NursesNotes

Posted on Thu, Apr. 28, 2005

The following news item is a good reason why I don't allow the staff to munch at the desk. ( Actually, it's for infection control purposes, but ya never know- obviously!) The most surprising aspect of this is that there was ONE brownie left. An unheard of situation amongst nurses!!

Sierra Vista hospital nurses unknowingly ate pot brownies, officials say

Nathan Welton and Sarah Linn
The Tribune

Twelve employees including nurses at Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center ate a plate of brownies while on shift that authorities now suspect were laced with marijuana, The Tribune has learned.

A hospital employee's family member allegedly brought the brownies to the hospital on April 20, according to Sierra Vista spokesman Ron Yukelson.

Police are conducting a narcotics investigation.


Yukelson said patients weren't endangered because managers and other staff quickly filled in when the employees started feeling ill.

"This may be humorous," said Yukelson, "but it's not funny."

Neither he nor the San Luis Obispo Police Department would confirm the identity of the person they think supplied the brownies.

The incident did not occur in a critical care area, Yukelson said, such as the intensive care unit, the neonatal intensive care unit, the Emergency Department and the cardiac care unit. He wouldn't be more specific.

Police were called around 6 p.m. that day; Yukelson said they confiscated one remaining brownie for testing.

He said no administrative action has been taken against anyone who ate the brownies, but Yukelson could not immediately say if any hospital employee was disciplined as a result of the incident.

So, folks, if you want to take a gift to the nurses, take boxes of chocolates that are overwrapped in plastic or other consumables suitably wrapped.
Too bad the home made goodies will be soon banned. I think I hear a Policy being developed!!

The queen of clean is now the queen of poop.
We are experiencing an outbreak of Norovirus at work in one of our extended care units. It has infected all the clients and about half the staff who are out with it. I have to juggle my already stretched staff to cover the other units. If you want to hear groaning of the loudest caliber, just try making changes to the daily routines of heavily unionized health care workers!!
We are trying to keep this outbreak contained to the unit it is on. If it encrouches in to our immunocompromised patients, we may be in for some very bad outcomes.
Norovirus is one of those nasty bugs that can crop up in enclosed poulations. I'm sure everyone has heard about outbreaks on cruise ships. ( Which has really decreased my desire to ever go on a cruise again!!)
Someone, somewhere, did not wash their hands properly after pooping. The bug gets on a surface, such as a hand rail or elevator button. Someone else touches it, eats a sandwich without washing their hands and there you go, literally!!
So please, wash your hands, or use your purell if you do not have access to soap and water. Turn the taps off with the paper towel after washing, so you don't recontaminate your hands.
And if you feel lousy, please don't make the "sacrifice" to go and visit someone in hospital.
It will not be appreciated by anyone!!

Going in to work early this morning for " Grand Rounds" ,   ; where I will be presenting the paper I did last week at the conference.

No Kidding, someone emailed me this joke. I had heard it but never with me as the star!!
LOL!!
Nurse Nancy

Two doctors were in a hospital hallway one day complaining about Nurse Nancy.

"She's incredibly mixed up," said one doctor. "She does everything absolutely backwards. Just last week, I told her to give a patient 2 milligrams of morphine every 10 hours. She gave him 10 milligrams every 2 hours. He damn near died on us!"

The second doctor said, "That's nothing. Earlier this week, I told her to give a patient an enema every 24 hours. She tries to give him 24 enemas in one hour! The guy damn near exploded!"

Suddenly, they hear this blood-curdling scream from down the hall.

"Oh my God!", said the first doctor, "I just realised I told Nurse Nancy to prick Mr. Smith's boil!"

Arriving back from my daughter's campus, with the van full of stuff, I was greeted with "Mommy, the toilet is clogged"
Why is my life so glamorous?

I did, he was and we might have!!!

Early to bed, early to rise. Makes NurseNancy quite cranky!!
I was asleep by 10 pm last night, new hair do and all. What that translated to was that I was awake at 0430 this morning. Bleh!

Cold, rainy and dull out. yech. Think I'll head back under the covers for a bit and see if MrNurse is awake yet!!

I'm thinking of changing my (blog) name.
Apparently. *sexy nurses in uniform.com* already have  "NurseNancy." What some people will search for is quite disturbing......

