from her. I occasionally buy some when I'm at the grocery store and on special occasions. Only one girl has ever bought me flowers (other than corsages) and I'll remember her for that for all time. So sweet.

♥ How do you spend the holidays?
Most get spent with hers, basically because of distance. We try and alternate the major holidays.

♥ Who is more jealous?
Used to be me. I was pretty bad when she was in nursing school. But somehow she always managed to be working with one of the boy nursing students--there were only like 8 or 9 in her whole class.

♥ How long did it take to get serious?
Way too serious, way too soon.

♥ Who eats more?
Me.

♥ Who does/did the laundry?
We do our own. I generally do the towels and she does the little kids. We both do the 9 y/o.

♥ Who’s better with the computer?
I am.

♥ Who drives when you are together?
I usually do. She says I make her feel like I'm driving with her dad.

School Days

I remember reading other nursing student's blogs and wondering why they seemed to blog so sporadically. I thought, "Surely the class load isn't keeping them from blogging?!? I won't do that.

Ha. Here I am 4 days since my last meaningful post, with a couple of photos thrown in to pass the time.

We had our first exam of the semester this morning--Assessment. It was over a lot of material, half of which we were never lectured on because of our bad weather days a couple weeks ago. I did pretty well, having found one question so far that I know I've missed, and one question that possibly didn't have a correct answer at all. The exam had 65 questions on it, so that puts each one worth less than 2 points so I can miss 5 and still have an A.

I've been studying my butt off though, trying to get everything done. It's become more than a little ridiculous though, and near impossible to complete everything and be a participant in the outside world. I had two days of clinical last week because I'm a boy, and that got rid of one of my days off. Friday I lounged and did nothing, which turned out to be a big mistake. Saturday I started freaking out in the morning at the volume of material I had to do, so immediately after lunch I hit the books. I got most of my Foundations and Health Promotions reading finished by about 9 pm. Sunday, I got the family out the door to church, then hit the grocery store while making a pizza for their lunch. I was in Barnes & Noble (a favorite study spot,) by 1230 and I didn't get home until 9 pm. I finished my reading for Foundations, completed a LONG ASS online module, and studied 4 of 6 chapters for the exam. Monday I was in class all day long, got home at 430, made dinner for the family, and then got them out the door to small group meeting while I studied the last two chapters. Ugh. I'm tired just thinking about it. Or maybe I'm still tired from doing it.

No break though, because I have lab at 2 until 5, then home to fix dinner. Then I have yet another online module to finish before midnight tonight.

Oy.

Anyway, I hope to be around to all your blogs this evening sometime and do some catch-up commenting. Thanks to everyone for checking on me! :)

Cadillac Ranch #2

Canon 40d, Canon 17-40mm f4L
1/400s f8 at 17mm iso200

Cadillac Ranch #1

Canon 40d, Canon 17-40mm f4L
1/640s f8 at 40mm iso200

Cadillac Ranch outside Amarillo TX.

Evolve Quote of the Day #4

Troubleshooting lack of urine output after catheterization:

"If catheter is misplaced in vaginal opening, make a second attempt with another sterile catheter."

Oops.

Bath Day

As I alluded to in an earlier post, today was Bath Day, or actually the instructors titled it, "Bed, Bath, and Beyond." Ha! The morning started off a very chilly 27* this morning, and the heaters in the Smart Hospital were apparently not working. I had a very chilly hike across campus since we're not allowed to wear any unapproved coats or jackets over our uniform--or we'll be written a ticket by the Fashion Police for being out of uniform. Yes, really.

Of course since I'm the solitary guy in my clinical group, and we can't have any fraternizing (**GASP**) I get to attend lab today, and tomorrow. Yay!

My experience today was startlingly trenchant. Since I was not with my clinical group, I was quite literally being cared for by a total stranger. And I found the experience completely humiliating. I was given a bed bath, complete dependent oral care, and fed nectar thick liquids observing aspiration precautions. Don't get me wrong, my partner was very professional, and was actually quite good as he's been a tech for 6 years. But the overall experience was quite demeaning. I'm just not very good at being helpless I think. My personal space is pretty big too, and I really hate being touched without my permission. So honestly I found the experience fairly violating.

