Hopefully the computer won't work against me this time. I just want to remember some of these details for my own sake.
I think I left off last time that I had sent some texts to my nursey friends to see what they thought. It crossed my mind that I was awake for almost 24 hours and I didn't eat a whole lot so I wondered if maybe I had a build up of acid in my stomach. I decided to eat a little something. Big mistake. Huge. (Pretty Woman reference.) Once I ate half of a peanut butter sandwich, my pain got even worse. I learned back when I had my crazy allergic reaction to not stay home and tough it out and the pain was so terrible awful that I knew I'd have to go somewhere.
I called Kristen and asked her if she was busy and could she take me to the hospital. She said she's be there in 12-15 minutes. Y'all. I'm pretty sure that was THE longest minutes of my life. Of course it's 5pm at this point and traffic is terrible.
I feel like I've had to say this the last few months and maybe if I have to say it it's not really true, but I feel like I have a fairly high pain tolerance. This. Pain. Was. Awful. All I can think to describe it was this: you know when you are trying to get the last little bit of toothpaste out of the tube and you squeeze it up? That's what somebody was doing to the middle of me. I called my Momma and told her I was going to the ER ("Sounds like that's where you need to be. Keep us posted."). Mostly, and this is so sad for me to admit now, I laid on the floor in front of my door so I could see when Kristen would come. I'd get up occasionally to grab my insurance card, make sure I had my ID, get my cell phone charger, etc, but only for the count of 20 seconds. I figured I could tolerate the searing pain for that long. It seemed like the only way I could get remotely comfortable (which really wasn't comfortable at all) was on my hands and knees on the floor.
After what seemed like a week, Kristen pulled up. I remember taking the few things I had gathered and walking out of the house as she was getting out of her car and saying "Don't get out. Just drive.". And I proceeded to climb in the backseat of her car and rode on my hands and knees. Friends. Yes. You read that sentence right.
Again, it was 5pm Louisville/St. Matthews traffic so I felt like those few miles we were driving to Mexico. I couldn't catch my breath at this point, so my toes and fingers started to go numb. After spouting off the worst case scenarios (sometimes being a nurse isn't a good thing!), Kristen finally just told me to say the Lord's prayer to keep my mind focused on something else. (Aside-- I now know how much she was freaking out on the inside-- and I don't think me saying over and over "Be near me, Jesus" helped the freaking, but she was portrayed to me the epitome of calm.) That helped.
I remember telling her I would need her help to get inside the hospital because I didn't think I'd be able to walk in alone. I remember asking her what I was going to do if I had to wait to be seen for hours. Her reply was simple-- she'd get me a blanket to lay on the floor while she called every doctor friend we had to try to get us back quicker.
Finally, we were at the hospital. (I was sure we'd been in the car long enough to be in Mexico!) We pull up to the ER and she helps me inside. By the grace of God, the triage nurse was my very BFF from college. She took one look at me and said "Kim, oh my goodness what's wrong?" I could point and say "Pain" and that's about it. She put in a wheelchair, gave somebody orders to take my straight back to room 6 (I think) and called back to have a nurse meet me in the room. She knew my full name and my birthday so she even registered me-- I didn't even have to do that! I am so so thankful that she was there!
Keep in mind that at this point, I'm delirious from pain. I'm mildly delirious from being tired. In Part 3, we get to add in me being delirious from IV narcotics.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
See ya later, Gally-B! Part 1
This is mostly for me because I want to remember.
Last Wednesday night I went to work like normal. Well, except the night was anything but normal. One of those nights where everything was so busy and I was behind from the get go, even though there wasn't one specific thing that happened that put me behind. (Except maybe MY OWN blood sugar dropping to 57 during report. Ugh.)
Anyway, I didn't leave the hospital until 930. I swung by the house quickly and picked up my books and headed to the first Bible study of the "semester". By the time that was over and I was ready to get in the bed, it was nearly 1pm.
A little after 3, I woke up. I'm not sure if pain woke me up, but my first thought upon waking was "Man, my stomach hurts." It was right in my epigastric area. Like... if you put your left thumb barely touching the middle part of your bra and laid your hand out, everything underneath my hand hurt. Bad.
I got up. I tried to puke. I tried to poop. Unsucessful. I got back in bed with my heating bad on my belly, hoping that would help. I wasn't really even able to lay still I was in so much pain. The only thing I can think to compare it to is when you're trying to get that last little bit of toothpaste out of the tube and you squeeze it. I felt like I was the tube of toothepaste and was being squeezed right in that spot in my abdomen. I really felt like I was going to break in half.
I had sent texts to some of my nursing friends to guage their opinions.
***Annoying! I spent probably 20 minutes typing this up til I got to ER and blogger didn't save it. Dag. I'm too sick about it to do it now. Maybe later. Ugh.
Last Wednesday night I went to work like normal. Well, except the night was anything but normal. One of those nights where everything was so busy and I was behind from the get go, even though there wasn't one specific thing that happened that put me behind. (Except maybe MY OWN blood sugar dropping to 57 during report. Ugh.)
Anyway, I didn't leave the hospital until 930. I swung by the house quickly and picked up my books and headed to the first Bible study of the "semester". By the time that was over and I was ready to get in the bed, it was nearly 1pm.
A little after 3, I woke up. I'm not sure if pain woke me up, but my first thought upon waking was "Man, my stomach hurts." It was right in my epigastric area. Like... if you put your left thumb barely touching the middle part of your bra and laid your hand out, everything underneath my hand hurt. Bad.
I got up. I tried to puke. I tried to poop. Unsucessful. I got back in bed with my heating bad on my belly, hoping that would help. I wasn't really even able to lay still I was in so much pain. The only thing I can think to compare it to is when you're trying to get that last little bit of toothpaste out of the tube and you squeeze it. I felt like I was the tube of toothepaste and was being squeezed right in that spot in my abdomen. I really felt like I was going to break in half.
I had sent texts to some of my nursing friends to guage their opinions.
***Annoying! I spent probably 20 minutes typing this up til I got to ER and blogger didn't save it. Dag. I'm too sick about it to do it now. Maybe later. Ugh.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Book Signing
Last night I called to work to see if I could have the night off. At first they said no, but called me back a few minutes later and said that yes, I could. Soooo....
I was able to go to Alecia's book signing here in town!
It was so much fun! There were a lot more Harrison County people there than I expected. Am I allowed to name them here? Oh, why not. Me, Whit ney Grannis, Nona Ken nedy, Lauren & Haviland Argo, Rachel Davis, Bra ndi McNees, Jarrod Carter, Alecia and her Momma (of course), an older lady none of us knew who said she was from Cynthiana, one of the Case twins (I never could tell them apart), and it seems like maybe a few more but I can't think of them right now. She read an exerpt, did some Q&A, and then signed books. Meanwhile, we all milled about talking and having our own multi class reunion. It was fun and something different to do on a Friday night. Book signing > work anytime!
I literally layed (laid? I never did master that one) in bed for about 8 hours last Sunday after church and lunch and read it. I loved it. Loved it!!
In summation, Queen of Kentucky-- go get it! :)
I was able to go to Alecia's book signing here in town!
It was so much fun! There were a lot more Harrison County people there than I expected. Am I allowed to name them here? Oh, why not. Me, Whit ney Grannis, Nona Ken nedy, Lauren & Haviland Argo, Rachel Davis, Bra ndi McNees, Jarrod Carter, Alecia and her Momma (of course), an older lady none of us knew who said she was from Cynthiana, one of the Case twins (I never could tell them apart), and it seems like maybe a few more but I can't think of them right now. She read an exerpt, did some Q&A, and then signed books. Meanwhile, we all milled about talking and having our own multi class reunion. It was fun and something different to do on a Friday night. Book signing > work anytime!
I literally layed (laid? I never did master that one) in bed for about 8 hours last Sunday after church and lunch and read it. I loved it. Loved it!!
In summation, Queen of Kentucky-- go get it! :)
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
I was either really brave or really crazy, but today I ran 3.5 miles outside in the 19-20 degree weather. It really wasn't that cold. I had dressed properly. Leggings w pants over them, a tee, a running long sleeve silky kinda tee, and a long sleeve regular tee. Gloves, earmuffs, and my pig toboggan finished off the look. The sun was out, the wind wasn't crazy, and it really wasn't awful.
It is so much more fun to decorate for Christmas than to take it all down, isn't it? Other than putting the tree in the basement, I'm done with that.
It seems like everywhere is getting snow except HERE! It's frustrating! I'd love to get some while I'm off of work for 5 days after this 3 day stretch starting tonight.
I need to get in the bed (oh, who am I kidding, I'm so already in the bed!), er, go to sleep so I can get up and head to work tonight.
Holla!
It is so much more fun to decorate for Christmas than to take it all down, isn't it? Other than putting the tree in the basement, I'm done with that.
It seems like everywhere is getting snow except HERE! It's frustrating! I'd love to get some while I'm off of work for 5 days after this 3 day stretch starting tonight.
I need to get in the bed (oh, who am I kidding, I'm so already in the bed!), er, go to sleep so I can get up and head to work tonight.
