Technical Difficulties

Sorry for the delay in posting, my internet service hasn’t been operational this past week and I’m only able to access the internet at school. Well, look forward to a few updates once the situation is resolved.

Lab Day

So, yesterday was an eventful day in lab. We had to watch a few videos on how to insert, check for placement, and remove a nasogastric tube. Needless to say, we had to practice inserting these tubes into mannequins, it definately wasn’t easy. I believe these dummies lack much of the physiologic mechanisms that would aid in the process of insertion. My “client’ was non-compliant, comatose, and absent of bowel sounds. When first inserting the NG tube it was quite difficult until reaching the nasopharnyx region and then became somewhat easier to insert but, I realized that it became easier because the NG tube had somehow began to come out the other nostril. We pretty much concluded that we would be unable to insert the tube for “his” enteral feeding.

Oh, this weekend will my first clinical of the semester. It will take place at a local long-term care facility and I’m not quite sure yet whether I’m excited or nervous. We shall see what it all entails. Wish me luck

Note: No mannequins were harmed in the making of this blog.

A beautiful Mind

Time has seemingly passed me by and where I am is not where I once was before. Am I more than fading memories? For that can not be certain and surely uncertainty is not to be my new security. A warm embrace or a comforting voice reminds of that which has once been lost but still these thoughts are  fleeting. How could such a beautiful thing go to waste? Confusion has now become a dear friend, if a friend is what it could be considered and as each moment drudges by, a piece of a beautiful mind shall die.  —Me (grindcm)

Alzheimer’s has become an increasing concern in the U.S. and every 70 seconds one individual develops the signs and symptoms related to this debilitating and deadly form of dementia.  Little is known about a cure and even less is certain about its causes.

Many ideas have to pointed to a genetic predisposition; also, other risk factors may include a continous incidence of high blood pressure, head trauma and the female gender. Although many risk factors are uncertain, one thing that is for certain is that it is not a normal part of aging.

Two types of Alzheimer’s occur, early onset and late onset. Early onset is less common, presenting symptoms prior to the age of 60 and usually has a rapidly progressive nature. Late onset, occuring after the age of 60, appears to have no genetic correlation and progresses at a slower rate. Both forms of the disease present with the same signs and symptoms: Repeating statements, misplacing things, disinterest in previously enjoyed things, forgetting details about current events, Hallucinations, personality changes, and difficulty performing tasks like driving and preparing meals.

Treatment options are limited and only slow the progression of the disease. There are many medications on the market but, it appears that the most promising treatment would be related to lifestyle changes. Some include getting regular massages to aid in relaxation, getting a pet, Listen to calming music, and as the disease progresses supervision by a care provider.

Prevention of this disease is the main course of action considering there is no cure. Many preventive methods are related to the risk factors; maintaining a low blood pressure, consume a low-fat diet, take non-steriodal anti-inflammatory drugs (Advil, Motrin), and currently a vaccine for Alzheimer’s is being tested.

Just like any other deblitating disease, awareness must become a priority. The incidence of this disease is ever increasing and it is projected that by mid-century every 33 seconds someone will be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, this correlates to approximately 16 million people with this disease. Also, “Medicare currently spends nearly three times as much for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias than for the average Medicare beneficiary. Medicare costs are projected to double from $91 billion in 2005 to more than $189 billion by 2015, more than the current gross national product of 86 percent of the world’s countries” (Alzheimer’s Association).

Test Form A

So, my spring break is nearing an end and of course I must re-aquaint myself to the books. Unfortunately I have a test the day I return, Monday. Fortunately, I did quite a bit of studying before the break. The only issue I face today is the ol’ procrastination bug. When this bug strikes delay is inevitable and mostly to our detriment. I have to find the motivation to break out of the shell and hit the books, not to only to better myself but to improve my ability to deliver quality care someday.

May I have my stethoscope?

Throughout nursing school the student nurse learns many new concepts and ideas; the student, in turn, is then required to put these ideas into practice in the health care setting through a process called clinical. Through practical application of the student’s knowledge, skills learned in the classroom setting are further reinforced.

Needless to say, it is almost a certainty that the clinical setting with throw you a curveball. In these terms a curveball would be considered and incident that no amount of hours studied could prepare you for.  From experience these incidents occur more so during the patient-health care provider interaction.

