Thursday, April 30, 2009
A Great Edition of Change Of Shift Is Up!
Change of Shift is up over at Codeblog. Get something great to drink and cozy up to the computer for a wonderful read! Click here.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
How To Stay Busy In A Nurse Practitioner Office
I stayed pretty busy today dealing with patients who are coming into the office with the same symptoms that I had Thurs-Sunday. It's not been overwhelming yet, but I can see it getting worse in the next few weeks.
I know that Swine Flu is supposed to be a respiratory illness, but I wonder if it's changed. I tried to talk to the health department about what I noticed in my office area, but they are not interested unless it's respiratory related with fever over 100.4.
I will swab the next pt with these symptoms and put a name to the one I'm seeing locally if I can.
I find it interesting that suddenly there is this much GI flu symptoms suddenly erupting?
Stay tuned!
I know that Swine Flu is supposed to be a respiratory illness, but I wonder if it's changed. I tried to talk to the health department about what I noticed in my office area, but they are not interested unless it's respiratory related with fever over 100.4.
I will swab the next pt with these symptoms and put a name to the one I'm seeing locally if I can.
I find it interesting that suddenly there is this much GI flu symptoms suddenly erupting?
Stay tuned!
Monday, April 27, 2009
The New Potential Pandemic-Swine Flu or How the NP Spent Her Weekend!
Well folks, I think that I have been the unfortunate victim of this illness. The sudden onset of low grade fever, body aches from hell, nausea, vomiting EVERY hour, chills, sweats, and now on day two the stuffy nose and slight cough. It's pretty bad when you base what you try to eat consists of "will this taste as good coming back up in the next hour?"
After seeing a patient with the above symptoms, within 22 hours, three people in our office came down with the same symptoms with varying times of exposure. I was the lucky one with the longest contact so I ended up with the full force of the illness. I am going to propose that this is an airborne virus as well and contact.
The good thing is that the process doesn’t last more than three or four days (I’ve heard and pray!)
I hope that you all don’t have to experience this illness for yourselves. Protect yourself and your families by washing your hands frequently and avoid obviously ill people if you can do so.
Since the post above, I've recovered completely and hope that no one else I know gets this. It was pretty bad! Please, please, please use proper precautions and pay attention to others who are sick around you. Hang in there!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Human Responses From A Family Nurse Practitioner
Nurses and Nurse Practitioners are human beings and it's our responses that make us that way. Often, as a nurse practitioner, I have to catch myself and avoid making snap judgments about the patients that I see at the office on first sight.
We've all done it.
The patient who walks in covered in tattoos and scraggly clothes reporting a bad back is a drug seeker. You know the type. Probably smokes weed and hasn't worked a day in forever and is just mooching the crap out of the system. What a loser! Right?
The patient who presents time after time with screaming high blood pressure is non compliant with their meds. I'm mean really! How hard is it to take a pill every morning for God's sake!
The patient who asks for Xanax for nerve problems is a psycho bipolar chick. She's antsy and must be on her manic stage and says she can't sleep. Wonder how much she was taking of the stuff before. Don't providers screen these people. Come on!
The mom who brings in her dirty, smelly barefooted kids crawling in head lice is a bad parent. I'm mean this one for sure is a loser and needs to have HRS called in and have those kids carted off to Foster parent land. Who does she think she is anyway? There are people who would love to have her kids and she doesn't deserve to have them if she can't take care of them.
Wait a minute: Here's the real story:
The man with the tats is a very nice, polite patient who's MRI shows multiple degenerative discs and has spinal cord compression issues. He gets pain meds and shows up to any appt that I make for him. Yes, he's a biker but he can't ride for those charity events like he used to and has a full time job that just about kills him to go to every day.
The screaming high blood pressure is stress related. His wife of 56 years is dying of cancer and he is having to drive her back and for to the next big city for chemo. He sometimes forgets to take his meds but once put on an anti anxiety med, his blood pressure responds. I have to remind him to take care of himself so that he can continue to help her.
