Ok, so today is not REALLY a rest day, but it feels like one! My classes today got cancelled, so I am going to get to catch up on some work. I went and worked out this AM. Did a mile on the elliptical for warm up. Then did seated leg presses. I know, not the same as real squats, but back was not feeling it. :( Also did my 3 rounds of 5 pull ups & 5 ring dips. The dips kill me! I am thinking about increasing the pull ups to 10 and just keeping with the 5 ring dips until I can build up endurance again! And to cool down, 50 sit ups!
On another note....I had my first Pharm test yesterday. And I made an A! Oh yeah! Actually, 96 to be more exact. It was a pretty easy test, but not everyone else thought so. I had to keep telling them that you have to start studying now, and you can't wait until the last minute with Pharm. Lots of drugs, and lots of side effects to remember!
Well, I need to go and make breakfast! Yum for egg white omelets! :) Lunch will be a "cheat" today since I am having lunch with a friend from out of town. Going to Ghengis Grill. Will make it as Zone friendly as possible. Which pretty much means, extra meat, and little rice. Have a great day everyone!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
AED's, Beta-Blockers, & Opioids!
OK, so by the title of this post, I bet you guys know what's on my mind! Pharmacology! Oh yeah! Fun stuff right? Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I will not be going into all the details about the wonderful world of Pharm! BUT....I thought I would share with you guys a fun Pharm mnemonic!
2-Cocks are bad, while 1-Cock is good! Ok, yes, I did say Cock, but it is actually a play on the word COX. Which is actually cyclooxygenase (See why they call it COX?) I actually wanted to mention COX-2 inhibitor drugs because we being crossfitters, are actually well known to some of these drugs. COX-1 is good, and COX-2 is bad, just like I mentioned but with dirtier words. The enzyme COX-2 is responsible for inflammation, fever, and pain. COX-1 is responsible for increasing the protective gastric mucus which is good since our stomach is acidic and it protects us from ourselves. So, can anyone guess what type of drug we would use to inhibit COX-2? Anyone? Ok, I am going to pretend like someone said the right answer. Tylenol, Ibuprofen, and Aspirin! Let me dissect each of these drugs for a minute. (You guys didn't know that you would be getting a lecture did you? hehe...but I actually do think it is important that you know a little bit about the drugs you are taking)
Aspirin: Nonselective inhibitor. This means that it can inhibit either COX-1 or COX-2. What's the big thing with Aspirin? It "thins" your blood right? Well, technically no. It doesn't actually thin your blood, it just makes your platelets (those really cool things that make blood clots when you rip your hands doing a million pull ups or kettlebell swings) not stick together. Hence the reason that it is recommended to take Aspirin to prevent heart attacks from blood clots. (Preventing clotting is an inhibition of COX-1). With regards to COX-1 inhibition and Aspirin, it also reduces those protective gastric secretions making you prone to ulcers. Which is no bueno. It also inhibits COX-2, which decreases are fever, pain, and inflammation. Which is a good thing! But by taking Aspirin there really isn't a way for you to tell that pill only inhibit COX-2 so I feel better, you gotta inhibit the good COX-1 as well. :( Sign to watch out for if you are an Aspirin popper: ringing in the ears (first sign of toxicity). And please guys, no alcohol with Aspirin, just makes the blood "thinner" and then when you fall and hit your head because you are dizzy, you have this head bleed and a large laceration that I have to fix. And guys...I love playing with staplers...so I will show no mercy! ;) (OH yeah, and don't give to children under 18..bad bad things could happen.)
