Dad

Haven't written for awhile.  My 92 year old father passed away on Saturday.  It was a blessing but still difficult.  My sister and I have cared for him since our mother passed 7 years ago.  4 years ago he had a stroke and of course he wanted to live independently at home.  We worked together and made that possible for him.

It's funny how people look at you when you tell them that he lived alone.  Like you are neglecting him or something.  I have worked in nursing homes and life there is no picnic for it's residents. Yet people seem to think that is the better choice...  Anyway, after he passed my sister and I looked at each other and stated, "we have no regrets" we did the best we could and it was enough... 

I brought his ashes home today.  They gave me a folded flag with the box as he was a veteran.  That got to me more than the ashes, guess I was prepared more for them.  I'm gonna miss the old guy.  His life really sucked in the end, but he never became bitter or crabby with us.  He was always appreciative of everything we did for him.

Rest in peace Dad, you were a prince among men!

Catching up

Had a wonderful week vacation at Morro Bay, CA.  If you are ever in the area go up the coast to Cayucos and have a fish taco at the smokehouse located right on the beach.  AWESOME.  Been craving them ever since I left.  Out of CVOPS and back on the floor now, census is low so not working too much.  Picking up some hours doing home health care in a local Indian community.  Finding that to be quite rewarding and also very interesting.

Different kinds of patients

Generally people are so nice and such a pleasure to care for, but every once in awhile you have that rare exception. Guess I was due yesterday.  40's male with a yen for the big gun pain meds..  Talk about sucking the joy out of the job!  This guy was such a jerk.  Nothing suited him.  He didn't like his room, he didn't like the food, we didn't answer the call light fast enough..  (How could he tell?  It was on again before almost before we left the room)


Being a nurse is such a study of human nature.  You see people at their very basic.  Sometimes it is pure pleasure.  I remember the man that came in with chest pain and through tests was diagnosed with end stage cancer.  He took the news with such dignity, his only concern being for his wife.  I really admired him.


Anyway, today is a new day and "the jerk" should have been discharged by the time I get there!  


Tridil

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Back to work

Had a nice week end but as always they go too fast.  Is back to work for me today, tho got pushed back so will be a short day.  This will be my last week at CVOPS and then it will be back to the tele floor.  I needed the break but am looking forward to going back on the floor.

Good nursing care is all about teamwork and we have an incredible staff on our tele floor.  Everyone pitches in and helps each other out and we are too busy to do much gossiping or whining.  CVOPS has a lot of down time between cases and I had forgotten how women get with too much time on their hands...  :-)  Enough said!

We are taking a weeks vacation next week and heading over to Morro Bay, California.  It will be such a treat to get out of the heat and there is just something about the ocean that really touches me.  The sounds and the smells, it is all so special...

More later...

Heart Healthy - Taco Casserole

1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey

11 oz can of corn

10 oz can of Rotel tomato with green chilies - mild

16 oz can of Fat Free Refried Beans

1/2 cup of Skim Milk

1 Onion - chopped

1 cup of low fat cheddar or monterey jack cheese

6 corn tortillas

Taco seasoning and pepper

Cook ground turkey til pink, drain and add onions. Continue cooking til onions are translucent. Stir in beans and milk until smooth. Season with taco seasoning and pepper. In separate bowl mix corn and Rotel.

Spray glass baking dish with PAM. Add three corn tortillas, tear to cover bottom of dish. Top with one layer of meat mix and then corn. Add another layer of tortilla, meat and corn. Top with cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Serve with lettuce salad. ENJOY!

Summer in Phoenix Arizona

is not for the faint of heart....  As I told one of my patients if by chance we end up going to hell, we should feel right at home!  Don't get me wrong I LOVE Arizona but by August the heat has gotten to be more than just a bit wearing.  

We do have a swimming pool but the water is no longer refreshing.  It reminds me of the walking into the gulf of Mexico off Padre Island Texas..  Just without the salt or stingrays (story for another day). 

I long for the days when you can leave the doors and windows open, sit out on the deck with your coffee or glass of wine depending on the time of day and enjoy the lovely weather while others across the country are tucked in their houses due to snow and cold.  

Of course the flip side is that we are the "snowbird" capitol of the country and as a nurse my workload increases significantly with the arrival of the northern seniors...    Everything is a trade off....

All for now,

Tridil

Yesterday's Shift

I've been working in CVOPS for the summer.  This is where the outpatients come to have a heart catherization or pacemaker insertion/battery change out.  It was a crazy day, patients came bam bam bam.  It takes me about an hour and a half to get a patient prepped for their procedure. 


I need to enter their home meds in computer, make sure I have orders, insert an IV, start fluids, take their medical history, get them shaved/prepped and get all the paperwork in order for the physician.  We have just recently become entirely computerized and the doctors just HATE it.  


One doc told me he spent 20 minutes looking for the "q" on the keyboard as he is not a typer.  Hired his college papers typed for him....  I was talking to one of the super users that are there for a month to help all of us through this transition and he told me this is all Medicare driven.  I don't know if this is part of Obama care or not but I do know that doctors and nurses are now spending way more time at the computer than with the patient.  This sure isn't what I signed on for, but it is what it is...
  


Off for the week end now.  Spending it with my love and my pups!
Tridil