Holla!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
See ya, 2011!
I am so nervous about the UK/Louisville game, I can't help but wonder what the players must feel like. I know they're very competition oriented and on a lot of levels this will be just another game to them, but... mercy. I even made sure not to schedule myself to work Friday night so I'd be able to watch the game. I am going to run with my pal Katie and then will head over to some friends house to watch the game. Then, I'll take a nap and head to work tonight for New Year's Eve. I don't mind working tonight. NYE is a hugely overrated holiday to my mind AND I get paid time and a half. Yes, please. I have some sparkling grape juice to take with me. :-)
We had a good Christmas. I was able to get off work early Friday night and ended up getting home around 1130pm instead of around 10am on Saturday. Seeing as how we were doing our Christmas Saturday morning and Su and the kids were leaving Saturday night, I was super pumped. And let me say this: ain't no sleepin' like Cynthiana sleepin'.
I got several books for Christmas that I'm excited to read. I'm excited to read Alecia Whitaker's book, especially after Susan read it in about a day. Of course, I left that at home. Drat! I also go the Hunger Games Trilogy. And I borrowed a few books from my friend Melissa, so I think there are about 7 I have to read. Well, I guess the term "have to" is relative.
I'm still thinking some about getting a Kindle. I still love the library and holding a book in my hands, but at the same time it would be nice to not have to wait forever to be able to check out the "it" books or have to buy them. Anybody have any input?
It's almost 2012 and I don't have one single trip planned. That is SO unlike me! I can't remember the last time I didn't have something in the works. I'll have to work on that. I do know that Southwest has cheap flights to several cities that just so happen to have baseball teams, so I'm envisioning at least one, if not more, solo 1 or 2 night trips to ballparks. Should be fun!
Happy New Year, everybody!
We had a good Christmas. I was able to get off work early Friday night and ended up getting home around 1130pm instead of around 10am on Saturday. Seeing as how we were doing our Christmas Saturday morning and Su and the kids were leaving Saturday night, I was super pumped. And let me say this: ain't no sleepin' like Cynthiana sleepin'.
I got several books for Christmas that I'm excited to read. I'm excited to read Alecia Whitaker's book, especially after Susan read it in about a day. Of course, I left that at home. Drat! I also go the Hunger Games Trilogy. And I borrowed a few books from my friend Melissa, so I think there are about 7 I have to read. Well, I guess the term "have to" is relative.
I'm still thinking some about getting a Kindle. I still love the library and holding a book in my hands, but at the same time it would be nice to not have to wait forever to be able to check out the "it" books or have to buy them. Anybody have any input?
It's almost 2012 and I don't have one single trip planned. That is SO unlike me! I can't remember the last time I didn't have something in the works. I'll have to work on that. I do know that Southwest has cheap flights to several cities that just so happen to have baseball teams, so I'm envisioning at least one, if not more, solo 1 or 2 night trips to ballparks. Should be fun!
Happy New Year, everybody!
Monday, December 19, 2011
How on earth?
... did it get to be December 19? I mean, seriously? This time next week it'll be December 26 and Christmas will be over. That's insane to me. We'll all turn around one more time and it will be 2012 and that freaks me freak. How did this year go by so fast???
I am working my fourth day in a row. I'm still enjoying being a house float. It's similar to being a full time substitute teacher without needing lesson plans. While there have been times I've gone to the same unit the second night and had the same patients back, for the most part I work in a different area every night-- different patients, different coworkers, different family members. The change is nice. It's fun.
I am ready to go home this morning though. I'm tired. I work 3 more shifts this week. It'd be super great if I got cancelled my Friday night shift so I could go home Friday evening instead of Saturday morning and get to see Su and family for more than a few hours at Christmas. I'm not getting my hopes up about that though. I'm so much more an "expect the worst so if anything minutely better than that happens, you'll be pleasantly surprised" kind of girl.
I can't help but wonder what 2012 will hold? Time will tell, as they say. I hope it's full of good things!
I am working my fourth day in a row. I'm still enjoying being a house float. It's similar to being a full time substitute teacher without needing lesson plans. While there have been times I've gone to the same unit the second night and had the same patients back, for the most part I work in a different area every night-- different patients, different coworkers, different family members. The change is nice. It's fun.
I am ready to go home this morning though. I'm tired. I work 3 more shifts this week. It'd be super great if I got cancelled my Friday night shift so I could go home Friday evening instead of Saturday morning and get to see Su and family for more than a few hours at Christmas. I'm not getting my hopes up about that though. I'm so much more an "expect the worst so if anything minutely better than that happens, you'll be pleasantly surprised" kind of girl.
I can't help but wonder what 2012 will hold? Time will tell, as they say. I hope it's full of good things!
Monday, December 5, 2011
Short paragraphs
I keep saying to myself I'm going to update this more, but I don't. Now particular reason, but two facts probably have something to do with it. A) I've got nothing super of value to say and B) I'm the only one reading it anyway and I already know what I'm going to say. :)
I am currently watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It has been a while since I've watched it and I'd forgotten how funny it really is.
I can officially say I'm back to normal. I have worked 3 twelve hour shifts in a row, for the first time since October. I can say that wiped me out! Being a med/surg floor all 3 nights with 6 patients didn't help I'm sure. I have been babying myself a little bit at the gym, but decided last week I could stop doing that. I was afraid to push myself too much and have even the slightest symptom come back. I think it's safe to say now that won't happen and I need to push myself hard! This steroid weight isn't going to lose itself. :)
I love the light from a Christmas tree. Unfortunately, only one portion of my prelit tree works. I knew the lights were on their last leg from last year, but had a strand of lights on them. Well, with more of the lights out than last year, it still looks pretty sad. So after Christmas I will either be in the market for a new strand of lights or a new tree. Most likely a new strand of lights, unless I find an awesome deal on a tree. Tree itself is still in good shape and I store it in basement up with lights on it, so no worries there.
I initially said I stored my tree in the baseball. Wow. Obsessed much? Speaking of, I am hopeful that when I go to DC for either my friend Cheryl's bachelorette party or wedding that I'll be able to go to a Nationals game. The one weekend, they'll be playing the Reds. That would be cool. We'll see.
Other than that, I don't currently have any trips planned. And I don't like it. I will have to try to remedy that soon.
I have been waking up almost without fail at 4am. No matter what time I went to bed. No matter what time I was supposed to get up. I am happy to report that the last two nights, I did not wake up at 4. Woo hoo! (After all, it's the small victories in life, right?)
Speaking of victories, how about my Wildcats beating UNC??? What. A. Game. Wow!
I still have a little bit of Christmas shopping to do. Hopefully will get it done this week.
I think I have pink eye. I have some drops left from when I had it last time. Hopefully they'll do the trick. It doesn't hurt too super bad.
I'd like to run outside today, but it's raining. I wish all this rain was snow.
I am currently watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It has been a while since I've watched it and I'd forgotten how funny it really is.
I can officially say I'm back to normal. I have worked 3 twelve hour shifts in a row, for the first time since October. I can say that wiped me out! Being a med/surg floor all 3 nights with 6 patients didn't help I'm sure. I have been babying myself a little bit at the gym, but decided last week I could stop doing that. I was afraid to push myself too much and have even the slightest symptom come back. I think it's safe to say now that won't happen and I need to push myself hard! This steroid weight isn't going to lose itself. :)
I love the light from a Christmas tree. Unfortunately, only one portion of my prelit tree works. I knew the lights were on their last leg from last year, but had a strand of lights on them. Well, with more of the lights out than last year, it still looks pretty sad. So after Christmas I will either be in the market for a new strand of lights or a new tree. Most likely a new strand of lights, unless I find an awesome deal on a tree. Tree itself is still in good shape and I store it in basement up with lights on it, so no worries there.
I initially said I stored my tree in the baseball. Wow. Obsessed much? Speaking of, I am hopeful that when I go to DC for either my friend Cheryl's bachelorette party or wedding that I'll be able to go to a Nationals game. The one weekend, they'll be playing the Reds. That would be cool. We'll see.
Other than that, I don't currently have any trips planned. And I don't like it. I will have to try to remedy that soon.
I have been waking up almost without fail at 4am. No matter what time I went to bed. No matter what time I was supposed to get up. I am happy to report that the last two nights, I did not wake up at 4. Woo hoo! (After all, it's the small victories in life, right?)
Speaking of victories, how about my Wildcats beating UNC??? What. A. Game. Wow!
I still have a little bit of Christmas shopping to do. Hopefully will get it done this week.
I think I have pink eye. I have some drops left from when I had it last time. Hopefully they'll do the trick. It doesn't hurt too super bad.
I'd like to run outside today, but it's raining. I wish all this rain was snow.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Recap of last few weeks.
The two weeks after I was off a week (demanded by my doctor/searing pain upon movement), I was able to change my schedule around to where I didn't have to work 2 shifts in a row. I was just not able to do it. It was odd to work, say, a Sunday night, Wednesday night, and a Saturday night in a week since I usually try to keep my days together, but since I wasn't able to do much of anything while I was off, it wasn't a huge deal. I was, however, able to do a few fun things during that 2 week "take it easy" period.
