Frazzled

I am starting to get a little bit stressed with the pace of life currently. Today, I went to a golf outing for church, cleaned the house for the week, grocery shopped, and paid bills. I had an offer to go drinking with friends, but the thought of putting off all the other stuff I had to do just made it impossible.

Tomorrow, I need to get evaluated on Physical Assessments, so I will be at the lab for a few hours. Tuesday is the real checkoff-6 pages single spaced of things to remember to check on a patient. Pupils equal, round, reactive to light. Uvula midline...moves when patient says "ah". Etcetera. Did not do amazingly well on the blood pressure checkoff last week...thank God for kind evaluators.

Monday, I have Bible study with my girls...must make brownies to take with me. I will be making the Snickers kind...boxed brownie mix, sprinkle with peanuts, drizzle with melted caramel. Yum.

Friday, the kids' school is having a staff luncheon, for which I should make something. Saturday, we go to Tim's nephew's wedding, 10 hours away. Also, I have a math competency exam to do.

Hospital clinicals start next week, and I don't know anything useful.

I'm starting to hyperventilate.

A Large Step Forward

Yesterday was a big day for us. For the first time in 2 1/2 years, Joe and Nick slept in the same room together. Of course the monitor was in the hallway, but still, it's been a long time coming. 

It seems like as time goes on, slowly, slowly, we return to the way life was supposed to be before Joe came into it like a whirlwind. Now, there are still a few pieces of debris floating around, but the process of destruction and rebuilding is gone. It's a nice place to be in.

Our bedroom situation with a trach kid has always been a little wonky. For the first six months, Joe slept in our living room, with one of us on the couch. Then, for a little while, he would sleep in his crib in the bedroom he shares with Nick, and Tim or I would sleep there in the twin bed. This would involve shipping the other kid into bed with the off-duty parent. Finally, for the sake of our marriage, we just gave up and put Joe's crib/suction/mister machine/pulse ox in our room. Not much privacy, but still nice to sleep in the same bed at the same time. 

Joe's clothes  still reside in the dining room, where our M*A*S*H unit was headquartered for the last few years. Perhaps it's time to move them to the dresser upstairs.  It looks like maybe he's gonna stay.

Checkoff #1

Officially, I am now authorized to perform one activity in the clinical area: Washing my hands! It may seem simple, but it took me two tries to get it right. I accidentally touched the chrome handles on the faucet while using a paper towel to shut it off. But now I'm wiser. Plus, I figure it puts me ahead of at least half the personnel in the hospitals, both to know how to do it, and to actually do it. Apparently, I am supposed to narc on anyone who does not properly wash their hands before touching my patients. Somehow, I don't think that the long-time docs and nurses will appreciate my vigilance.

This week, we will be working on Vital Signs. I have been palpating the pulses of everyone in my house, much to their enjoyment. They seem to think that palpating pedal pulses (say that three times fast) should result in a nice foot massage. I comply only about 1/2 the time. I don't want them thinking of nurses as massage therapists, right? Tim seems to think that Physical Assessment gives him free rein to grope the student nurse. Try that in a hospital, and he'll be pulling back a bloody stump.

I did get my first lab coat though. I'm a little bummed that it wasn't presented in a semi-elaborate Coating Ceremony, but I think that's just for doctors. Already, though, my coat is longer than the baby doctors'. Hope nobody mistakes that for competence.