Ok.....So It's Been Awhile.

Yes, I'm horrible at this blogging thing....it's not like I'm not near a computer all day. No excuses.
First and foremost....I survived my first semester with a 3.5 gpa( that's two A's and a B for those keeping track). Not bad, but I would have L-O-V-E-D to have had that 4.0. Oh well, there's always next semester. I have learned to let go of my all A's all the time and have adopted an 'It is what it is' attitude (which is funny because I'm like that in every other aspect of my life). I loved clinicals and skills class, but hated my 5 hour theory class - all that dictionary-like reading will kill someone, especially me; I'm more of a hands on kinda gal.
This semester I was at a hospital just 5 minutes from home and worked the Med/Surg floor as well as the Surgical floor. I loved it....if it needed to be done, I was your gal. Catheters to take out? Done. Poop to clean up? Done. Fecal Impactions? Never happened, but I would have been the first to do it. But what about your gag reflex, you may ask. Well I used Burt's Bees original lip chap....that mint smell pretty much over powers everything, that and breathing through your mouth.

I waited and waited all semester to have a patient that would be 'the one', one that would touch and impact me, as to define my nursing career. It never happened. But I did meet some great people. One that did touch my heart was Miss C. Miss C.was awaiting surgery for a dislocated shoulder, it would be her 4th surgery on that shoulder. She was apprehensive and she had been waiting 2 days for her surgery. During report, one of the nurses said that she was grumpy and difficult to deal with, as well as a hard stick (difficult to get blood from and put an IV in). Great, I thought to myself...she's going to be really excited to have a student nurse. I went in and introduced myself...I could tell she was in a lot of pain. I asked if I could do anything for her, and she replied:'No, go away.' Around breakfast time, I decided to go in and help her with her breakfast, since she was only able to use one arm. She smiled and thanked me. While she was eating the lab tech came in to take her blood. They tried and tried, and had to leave to get another girl to do it. I sat and comforted her as best as I could. Later that day I noticed fluid around her IV site and notified her nurse (I felt pretty awesome that I caught that,mostly because I felt that I was actually a real nurse, it's a 1st semester thing). It turns out the the IV had blown and they needed to put it in at another site. As they poked her 18 times, I sat and held her hand and told her she was doing great. They never did get the IV back in and had to call the Cath. Lab to come and do it. After that ordeal was over, I helped her with lunch and sat and just talked to her. She was from New Orleans, and was displaced after Katrina hit. She had just finished fixing up her home from an earlier flood and had just gotten her custom drapes put in, when Katerina happened. She teared up while she talked about losing everything, and her other family members losing everything, and I tried not to lose it in front of her. At the end of my shift I asked if it would be alright if I could accompany her to surgery the next day, and she said she wouldn't go without me.
The next day I arrived only to find that the Dr. never came to see her and her surgery was rescheduled. By this time she was on her pain medication, and slept through my entire shift.
I was touched by her story because I never knew anyone directly effected by Katrina. Sure we were here in Texas when it happened, and I saw the devastation on the news, but I had never met anyone who had gone through the ordeal. It was an amazing survivor story, and being able to find the strength to move on and create a new life after losing everything; to me is unimaginable. It's patients like this that make me feel that I'm in the right profession. I love what I am doing and I feel honored to be able to serve in such a Christ like profession. I love knowing everyday that I am doing what I am supposed to be doing, what God intended me to do.