So, I've been LOVING my schedule recently. After 2 schedule cycles of experimentation, I've finally hit upon a rhythm I enjoy...it mostly involves an intense stretch of working, followed by at least 6 days off. Sometimes the nurse life is awesome.
However, earlier this week, I would not necessarily classify my job as awesome. After 6 glorious days of being off work and 60+ degree weather, I returned to a plethora of needy, sick patients.
After report, I roll into my first room and low and behold I walk smack into a Code Brown (see picture at top of post for explanation.) It was a sight to behold, let me tell you. We're talking floor, Foley catheter bag, bed, patient, everything. Even worse than the Code Brown, was the fact that the patient, who couldn't get out of bed, was sitting on the very edge of the bed almost falling off. I have no idea how the patient managed to get all the way down there, but they did. It took 2 nurses, a full container of our high powered sani-wipes, about 6 packages of patient wipes and a few other tricks to get this mess cleaned up.
Oh, did I mention the patient was in special precautions for a super serious infection?!? SO GROSS!
It was 1 hour into my shift and I had already basically decided that I wanted to fire hose myself off at the end...just to give you an idea of the grossness of this whole thing.
Anyway, that set me back a bit and the night was busier then some but by midnight or so I was pretty much caught up.
Of course, that didn't last long because sometime in the middle of the night, my "easy" patient suddenly got quite sick. This was particularly concerning because they had a surgery previously and had an open wound that was healing as a result. (And by open, I mean you could literally have a biology lesson on tissue, muscle, etc...it was pretty stickin' awesome.) Anyway, sickness combined with an open wound is, you know, not good. Then the patient vomited, and it was not a normal color...because when it comes to vomit, brown is good. Anything else? Bad. And, the patient was pretty much at the end of the hall so I did a lot of power walking.
At one point, I was pretty sure I was going to drop an NG tube (goes through the nose down the back of the throat, into the stomach. Pleasant.) down the patient. Thank goodness by this time it was close to my shift ending!
Anyway, by the end of that shift I was tired, dirty and pretty sweaty. It was so glamerous. But, hey, all my patients were breathing and their hearts were still beating so it must have been successful.
For me? Since it was a little chilly that morning, so I decided against a fire hose and hit the shower instead.