I was able to do my annual rodeo trip with my friend Ricky. Boy, those seats and Freedom Hall hurt my knees. I watched the saddle bronco riding from the lobby on the TV-- I needed to stretch my legs. I felt so old and decrepit when upon leaving I had to make Ricky walk in front of me and use him like a hand rail since the stairs at Freedom Hall don't have any. (Furthermore, what arena doesn't have hand rails???)
I was able to make it back to both my small group at church and the Thursday morning Bible study I do with a friend from the ICU. There's something to be said for normalcy, friends.
I was able to attend Lillian's 2nd bday party! I can't believe she's already two! I've already decided that I'll always remember her first 2 birthdays-- the original day of her birth because I was there to witness it (A-maz-ing) and her first birthday because I was in the Bahamas and felt awful that I missed it! She and her bro Nathan are such cute kiddos. And, they apparently always are "calling Aunt Kim" when they play phone. :)
Tuesday November 15 is a date that will live in infamy for me. It was the first time since October 20 that I didn't wake up in pain!! Day 27 was a magical day. I have a new appreciation for people with arthritis, those that have to ask for help to rely on others and ask for help, and for my health. I never ever ever want to go through something like that again!
I had this last week off from work and while I had thought when this whole thing first went down that I'd try to pick up some days and work to make up for the days I had to call in, I decided against it. My body needed the rest. Besides L's bday party, I got a massage, I did a lot of Christmas shopping, I got my hair cut (which looked so different at first, but now I feel like it looks the same?? I dunno...), watch UK play Kansas, went to the Outback (YUM!) with some ICU friends, and spent Friday night in NKY at Amber's. Well, truth be told, I spent most of Friday night in traffic on the interstate, but that's really neither here nor there. We had a care free (Andrew would say "boring") day on Saturday before we went to church and I headed back to Louisville after that.
Sunday was a weird day because I'd already been to church the night before. I changed out my dresser drawers and my closet (old house = small closets) when I was "supposed" to be in church. It felt odd. I tell you what, taking inventory like that always makes me realize how much actual *stuff* I have. I literally had a get on my knees and say "Thank you, Jesus" moment realizing all the ways I'm blessed WAY more than I deserve. My pile to donate or contribute to somebody's yard sale in the spring keeps on growing. Let me know. :-)
Tonight in the first time in a month (exactly) that I've been at work not in pain. I've not had to ice my knees, I've not had to ask for help to do simple things, I have no part of my body wrapped.... and it feels GREAT! I work tonight and this will be my first back to back night since, gosh, now that I'm looking at my calendar-- October 9, 10, & 11! I am definitely feeling up to it!
I was able to do my annual rodeo trip with my friend Ricky. Boy, those seats and Freedom Hall hurt my knees. I watched the saddle bronco riding from the lobby on the TV-- I needed to stretch my legs. I felt so old and decrepit when upon leaving I had to make Ricky walk in front of me and use him like a hand rail since the stairs at Freedom Hall don't have any. (Furthermore, what arena doesn't have hand rails???)
I was able to make it back to both my small group at church and the Thursday morning Bible study I do with a friend from the ICU. There's something to be said for normalcy, friends.
I was able to attend Lillian's 2nd bday party! I can't believe she's already two! I've already decided that I'll always remember her first 2 birthdays-- the original day of her birth because I was there to witness it (A-maz-ing) and her first birthday because I was in the Bahamas and felt awful that I missed it! She and her bro Nathan are such cute kiddos. And, they apparently always are "calling Aunt Kim" when they play phone. :)
Tuesday November 15 is a date that will live in infamy for me. It was the first time since October 20 that I didn't wake up in pain!! Day 27 was a magical day. I have a new appreciation for people with arthritis, those that have to ask for help to rely on others and ask for help, and for my health. I never ever ever want to go through something like that again!
I had this last week off from work and while I had thought when this whole thing first went down that I'd try to pick up some days and work to make up for the days I had to call in, I decided against it. My body needed the rest. Besides L's bday party, I got a massage, I did a lot of Christmas shopping, I got my hair cut (which looked so different at first, but now I feel like it looks the same?? I dunno...), watch UK play Kansas, went to the Outback (YUM!) with some ICU friends, and spent Friday night in NKY at Amber's. Well, truth be told, I spent most of Friday night in traffic on the interstate, but that's really neither here nor there. We had a care free (Andrew would say "boring") day on Saturday before we went to church and I headed back to Louisville after that.
Sunday was a weird day because I'd already been to church the night before. I changed out my dresser drawers and my closet (old house = small closets) when I was "supposed" to be in church. It felt odd. I tell you what, taking inventory like that always makes me realize how much actual *stuff* I have. I literally had a get on my knees and say "Thank you, Jesus" moment realizing all the ways I'm blessed WAY more than I deserve. My pile to donate or contribute to somebody's yard sale in the spring keeps on growing. Let me know. :-)
Tonight in the first time in a month (exactly) that I've been at work not in pain. I've not had to ice my knees, I've not had to ask for help to do simple things, I have no part of my body wrapped.... and it feels GREAT! I work tonight and this will be my first back to back night since, gosh, now that I'm looking at my calendar-- October 9, 10, & 11! I am definitely feeling up to it!
Friday, November 18, 2011
FQQ
1. Do you have a go to song that always puts you in a good mood?
At any given time, I have several. But one that has stood the test of time is my favorite song of all time: Nuttin' but a G Thang by Dr. Dre and Snoop. Don't judge.
2. Are you a real Christmas tree kind of person or do you use fake?
Fake, all the way
3. What are you thankful for?
Wow. I could do a list as long as me to answer this. The answer, in short, is my Jesus, my family, my friends, my kitties, my job.
4. Which fashion fad from the past do you wish you could wear today?
I still have this pair of overalls that I L-O-V-E love. I'm holding on to them because they'll be back in style one day. And I'll wear them proudly.
5. Do you wait until the "low fuel" light comes on before you fill up the gas tank?
It depends. I frankly don't ever pay very much attention to the gas gauge unless I'm going out of town, so I often don't realize it's running low til the light comes on. Or sometimes if I'm at the grocery, I'll just go ahead and fill up.
At any given time, I have several. But one that has stood the test of time is my favorite song of all time: Nuttin' but a G Thang by Dr. Dre and Snoop. Don't judge.
2. Are you a real Christmas tree kind of person or do you use fake?
Fake, all the way
3. What are you thankful for?
Wow. I could do a list as long as me to answer this. The answer, in short, is my Jesus, my family, my friends, my kitties, my job.
4. Which fashion fad from the past do you wish you could wear today?
I still have this pair of overalls that I L-O-V-E love. I'm holding on to them because they'll be back in style one day. And I'll wear them proudly.
5. Do you wait until the "low fuel" light comes on before you fill up the gas tank?
It depends. I frankly don't ever pay very much attention to the gas gauge unless I'm going out of town, so I often don't realize it's running low til the light comes on. Or sometimes if I'm at the grocery, I'll just go ahead and fill up.
A few things I learned this week
1. It feels (cue Miley Cyrus voice) really good to wake up and not be in pain. I've had a few minor aches at the end of the day, but nothing, repeat nothing like it was. For that, I'm very thankful.
2. Mom and Dad may never come visit me again. In the time they were here, Dad fixed 4 doors for me, Mom did dishes 3 times, and I feel asleep twice while we were watching TV. Am I great host or what? I did enjoy their visit. (And again come anytime. Hopefully I'll be 100% then.)
3. The heated fleece throw I bought at Wal Mart for 19.99 (or there abouts) may be the best thing I've ever purchased in my life. I've put it down on the bed where I lay on it and then pull the covers up over me. Getting into a warm bed is fantastic.
4. I severely underestimated how much my stamina would take a hit after not being able to do much of anything at all for the better part of 3 weeks. Add the extra 10 pounds I gained because of the steroids and I thought the two miles I ran today was going to kill me. But I'll keep at it. I'll get my running back to where at was.
5. Having probably.... 85% of my Christmas shopping done-- wrapping included-- on November 16 feels pretty daggone good.
Seems like there was more than that I was going to say, but I guess that'll be it for now.
2. Mom and Dad may never come visit me again. In the time they were here, Dad fixed 4 doors for me, Mom did dishes 3 times, and I feel asleep twice while we were watching TV. Am I great host or what? I did enjoy their visit. (And again come anytime. Hopefully I'll be 100% then.)
3. The heated fleece throw I bought at Wal Mart for 19.99 (or there abouts) may be the best thing I've ever purchased in my life. I've put it down on the bed where I lay on it and then pull the covers up over me. Getting into a warm bed is fantastic.
4. I severely underestimated how much my stamina would take a hit after not being able to do much of anything at all for the better part of 3 weeks. Add the extra 10 pounds I gained because of the steroids and I thought the two miles I ran today was going to kill me. But I'll keep at it. I'll get my running back to where at was.