Tylenol: Who doesn't love tylenol (besides you Carrie). Tylenol rocks. It is a selective inhibitor of the bad COX-2. By selective I mean, that it inhibits parts of it, but not all. Tylenol will make your fever go away and help with the pain...BUT does not help with the anti-inflammatory parts. :( Sadness right? Also with tylenol, you aren't making your blood "thinner". Tylenol is good because it doesn't inhibit COX-1, so our stomach is still being protected. Which is a good thing right? Tylenol is great for children. Bad thing about tylenol....liver toxicity. So, if you have liver damage or you are a big alcoholic, lets not take this. Love your liver guys! It saves you from yourself! :)
Ibuprofen: AKA: Motrin, Advil, Naproxen (the list goes on and on...many different names, same drug). This should be in every CrossFitters medicine cabinet. It works great for fever, pain, AND inflammation (All those things that COX-2 does, we are making better)! (But also, for the ladies...helps with those menstrual cycle cramps). Now it does inhibit some COX-1, but not really that much, but enough. Things to watch out for with ibuprofen, would be if you have liver or kidney disease, allergies to aspirin, and drinking alcohol while taking the ibuprofen. (Yep, alcohol is never a good thing to take with any drug in case you haven't figured that out)
Now, as we all know....(or you do now)....there is no such thing as a "SAFE" drug. Every drug has side effects. With drugs, we need to be looking at what it does and the side effects. Now, side effects are usually present when you take too much of a drug. And every person reacts differently to a certain drug. So, you have to know your body and know what it can and can not handle.
Did you guys like that little lesson in over the counter medications? On another note, I have noticed that everyone is posting a lot less than normal. I understand that life is busy, believe me, I do. But what was the point of these blogs? We made these blogs so that we could learn about ourselves, and each other through our failures and victories.
I read your guys stuff every other day, if not every day. Sometimes, I may not comment. But I do read it. And I realize that I have been slacking the most. I blame school. To some, that may be a valid reason, but I am not going to try to let it be a reason anymore. Granted, I am not crossfitting as much as I used to be, but I am still living life. So, even if I don't workout, I am still going to keep you posted, and will be giving you guys "lessons" about our bodies and processes. I am a firm believer that knowledge is the key, and if you know how to treat something, or know the signs, you are going to be much better off. I want you guys to be healthy and live long. So, these things need to be learned now!
Yesterday: I did workout! Felt great to be back in the gym. I did a mile on the elliptical to get my heart rate up. Then, did 3 rounds 5-pull ups and 5-ring dips. Fun! (Yeah right!). Then went to bench press to work on my arms. Did:
45# x10
55# x 8
60# x 5
65# x5
70#x 5
75# x 5
And arms are feeling it today! Love that feeling! After that, did 140 sit ups. Not the most Crossfit workout, but it was what I felt like doing, so that's what I did! :)
Oh, and the next blog I am planning on doing will be one about sleep fitness, since every sounds like they don't get enough sleep!
2-Cocks are bad, while 1-Cock is good! Ok, yes, I did say Cock, but it is actually a play on the word COX. Which is actually cyclooxygenase (See why they call it COX?) I actually wanted to mention COX-2 inhibitor drugs because we being crossfitters, are actually well known to some of these drugs. COX-1 is good, and COX-2 is bad, just like I mentioned but with dirtier words. The enzyme COX-2 is responsible for inflammation, fever, and pain. COX-1 is responsible for increasing the protective gastric mucus which is good since our stomach is acidic and it protects us from ourselves. So, can anyone guess what type of drug we would use to inhibit COX-2? Anyone? Ok, I am going to pretend like someone said the right answer. Tylenol, Ibuprofen, and Aspirin! Let me dissect each of these drugs for a minute. (You guys didn't know that you would be getting a lecture did you? hehe...but I actually do think it is important that you know a little bit about the drugs you are taking)
Aspirin: Nonselective inhibitor. This means that it can inhibit either COX-1 or COX-2. What's the big thing with Aspirin? It "thins" your blood right? Well, technically no. It doesn't actually thin your blood, it just makes your platelets (those really cool things that make blood clots when you rip your hands doing a million pull ups or kettlebell swings) not stick together. Hence the reason that it is recommended to take Aspirin to prevent heart attacks from blood clots. (Preventing clotting is an inhibition of COX-1). With regards to COX-1 inhibition and Aspirin, it also reduces those protective gastric secretions making you prone to ulcers. Which is no bueno. It also inhibits COX-2, which decreases are fever, pain, and inflammation. Which is a good thing! But by taking Aspirin there really isn't a way for you to tell that pill only inhibit COX-2 so I feel better, you gotta inhibit the good COX-1 as well. :( Sign to watch out for if you are an Aspirin popper: ringing in the ears (first sign of toxicity). And please guys, no alcohol with Aspirin, just makes the blood "thinner" and then when you fall and hit your head because you are dizzy, you have this head bleed and a large laceration that I have to fix. And guys...I love playing with staplers...so I will show no mercy! ;) (OH yeah, and don't give to children under 18..bad bad things could happen.)
