Please let this never happen to me!

A patient came in complaining of left ear pain.  A common enough complaint.  I brought her to her room and decided I was going to take a peek inside her ear with the otoscope.  I was looking for ear wax so I could flush it out before the doc came in to see her.  The otoscope has a light and a magnifying glass to look through.  I placed it in her ear canal and what was looking back at me?  A HUGE cockroach!  Still alive, wiggling its antennae, and backing away from my light.  The woman was saying "Ow ow! Something's moving in there!"  I was shocked.  I looked right at her and told her about the cockroach.

Even worse, we couldn't get it out!  The PA was trying to pull it out with clamps but it kept backing further into the ear canal every time we put the light in.  She finally ended up pulling off the head but leaving the big ol' exoskeleton and guts.  We tried to flush it out with water but it didn't work.  We finally called the ear, nose, throat specialist and he told us that cockroaches are the hardest to remove from the ear because they have little pinchers on their legs that they dig into skin with.  She had to meet him at his office where he had specialty microscopic equipment to pull it out.  Poor lady!

For the rest of the day, every time my ear itched, I freaked out.   

Overheard in Los Angeles...

A 4 year old came into the ER with a laceration above his chin but under his lip.  (You know where I'm talking about?)  So he does really good while we glue him and a nurse says "You did so good Santa is going to bring you lots of presents!"

He says: "Oh, I'm only getting one present".

Nurse: "Really?"

Kid: "Yeah, the economy is really tough this year".

Hahahhahhahhhaaa!  That is friggin awesome!

Just in time for the holidays!

Check out zoomtozoom for some fabulous holiday gift ideas!

Work stuff...

For some weird reason we have been (gasp) quiet these last few weeks at work.  Is it the economy? Maybe people are waiting until they are really sick before coming in to the ER.  Some good news, we will be moving into the new wing next August and our nurse educator is providing us with some much needed classes to deal with the more urgent cases that our department will be handling.  I'm glad to be stepping up my education but also nervous...  Sick people make me anxious.  I know that sounds weird but it is basically performance anxiety.  I don't want to make a mistake.  I also get upset when really old people come in and we are expected to do all sorts of invasive procedures to prolong their life for another day, week, month?..  It's hard to deal with families that are not ready to say goodbye.  I understand it, it just upsets me.  

I wish there was a nursing specialty that just dealt with teenagers.  As annoying as they and their fifteen friends can be, I find that I really connect to issues of injury and body image.  It is important for me to share my experiences with them just to let them know that they "are not alone".  It was something I thought about while I was in the hospital at the age of 14.  I truly believed that no one could possibly know what I was going through until I met an RN named Gary who shared his story with me, and spent time with me talking about other things besides my injuries.  We had a 17 year old girl who broke her right tibia (the big shin bone) after a collision with another soccer player.  Her parents were fussing over her and she acted teenage style annoyed with them.  I was able to understand both her point of view as well as her parents.  She was going straight to surgery and I spent time with her and her mother discussing not only what to expect right after surgery but also the weeks and months to come.  She seemed to cheer up after our talk and afterwards her mother gave me a huge hug and kiss and thanked me for sharing my story.  Believe it or not, nursing is often a thankless job and this show of appreciation got me a little teary eyed.  

The best thing about work right now?  Being able to ride my scootie to and fro.  The ride there relaxes me and gets my mind focused, the ride home allows the wind to whip away the annoyances the smells and the stress.  So much fun.  

FYI:  There is a real phenomenon known as the "Throckmorton" sign.  When a male patient has an xray of his pelvis area, his penis will be "pointing" to the side of pathology.  Meaning: if he is complaining of left hip pain his penis will be pointing to his left side.  Hysterical but mostly true.  Check it out on Wikipedia.

Mmmmm.... Fall.....

Oh I love it when it starts to get crisp 65 degrees outside and all the fall vegetables are at the farmers market.  It's hard to pick a favorite season for food but fall is in my top four (haha).  I just love the feeling of being all cozy in the house with something roasting away in the oven while stray dogs and the homeless sniff hungrily at our front door.  A big hunk o' meat slow braised while its lovely fat drips all over root vegetables is my idea of a last death row meal. Pure comfort food.  I am blessed to have a hubby who visits the farmers market every Wednesday and he is the first to let me know when certain produce have made their grand appearance.

An Ode to Fall Vegetables!

  

Persimmons!  You soft, sultry, musky orb!  I'll let your juices drip down my chin and arms while I suck you standing over the sink.

  Chantrelles!  Your meaty and silky flesh caresses my mouth with a sensual familiarity.

Carrots!  Your sweetness is only enhanced by the caramel you produce on a hot pan.  Your tender flesh enhances any meat.

Radishes!  Your fiery nature is mellowed to a sweet succulence you willingly give when roasted in a hot oven. 

Brussels Sprouts!  Your sweet and tender interior defies your sketchy reputation.

Okay, enough, enough.  I'm getting silly.  But truly, isn't fall fabulous!

   

Some lovely carrots and radishes from Jaime Farms...
Fresh Mahi mahi...

Seared mahi with carrots, radishes, and lambs quarters...Celebrate Fall!!

A tribute to my lil' sis!

My little sister is turning 28!

We've had such fun years together! She was my little buddy. Six years younger than me, I took her under my somewhat tattered wing and taught her everything I knew. I don't ever remember her being a nuisance like a lot of little sisters are and she always had such a good sense of humor with my teasing!

Leah and I had plenty of quality toilet time together.  Not afraid to share in one another's bodily functions! (Still not).

 

I think this was my 19th birthday.  Leah made me a hand painted green bud container box. I wish I still had it! Leah, you were only 13 in this pic! My god! Had I already tainted you with bong hits and booze? You seemed so grown up then but I look back and think "FOR SHAME! FOR SHAME!"
Leah in her punk rocker stage. Note the rabbit in the background that she handed-down to me!

Bachelorette party after she met Blake. The book title was an apt foreshadow of good things to come.

Watching my sister get married!

Of course, she was right there with me for my marriage a few years later.

I freakin love this photo!


I can never repay Lou for the gifts she has given me...

...and my husband!

So here's to you, Lou! Happy birthday!!

Fave baby items...(mamanomad post)

My sis posted on her blog about fave baby products. Now I am no baby's mamma but I get down with the Ergo Baby Carrier. Not only have I been on many a field trip with my sis toting one tot or another in this carrier but I realized I helped cook a Thanksgiving dinner toting a sleeping baby on my back. No way I could have done this without the Ergo!FOOTnote:  Check out the Padraig slippers!  (number 2 on fave products!)