5. Having probably.... 85% of my Christmas shopping done-- wrapping included-- on November 16 feels pretty daggone good.
Seems like there was more than that I was going to say, but I guess that'll be it for now.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
The proof is in the pudding...er... photographs
If you're me and have a weird reaction that takes several minutes to explain and surprises multiple physicians, and moves around to different joints, you're very aware of how crazy it sounds. I started taking pictures to prove that yes, in fact, something was amiss with me. I wanted to share them here. Majority of these were all taken different days, as different joints were effected on different days.
Far left: Forgive the mess on the floor in this picture, first and foremost. You can see how red and swollen my left thumb is in this picture. I do know this was taken on 11/5.
Middle: The back side of my right hand. You can see the swelling especially in the middle finger.
Far right: Front side of right hand
Upper left: I know you don't normally see my feet, but here they are the day after work when I first started being effected, which would have been 10/21. This was not nearly as big as they were on that Sunday I felt so awful.
Upper right: Look at those swollen sausages! Those first 2 fingers were what one of my nursing instructors would call "exquisitely painful". This was 11/2.
Lower left: This was fairly early on, I know before my second MD appointment on 10/26. I only had a rash on my wrists twice and for only a few minutes each time. I was most glad to catch this one, because I was already starting to feel crazy. (If I only knew then how much longer it would go on!)
Lower right: The reverse side of my left hand. I am pretty sure this was taken earlier in the day the same day the one above it was taken.
So there you have it. My hot, swollen mess. I am very pleased to report that I am doing MUCH better. I had been doing much better, but felt mostly awful the days after I worked. My knees would just hurt so so much to the point where it was difficult to walk and going up and down steps was not even an option. Saturday morning, my right thumb area was swollen and tender, but that improved a lot before I went to work. I worked Saturday night and I felt good at work. I iced my knee only once (had been doing multiple times per shift) and Sunday after work I felt downright good.
Today (well, yesterday Monday 11/14) I felt downright good. I woke up in the middle of the night with a sore right knee, but iced it and when I got back up again, it felt okay. I felt good enough to walk over 2 miles and even jogged for about 30 seconds. (Not much, but I don't want to overdo it).
I am off work this week and am hopeful that by the time I go back to work next Sunday 11/20 I will be back to normal. Or at least as normal as I ever was. I am also hoping to exercise every day this week, which makes me feel very much back to normal. I missed more days exercising with this joint pain stuff than I did anything else the entire year. I have to get off this steroid/sitting around weight!
Far left: Forgive the mess on the floor in this picture, first and foremost. You can see how red and swollen my left thumb is in this picture. I do know this was taken on 11/5.Middle: The back side of my right hand. You can see the swelling especially in the middle finger.
Far right: Front side of right hand
Upper left: I know you don't normally see my feet, but here they are the day after work when I first started being effected, which would have been 10/21. This was not nearly as big as they were on that Sunday I felt so awful.
Upper right: Look at those swollen sausages! Those first 2 fingers were what one of my nursing instructors would call "exquisitely painful". This was 11/2.
Lower left: This was fairly early on, I know before my second MD appointment on 10/26. I only had a rash on my wrists twice and for only a few minutes each time. I was most glad to catch this one, because I was already starting to feel crazy. (If I only knew then how much longer it would go on!)
Lower right: The reverse side of my left hand. I am pretty sure this was taken earlier in the day the same day the one above it was taken.
So there you have it. My hot, swollen mess. I am very pleased to report that I am doing MUCH better. I had been doing much better, but felt mostly awful the days after I worked. My knees would just hurt so so much to the point where it was difficult to walk and going up and down steps was not even an option. Saturday morning, my right thumb area was swollen and tender, but that improved a lot before I went to work. I worked Saturday night and I felt good at work. I iced my knee only once (had been doing multiple times per shift) and Sunday after work I felt downright good.
Today (well, yesterday Monday 11/14) I felt downright good. I woke up in the middle of the night with a sore right knee, but iced it and when I got back up again, it felt okay. I felt good enough to walk over 2 miles and even jogged for about 30 seconds. (Not much, but I don't want to overdo it).
I am off work this week and am hopeful that by the time I go back to work next Sunday 11/20 I will be back to normal. Or at least as normal as I ever was. I am also hoping to exercise every day this week, which makes me feel very much back to normal. I missed more days exercising with this joint pain stuff than I did anything else the entire year. I have to get off this steroid/sitting around weight!
Friday, November 4, 2011
Five Question Friday
1. What movie do you love to quote?
Um, all of them. Really. The majority of my inner monologue is movie quotes or TV quotes. So if I ever compare your situation to a scripted show, don't take offense. It's just what my brain does.
2. Have you ever ridden a motorcycle?
Yup. Several times. A guy I went to college with and my friend Doug several times. Always with a helmet and never on the interstate. It's fun and I like it, but I don't think I'd dig it on the interstate. And I don't think I'd like to drive a motorcyle.
3. What's your favorite thing to do on a rainy day?
Isn't it obvious? Take a nap and watch a movie. Also, I find they are good days to clean. Or read a book.
4. Do you prefer a bunch of small gifts or one really big (expensive) gift?
It doesn't really matter. I do like at Christmas to get a bunch of smaller gifts, especially the stuff I need that I don't like to buy (some toiletries, pens, etc). I don't typically ask for super expensive things, but it's nice to get sometimes. The only expensive thing I can think of that I want somebody is an engagement ring. And I'll help pay for that.
5. Do you ever lose track of days and show up somewhere wrong?
I can say in almost 8 years of working at the hospital (seriously? 8 years??) I have never shown up on a day I wasn't supposed to or not showed up on a day I should have. I'm always surprised at how often this seems to occur, especially with people who drive quite a ways to work or have taken their kids to daycare first. I have woken up sometimes and thought "What time is it? What day is it? Should I be at work now?" but it's always turned out okay. That tends to occur more when 7am and 7pm look very similar. A few times, I have tried to go to church on the way home on a day that wasn't Sunday, but that's pretty benign.
Um, all of them. Really. The majority of my inner monologue is movie quotes or TV quotes. So if I ever compare your situation to a scripted show, don't take offense. It's just what my brain does.
2. Have you ever ridden a motorcycle?
Yup. Several times. A guy I went to college with and my friend Doug several times. Always with a helmet and never on the interstate. It's fun and I like it, but I don't think I'd dig it on the interstate. And I don't think I'd like to drive a motorcyle.
3. What's your favorite thing to do on a rainy day?
Isn't it obvious? Take a nap and watch a movie. Also, I find they are good days to clean. Or read a book.
4. Do you prefer a bunch of small gifts or one really big (expensive) gift?
It doesn't really matter. I do like at Christmas to get a bunch of smaller gifts, especially the stuff I need that I don't like to buy (some toiletries, pens, etc). I don't typically ask for super expensive things, but it's nice to get sometimes. The only expensive thing I can think of that I want somebody is an engagement ring. And I'll help pay for that.
5. Do you ever lose track of days and show up somewhere wrong?
I can say in almost 8 years of working at the hospital (seriously? 8 years??) I have never shown up on a day I wasn't supposed to or not showed up on a day I should have. I'm always surprised at how often this seems to occur, especially with people who drive quite a ways to work or have taken their kids to daycare first. I have woken up sometimes and thought "What time is it? What day is it? Should I be at work now?" but it's always turned out okay. That tends to occur more when 7am and 7pm look very similar. A few times, I have tried to go to church on the way home on a day that wasn't Sunday, but that's pretty benign.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Good News/Bad News
The good news is sometimes with my job I'm able to obtain free medical advice, without having to make a doctor's appointment or pay a copay. So when I saw one of my favorite Infectious Diseases specialists tonight, I decided to ask him what he knew about such an allergic reaction to Omnicef. The good news? I got this info for free and he's seen this severe "serum sickness" before. The bad news come to his answer to my question "How long will it take until my joints feel 100% normal?"
"Two to four weeks."
CRAP!
The good news is is that even after nearly half my shift, my joints are feeling better tonight than they did on Sunday. I'm wearing braces on both wrists (mosty) because they make them feel beter and remind me not to overdo it. Also, they indicate to others I can't do a whole lot. :-)
Baby steps, right??
"Two to four weeks."
CRAP!
The good news is is that even after nearly half my shift, my joints are feeling better tonight than they did on Sunday. I'm wearing braces on both wrists (mosty) because they make them feel beter and remind me not to overdo it. Also, they indicate to others I can't do a whole lot. :-)
Baby steps, right??
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Um, What's wrong with you? Part 2
Hmm. Where did I leave off? Oh yes. I probably should have called in on Saturday and didn't. If I were still in ICU I would have. But a new position. And the fact we have to make up our weekend days when we call in.... on I trudged to work.
I actually didn't feel too terrible when I got there. Still sore and stiff. Knew better than to work out (which KILLED me-- ended up not being able to exercise for an entire week!!!!Ugh!) But really, I felt a lot better than Friday. As the night wore on however.... my hands.
My hands started to be really sore probably around 2200 or 2300? I iced them during my breaks and didn't do more than I had to do. It was much easier to do gross motor skills instead of fine motor skills. My dexterity was definitely affected! To the point where by the end of my shift I was having to ask other nurses to hang antibiotics or do things for me because my fingers were so swollen I physically COULD NOT do them. I have a hard time asking for help as it is, let alone from people who have never worked with me as a nurse and don't know my typical work ethic!