Tylenol: Who doesn't love tylenol (besides you Carrie). Tylenol rocks. It is a selective inhibitor of the bad COX-2. By selective I mean, that it inhibits parts of it, but not all. Tylenol will make your fever go away and help with the pain...BUT does not help with the anti-inflammatory parts. :( Sadness right? Also with tylenol, you aren't making your blood "thinner". Tylenol is good because it doesn't inhibit COX-1, so our stomach is still being protected. Which is a good thing right? Tylenol is great for children. Bad thing about tylenol....liver toxicity. So, if you have liver damage or you are a big alcoholic, lets not take this. Love your liver guys! It saves you from yourself! :)
Ibuprofen: AKA: Motrin, Advil, Naproxen (the list goes on and on...many different names, same drug). This should be in every CrossFitters medicine cabinet. It works great for fever, pain, AND inflammation (All those things that COX-2 does, we are making better)! (But also, for the ladies...helps with those menstrual cycle cramps). Now it does inhibit some COX-1, but not really that much, but enough. Things to watch out for with ibuprofen, would be if you have liver or kidney disease, allergies to aspirin, and drinking alcohol while taking the ibuprofen. (Yep, alcohol is never a good thing to take with any drug in case you haven't figured that out)
Now, as we all know....(or you do now)....there is no such thing as a "SAFE" drug. Every drug has side effects. With drugs, we need to be looking at what it does and the side effects. Now, side effects are usually present when you take too much of a drug. And every person reacts differently to a certain drug. So, you have to know your body and know what it can and can not handle.
Did you guys like that little lesson in over the counter medications? On another note, I have noticed that everyone is posting a lot less than normal. I understand that life is busy, believe me, I do. But what was the point of these blogs? We made these blogs so that we could learn about ourselves, and each other through our failures and victories.
I read your guys stuff every other day, if not every day. Sometimes, I may not comment. But I do read it. And I realize that I have been slacking the most. I blame school. To some, that may be a valid reason, but I am not going to try to let it be a reason anymore. Granted, I am not crossfitting as much as I used to be, but I am still living life. So, even if I don't workout, I am still going to keep you posted, and will be giving you guys "lessons" about our bodies and processes. I am a firm believer that knowledge is the key, and if you know how to treat something, or know the signs, you are going to be much better off. I want you guys to be healthy and live long. So, these things need to be learned now!
Yesterday: I did workout! Felt great to be back in the gym. I did a mile on the elliptical to get my heart rate up. Then, did 3 rounds 5-pull ups and 5-ring dips. Fun! (Yeah right!). Then went to bench press to work on my arms. Did:
45# x10
55# x 8
60# x 5
65# x5
70#x 5
75# x 5
And arms are feeling it today! Love that feeling! After that, did 140 sit ups. Not the most Crossfit workout, but it was what I felt like doing, so that's what I did! :)
Oh, and the next blog I am planning on doing will be one about sleep fitness, since every sounds like they don't get enough sleep!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
A Week of Firsts
Hello everyone! :) So, this has been such a great week! OK..by great I mean full of tests and my very first clinical. Monday, I had my first Assessment test. There were some I didn't know, and no matter how much I would have read, still wouldn't have remembered the answers. So, I made a B. Woo hoo. I passed. Tuesday, I had my lecture test in Clincals and Concepts (Which is pretty much the theory behind everything, like why we wash our hands.) I started taking this test, and I was like, wow, this was really easy. I made an A. :) Then, Wednesday, I had my Asssessment check off (which is where we practice the skills we learn on a partner). I did really well. The ONLY thing I forgot was to check for tongue movement. Grr.....oh well. All I have to do is ask my partner next time to stick out her tongue.