The patient with the nerve problem survived physical and sexual child abuse for years and has extreme PTSD. She trialed several meds and I had to finally give her Xanax in a small dose and she is able to hold a job and be functional. She is getting counseling as well and is able to open up to me because I have been there myself. (That's another post)
The mom with kids that are dirty, smelly and have head lice are homeless and have just moved to the area to get away from an abusive boyfriend who was hurting her and the children. She doesn't do drugs, loves her kids and just needs someone to steer her in the right direction. She came in because she heard that I was a compassionate provider who really loves the kids in my practice and takes time to listen. She's been given the numbers for local shelters and is working on job training to better herself.
We all need to be careful not to judge a patient by their cover and take the time to get to know them before making snap decisions. There are true drug seekers who appear very put together and know exactly what to say to get what they want. Some are actually lovely little old ladies that you would find in any church social. Clean cut businessmen who you would take home to Mama are out there selling on the streets and making a killing.
You may even find health care providers wearing jeans and a tee shirt shopping at Walmart who aren't "all done up and representing". (I'm just a regular Mom type person, sorry!) I've been made comments to from other nurses that have seen me shopping and cattily mentioned that I didn't "look like a nurse practitioner that day." Too bad for you!
What types of snap judgements have you made?
We've all done it.
The patient who walks in covered in tattoos and scraggly clothes reporting a bad back is a drug seeker. You know the type. Probably smokes weed and hasn't worked a day in forever and is just mooching the crap out of the system. What a loser! Right?
The patient who presents time after time with screaming high blood pressure is non compliant with their meds. I'm mean really! How hard is it to take a pill every morning for God's sake!
The patient who asks for Xanax for nerve problems is a psycho bipolar chick. She's antsy and must be on her manic stage and says she can't sleep. Wonder how much she was taking of the stuff before. Don't providers screen these people. Come on!
The mom who brings in her dirty, smelly barefooted kids crawling in head lice is a bad parent. I'm mean this one for sure is a loser and needs to have HRS called in and have those kids carted off to Foster parent land. Who does she think she is anyway? There are people who would love to have her kids and she doesn't deserve to have them if she can't take care of them.
Wait a minute: Here's the real story:
The man with the tats is a very nice, polite patient who's MRI shows multiple degenerative discs and has spinal cord compression issues. He gets pain meds and shows up to any appt that I make for him. Yes, he's a biker but he can't ride for those charity events like he used to and has a full time job that just about kills him to go to every day.
The screaming high blood pressure is stress related. His wife of 56 years is dying of cancer and he is having to drive her back and for to the next big city for chemo. He sometimes forgets to take his meds but once put on an anti anxiety med, his blood pressure responds. I have to remind him to take care of himself so that he can continue to help her.
The patient with the nerve problem survived physical and sexual child abuse for years and has extreme PTSD. She trialed several meds and I had to finally give her Xanax in a small dose and she is able to hold a job and be functional. She is getting counseling as well and is able to open up to me because I have been there myself. (That's another post)
The mom with kids that are dirty, smelly and have head lice are homeless and have just moved to the area to get away from an abusive boyfriend who was hurting her and the children. She doesn't do drugs, loves her kids and just needs someone to steer her in the right direction. She came in because she heard that I was a compassionate provider who really loves the kids in my practice and takes time to listen. She's been given the numbers for local shelters and is working on job training to better herself.
We all need to be careful not to judge a patient by their cover and take the time to get to know them before making snap decisions. There are true drug seekers who appear very put together and know exactly what to say to get what they want. Some are actually lovely little old ladies that you would find in any church social. Clean cut businessmen who you would take home to Mama are out there selling on the streets and making a killing.
You may even find health care providers wearing jeans and a tee shirt shopping at Walmart who aren't "all done up and representing". (I'm just a regular Mom type person, sorry!) I've been made comments to from other nurses that have seen me shopping and cattily mentioned that I didn't "look like a nurse practitioner that day." Too bad for you!
What types of snap judgements have you made?
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Nurse Practitioner's Place Grandson's First Birthday
I had one of the most wonderful days in a long time today. My grandson's first birthday party was held today and was great success. All of the grandparents and some of the great grandparents were there to share the joy. We all cooked out and watched him open his presents and get into his birthday cake.
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