Around 0300 or 0400, I called the house manager to come look at me and see what she thought. She's in charge of the hospital at night and as a float is my direct boss. Her first thought was "You need to have somebody come get you and go home". Remember that whole I'm a hard head thing? Yeah, well, I said no to that.
By the end of my shift, my hands were so swollen I couldn't hold a pen and my ankles were swollen enough that I was rocking some crazy cankles. At least 3 people offered to drive me home from the hospital. I know I could have called 4 others who would have come to get me no problems. Did I do that? Of course not. I drove home with 2 feet (couldn't physically get my right foot to move to the break pedal. Like really couldn't). The few turns I have between my house and the hospital (and it's not far. Maybe a 10 minute ride on a Sunday morning?) sent pain searing through my joints. And I consider myself to be tolerant when it comes to pain.
I get to the house and it probably takes me 4 minutes to get out the car and get up the steps. It's at this point I start crying.. mostly because I don't know what else to do and my whole body really really REALLY hurts. I get to the front door. I have a security system and it gives you 60 seconds (maybe 90 I forget) to put in the code before the alarm goes off. It almost went off because that's how slow I was walking.
I manage to suffer through changing my clothes. I couldn't get in bed. I couldn't really get on the couch. I didn't know what to do.
Despite my history of poor taste in men, thankfully, I pick the best friends. Like the best friends. I call Keely because she's closer to me in distance than my Momma. And because I don't want to scare my Momma. I tried to suck it all up before I called but she answered the phone "How are you feeling?" I'm pretty sure I just burst into tears!! I mumbled enough that she knew I was hurting and scared and she interrupted me and said "I'm going to pray for you right now". And she did. For my pain to go away, for my fears to go away, for this awfulness to leave my body, and for me to humble myself enough to ask for help. (I mean, see? I pick great friends!) We made a plan for her to come over later to help me out and I was to call her if I needed her.
I had managed to get in bed at this point, taken my steroids and some Benadryl and managed to sleep for a couple of hours. I didn't feel any better when I woke up so I texted Keely to come over sooner rather than later. She did.
She put socks on my feet. She made me a sandwich. She did my laundry. She took out my trash. She cleaned out my litter box. She cleaned my stove. She did "all the stuff I know you'll try to do when I'm not here that you need to do". Don't you hate it when your friends know you so well?? We called the doctor on call for my doctor and discussed with him about going to ER and was it "normal" to have the reaction get worse before it got better? And she yelled at me to get in bed and not try to entertain her. So I did.
Sunday was an awful, awful day. Monday I was supposed to work extra in ICU and called and said there was no way. Monday my left knee and right wrist were the worst. Tuesday I called in my regular house float job. Tuesday my shoulders and fingers hurt the most. Wednesday my shoulders still hurt and I was generally sore all over. I was supposed to work. I called to touch base with my doctor. Who of course is off of Wednesday and did I want to see a partner. You know what? I did.
I went in and told her of my symptoms that had happened since I was my doctor last. She wrote. She typed. She frowned. She looked at my joints. She had my push and pull on her. She had me bend and stretch. She frowned. She was "concerned about a major connective tissue disorder". Great. She wanted to draw blood to check for lupus and RA. And absolutely under no circumstances did she want me going to work the rest of the week. She wrote that out a prescription pad and I took it to my bosses. And.... she gave me pain pills. Yay!
Thursday when I woke up, I felt even worse than I did on Wednesday when I went back to the doctor. Thursday morning was my freak out morning. I envisioned a life where I some chronic awful disease. Which meant I couldn't work. Which meant I couldn't take care of myself. Which meant I'd have to sell my house and move in with my parents. Which meant nobody'd ever want to marry the disabled girl. I had a woe is me kind of morning.
I again called my doctor's office b/c I wanted to know the results of my test. I took my pain pills and Benadryl and steroids and napped. I thought he wasn't going to call me back and I thought I was going to have to get crazy psycho witch Kim out on Friday. But at 7pm he called me back.
My lupus test? NEGATIVE! My rheumatoid arthritis test? NEGATIVE! He said b/c I was still feeling crappy he was even more convinced that it was a severe allergic reaction. I felt SO much better after hearing that!
I've been taking it easy and trying to slow down and ask for help when I need it. I have run a couple of times and am still hopeful I'll be able to do my half marathon on November 12. I am at work now. I'm sore. The soreness has increased since I've gotten here. But I'm rested. My feet are elevated. I'm taking my Tylenol. (Can't take NSAIDs with Prednisone). I'll probably take a better pain pill or 2 when I get home. I'm not going above and beyond to be super nurse. (I mean, I'm doing my job, but I'm resting).
I am on the road to being back to normal...er.... not plagued by an allergic reaction I've never been normal! I've learned it's okay to ask for help and it's okay to say "I can't". Lesson learned. The HARD way, but learned all the same.
(I didn't really reread this so sorry if this doesn't make sense!)
I actually didn't feel too terrible when I got there. Still sore and stiff. Knew better than to work out (which KILLED me-- ended up not being able to exercise for an entire week!!!!Ugh!) But really, I felt a lot better than Friday. As the night wore on however.... my hands.
My hands started to be really sore probably around 2200 or 2300? I iced them during my breaks and didn't do more than I had to do. It was much easier to do gross motor skills instead of fine motor skills. My dexterity was definitely affected! To the point where by the end of my shift I was having to ask other nurses to hang antibiotics or do things for me because my fingers were so swollen I physically COULD NOT do them. I have a hard time asking for help as it is, let alone from people who have never worked with me as a nurse and don't know my typical work ethic!
Around 0300 or 0400, I called the house manager to come look at me and see what she thought. She's in charge of the hospital at night and as a float is my direct boss. Her first thought was "You need to have somebody come get you and go home". Remember that whole I'm a hard head thing? Yeah, well, I said no to that.
By the end of my shift, my hands were so swollen I couldn't hold a pen and my ankles were swollen enough that I was rocking some crazy cankles. At least 3 people offered to drive me home from the hospital. I know I could have called 4 others who would have come to get me no problems. Did I do that? Of course not. I drove home with 2 feet (couldn't physically get my right foot to move to the break pedal. Like really couldn't). The few turns I have between my house and the hospital (and it's not far. Maybe a 10 minute ride on a Sunday morning?) sent pain searing through my joints. And I consider myself to be tolerant when it comes to pain.
I get to the house and it probably takes me 4 minutes to get out the car and get up the steps. It's at this point I start crying.. mostly because I don't know what else to do and my whole body really really REALLY hurts. I get to the front door. I have a security system and it gives you 60 seconds (maybe 90 I forget) to put in the code before the alarm goes off. It almost went off because that's how slow I was walking.
I manage to suffer through changing my clothes. I couldn't get in bed. I couldn't really get on the couch. I didn't know what to do.
Despite my history of poor taste in men, thankfully, I pick the best friends. Like the best friends. I call Keely because she's closer to me in distance than my Momma. And because I don't want to scare my Momma. I tried to suck it all up before I called but she answered the phone "How are you feeling?" I'm pretty sure I just burst into tears!! I mumbled enough that she knew I was hurting and scared and she interrupted me and said "I'm going to pray for you right now". And she did. For my pain to go away, for my fears to go away, for this awfulness to leave my body, and for me to humble myself enough to ask for help. (I mean, see? I pick great friends!) We made a plan for her to come over later to help me out and I was to call her if I needed her.
I had managed to get in bed at this point, taken my steroids and some Benadryl and managed to sleep for a couple of hours. I didn't feel any better when I woke up so I texted Keely to come over sooner rather than later. She did.
She put socks on my feet. She made me a sandwich. She did my laundry. She took out my trash. She cleaned out my litter box. She cleaned my stove. She did "all the stuff I know you'll try to do when I'm not here that you need to do". Don't you hate it when your friends know you so well?? We called the doctor on call for my doctor and discussed with him about going to ER and was it "normal" to have the reaction get worse before it got better? And she yelled at me to get in bed and not try to entertain her. So I did.
Sunday was an awful, awful day. Monday I was supposed to work extra in ICU and called and said there was no way. Monday my left knee and right wrist were the worst. Tuesday I called in my regular house float job. Tuesday my shoulders and fingers hurt the most. Wednesday my shoulders still hurt and I was generally sore all over. I was supposed to work. I called to touch base with my doctor. Who of course is off of Wednesday and did I want to see a partner. You know what? I did.
I went in and told her of my symptoms that had happened since I was my doctor last. She wrote. She typed. She frowned. She looked at my joints. She had my push and pull on her. She had me bend and stretch. She frowned. She was "concerned about a major connective tissue disorder". Great. She wanted to draw blood to check for lupus and RA. And absolutely under no circumstances did she want me going to work the rest of the week. She wrote that out a prescription pad and I took it to my bosses. And.... she gave me pain pills. Yay!
Thursday when I woke up, I felt even worse than I did on Wednesday when I went back to the doctor. Thursday morning was my freak out morning. I envisioned a life where I some chronic awful disease. Which meant I couldn't work. Which meant I couldn't take care of myself. Which meant I'd have to sell my house and move in with my parents. Which meant nobody'd ever want to marry the disabled girl. I had a woe is me kind of morning.