Today: My VERY first clinical! Woo hoo! OK...I wish I had some exciting story to tell you guys, but I don't. I got to check morning vitals, I gave a bed bath, and made beds. Exciting right? Not really. But my next clinical, I get to do actual work. I get to practice nursing. The good thing was, all of my patients today were really nice and were like "Do whatever you need". So that was cool that they were really nice.
Oh, something I forgot. Monday morning I went to the gym before going to class. I did the Push Press WOD. Warm up, did 10 minutes on the elliptical, then did a warm up set of 10 x 45# and got into the WOD.
3-3-3-3-3
65-75-80-85-95x 1
Kinda upset that I couldn't finish the 95# x 3. I had horrible form on the 95#, so I didn't try again. That and I knew that I had to get home and get ready for school and my test. In between each set, I did 5 knees-to-elbows. Felt good to be back in the gym. I really need to get better at going during school, I was very relaxed when I went to school. I wish I had time to come to the gym. It's just so hard getting all the reading done when I am not doing anything else.
But the difference between me and my other classmates, is that I am actually relaxing more than they are. I get 8-9 hours of sleep a night. I eat very Zone friendly, and just don't let the stress get to me! I wish I could explain this to all of my classmates. Maybe it would help them with their stress....BUT people don't listen to me! Oh well....their loss!
Today: My VERY first clinical! Woo hoo! OK...I wish I had some exciting story to tell you guys, but I don't. I got to check morning vitals, I gave a bed bath, and made beds. Exciting right? Not really. But my next clinical, I get to do actual work. I get to practice nursing. The good thing was, all of my patients today were really nice and were like "Do whatever you need". So that was cool that they were really nice.
Oh, something I forgot. Monday morning I went to the gym before going to class. I did the Push Press WOD. Warm up, did 10 minutes on the elliptical, then did a warm up set of 10 x 45# and got into the WOD.
3-3-3-3-3
65-75-80-85-95x 1
Kinda upset that I couldn't finish the 95# x 3. I had horrible form on the 95#, so I didn't try again. That and I knew that I had to get home and get ready for school and my test. In between each set, I did 5 knees-to-elbows. Felt good to be back in the gym. I really need to get better at going during school, I was very relaxed when I went to school. I wish I had time to come to the gym. It's just so hard getting all the reading done when I am not doing anything else.
But the difference between me and my other classmates, is that I am actually relaxing more than they are. I get 8-9 hours of sleep a night. I eat very Zone friendly, and just don't let the stress get to me! I wish I could explain this to all of my classmates. Maybe it would help them with their stress....BUT people don't listen to me! Oh well....their loss!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Time flies!
Hey everyone. Again, sorry for the lack of updates. I really didn't think that you guys want to know about what I am learning in school. Granted, I am planning on doing a sleep fitness blog next time I get more than 10 minutes to write something.
So, I am halfway through week #3 of school. Just 12 more weeks left of this semester. Yes, I have started the countdown already. Kinda scary to think that in about 20 months, I will have another degree and actually get to do something professionally and be a productive member of society. Ahh...this whole being an adult...when did this happen?
Week One...kinda boring. I learned a bunch of stuff that I already knew.