Where's Waldo Nurse Nancy?   & nbsp;   &n bsp;    

NN is finally home. I got in around 11 PM last night. The car is loaded with the eldest daughter's flotsam and jetsom, along with at least a half pound of dust bunnies! I have to go back down tomorrow to get the rest of her "stuff"
She writes her final exam on Tuesday, has a dance final on Wed. and will grab a ride home with her friend on Wed. at supper time. The house will be overflowing again!
I was away for the past week at various meetings and at a conference, where I presented a paper.

I have learned more about Cryptosporidial enteritis in the past two days than I hope to ever have to use. In case you need to know, it's what is referred to as one of the  "opportunistic infections" that are so troublesome and life threatening to patients with compromised immune systems. It causes, among other things, lots of diarrhea. Aren't you glad to know this? I thought so! :)

Since it is Saturday, there is a host of Nurse Family things to do. The other kids can unload Big Sis' things from the car, NN is going to the day spa (!) to have a massage and a hair "do" UMM, UH!!

NN is going to do the Town, uh, my bed, tonight!! Well, maybe, I can pencil in MrNurse, as well. He has been very neglected lately!! :)

NurseNancy has gone to a conference about HIV/AIDS. I am presenting a paper on one of the opportunistic infections that our HIV/AIDS population has found troublesome recently ,while in our hospital. I hope to be able to help others who may be experiencing this problem and I also hope to learn something new. Even if one only retains approximately 7% of information from a work shop or conference, perhaps the 7% that I will leave with tomorrow might help someone, somewhere, sometime!!
After the conference ends tomorrow, I will swing around to QU in Hamden to help my daughter pack up some of her things and bring another load home.
How can college students get so much crammed into those dorm rooms? So far, I have gone down and brought home two large duffles of dirty laundry, a huge basket of texts and note books, a box of pictures, a couple of winter jackets and most of her dancing and skating paraphenalia. I figure if ahe could get it all in that teeny dorm room, it should fit in at home. I think she will have to put it all in the workshed outside, because I don't think there is room in the house!!
Everyone have a nice Thursday and Friday!
I will be back on Friday night!!
TTFN!!

NurseNancy's tattoo!!

 

 In Oklahoma City, 168 chairs sit empty in a memorial park. It was ten years ago today that the people memorialized by those chairs died. The number of dead included 19 children in a daycare centre.

I find this tragedy so poignant because I had a little one at home at the time who was about the same age of many of those children who were killed. I remember watching the news with a sense of dis-belief and incredible sadness for  the parents and families of those people.

I never thought anything could be so horrific.

Then we endured Sept. 11, 2001.

NurseNancy has spent lots of her valuable time cleaning and scouring her blog site. I apologize to Susan of the Poodles, MNASH, Alms, Rinna, Smack, 11th, Lynne, Island and any others who commented on the light hearted "Butch" bathing suit post, and were subjected to the vitriolic hatred and spurious comments from that obnoxious and cerebrally challenged individual. Mnash is right, the JERK factor is mostly learned and partly inherited. This commenting jerk is a good example of what an Inbred Jed sounds like. I see these idiots in the emergency room all the time, folks.
They're usually the ones who shoot themselves in the foot when they go out to hunt squirrels, or other small animals.
Let us not be lowered to their expectations. I have thrown it all out in the little garbage pail icon, and I encourage you all to do the same thing.
Have a wonderful and blessed day, and be glad that you are not that person!!
Joy! to all of you on this glorious sunny day!!
NN

Be careful what you wish for, the grass is not always greener on the other side!!

A skilled nurse died and arrived before St. Peter, who explained, "We have this little policy of allowing you to choose whether you want to spend eternity in heaven or in hell." "How do I know which to choose?" She asked. "That's easy," said St. Peter. "you have to spend a day in each place before making a decision."

With that, he put the nurse on an elevator and sent her down to hell. The elevator doors opened and the nurse found herself in a sunny garden, where many former friends and colleagues warmly greeted her. She had a great time all day laughing and talking about old times. That night, she had an excellent supper in a fantastic restaurant. She even met the devil, who turned out to be a pretty nice guy. Before she knew it, her day in hell was over and she returned to heaven.

The day in heaven was okay. She lounged around on clouds, sang, and played the harp. At the end of the day, St. Peter came and asked for her decision. "Well, heaven was great and all," the nurse said, "but I had a better time in hell. I know it sounds strange, but I choose hell." With that, she got in the elevator and went back down.

When the doors opened, she saw a desolate wasteland covered in garbage and filth. Her friends, dressed in rags, were picking up garbage and putting it in sacks. When the devil walked over, she said to him, "I don't understand. Yesterday, this place was beautiful. We had a delicious meal and a wonderful time laughing and talking." The devil smiled and said, "Yesterday we were recruiting you. Today you're staff."