I again called my doctor's office b/c I wanted to know the results of my test. I took my pain pills and Benadryl and steroids and napped. I thought he wasn't going to call me back and I thought I was going to have to get crazy psycho witch Kim out on Friday. But at 7pm he called me back.
My lupus test? NEGATIVE! My rheumatoid arthritis test? NEGATIVE! He said b/c I was still feeling crappy he was even more convinced that it was a severe allergic reaction. I felt SO much better after hearing that!
I've been taking it easy and trying to slow down and ask for help when I need it. I have run a couple of times and am still hopeful I'll be able to do my half marathon on November 12. I am at work now. I'm sore. The soreness has increased since I've gotten here. But I'm rested. My feet are elevated. I'm taking my Tylenol. (Can't take NSAIDs with Prednisone). I'll probably take a better pain pill or 2 when I get home. I'm not going above and beyond to be super nurse. (I mean, I'm doing my job, but I'm resting).
I am on the road to being back to normal...er.... not plagued by an allergic reaction I've never been normal! I've learned it's okay to ask for help and it's okay to say "I can't". Lesson learned. The HARD way, but learned all the same.
(I didn't really reread this so sorry if this doesn't make sense!)
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Um, what's wrong with you? Part 1
By now you've most likely heard that I've been dealing with some health issues the last week or so. I hesitate to call it "sick" because I've not been what I think of when I think of sick. Maria von Trapp said the very beginning because it's the very best place to start. So here goes.
I see a dermatologist (actually the nurse practitioner) for adult acne. Glamorous, huh? Anyway, we've tried several different combinations of drugs and creams mostly to little or no effect. (Which has opened my eyes to the people who do all the right things and STILL have problems, like diabetics and those with malignant hypertension. But I digress...)
I had an appointment with her on October 12. She changed the antibiotic to a "big gun" called Omnicef. It's in the same class of drugs I have taken before, but can't recall ever taking this one before. I know I haven't with her. So I filled the Rx, started taking it 2x/day and before too long I could tell a difference. The acne still came, but didn't scab over and stay for 2-3 weeks like they usually did.
On 10/19, I went to a Trivia Night with some girls I used to work with and I wore my super cute hat I got at court days. So on Thursday morning, when I woke up with an itchy head, I blamed it on the fact I don't typically wear hats and went about my morning.
After Bible Study, I took a nap b/c I had to work that night. When I woke up, I noticed that my left ankle was a little sore. But I had run and didn't really do a good stretch afterwards. I made a mental note to be sure to take the time to stretch out from here on out and headed off to work, my first time in a week.
By about 9pm or so, both of my ankles, knees, and hips hurt. Also, my left pinky and ring fingers were sore. I knew the only thing new was Omnicef. Luckily for me, one of my BFF's husbands (I call him my best friend in law) works in the pharmacy of the same hospital I work in. I called him and asked him when he got a minute to look up if there was any data on Omnicef and joint pain. A bit later, he calls me back and says yes and sends me some meds to help with the pain and allergic reaction.
So I kept right on working. I've only been in this position for a few weeks, so I wanted to give my best first impression since it was my first time on this particular unit, but as the shift went on, I couldn't hide it. "Are you limping?" "Did you hurt yourself?" They were nice enough to help me do a few things, open some things my weak hands couldn't, and be concerned about it. Even my one patients husbands, who I'd had a pretty deep heart to heart with earlier in the shift, asked me around 6am, "Kim are you okay?" No, no I wasn't.
Once I finally hobbled to my car and made it up the steps to my house, all I wanted to do was get my shoes off. Because it hurt so bad to bend over and my left hand hurt, it wasn't easy. When I finally did succeed in the task, my feet were SWOLLEN. Like whoa. And I wear compression hose while I'm working. I was hurting pretty bad and figured I needed to be seen. My derm doesn't do office hours on Fridays, so I called my family practice guy and set up an appointment.
I didn't change my clothes, but I also couldn't get my shoes back on. It was cool that Friday morning, but I threw on (well, slowly slowly put on) some flip flops and went out. The appointment was a struggle. I told him the above and when he asked me to sit up on the table, he literally had to help me get up on the step. (He's over 7 feet tall, so don't feel too bad for him!) He agreed that it was likely an allergic reaction, gave me some steroids to take, and drew some blood. It was also mentioned that lupus or early onset rheumatoid arthritis was an option, but he wanted to wait until I'd done my 12 days of steroids to send for those tests. I asked him about work and he said it was up to me.
Because I was supposed to be back that night and I didn't get home from the doctor until noon after working the night before, I did call in Friday. I HATE to call in, especially, again, since I'm new to my position.
Saturday, I was better. I was sore still, but could get up and down easier and the swelling was gone. Another day off would have been nice, but since I hate to call in and we have to make up weekend days, I went ahead and trudged to work.
To quote Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman "Big Mistake. Huge."
Things went from bad to worse on Saturday night. Because this is long enough, I'll make it into a second post. Probably later tonight or tomorrow.
I see a dermatologist (actually the nurse practitioner) for adult acne. Glamorous, huh? Anyway, we've tried several different combinations of drugs and creams mostly to little or no effect. (Which has opened my eyes to the people who do all the right things and STILL have problems, like diabetics and those with malignant hypertension. But I digress...)
I had an appointment with her on October 12. She changed the antibiotic to a "big gun" called Omnicef. It's in the same class of drugs I have taken before, but can't recall ever taking this one before. I know I haven't with her. So I filled the Rx, started taking it 2x/day and before too long I could tell a difference. The acne still came, but didn't scab over and stay for 2-3 weeks like they usually did.
On 10/19, I went to a Trivia Night with some girls I used to work with and I wore my super cute hat I got at court days. So on Thursday morning, when I woke up with an itchy head, I blamed it on the fact I don't typically wear hats and went about my morning.
After Bible Study, I took a nap b/c I had to work that night. When I woke up, I noticed that my left ankle was a little sore. But I had run and didn't really do a good stretch afterwards. I made a mental note to be sure to take the time to stretch out from here on out and headed off to work, my first time in a week.
By about 9pm or so, both of my ankles, knees, and hips hurt. Also, my left pinky and ring fingers were sore. I knew the only thing new was Omnicef. Luckily for me, one of my BFF's husbands (I call him my best friend in law) works in the pharmacy of the same hospital I work in. I called him and asked him when he got a minute to look up if there was any data on Omnicef and joint pain. A bit later, he calls me back and says yes and sends me some meds to help with the pain and allergic reaction.
So I kept right on working. I've only been in this position for a few weeks, so I wanted to give my best first impression since it was my first time on this particular unit, but as the shift went on, I couldn't hide it. "Are you limping?" "Did you hurt yourself?" They were nice enough to help me do a few things, open some things my weak hands couldn't, and be concerned about it. Even my one patients husbands, who I'd had a pretty deep heart to heart with earlier in the shift, asked me around 6am, "Kim are you okay?" No, no I wasn't.
Once I finally hobbled to my car and made it up the steps to my house, all I wanted to do was get my shoes off. Because it hurt so bad to bend over and my left hand hurt, it wasn't easy. When I finally did succeed in the task, my feet were SWOLLEN. Like whoa. And I wear compression hose while I'm working. I was hurting pretty bad and figured I needed to be seen. My derm doesn't do office hours on Fridays, so I called my family practice guy and set up an appointment.
I didn't change my clothes, but I also couldn't get my shoes back on. It was cool that Friday morning, but I threw on (well, slowly slowly put on) some flip flops and went out. The appointment was a struggle. I told him the above and when he asked me to sit up on the table, he literally had to help me get up on the step. (He's over 7 feet tall, so don't feel too bad for him!) He agreed that it was likely an allergic reaction, gave me some steroids to take, and drew some blood. It was also mentioned that lupus or early onset rheumatoid arthritis was an option, but he wanted to wait until I'd done my 12 days of steroids to send for those tests. I asked him about work and he said it was up to me.
Because I was supposed to be back that night and I didn't get home from the doctor until noon after working the night before, I did call in Friday. I HATE to call in, especially, again, since I'm new to my position.
Saturday, I was better. I was sore still, but could get up and down easier and the swelling was gone. Another day off would have been nice, but since I hate to call in and we have to make up weekend days, I went ahead and trudged to work.
To quote Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman "Big Mistake. Huge."
Things went from bad to worse on Saturday night. Because this is long enough, I'll make it into a second post. Probably later tonight or tomorrow.
Friday, October 14, 2011
My New Job (So far)
So far, my new job is going well. I don't know if it's a good point to say that since I've only been working it on my own for 6 shifts. Funny that 4 of them were on the same unit-- so much for floating!
My 7-11 part of the shift is busier in a busy type way. Obviously, it takes longer to see and give meds to 5-6 patients than to 2 like I was used to in the ICU. They aren't as sick of patients so it's not a huge deal if I don't see them til later. Busy is different in the ICU, when patients are critically ill. But, most other floors don't do midnight and 0400 full assessments and I was used to that in the ICU, so the middle to end of my shift isn't as busy. It's all a trade off.