Week Two...still learning some things that I already knew, but now we threw in how to take manual blood pressures. I started out a little rough, but I have the hang of it. Or at least I can do it well enough to pass my check off. I am having some difficulties with school. Not the actual work, just going through this and knowing that half the stuff I learn I will not be doing when I am actually working. Like manual BPs. Come on, when have you gone to a hospital and actually had your blood pressure taken by hand? I know in the ER we don't do it. You don't have time to do a two-step blood pressure on every patient that you have. It's just not possible. I had my first Pharm quiz this week, and woo hoo...got both questions right! Starting to relax a little when it comes to pharm, but not much. I still feel like this will be my hardest class. There is so much information and so much about drugs that they want us to learn. But we do get some pretty good pneumonics to remember things...like 2-Cocks (COX) are bad, and 1-Cock (COX) is good. I swear that this has use, and I am not making it up. Or like the PNS (Peripheral Nervous System) really stands for "Piss N Shit". I can tell you more if you like to clarify this.
Week Three: Ahh...the stress is starting to kick in a little bit. I had to get fingerprinted for my nursing license this week. Kinda cool. Things are starting to become a reality that this is going to actually happen. They also took a HORRIBLE mug shot. We weren't allowed to smile or anything. :( I pray that no one ever sees that picture. It almost scared me! I realize that my first set of tests is next week. But I am using me, "I am going to do the best I am going to do, and not freak out" attitude that I developed over the summer. I just have to take each day as it comes. This week, I am learning how to assess the head and its features. Fun fun! I know, you guys are just sitting by the seat of your pants in all the excitement! LOL.
This past Sunday, I went and did a Body Works class at LA Fitness just to see what it was all about. I must say, that for the next two days, I could have sworn I had done a CF workout. My thighs were killing me. We didn't do anything too taxing, just a bunch of air squats and some arm work. As I was going through class, I was looking around at the other women, and they were ALL doing squats wrong! I may need some help in changing their positions on the squats! It may take some work. But you guys will be proud that I did all of my air squats correctly! :)
Diet:
I have been doing fairly well on my diet, except for breakfast. Breakfast is my weakness, I must admit. Trying to be good and eat more egg whites, but some mornings, you wake up and you just want a pancake! I make lunch everyday, so it is very Zone friendly. Usually ends up being a chicken breast, some type of nut, fruit, and a yogurt.
Well, it is off to Assessment. I will keep you guys posted!
So, I am halfway through week #3 of school. Just 12 more weeks left of this semester. Yes, I have started the countdown already. Kinda scary to think that in about 20 months, I will have another degree and actually get to do something professionally and be a productive member of society. Ahh...this whole being an adult...when did this happen?
Week One...kinda boring. I learned a bunch of stuff that I already knew.
Week Two...still learning some things that I already knew, but now we threw in how to take manual blood pressures. I started out a little rough, but I have the hang of it. Or at least I can do it well enough to pass my check off. I am having some difficulties with school. Not the actual work, just going through this and knowing that half the stuff I learn I will not be doing when I am actually working. Like manual BPs. Come on, when have you gone to a hospital and actually had your blood pressure taken by hand? I know in the ER we don't do it. You don't have time to do a two-step blood pressure on every patient that you have. It's just not possible. I had my first Pharm quiz this week, and woo hoo...got both questions right! Starting to relax a little when it comes to pharm, but not much. I still feel like this will be my hardest class. There is so much information and so much about drugs that they want us to learn. But we do get some pretty good pneumonics to remember things...like 2-Cocks (COX) are bad, and 1-Cock (COX) is good. I swear that this has use, and I am not making it up. Or like the PNS (Peripheral Nervous System) really stands for "Piss N Shit". I can tell you more if you like to clarify this.