My ultimate fantasy?
To have two men at once.






One to do the cooking, the other to do the cleaning!!

Fooled Ya'll!!
:)

There were 5 sick calls on one of my units today. I spent most of my morning juggling staff, floating nurses to other units and having to put up with disgruntled staff. for all the people who called in today, I offer the litany of excuses....

1. The Macy's One Day Sale Flu.

2. The Drivers License Renewal Appointment 24 Hour Virus.

3. The Friday Afternoon Start The Weekend Early Sudden Unbearable Stomach Pains.

4. The I'm Looking for a New Job and I Don't Know How Long It's Going to Take but I Want To Stay On the Payroll Until Then Mysterious Infection.

5. The My Boyfriend's Got the Week Off So Suddenly I'm Too Contagious To Come In To the Office Disease.

6. The I Need a Hair Cut and My Stylist Doesn't Make Evening Appointments Bout of Influenza.

7. The There's No Federal Holidays for Two Months and I Want a Day Off Sickness.

8. The It's Spring Break and I Want To Pretend I'm a Teenager Again General Ailment.

9. The I've Screwed Up Royally and I Won't Come In To Face the Music Terminal Illness.

10. The I Really Am Sick and I've Got The Doctor's Bills and the Completed Medical Expense Reimbursement Forms to Prove It Infirmity.

Patient complained that she had pain in her CAT. After much questioning it was discovered that the patient considered this a more polite and TEK-NICKEL term for 'down there'.

One day The Lord came to Adam, and said, "I've got some good news and some bad news".

Adam said, "Well, give me the good news first."

The Lord explained, "I've got two new organs for you.

One is called a brain. It will allow you to create new things, solve problems, and have intelligent conversations with Eve.

The other organ I have for you is called a penis. It will give you great physical pleasure and allow you to reproduce your now intelligent life form and populate this planet. Eve will be very happy that you now have this organ to give her children."

Adam, very excited, exclaimed, "These are great gifts you have given to me. What could possibly be bad news after such great tidings?"

The Lord looked upon Adam and said with great sorrow, "You will never be able to use these two gifts at the same time."

this is from an actual ad for a colon cleansing product:

.......Are you suffering from constipation or do you want to experience the benefits of colon cleansing?

Introducing OXY-POWDER™, the oxygen colon cleanser from Global Healing Center. Oxy-Powder is the most advanced, scientifically correct colon cleanser there is.

It does not just sweep the symptoms under the rug, it goes right after the real cause of constipation. .........

Oh, and here I thought the constipated just can't poop.
Well I hope no one out there "sweeps their symptoms" under the rug. That would be really wrong.

Nurses are always constipated. We have ways and means to make the patients go, and sometimes it's hard to stop them from going. But nurses, alas, never have the time to answer the call, when it calls!!
Nurses bladder is also a reality. More on that another day!!

After sifting through about 300 messages in my email today about various meetings, reminders etc, I decided to share this which I once received. We all need a lesson in "netiquette" from time to time.

Thou shalt include a clear and specific subject line.
Thou shalt edit any quoted text down to the minimum thou needest.
Thou shalt read thine own message thrice before thou sendest it.
Thou shalt ponder how thy recipient might react to thy message.
Thou shalt check thy spelling and thy grammar.
Thou shalt not curse, flame, spam or USE ALL CAPS.
Thou shalt not forward any chain letter.
Thou shalt not use e-mail for any illegal or unethical purpose.
Thou shalt not rely on the privacy of e-mail, especially from work.
When in doubt, save thy message overnight and reread it in the light of the dawn.
AND THE GOLDEN RULE OF E-MAIL
That which thou findest hateful to receive, sendest thou not unto others.

I had a difficult day today. A patient (who has cancer) decided to refuse treatments and just allow the disease to take its course. What bugs me is that she is my age and has a potentially treatable cancer. I spent a lot of time with her and her family and the whole thing was just that they did not want further treatment. I sent the social worker in and we will get a psych consult to ensure she is competent( i.e. not suicidal) to make this choice. I kind of got the feeling that her family was trying to talk her out of treatments and she would probably want to try. Other than that, I could see no reason that any young(er) aged wife and mother would not do everything in their power to stay here. Sometimes I wonder why I do what I do. Then I see someone come out of a terrible illness, recover from a traumatic accident or fight the good fight to the end, and I know why I do this.
Make sure you hug your family extra well tonight. They may need to make medical choices for you one day. What do you want them to do? Make sure you talk about it sooner, rather than later.

