Hello there. I was feeling grey and down, so I am resurrecting these sunny photos from my garden of last summer. These are some of my cukes. Like the grape vines, I love the tendrils these guys produce - nature is endlessly beautiful, isn't it? I apologize for the blurriness - I was just learning how to use the camera when I took these shots. Of course, I still take (and, horrors, post) blurry photos from time to time, but these were blurry in ignorance. If that means anything at all, and it really doesn't. There will be no veggie garden this summer because I am a terrible gardener, at least when I'm working and going to school. I want a big garden, or at least a medium-ish one, and I plant it and take care of it until I get overwhelmed, and then M. winds up doing most of the upkeep and the whole garden thing wasn't his idea in the first place. So, instead, we'll just have flowers (and maybe a pot or two of tomatoes) this summer.
Anyhow, the crabbiness of yesterday has subsided. I'm feeling fine now, just a little tired. Thank you very much to Deb (http://tiredmummy.blogspot.com/) for being supportive in the face of my endless whining. Actually, many of you put up with that... but she hasn't even met me and she still likes me , I think.
I have a prayer request for those of you who say them, and I'm asking for good wishes from those who do not. A good friend's father has recently been diagnosed with what will probably turn out to be lung cancer; its operability is yet to be seen. She is in the nursing program with me and is considering dropping out of it because her father is her world. I know how that is - my own dad is incredibly special to me. I would rather she not drop out, and I'm guessing her father would say the same thing... but I will support my friend either way. At any rate, good thoughts and prayers are welcome - her dad's name is Don P.
Let's see, what else? Well, I've been doing interesting work in the lab lately, and I'm in the midst of a relatively interesting experiment. It's been too long since I've done actual science - I am very rusty at it. I miss it. I miss it more than I thought I would. Apparently I am a scientist at heart, even when I think I might not be. Silly, silly Anne. In other work related news... I took care of a trach patient on a vent last night. I can't say how much I admire those of you in the health care profession; I think it's going to bruise my heart over and over again. I hope will be up to the task. My patient was very sick, and with the vent, she couldn't speak. She suffers from dementia too, so I don't know how much comprehension she has. What I do know is that she has beautiful clear blue eyes, and she looks right into yours. When we were changing the dressing on her enormous sacral (over the buttocks) decubitus ulcer (formerly known as bed sore), I was the one holding her up on her side - she also has advanced MS, which makes movement difficult for her. I took her hand, and she squeezed it and looked into my eyes. It's hard, seeing stuff like this, participating in it. I want to fix everything and everyone (which is so very absurd, given how badly I am able to take care of my own self!), so it's difficult to feel so helpless. What you do, I guess, is the best that you can with your nursing care, and you try to treat every single person you come into contact with as a special, unique, valuable individual. We did a lot of care with her last night, and we did it well. I think the best thing I did, though, was to brush her hair. That sounds stupid, but it's true.
Ok, that's enough out of me. I'm not being very eloquent today - I know this because I have an urge to delete the whole entry. I'll leave it, though. Don't want to keep the peevishness of my last entry at the top! Best to you all, and I'll sign in tomorrow. Ta.
1 comment:
Anne, forgot to read this post, so am posting a little late. I agree with you about brushing that patient's hair being important, because as much as taking care of the medical side is important, it's the little personal things that we in the medical field do that can mean so much more to that individual. It hurts me to hear from patients that some nurses on a floor were rushed and handled them in a rough manner getting them on a stretcher, not taking those few extra seconds to take in consideration the patient's pain level and go a little easier and less rushed. I've actually taken patients back to their rooms myself after they were sobbing about such things and the pain it caused, to handle the moving back process myself and slow things down. I certainly realize tht there is a huge shortage in nursing and not a lot of time to get everything done that needs to get done some nights, but when people start losing sight of the human being in the patient, it may be time to rethink if you are in the right field. It's too bad that most health professionals probably weren't ever truly a patient themselves before entering the field, like I was, because you have quite a different perspective being on both sides. Okay, I'm getting off my soapbox now.
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