Week Three: Ahh...the stress is starting to kick in a little bit. I had to get fingerprinted for my nursing license this week. Kinda cool. Things are starting to become a reality that this is going to actually happen. They also took a HORRIBLE mug shot. We weren't allowed to smile or anything. :( I pray that no one ever sees that picture. It almost scared me! I realize that my first set of tests is next week. But I am using me, "I am going to do the best I am going to do, and not freak out" attitude that I developed over the summer. I just have to take each day as it comes. This week, I am learning how to assess the head and its features. Fun fun! I know, you guys are just sitting by the seat of your pants in all the excitement! LOL.
This past Sunday, I went and did a Body Works class at LA Fitness just to see what it was all about. I must say, that for the next two days, I could have sworn I had done a CF workout. My thighs were killing me. We didn't do anything too taxing, just a bunch of air squats and some arm work. As I was going through class, I was looking around at the other women, and they were ALL doing squats wrong! I may need some help in changing their positions on the squats! It may take some work. But you guys will be proud that I did all of my air squats correctly! :)
Diet:
I have been doing fairly well on my diet, except for breakfast. Breakfast is my weakness, I must admit. Trying to be good and eat more egg whites, but some mornings, you wake up and you just want a pancake! I make lunch everyday, so it is very Zone friendly. Usually ends up being a chicken breast, some type of nut, fruit, and a yogurt.
Well, it is off to Assessment. I will keep you guys posted!
Monday, September 7, 2009
Trying to Figure it All Out
Well, I have officially survived my first week of school! My anxiety has decreased, but the work load has increased. Every night before bed, I read my Pharm notes. Sad huh? Oh well. I think that Pharm will be my hardest class. The other classes feel like common sense to me. I don't know if it is common sense, or I have just been around this information for so long that it is second nature to me. We will see as these next two years progress.
As for workouts...no excuses. I only worked out on Thursday and Today (Monday). I had good intentions, but then something always came up. Like the notes for the next lecture got posted, so I decided to go through them, define the terms, and read them to prepare for the quizzes. Then I had to read chapters for Fundamentals. Which took FOREVER. Seriously...I can only read about how to use cruthces for so long before I go bonkers. Things like that, while not hard concepts, and I could probably get by with not reading it, but I have to read it. :( I might freak out.
So, Thursday, I attended the Aqua Fit Class with the CrossFit type instructor. She makes us do the length of the pool in a 5-4-3-2-1 lap type regimen, after each round, you do 10 push ups, and each set has a different way to get across the pool. It's actually really fun because I try to be competitive and beat the others. Doesn't always work because I am in the deeper end of the pool, and the deeper you get, the harder it is. Today, I went to my very first step class. Wow...that was different. Not overly challenging in terms of movements, but it shows exactly how uncoordinated I am sometimes. :) Over an hour of constantly moving and sweating. I might do this class again, will have to see if I can bring some friends to suffer with me. :)
As for workouts...no excuses. I only worked out on Thursday and Today (Monday). I had good intentions, but then something always came up. Like the notes for the next lecture got posted, so I decided to go through them, define the terms, and read them to prepare for the quizzes. Then I had to read chapters for Fundamentals. Which took FOREVER. Seriously...I can only read about how to use cruthces for so long before I go bonkers. Things like that, while not hard concepts, and I could probably get by with not reading it, but I have to read it. :( I might freak out.
So, Thursday, I attended the Aqua Fit Class with the CrossFit type instructor. She makes us do the length of the pool in a 5-4-3-2-1 lap type regimen, after each round, you do 10 push ups, and each set has a different way to get across the pool. It's actually really fun because I try to be competitive and beat the others. Doesn't always work because I am in the deeper end of the pool, and the deeper you get, the harder it is. Today, I went to my very first step class. Wow...that was different. Not overly challenging in terms of movements, but it shows exactly how uncoordinated I am sometimes. :) Over an hour of constantly moving and sweating. I might do this class again, will have to see if I can bring some friends to suffer with me. :)
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
My Apologies
Hello my dear friends! First, let me say that I am sorry for the lack of posting on my part. I am alive, trust me. Last week was a mess. It was my last week full time, so I was working like crazy and trying to get stuff ready for school. I have no excuses for my laziness. By the time I got off work, I was tired and just wanted to rest. I have been riding an emotional roller coaster with school starting. I would go from being super excited to be starting, then be really nervous. (workouts will be started again on my off days from school)
It has been difficult to express in words my exact concerns, and during my first pharmacology lecture, the words came in the form of a nursing article.