I am also not used to not having to draw my own lab work in the mornings. Once, when lab came up and I wanted my guy's results sooner than later, I got the stuff from the lab tech and drew them myself. (Most other floors don't even stock the supplies for me to draw them). I have been starting my own IVs, because it's a skill I don't want to lose.
And I do miss my doctors. Oh, how I miss my doctors I was used to in the ICU. I've seen a few of them-- actually my 3 favorites now that I think about it-- and it's nice that all of them gave me a big hug. Between that and the fact that I call them all by their first names, the nurses that I was working with thought I was a rock star. Ha. :-)
One thing that's frustrating to me is having to get doctor orders for things in the ICU I didn't need orders for. Nurses in the ICU have more autonomy than floor nurses and we have a lot of protocols set that we can enact without talking to the doctor. And it's frustrating when sometimes (so far MOST times) it takes at least 3 pages and an hour or more to get said doctor to call back to give me an order I was used to being able to do myself. Oh well.
Apart from my job, running has been going much better lately. I ran 10 miles on Saturday and could have gone more, but I wanted to be able to walk on Sunday. I did 4.5 yesterday and once it gets daylight today I think I'm going to go to the park and run again. Or the gym. I can't decide. But am hoping to get my long distance in today before I head to Mt. Sterling/Cynthiana for the weekend. Half marathon is less than a month away now! Eek!
Hmmm. It seems like I was going to mention something else on here, but I can't currently think of what it is. Am hoping to update this more frequently, just for myself. We'll see how I do. :-)
My 7-11 part of the shift is busier in a busy type way. Obviously, it takes longer to see and give meds to 5-6 patients than to 2 like I was used to in the ICU. They aren't as sick of patients so it's not a huge deal if I don't see them til later. Busy is different in the ICU, when patients are critically ill. But, most other floors don't do midnight and 0400 full assessments and I was used to that in the ICU, so the middle to end of my shift isn't as busy. It's all a trade off.
I am also not used to not having to draw my own lab work in the mornings. Once, when lab came up and I wanted my guy's results sooner than later, I got the stuff from the lab tech and drew them myself. (Most other floors don't even stock the supplies for me to draw them). I have been starting my own IVs, because it's a skill I don't want to lose.
And I do miss my doctors. Oh, how I miss my doctors I was used to in the ICU. I've seen a few of them-- actually my 3 favorites now that I think about it-- and it's nice that all of them gave me a big hug. Between that and the fact that I call them all by their first names, the nurses that I was working with thought I was a rock star. Ha. :-)
One thing that's frustrating to me is having to get doctor orders for things in the ICU I didn't need orders for. Nurses in the ICU have more autonomy than floor nurses and we have a lot of protocols set that we can enact without talking to the doctor. And it's frustrating when sometimes (so far MOST times) it takes at least 3 pages and an hour or more to get said doctor to call back to give me an order I was used to being able to do myself. Oh well.
Apart from my job, running has been going much better lately. I ran 10 miles on Saturday and could have gone more, but I wanted to be able to walk on Sunday. I did 4.5 yesterday and once it gets daylight today I think I'm going to go to the park and run again. Or the gym. I can't decide. But am hoping to get my long distance in today before I head to Mt. Sterling/Cynthiana for the weekend. Half marathon is less than a month away now! Eek!
Hmmm. It seems like I was going to mention something else on here, but I can't currently think of what it is. Am hoping to update this more frequently, just for myself. We'll see how I do. :-)
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Holy Moly. 11 months from today I will be 30. And that's as much as I can think about it or I'll burst into tears. Bah.
Sermon series is on areas of your life you can "re-tool". Today's topic? Singleness. I told my preacher I was going to sue him for copyright infringement because I could have written the thing myself. Like for real. God's sense of humor sometimes is hilaaaaarious.
I realize I'm only 3 days in, but so far I'm loving my job. I actually had to do 3 days of orientation where I was paired with another nurse, so I'll be glad to actually be on my own again starting tomorrow. The only part that I've had trouble with is answering the phone. I still want to say "ICU this is Kim"... except I'm not in the ICU. I confused a bunch of people last night. Ha. I also need to make a good report sheet. I might try to do that later today.
I've not done so hot on my football pool this year so far. Who ever would have guessed Detroit would be 4-0? Not this girl.
I love that it's fall and getting cooler. I know Kerry would disagree (if she's reading) but I say bring on the cold weather and the snow! I love it. I had a great summer and wouldn't trade any of it, but am ready for fall. Annnnd so is my checkbook. :) So far you wouldn't be able to tell that I don't have a car payment to make monthly anymore. Nothing crazy and money things are fine, just lower than what I prefer. I think it was Keely who one time said there was a difference between funds being low and "Kim- low". I am my father's daughter and like to have a lot in my accounts; what can I say? And that's not to say I only spend money on myself. That would be an absolute waste.
Training for my half marathon has gotten some better. It's 11-12. Anybody who wants to come watch, bring it on! I'm going to try to update here some more now that things have calmed down a little bit.
That's what I love about the cooler weather; life in general just seems to slow. And the snow? There's something sooo peaceful about that.
Happy Sunday!
Sermon series is on areas of your life you can "re-tool". Today's topic? Singleness. I told my preacher I was going to sue him for copyright infringement because I could have written the thing myself. Like for real. God's sense of humor sometimes is hilaaaaarious.
I realize I'm only 3 days in, but so far I'm loving my job. I actually had to do 3 days of orientation where I was paired with another nurse, so I'll be glad to actually be on my own again starting tomorrow. The only part that I've had trouble with is answering the phone. I still want to say "ICU this is Kim"... except I'm not in the ICU. I confused a bunch of people last night. Ha. I also need to make a good report sheet. I might try to do that later today.
I've not done so hot on my football pool this year so far. Who ever would have guessed Detroit would be 4-0? Not this girl.
I love that it's fall and getting cooler. I know Kerry would disagree (if she's reading) but I say bring on the cold weather and the snow! I love it. I had a great summer and wouldn't trade any of it, but am ready for fall. Annnnd so is my checkbook. :) So far you wouldn't be able to tell that I don't have a car payment to make monthly anymore. Nothing crazy and money things are fine, just lower than what I prefer. I think it was Keely who one time said there was a difference between funds being low and "Kim- low". I am my father's daughter and like to have a lot in my accounts; what can I say? And that's not to say I only spend money on myself. That would be an absolute waste.
Training for my half marathon has gotten some better. It's 11-12. Anybody who wants to come watch, bring it on! I'm going to try to update here some more now that things have calmed down a little bit.
That's what I love about the cooler weather; life in general just seems to slow. And the snow? There's something sooo peaceful about that.
Happy Sunday!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
My new job..
Technically, I don't guess it's a new JOB. Rather a new position. I am at the same hospital, same shift (7p-7a), still full time. The difference is the unit I'll work on. I won't have one.
I applied and was hired for a house float position. What that means is that I'll "float the house" or that's what we'd call it at the hospital. In short, I could work nearly every unit in the hospital and I won't know where I'll work until I get here. I think it will be nice to meet new people, have different coworkers everyday, and know that where ever I am, I'm only there for 12 hours. I can do anything for 12 hours. Plus, it's more moolah, too, and that's never a bad thing.
I applied and was hired for a house float position. What that means is that I'll "float the house" or that's what we'd call it at the hospital. In short, I could work nearly every unit in the hospital and I won't know where I'll work until I get here. I think it will be nice to meet new people, have different coworkers everyday, and know that where ever I am, I'm only there for 12 hours. I can do anything for 12 hours. Plus, it's more moolah, too, and that's never a bad thing.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
I'm baaaaaaaack!
I think this might be my longest blog break since I started blogging, what, a few years ago? Sorry to those of you that read this. So essentially, sorry, Momma. :) As you could probably infer, (and as I mentioned on my last few blog entries) I've had a busy, busy, busy summer. Yes, that equates to lots of fun but some extras slipped by the wayside in general. Example #1 would be my blog. Also, I didn't read quite as much. And I haven't exercised the way I need to (especially considering I'm going a half marathon 11-12-11). But boy, did I have tons of fun.
Things I want to blog about:
1. Visiting Evansville to see my friend Renee and her sweet kiddos.
2. Several Reds games.
3. Adam and Luke and their hilarity
4. Visiting Janette in Pittsburgh, which overall I think was my favorite part of the summer
5. Visiting Connecticut
6. Turning 29
7. How I won't be getting married on 11-11-11 or be the first person Bucky marries (two things I'd always assumed/hoped would be true).
8. That this year really has turned out to be the year of the concert for me as I saw Train and Maroon 5 in concert
9. How my car is paid off-- free money to my account every month
10. How I got a new job (same hospital) that I'm pretty excited and yet nervous about.
11. Some really cool notepads that I got from Keely for my birthday that the lister in my loves
12. It would probably also be entertaining to do a posts regarding my OCD-ness and quirks. They've come up a lot in conversation lately. Also the ways I'm just a little bit dyslexic (which obviously caused me no real detriment. It's just interesting.)
