The newest edition of Change of Shift, that blog carnival of nurses who blog, is up and at 'em over at
Nurse Ratched's Place . Happy reading!
Posted by: NurseKeith in sleep on
Jun 10, 2008
Tonight I spend the night as a patient, undergoing a therapeutic sleep study. Having originally been diagnosed with both Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Periodic Limb Movement Disorder during my diagnostic sleep test, I am back again to see if my medications and dental sleep device are working.
A dental sleep device, you ask? Yes, I use a Somno Med dental device, which essentially forces the lower mandible to protrude slightly, giving me a somewhat laughable underbite. Remember how in CPR you were taught to perform a chin-lift maneuver in order to open the airway of a patient with suspected neck or spinal trauma? Well, that's basically what it does.
I think all nurses, doctors, and healthcare providers should undergo slightly uncomfortable procedures in order to generate compassion for our patients. A sleep study is a wired affair which is essentially non-invasive but does indeed involve a multitude of tubes, wires and electrodes, not to mention frequent awakenings by the technician for various tweaks to the equipment.
So, a sleep study is an interesting experience not to be missed. Unless, of course, you like to sleep comfortably!
Posted by: NurseKeith in poverty on
Jun 09, 2008
The heat wave continues today, and the inner city bakes as the sun reflects off of the proverbial concrete jungle.
At the urban senior center where my wife is director, air conditioners work overtime, and the city provides spring water and popsicles, as well as fans for residents who lack even the slightest chance of escaping the heat.
Driving through the city, I know very well that, inside some of those buildings, people with chronic illness swelter without relief. Some sit under trees trying to catch a breeze. Some bring their children to a water park if one exists in their neighborhood. Others are lucky to have a few fans or maybe even an air conditioner.
It's certain that the ER's are filled with asthmatics with acute exacerbations, not to mention those with acute dehydration or heat stroke. Summer can be a dangerous time, especially for those who are frail and poor.
Posted by: NurseKeith in money on
Jun 08, 2008
What do you do when you receive a verbal offer by telephone of an hourly wage for a new job, and when you arrive to sign papers they've decreased the amount by almost one dollar per hour?
This was the scenario today when I arrived for my pre-employment physical, and the person who made the original offer wasn't even there. So, in lieu of signing the offer letter as requested, I simply wrote that I was not accepting it due to a discrepancy in the agreed-upon amount, and requested a follow-up telephone call. (Mind you, the discrepancy was only 80 cents per hour, but with the price of gas over $4.00 per gallon, 80 cents per hour sure adds up!)
So, the newest job on the horizon just got returned to the proverbial back-burner pending further discussion.
All in a day's (not) work.
Posted by: NurseKeith in visiting nursing on
Jun 08, 2008
Today I slogged through the city doing patient visits from one end of town to another as the mercury rose to the mid-90's.
Feeling sorry for myself, I jumped in and out of my comfortable air-conditioned car only to realize my relative privilege as I visited patients who were sweating it out in third-floor walk-ups devoid of even a simple fan!
Deep in the city are thousands of people living in near-squalid conditions with no escape from the summer heat and little comfort during the snows of winter. As I complain my way through a series of home visits, I remind myself to be grateful for my air-conditioned car, my lovely home in the woods, my screened-in porch, and all of the comforts that inform the privilege that I so often take for granted.
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Please feel free to visit NurseKeith's personal blog, Digital Doorway .