Quick Summary:
This nurse developed a trusting relationship with her congestive heart failure patient. She has known him for years. One admission, she accidentally gave him a hypertensive medication when his normal blood pressure runs 70/50s (which is pretty low to be a normal, but that was his normal). She realized she made a mistake and had to tell this patient that she messed up and he needed to start vomiting to get the medication out. She offered to get him another nurse, and he declined and said he wanted her. There was a relationship already there. He trusted her, and she messed up. His blood pressure did end up dropping and they had to start him on an additional line of medication. He did become stable and was discharged 3 days later and he told the nurse to "Stop beating yourself up. It was an accident". (Yep...had tears in my eyes)
Medications errors happen every day. Sometimes it can have adverse effects, and sometimes it won't harm the patient. I will be a nurse in two short years. Odds are pretty good that I am going to mess up. In fact, I know I will mess up. Everyone messes up. Thing is, when you do mess up, be honest. Own up to your mistakes. I can only hope and pray that God will give me the strength and the courage to tell my patient (and admitting physician) that I messed up. Mistakes do make us better, but theses are people's LIVES. Nurses are the last line of defense that the patient has. No one double checks our work. We check the doctors and pharmacists, but who checks us? Me. I check me. I am responsible for me, and no one else is.
Knowing this, puts extreme pressure on me. The thought makes me freak out just a little. Granted, I have known that I am responsible for lives, but since school started today, the thought has now become a reality. People's lives are in my hands. I am confident that I will make a good nurse. I just have to hope that I am able to build a trusting relationship with my patients that they will be as understanding and forgiving as the patient in the above story.
New Motto:
"Good is not good enough, when excellence is required."
It has been difficult to express in words my exact concerns, and during my first pharmacology lecture, the words came in the form of a nursing article.
Quick Summary:
This nurse developed a trusting relationship with her congestive heart failure patient. She has known him for years. One admission, she accidentally gave him a hypertensive medication when his normal blood pressure runs 70/50s (which is pretty low to be a normal, but that was his normal). She realized she made a mistake and had to tell this patient that she messed up and he needed to start vomiting to get the medication out. She offered to get him another nurse, and he declined and said he wanted her. There was a relationship already there. He trusted her, and she messed up. His blood pressure did end up dropping and they had to start him on an additional line of medication. He did become stable and was discharged 3 days later and he told the nurse to "Stop beating yourself up. It was an accident". (Yep...had tears in my eyes)
Medications errors happen every day. Sometimes it can have adverse effects, and sometimes it won't harm the patient. I will be a nurse in two short years. Odds are pretty good that I am going to mess up. In fact, I know I will mess up. Everyone messes up. Thing is, when you do mess up, be honest. Own up to your mistakes. I can only hope and pray that God will give me the strength and the courage to tell my patient (and admitting physician) that I messed up. Mistakes do make us better, but theses are people's LIVES. Nurses are the last line of defense that the patient has. No one double checks our work. We check the doctors and pharmacists, but who checks us? Me. I check me. I am responsible for me, and no one else is.
Knowing this, puts extreme pressure on me. The thought makes me freak out just a little. Granted, I have known that I am responsible for lives, but since school started today, the thought has now become a reality. People's lives are in my hands. I am confident that I will make a good nurse. I just have to hope that I am able to build a trusting relationship with my patients that they will be as understanding and forgiving as the patient in the above story.
New Motto:
"Good is not good enough, when excellence is required."
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