NurseNancy has committed more criminal activity. Our local Walgreens had bottled spring water on for $1.99 for a case of 24. They had a huge pile of cases and a BIG sign that said "Limit of 4 to a Customer"
Well, it just so happens that 4 cases is about what fits in the cart, so I bought 4, and took them out to the car. I loaded up the back of the van, and then thought, "Heck, it's crowded in there, I wonder if I could go back in and buy more?"
This is where it gets very shady, folks, and a bit dicey so you may want to leave if you have better principles than I.
I took off my jacket, put my sunglasses on and popped my son's ballcap on my head and went back in and purchased FOUR MORE CASES OF BOTTLED WATER!!!
That's right, folks, NurseNancy broke the "Limit of 4" rule. AND GOT AWAY WITH IT!!!!
I got back to the van and my heart was pounding and my hands were a little moist with the daring of it all!!
Boy, oh, boy! See how easy it is? Start with one criminal activity and the rest just gets so easy. I better stop before I begin to rob banks!

On my way home from work, I am going to go to the local BIG camping /sports store/everything store to get some money back for a camp cot. I purchased it on Saturday for my youngest son to take to hockey camp. I paid the full regular price of $89.00 on Saturday, and saw it advertised on sale this week for $49.00.
I have learned that business will refund $$$$ if you pay full-price and it goes on sale within 2 weeks. Just take the receipt and the flyer ad in, and don't leave until you get your money back!!
So, what to do with an extra $40.00,this weekend???

Borrowing a page from MNash's book, I would like to share some outrageous criminal behavior with the world.
NurseNancy took 11 items through the 10 items or less checkout line at the supermarket today.

Tea, Toast and OJ for breakfst. Hard to post, though since one of the kids spilled juice in the keyboard, and all the keys are sticking!!! have a great Day!

Scrutiny for petting zoos
- -------------------------
The county fair exhibits offered a real down-on-the-farm experience;
children could milk a cow, bottle-feed a calf, gather eggs or handle a kid
goat. The exhibits were "interactive" and "hands-on." But late last week
Florida health officials identified the petting zoos at 3 local fairs as the most likely source of a vicious strain of the
bacterium _E. coli_ that so far has sickened dozens of people, most of them
children. Animals for all 3 zoos were provided by the same company.

At least 19 children and 3 adults have confirmed cases of the strain, _E.
coli_ 0157:H7, and another 24 children and 9 adults have suspect cases,
health officials said. The organism causes bloody diarrhea and abdominal
cramps, but the biggest concern is that, in some patients, it has triggered
hemolytic uremic syndrome, an illness that shuts down the kidneys and
leaves victims paralyzed or blind.

Many diseases can spread from animals to humans, and in recent years,
petting zoos have been a source of outbreaks. In 2004, more than 100 people
were infected with _E. coli_ at a state fair petting zoo in Raleigh, N.C.,
and 2 Canadian petting zoos were linked to another outbreak. Within the
past 5 years, visitors have been infected at a dairy farm in Pennsylvania,
a county fair in Medina County, Ohio, and a petting zoo in Snohomish
County, Washington.

The problem is that even healthy, well-kept animals can harbor intestinal
diseases and parasites harmful to humans, including not only _E. coli_
0157:H7, but others including salmonella, cryptosporidium and ringworm.
Transmission can occur when animals step or sit in their own feces and then
are petted or fed by children, who then put their hands in their mouths or
suck their thumbs or a pacifier.

Simple hand-washing is key to preventing transmission of these bacteria and
parasites, health officials say. "The very sensible practice of strict
hand-washing whenever you come in contact with animals -- not just at a
petting zoo -- must be emphasized, especially if you are a child, an
elderly person or someone who is susceptible," said Dr. John O. Agwunobi,
secretary of health for the state of Florida. "Parents should go prepared
... and assure that their children aren't touching farm animal waste or
contaminated equipment. ... At this point, this is what science advises
people to do." A well-designed petting zoo will station an area equipped
with hand-washing facilities between the animal areas and the non-animal
areas, clearly marked with signs that direct visitors to wash hands upon exit.