Things that are up with me right now. I'm going through a spell where I'm trying to be enlightened. AKA not freak about the little things, not overly stress, not hold myself to unrealistically high standards, and to focus on the positive. Frankly, sometimes these things hurt. But growth is sometimes uncomfortable. And growth is good. :)
I am currently reading Bridge to Terabithia. This is the first time I've ever read it. I know for most my age it's a childhood nostalgic classic. But I never read it. I was always in the highest level reading class and that one was read by the middle level class. So far I'm really liking it, even if I don't like the way Jess is treated at home.
I am also currently in the middle of the LONGEST night of work ever. Oy. It's only 0206. And I have to come back for two more nights. And I worked 8 extra hours last night. This'll be fun.
I'll be back to the blog sooner than later to post about most of the topics I listed.
Hope all is well with y'all!
Things I want to blog about:
1. Visiting Evansville to see my friend Renee and her sweet kiddos.
2. Several Reds games.
3. Adam and Luke and their hilarity
4. Visiting Janette in Pittsburgh, which overall I think was my favorite part of the summer
5. Visiting Connecticut
6. Turning 29
7. How I won't be getting married on 11-11-11 or be the first person Bucky marries (two things I'd always assumed/hoped would be true).
8. That this year really has turned out to be the year of the concert for me as I saw Train and Maroon 5 in concert
9. How my car is paid off-- free money to my account every month
10. How I got a new job (same hospital) that I'm pretty excited and yet nervous about.
11. Some really cool notepads that I got from Keely for my birthday that the lister in my loves
12. It would probably also be entertaining to do a posts regarding my OCD-ness and quirks. They've come up a lot in conversation lately. Also the ways I'm just a little bit dyslexic (which obviously caused me no real detriment. It's just interesting.)
Things that are up with me right now. I'm going through a spell where I'm trying to be enlightened. AKA not freak about the little things, not overly stress, not hold myself to unrealistically high standards, and to focus on the positive. Frankly, sometimes these things hurt. But growth is sometimes uncomfortable. And growth is good. :)
I am currently reading Bridge to Terabithia. This is the first time I've ever read it. I know for most my age it's a childhood nostalgic classic. But I never read it. I was always in the highest level reading class and that one was read by the middle level class. So far I'm really liking it, even if I don't like the way Jess is treated at home.
I am also currently in the middle of the LONGEST night of work ever. Oy. It's only 0206. And I have to come back for two more nights. And I worked 8 extra hours last night. This'll be fun.
I'll be back to the blog sooner than later to post about most of the topics I listed.
Hope all is well with y'all!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
It's been awhile
It has been quite some time sine I've written on my little blog here. Did anybody notice? Ha. I know I had mentioned on here that I was going to have a very busy July and I did. It didn't lend itself to blogging.
Evidently, I was gone entirely too much because on Sunday both cats followed me around the house everywhere I went. I know that Conan got stepped on at least three times because I didn't know she was there. And they snuggled with me to sleep, which was nice, too.
I went to visit my friend Amber in Brooksville, spent a few nights in Cynthiana, and spent a night with my friend from college Renee in Evansville. I hadn't seen Amber is 5+ years and it had been a year and a half since I'd seen Renee. It was nice to be able to spend time with them and see their kiddos. Luke is now two (what??) and I went to the NKOTBSB concert which was AWESOME, and to a Reds game.
I had breakfast with Keely and family (can you say HOMEMADE biscuits and gravy?) and lunch with Melissa. Needless to say, add all that onto work and sleep and I've not had a moment to myself. Or it feels like it. I am looking forward to getting a bunch of chores done around the house tomorrow and spending the day by myself. That's my Friday usual. I've got to get back in the habit of eating healthy and really exercising. I had to let some of that go by the wayside and let's just say that it's obvious on the weigh side. Up 7 pounds. Awesome. (Insert sarcasm and a fuh-reak out here).
I'll elaborate more on some of these topics at some point. But the next two weeks are pretty busy, too! I just wanted to say hello.
Evidently, I was gone entirely too much because on Sunday both cats followed me around the house everywhere I went. I know that Conan got stepped on at least three times because I didn't know she was there. And they snuggled with me to sleep, which was nice, too.
I went to visit my friend Amber in Brooksville, spent a few nights in Cynthiana, and spent a night with my friend from college Renee in Evansville. I hadn't seen Amber is 5+ years and it had been a year and a half since I'd seen Renee. It was nice to be able to spend time with them and see their kiddos. Luke is now two (what??) and I went to the NKOTBSB concert which was AWESOME, and to a Reds game.
I had breakfast with Keely and family (can you say HOMEMADE biscuits and gravy?) and lunch with Melissa. Needless to say, add all that onto work and sleep and I've not had a moment to myself. Or it feels like it. I am looking forward to getting a bunch of chores done around the house tomorrow and spending the day by myself. That's my Friday usual. I've got to get back in the habit of eating healthy and really exercising. I had to let some of that go by the wayside and let's just say that it's obvious on the weigh side. Up 7 pounds. Awesome. (Insert sarcasm and a fuh-reak out here).
I'll elaborate more on some of these topics at some point. But the next two weeks are pretty busy, too! I just wanted to say hello.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Busy, Busy
I had a good night on my stay in Mt. Sterling (minus some ugly locked-out-of-the-house-with-an-almost-2-year-old-and-a-5-year-old-making-my-sis-and-BIL-drive-back-from-Lexington-to-go-right-back-to-Lexington incident) hanging out with Adam and Luke. I got some really good pictures but I'm at work now and therefore not able to post them. Luke is talking more and more and seemed even bigger than the last time I saw him, which was about 5 days difference! Ha. Funny how that can happen.
On Friday, we went to the pool where it proceded to be cloudy and then the sun shined all afternoon after we left. Isn't that the way it always seems to go?
I came back to Louisville after supper on Friday night. I went to the gym, cleaned a little bit, and watch the Reds win via walk off homerun style. Always fun!
Today, I ran a few errands and napped before coming in to work tonight. I don't want to use the "q word" (nurses are pretty superstitious) but let's just say that I'm not overly busy. ;-) Like Dad always says, I am available if needed.
Our census has been pretty low at work and since I'm signed up for 4 days the week of the 17th, I may get cancelled. I'd like to get some overtime/extra hours before I take my trips next month. I don't need to per say, but replenishing the supply is never unwise.
I am hoping to see my friend Amber this week who lives in Baltimore. She and her two daughters are coming to Kentucky for a visit. If I work my days, I'll get off of work Tuesday morning, go to Mom and Dad's to sleep for a bit, then head to Brooksville to see Am. Wednesday I have to come back here because Kristen and I are going to the New Kids on the Block/Backstreet Boys concert. Reread that. Yup, I said it. Jealous? Ha. We're currently debating whether we should dress circa that era or circa now. Suggestions?
I work Thursday and Friday nights and then will go back to Cynthiana for Luke's birthday party on Saturday. Am planning on staying in Cynthiana that night (okay, Mom?) and seeing my friend Rebecca on Sunday sometime. Then it's back to work Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights.
Shew. I'm tired just typing that! Lots of fun and laughter and love to be had, but a lot of running, too. Guess that's what summers are for! I have a few things to chose from to do on Saturday the 30th, but the 31 I'm going to Reds game with a friend from high school. Oh, how I love baseball.
August brings more work, two trips, and a whole new list of things to be tired from!
On Friday, we went to the pool where it proceded to be cloudy and then the sun shined all afternoon after we left. Isn't that the way it always seems to go?
I came back to Louisville after supper on Friday night. I went to the gym, cleaned a little bit, and watch the Reds win via walk off homerun style. Always fun!
Today, I ran a few errands and napped before coming in to work tonight. I don't want to use the "q word" (nurses are pretty superstitious) but let's just say that I'm not overly busy. ;-) Like Dad always says, I am available if needed.
Our census has been pretty low at work and since I'm signed up for 4 days the week of the 17th, I may get cancelled. I'd like to get some overtime/extra hours before I take my trips next month. I don't need to per say, but replenishing the supply is never unwise.
I am hoping to see my friend Amber this week who lives in Baltimore. She and her two daughters are coming to Kentucky for a visit. If I work my days, I'll get off of work Tuesday morning, go to Mom and Dad's to sleep for a bit, then head to Brooksville to see Am. Wednesday I have to come back here because Kristen and I are going to the New Kids on the Block/Backstreet Boys concert. Reread that. Yup, I said it. Jealous? Ha. We're currently debating whether we should dress circa that era or circa now. Suggestions?
I work Thursday and Friday nights and then will go back to Cynthiana for Luke's birthday party on Saturday. Am planning on staying in Cynthiana that night (okay, Mom?) and seeing my friend Rebecca on Sunday sometime. Then it's back to work Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights.
Shew. I'm tired just typing that! Lots of fun and laughter and love to be had, but a lot of running, too. Guess that's what summers are for! I have a few things to chose from to do on Saturday the 30th, but the 31 I'm going to Reds game with a friend from high school. Oh, how I love baseball.
August brings more work, two trips, and a whole new list of things to be tired from!
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