And so the story begins……

My first clinical experience, first semester of nursing school, took place in a long-term care facility. I had no issues with the setting because, it provides a great setting for patient interaction and the ability to implement certain skills that aren’t so easily applied in acute care. Anyway, during my clinical each student is required to take the vital signs of at least 10 residents which, at first, seemed like a menial task. Throughout the day I would randomly take vital signs on residents that I was presently interacting with but, there would be one individual that would change the so-called menial task into one of utter confusion.  Throughout the corridors many residents sit in the halls and chat with passers by. I found one particular resident that appeared to be an out lier, one who seems to be doing there own thing independent of the group. I began a conversation in order to establish a trusting relationship so that I may be able to take the patient’s vital signs with no complications. At the time the resident was wearing a jacket which I kindly asked them to remove one arm out of the sleeve so that the Blood Pressure readings wouldn’t be miscalculated. Much of what happened next was a blur. As I was listening to the resident’s brachial artery, the site of ausculatating (listening) for the systolic and diastolic readings, the resident placed both arms around my neck and put me into a postion that resembled the Muay Thai death clinch or so I thought, when you begin to lose consciousness its hard to remember the minute details. In these instances all book knowledge goes out the window and no amount of class time can prepare you for what may come next. What would come next would be a surprise. The resident then preceded to attempt to escort to their living quarters and muttering what sounded like, ” let me show you something great.” Like I said previously, everything seemed like a blur and I can recall much with little certainty of what may have taken place to turn a once, seemingly immobile and innocent individual into Bruce Lee. The first thing I can remember fully would be when I asked the resident to please let go of my stethoscope which, they were much obliged. So, score one for medical experience.

Consequently, I am here before you to forewarn you about the journey you may be preparing to embark upon or just enlightening others. I definitely do not believe this was a negative experience but merely one I could look back upon and laugh. I have officially realized that knowledge can only carry you so far in health care and we need a much more keen ally, wisdom. This ally, unfortunately, only comes through experience or a very watchful eye; an eye I hope to quickly develop.

Faith and Forceps

This is an introdution to a series that I want to start. Faith and Forceps will be a look into the world of medicine from the perspective of spirituality. Faith, of course, represents the spiritual aspect and Forceps represents the medicinal aspect. This series will not be strictly limited to the spiritual view of medicine. The series will consider the spiritual and medicinal aspects of certain subjects and the correlation between the two. I intend on posting the series at the very least once every two weeks, time permiting. If there are any suggestions about future topics I will definately take them into consideration. The first post will essentially be a foundation for Faith and Forceps. So, Coming to a computer screen near you FAITH AND FORCEPS.

Spring Break

My spring break officially started yesterday, although I haven’t had class since last tuesday. Initially I found it hard to take a break from the books for at least a couple days but, it seems now I am having trouble encouraging myself to study. Oh well I’ll try not to procrastinate to much longer. Plus, I’m sure over this upcoming weekend I’ll put in quite a few hours into studying because I have a test the first day back. If there is anything that I am certain about at this point in nursing school I would definately have to say that you can almost guarantee a test at very lest every week. Well, thats it for the present moment, I’m going to compile a small list of topics I’d like to discuss in hopes of at least having some direction for the future. It doesn’t hurt to have a plan, at least a tentative one.

In a Nutshell

Here it is, short, sweet, and to the point. This is my life in a nutshell up until this point, beginning with my admission into the nursing program.

     I applied to a local Nursing program, 2 year associates degree, in September 2008 and in early December I was notified that I had been admitted to the program that would begin in January 2009. Needless to say I wasn’t too hesitant, considering I was actually in the program approximately 3 years ago. I guess it does help to have a little insight when embarking on  a “new” journey. You may, at this point, be asking yourself, ” What happened in his previous attempt?” Well, I’ll leave that to a later post, we’re trying to get everyone up to date at the present moment. So, I am presently in my third month of school and I can say it has been quite an experience. This semester I am enrolled in three class: Fundamentals of Nursing (this class is exactly what you would expect, the basic building blocks to patient care, more about this in the future), Health Assessment (I’ve finished this class, it was a mini-term course), and Pharmacology (Another mini-term course on Drugs, Drug Interactions, Mechanisms of Action, and Medication Administration).

     Presently, I only attend school two days a week but I spend one day a week in class from 8:30-5:30 and there are times when I believe that investing in a large supply of coffee wouldn’t be such a bad idea. So, this is where we begin, my first post and our introduction to My Life: RN Student. There will be much to come so keep checking back.