OH what a crazy day. I felt like a chicken with it's head cut off. My day started at 0445. It was dark and cold and raining outside. I roll out of bed and make my way downstairs to put the coffee on. While it is brewing I check my emails and blog. Can't get to much done as I know it takes time that I don't have. So I manage to send just a couple of emails, jump into the shower and dash out the door. It is a 45 min. drive to my work and that is travelling at 120km/hr.
I arrive with 15 mins to spare. I grab another cup of coffee look at the assignment board, listen to report look at my colleagues and whimper....I just want to go home. The unit is full. A couple of admission overnight that are very unstable.
0830 my colleague who had a patient who is on isolation calls for help, her patient is crashing...I start to put on the isolation garments only to discover they didn't have my mask...quick call to get one STAT!!! There is a doctor on the unit so I call him ask him to come and help. By this time my colleague it bagging the patient....the ER doctor comes up...the patient ends up intubated and ventilated. OH....it just went down hill from there. this now made us short staffed because the patient was ventilated and now is a one on one which means someone has to pick up the rest of my colleagues assignment. My assignment is heavy one of my patients is extending his MI right before me...very sick....after a variety of tests and drugs it is determined he need emergency angiogram...which then means we have to air vac him to a hospital that does that. I have to call the patients wife and explain what is going on, suggest she come in to see him before we air vac him out, deal with her understandable stress and explain what is happening and try and keep her calm.
Meanwhile, my other colleague has two patients who are also having Chest pain. The supervisor calls to tell us that they have two very sick patients they need to send to us...one is a 20 year who has a cerebral bleed and the other is a post op GI bleed and they have 2 patients in ER they want us to take. OMG!!! is it 1900 yet? Needless to say, I never got my coffee or dinner break. It 's not the first time that has happened and I am sure it won't be the last.
My day did come to an end. I did get to come home. It was dark and raining, and it felt like the drive just kept getting longer and longer. I was so glad to just get home and able to be home. Home, where my hubby was happy to see me and greeted me with a wonderful hug, home where he had the fire going and a wonderful dinner waiting for me. Home....I am blessed.
Tomorrow will come, I will do what I have to do at work....but I know I get to come home!
I wish you all good health. Take care!
12 comments:
Wow!
And I thought I had rough days.
You have a good husband.
When I cook dinner for my wife it is my famous hot pocket and rice surprise.
(Don't laugh, the Oreos really make the dish.)
"Things tend to go from bad to worse.. and then the circle will repeat itself."
Wow, that was some day you had. Hope you got time to catch up during the weekend.
ryc: Yupp, at the moment everythings about money - haven't started my christmas gift shopping yet *panic*
I've actually move my blog to Crashed Site, and you are welcome to drop by :)
Cheers
I have to give you credit for doing the wonderful job you do as an ICU nurse. There aren't many RNs out there who could maintain under that type of pressure day in and day out. You are also lucky to have such a loving and understanding husband waiting for you at the end of the day.
No wonder so many nurses crash and burn and decide to go into other areas of medicine.
Awww.. great hubby! I hope you got some time to unwind.
Is that your house? Very pretty!
Hey Barb,
Why don't you tell Smalltown RN that she should link up at my site. She's already a visitor there, she needs to officially join the party though!
Wow.....what a terrible day! I think that I will not complain as much anymore about MY days!
It's dedicated nurses like you who actually do save people's lives. As a former ICU/CCU patient, I can't praise you enough. Just the caring you show, not only to the patient but extending it to the family, shows me what great character and integrity you have......not to mention a large and love filled HEART!!!!
I'm really glad you have such a great hubby there......God bless him too!
Hugs my Canadian friend!!!!
Being a nurse is certainly one of the more stressful jobs to have. It's nice that you are able to come home to a nice atmosphere after having to deal with all that stress.
Your husband sounds really sweet. I hope today was better.
Ouch that sounds like one busy day
Yes Skittles that is the front of my house.
Bobby I guess I will have to find out what it's all about.
Today was a much better day...thanks all for your lovely comments.
I know what a tough job nursing can be.
I'm sure the woman who was feeling such stress over her husband's health was very grateful that you took time to explain things to her.
:)
oh honey what a horrible day but imagine you make someone else very good because in all of that you must have saved several souls...and then wonderful home...ah, sweet endings. bee
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