I imagine I'm not the only one to feel that way. It's given me an interesting perspective--even the best care can still be offensive or not enough. And it has nothing to do with the caregiver.

Anyway, I'll be processing this day for a while.

Evolve Quote of the Day #3

From the module on urinary catheterization, regarding palpation of the bladder for distention:

"Remember that the palpation of a full bladder increases the urge to void."

Umm....ya think?

Chilly

Student nurse Drofen thinks a 27* morning in a building with a broken heater is a lousy time to learn and practice bed baths on each other.

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Sent from the Cingular network using Mobile Email

First Born Survey

Here you go mommies (and daddies thank you very much!!!) - a different kind of survey for a change - it's all about your first born. If you're a parent and you're reading this, consider yourself tagged.

Let's see how much you remember!

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? No

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Not really. We were engaged, but I was about to break it off. We scheduled a big talk, and she told me she was pregnant. Good thing I let her go first.

3. WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION? Honestly? I was kind of turned on. It's happened all three times.

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? No

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 23

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? She was late, and her girlfriend was in town for the pre-wedding festivities and made her take a pregnancy test. Turns out when you stop taking your birth control pills, you're not only no longer protected, but you're also fertile as Napa Valley.

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? I guess I was the 3rd to know. The next person I told was a good friend at the time.

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? Yes, I was hoping for a boy at the time, but I'm so glad she and the next one were girls.

9. DUE DATE? April 16

10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? She did, but I'm pretty sure she milked it.

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? She craved butterscotch pudding. She would make huge bowls of it at time. She wouldn't finish one bowl before she made the next. The frig was constantly full of it.

12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? Our parents who were constantly trying to do the math to see if we'd had sex before we got married.

13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? A girl.

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? Again, at the time yes, but now no way.

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? She gained about 75 lbs--which was bad because she's 5'1"

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? I don't think so. We didn't know anyone where we lived.

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? See above.

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? Other than a big case of the first-time-parent-stupids?

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Arlington Memorial Hospital, Arlington TX. I would not recommend it to anyone.

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? She was induced at 9 am, and delivered 12:30 pm the next day, so 27 1/2.

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? I did. We made a stupid posterboard sign to put up in the window. "WOMAN IN LABOR" I felt like a really big dork. I even ran a red light just cause I could and she was shrieking in pain. She only had the cervidil in...

22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Myself, and my ex mother-in-law. This was before I began hoping she'd be hit by a bus.

23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? It was vaginal, but I wouldn't call it a natural birth. Far from it--totally intervention laden.

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? She had many shots of demerol before they finally gave her an epidural.

25. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 9 lbs 6 oz.

26. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN? March 31, 1999

27. WHAT DID YOU NAME HER? "The 9 y/o"

28. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? She will be 10 at the end of next month.

The Rite of Parenthood #8

The successful parent knows that baby clothes sizing is often very subjective, and not really standardized. Which is why it's perfectly normal for a 7 week old infant to have already outgrown his newborn, AND 3 month sized footed pajamas...

...right?

The kid's in 6 month clothes and size 2 diapers!!

Shuffle Meme: Cup O' Tea, Newsboys

1. Put your iTunes on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. You must write down the name of the song no matter how silly it sounds!
4. Put any comments in brackets after the song name.
5. Tag at least 10 friends

What do your friends think of you?
Godspeed (Sweet Dreams), Dixie Chicks

If someone says, “Is this okay?” You say...
Forgive and Forget, Avalon

How would you describe yourself?
The Secret Wedding (Braveheart Soundtrack), London Symphony Orchestra

What do you like in a guy/girl?
Suite in C Major for Solo Cello, BWV 1009, John Williams

How do you feel today?
The First Noel, Sergio Franchi

What is your life’s purpose?
Don't Think I Won't, Mark Wills

What is your motto?
Dreams, Kenny Chesney

What do you think about very often?
Slow Motion, Third Eye Blind

What is 2+2?
What I Miss About Heaven, Lee Ann Womack

What do you think of your best friend?
Your Love Is Extravagant, Casting Crowns (HA!)