By 1 Apr 2005, health officials said DNA analysis of _E. coli_ samples
found that in at least 5 patients the bacteria were genetically identical,
a sign they came from the same source, Agwunobi said. "They got it from the
same place is the bottom line," he said. "What's interesting is ... they
got it from the same place, but they didn't all attend the same fair. "The
only bridging event at each of these 3 fairs appears to be a very specific
petting zoo," with animals from Ag-Venture Farm Shows of Plant City,
Florida, Agwunobi said.

Tampa fair linked to _E. coli_ outbreak
Health officials have linked a potentially deadly _E. coli_ outbreak to a
3rd Florida fair, saying on Thu 31 Mar 2005 that DNA tests showed the
organism may have infected people who attended the Florida State Fair in Tampa.

Officials say 22 people, mostly children, in central Florida are confirmed
to have been infected by a particular strain of the _E. coli_ bacteria, and
some of them have developed a potentially fatal follow-up disease affecting
the kidneys.

Most attended the Central Florida Fair in Orlando or the Strawberry
Festival in Plant City in March 2005, but Health Secretary John Agwunobi
said at least one person is believed to have contracted the infection at
the fair in Tampa in mid-February 2005.

Agwunobi also said officials are becoming convinced that the outbreak
probably resulted from contact with farm or other types of animals at
petting zoos, because it's the only common element between all 3 fairs.

While other causes haven't been ruled out, one company, Ag-Venture Farm
Shows of Plant City, provided the animals for the petting zoos at all 3,
Agwunobi said. The company has not returned calls from The Associated
Press. Health officials say the company is cooperating with the Department
of Agriculture in the investigation, and the animals who were at the 3
fairs have been voluntarily quarantined.

In addition to the 22 confirmed cases, officials are monitoring 33
suspected cases in Florida, 24 of them involving children.



Now a 3rd petting zoo is implicated, and all 3 had animals supplied by the
same organization. Furthermore, the strains tested so far have been
genetically linked despite coming from different petting zoos.

I just got out of the shower. I brush my teeth when I am in the shower. Ummmmm, my teeth feel so smooth and clean!

I'm on a roll here, folks.

I came home from the mall yesterday. Even though I wipe my hands and purell them in the car after shopping, I washed them really well when I got home. With lots of soap and warm water.
My hands felt so good.

Don't forget to turn those clocks ahead tonight ,folks. Uggh! an hour less to sleep!
The past few days I've blogged about the outbreak of E coli in petting zoos. I don't know if I agree with discontinuing petting zoos, per se, but would like to see Public Health authorities get to the bottom of the outbreak. In the meantime, I don't think that city kids should be denied the chance to see or touch animals in petting zoos. Just as long as their parents have enough clues to keep the children's hands clean after they visit. Don't forget, the toddlers shoes will be contaminated too. If your children are anything like mine were, they would grab their feet while in the car seat, then the hands were always in the mouth....That's why I always, and to this day still do, carry wet wipes in the car. With the advent of hand sanitizers and antibacterial wipes, I now carry those too. Handwashing is the most important method to prevent illness, but in the absence of running water, using sanitizer and a hand wipe will suffice.
We are on our way to Hamden today to pick up some things from our daughter. Her classes end soon and she will be writing her exams. She has a ton of stuff in her dorm room, so I will be bringing some of it home later. She had a couple of days off so came home with a friend just to chill, pre exams!! I guess the pressure will be on now!! Party 101 has come to an end!

The numbers are up again for people infected with a bacterial illness after
visiting central Florida petting zoos. 5 new cases have been confirmed in
children, bringing the total number to 22. The latest results include 3 in
Volusia County and 1 each in Charlotte and Collier counties. 24 other
infections are suspected.

Some victims have tested positive for the _E. coli_ O157:H7 bacterium, and
others have developed a related kidney disease, potentially
life-threatening hemolytic uremic syndrome.
In one bit of good news, a
suspected link between the outbreak and the death of a 12-year-old Pasco
County girl has been ruled out. Tests came back negative for the _E. coli_
strain at the center of the probe.

Investigators are leaning more toward petting zoo animals than food vendors
as the source of the problem, Lindsay Hodges, a spokeswoman for the state
Health Department, said Wednesday. All of the victims visited the Central
Florida Fair in Orange County or the Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant
City earlier in Mar 2005.

A petting zoo planned this weekend at the Springtime Tallahassee festival
has been cancelled. The Lake County Fair, starting Apr 7 2005 in Eustis, has
ruled out a petting zoo from the same company used by the 2 central Florida
events.

Nurse Nancy says.... don't let the kids pet the animals and NOT wash..... :(