Adventures in nurseland

Tonight I had a first--I got stuck with a needle...not just any needle a freshly bloodied needle. I felt like an idiot. There are all kinds of gadgets these days that are a part of needles that are designed to protect healthcare workers from such needle sticks. However, if you do not engage the device...you are not actually safe from the shiny, menacing spear. So needless to say, I was stuck. My first thought was "don't bleed on the baby", my second thought was "oh sh@*!!!". See a needle stick in the hospital, dirty needle or not, requires at the very least a lengthy incident report. This report requires many pieces of information. Two such examples are explaining the "nature of the injury/incident" and most embarrassing--"contributing factors". How do I answer this...hmmm, #1 its night shift not always on my A game, #2 Carelessness-better not use this one or my job is at stake, #3 I've consumed two cups of coffee, four mini packs of gummi worms, three now and laters and a rockstar and a coke--therefore my hands could be shakey--also not a good one as I may seem unsafe at my job, #4 distraction. Ah thats the one. Next step as it was a dirty needle I now have to venture to the ED (emergency dept we don't call them ER's anymore). When I arrive the nurses say "eew-what's the baby got??" Thankfully I respond- "oh nothing, a blood clotting disorder and he was a premie, but overall healthy" then I think "Oh man, I don't really know the baby's family...sure they are from Nebraska and everyone knows no one in Nebraska has icky diseases *wink*, but seriously I don't know these parents. Then I start to get nervous. They hand me all of this paper work and information on the antiretroviral (anti AIDS/HIV) drugs I should probably start taking. *EEK!!* I decline the meds. I get some blood drawn by an EMT student who by the way was visibly shaking as he inserted the needle into my flesh. Now I sit here and think about the course of events. There is some info I'm given on how my risk is so little, though slightly higher then if blood had simply gotten on my skin or in my eye. I am not nervous or anything, but it makes me think. I take care of these innocent babies, but unfortunately their moms and dads aren't always so innocent. And even more unfortunately the babies sometimes suffer their parents circumstance. And bottom line---no matter how well dressed, good looking, wealthy, smart, put together a parent looks---they still could have AIDS, and I could still get it from a freakin accidental needle stick. Great. Why don't I get paid more again?!?!?

PS

Ok I didn't realize how long that was. Sorry. But now after writing something I'm passionate about I am far more awake!!

Politics

I don't usually like to talk about politics...especially at work. I am not educated enough on the candidates and to be honest sometimes I get frustrated at all the "strategies" I see being used. Two examples...Obama talking about MLK Jr. (who coincidentally was a Republican) in an effort to win the Black vote, and now McCain, selecting a female running mate which I assume in my uneducated mind is also in an effort to sway a large group of voters. Needless to say I consider myself conservative and have always voted Republican-since I've been able to. I get really irritated at all of the "Bush Bashers" mostly because I didn't hear too many complaints on Sept. 12th 2001. However, people always need to blame their current situation on someone, and unfortunately most choose the President. I don't agree and would personally like to give "W" a big ole kiss on the cheek and a hug for a job well done and a hard one at that. The point of all of my 3 am rambling is while at work tonight (which I still am :( ) I was watching Anderson Cooper on my lunch break (not my choice I might add). Another colleague of mine comes in whilst they are discussing Sarah Palin and showing video clips of her shooting a rifle. I as a woman thinks that's awesome, her shooting a gun and looking like she knows what she's doing. However, this nurse was making this big deal about her being a "gun totin' conservative" and clearly stating her dislike of this woman. All while wearing an "Obama '08" shirt...at work...in a hospital...for kids. More than a little inappropriate in my opinion. Not that I'm shy of stating my opinions normally, but statement tee's while taking care of someone elses baby are probably better left at home. So to get back to my point, this nurse is ripping into Sarah Palin about her stance on gun rights, and her pro life position. I am confused now...as I have said before I am not huge in to politics...however I do not understand how you can be against a person's right to bear arms, but FOR abortion. To me this seems contradictory and I wanted to puke on her. We save babies born at 23 weeks...the same age some women still try to abort them. I have had a patient before that was the result of one of these "late" abortions or "partial birth" abortions. Do you know what that is like?? Do you know what its like to take care of a sick little baby whose mother was attempting to murder it? I'm not saying I'm all for killing the next guy that pisses you off,nor am I saying that I can even remotely understand what the women who find themselves in that position are going through. (No, I do not stand outside clinics with contempt and rage spewing hate on every broken woman that comes out of them.) What I am saying is if you have a problem with my right to take a gun with me for my personal protection or sport (I don't have a gun so all you who know how terrible my aim is in anything-don't worry) how can you not have a problem with a women ending the life of her baby??? Before anyone tries to get into the abortion debate with me let me warn you-you have not walked in my shoes and you do not do my job,(I fight daily with and for moms and dads to save the lives of tiny frail babies.) and you also probably don't believe in a life giving, life promoting God either-you will NEVER change my mind. So if someone who reads this who knows more about politics and right wing/left wing stances than I do...please feel free to enlighten me. I am after all up in the middle of the night and have admitted my inadequacies on these subjects. Maybe it makes more sense to the well rested.

Our temporary home

These are a few pics of my apt. I don't have any from after we cleaned and I decorated. But if you didn't know we have been so blessed by some family friends (The Nave's) who are sharing their land and animals, and this apartment with us. They own the home that is in the pictures a few posts ago and this one bedroom apartment they are letting us stay in! We still own our homes in AZ so this was a huge relief to have a place to stay. When I take some better pics I'll post them, but maybe you should come visit if you really want to see!!

I miss my friends

This pic is from my going away party in AZ. The girl to my left is my best friend Jessica. The girl to my right is my friend Rachel (who went to Bethel, knew a bunch of my MN friends) from work in AZ. Just sitting here thinking about how much I miss friends!!

Night Shift

I will try and be uplifting by starting with the good things about working night shift....
1. I am even funnier at 3am
2. I get paid more
3. I am sleeping a lot less so I get to experience more of Colorado...hmmm maybe not
4. You get to talk to your co workers a lot more with out getting in trouble
5. You have fewer demanding families to deal with
6. Its slower so you aren't running around like a maniac

Now for the negatives...Though there are many, I will try and be brief.
1. I will not see Nate for 48 hours at a time.
2. I hate being up late-always have
3. My eyes appear as though I've been on a three night drinking binge.
4. TCH believes in cue based cares and developmental practice...i.e. we leave the lights turned off in every baby's room and do not turn them on unless absolutely necessary to avoid creating day/night confusion in the infants. In other words, I want to sleep in the corner of their room becuase it is pitch black.
5. My brain doesn't work as efficiently so I stutter, slur, and in general sound like I have MRCP. Sorry that was completely non PC.
6. When you leave your shift your retinas feel as though someone squirted acid in them and sunglasses do not help.
7. You still have to drive home and hope you can stay awake and not crash-or hope that your now hyper alert state will go away so you can sleep.
8. No matter what my dogs will bark at least 48621981321681 times a day so as to wake me up right in the middle of a dream.

yeah!! Night shit...I mean night shift!!!

Ooops sorry

ok the pics won't resize cuz I'm at work....its ok my patient is at surgery and I discharged my other one so its not like I'm ignoring anyone!! I'll resize them when I get a chance so you can acutally see them!! Sorry I suck at this.