What do you think of the person you love?
Eye, Plum

What is your life story?
Always & Forever, Raze

What do you want to be when you grow up?
Trouble, Indigo Girls

What do you think of when you see the person you love?
I Will Be There, Britney Spears

What will you dance to at your wedding?
You Don't Know What Love Is, Lonestar

What will they play at your funeral?
Old Enough, Nickelback

What is your hobby/interest?
Everybody's Free To Feel Good (Romeo & Juliet Soundtrack), Quindon Tarver

What is your biggest fear?
Why Would You Go Back, Jeni Varnadeau

What is your biggest secret?
Carried Away, George Strait

What do you think of your friends?
I Heard The Bells, MercyMe

What will you post this as?
Cup O' Tea, Newsboys

Sounded more fun that it actually was...LOL.

Dear Mr. Continuously Ringing Cellphone,

I understand that I am in a public place, and even though I am studying, I should expect to be interrupted by many of the distractions going on around me. But even if I weren't currently studying, I would still find the following excruciatingly annoying:

1. A full 7 minutes of continuously ringing cell phone at full volume.

2. A ridiculously flamboyant ring tone.

3. Blank stare in return of pointed looks of annoyance by everyone else in Barnes & Noble.

Let me explain this to you as gently as I can. I have been studying urinary catheterization and feel fully qualified to take your cell phone and shove it directly through your penile meatus and deep into the average 8 inches of your male urethra. For your information that would be like a size 95 French. M'kay?

Weekend Round Up

Here's a brief post about the last few days.

Thursday was the first day of non-orientation type Foundations Lab (what we do when we're not at clinical.) It was at our Smart Hospital which apparently is revolutionary and has been toured by thousands and thousands of school administrators and government people from several different countries. It's basically a sim lab with dummy's etc, but it's set up a like a real hospital. There are ICU suites, ER suites, pedi suites, OBGYN suites, etc. Anyway it's pretty cool. But we found out as soon as we arrived that we would be working with 'standardized patients'--patients that are paid actors, but from the community. And the kicker was that they were going to be evaluating our skills! Our skills that we had only heard lecture over, and hadn't even practiced on each other, let alone real people! Nice little surprise to generate some sympathetic responses. It was very stressful, luckily we got to go in the rooms as pairs, so we could feed off of each other. We did our PPE and hand-washing check-off and I passed, thank goodness. I was a bit worried because the gown, mask, and gloves were all about 3 sizes too small for me. In fact the gown hiked up my sleeve and displayed my shoulder tattoo, which is normally NOT visible, and the instructor griped at me, big fun.

Yesterday we traveled to my wife's home town where one of two sisters that are pregnant had delivered the night before. She was about 38 weeks along when she delivered and it was really bad timing, haha. I told her husband to get used to it, because that's how it works when you have kids, LOL! They had a baby shower scheduled at their church--which went on without her, since they couldn't notify everyone that it would be canceled. They also just bought a house and had to be out of their current house post haste. So I spent the day with my F-I-L and the husband's father and brother moving all their furniture. I'm SORE today, but it was good, we got all their furniture moved, and picked up some new furniture and a frig for them also. I couldn't believe how lazy his family was though, anything that was heavy, they arranged it so my F-I-L and I got the honors. At first it could have been coincidence, but towards the end it was really obvious. Kind of frustrating, but oh well. We got home about 6 pm (they live about 90 miles from us) and I grilled up some bacon wrapped venison back-strap. The bacon grease totally caught on fire on the grill, but somehow miraculously the whole thing ended up grilled to perfection--better to be lucky than good I guess.

Today my wife, the 2 y/o and Baby Drofen are staying home from church because the 2 y/o has a green snotty nose that she's working out. The 9 y/o and I will be going to church, and then it's school work all this afternoon. Way behind on reading since I was busy all day yesterday. And I have a couple modules to get through, so look for more Evolve QOTD posts.

Finally, here's a small prayer that Christy and her family is ok. They're caught up in the Kentucky ice storm aftermath. I was really worried last night because I hadn't heard from her in awhile, but then she posted late last night. Anyway, Christy, hope things are getting better...