Operating Room AKA for Gross!

I had to do my OR (operating room) rotation/observation last Thursday. I'll be honest and tell you it isn't something I was looking forward to. I'm not a big fan of surgery and all that that entails. I could care less and live happily ever after if I didn't get to sit in on a kidney transplant. I'm not a surgery junkie like some of my classmates. So we get there at like .....early in the morning....and we stand in the hall awaiting our nurse to tell us which surgery to go in first. The first one I went in was a breast reduction. The doctor (plastic surgeon) was an asshole, the anesthesiologist was a perv and the nurses were all hating on eachother. Just my 'observation'. It was a really pleasent room to be in...let me tell ya. There are a lot of horrors I witnessed that day, but I'll spare you because I don't think many people would believe it, I can barealy believe it myself. Anyway so the pt needed to be catheterized and the surgeon points at me and says "Shouldn't she be doing it? She's the student." Fine, no problem, this is the only skill I ever failed (then passed the second time) and I haven't even practiced it since last semester, but fine I'll do it. So the surgeon is standing there watching with his arms folded over his chest mind you (he loved trying his hardest to intimidate me that day). As if I wasn't nervous enough right? I get the kit open and do everything I'm supposed to and when I (pardon) spread the labia, I'm having a hard time finding the ...hole. I finally found it and inserted it and everything went fine....besides the fact that I felt I fumbled a lot. There's a first time for everything right? SO the surgeon says in a creepy voice... "Did you find the hole?" UGH! GROSS! ICK! WEIRDO! He was seriously giving me the creepy/pervy/jerky vibe all day.

I sort of stood back during the beginning because I've never seen someone cut open before with my own two little eyes and I wasn't sure how I'd react. I was ok, but every now and then he'd use a little thing to burn the skin and the smell was really bad. It smelled just like burned hair, because hair is, well, skin. I leanred that in anatomy. Ok so he cuts open the breast, removes the nipple (that part made me hurt). It took him 2 hours to remove 15 lbs of fat from the left breast. When he was finished sewing the breast back together he looked at the nurse, put out his hand and said and I quote... "Nipple". Not scalpel, not retractors, but nipple. Bejeezuz. It just sounded so foreign. Oh and yes it is true what you hear about surgeons listening to music while they work. The surgeon had his Ipod in there and kept screaming at the nurse to change the song. ie: "CHANGE IT, TOO LOUD, HATE IT!) What an arse.

Ok, so I'd had enough of "Dr. 90210" and decided to move on to something else. I was in on a hernia repair and a cyst removal on this one poor fella. The cyst was intact and it looked like an egg...it was wild how he brougt it out right from under the skin....cool. It was quick, and pretty interesting and the doctor was kinda pleasant. He really wanted me to get a good look and instructed me where to stand and stuff. The anesthesiologist was pretty cool too and kept asking me if I was comfortable. He asked me about school and the instructors, because he'd also went to my school, he asked me if I liked surgery etc... I guess he was trying to distract me from the horror of which I was about to see, but little did he know I'd just seen someone open up a breast, cut a nipple off and sew it back on. Classic first day.

So the nurse comes up to me and asks if myself and the other student who was with me if we'd like to see an AKA. I always thought AKA meant incognito or in other words. So she explains there is a pt who is having an above the knee amputation. Oh no, nuh uh, count me out lady. I can see a breast sliced, an abdomen hang wide open but to see an amputation..hell to the naw! My friend of course says yes because she loves all that gorry crap. Finally and after much persuasion I say OK! ARG!!! So I plant myself behind the nurse on a chair so I can't see a thing. I can see a little in between her and the surg tech and that's all I care to see. It isn't the cutting part, obviously I've watched that all day..it's the removal part. Kinda like the M & M's commercial...now you see it, now you don't and I didn't want to see anything NOT there anymore. Just weird! So they're dancing around and singing and talking about trivial stuff while I'm thinking that this poor person is having their leg amputated (already had one amputated) and will never walk again. Sad! SO the time comes to cut through the bone. Wow the femur really is as big as they say! The siatic nerve is huge too, it's as big around as a coaxe cable and it's white....that was really cool to see. The doc asks for the saw, I think it's called a bodey or a body or something. So the curiosity got the best of me and I watched a little of him cutting through. It really is like you see in the movies....blood and bone was going everywhere. So it was done...removed. Horror! I didn't want to see them take the leg away so I turned my head and low and be-friggin-hold the nurse had the leg in her hot little hands, turned around and dumped it in a biohazard bag.....RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!!!! I saw it...the whole thing go in the garbage. Just like that...there goes a leg. I'm forever haunted by that and will never eat a chiken leg again.

All in all it was an experience. Can't say it's something I'd like to do for a living. One reason is because I couldn't handle standing on my feet all day the way those in surgery do. My feet and back were killing me bu the end of the day. Seeing that AKA was something I didn't expect, perhaps if I did expect it I wouldn't have gone in and it is BY FAR the coolest surgery that any of my classmates have seen so that felt kinda good too. Oh and I forgot to mention that I got to intubate someone...very groovy.

I did pass my central line dressing skill...glad that's over. Now we have one more skill...NG insertion. We have 3 more tests....G.I., Endocrine and the Final exam. Seems like a lot in the next 3 weeks huh? I thought so too.

Until next time....
Peace

3 and a half weeks left!!!

Because of all my ranting and raving about Kevin Federline and President Bush I forgot to mention nursing school. Ok, so we're going over G. I. right now and we have our test over it next Friday, the 18th. This Friday....the 11th I have my central line dressing skill. Wish me luck y'all.

p.s the countdown is on....less than a month before second semester is over. Shew! It's be challenging, but doable and I'm more than ready for it to be over. I am not ready for 3rd semester so I am going to soak up every day I'm out of school. I'm really going to take advantage of my time off and be a bum for a while and I can't wait. I can't wait until Christmas. I love the music, the atmosphere, the shopping, the food. I love it all!!!! (Just don't love spending the money if ya know what I'm sayin'). Hope all of my fello nursing peeps out there have done well this semester and are ready for it to be over as I am. LOL!

Dear Santa,
All I want for Christmas is my sanity back, my sanity back, my sanity back. Can't wait for you to visit. Will leave the cookies and milk by the fire.
Peace out!
Christy (yes, the same one who also wanted an Audi last year. Please don't dissapoint me again. )

Donkies, Elephants and Fed EX, Oh My!

Haven't we all dated someone or perhaps even married someone who was really wrong for us, and our friends and family tried to warn us? Did we listen? NoOOoooOOOOooo! Apparently Britney didn't either...UNTIL NOW!!! Well, hot damn, hallelujah! Britney Spears has finally left Kevin Federline!!! Yippy Skippy! We all saw it coming though didn't we? She had the baby, he's partying in Vegas with his friends, she's at home with the kids, he's out with his homies. C'mon K Fed, you didn't really think you could mooch off of Britney forever did you? He made me so sick. It was so apparent he used her for her money...what a phoney! I am so happy she dumped that loser so she can go back to being the Britney we all know and love. His album came onto the Billboard charts at #151. I know this sounds horrible to find glee in the fact that someone is getting a divorce, it's very sad for the kids, but don't you think they'll be better off? I mean it seemed as though she's raising them alone anyway. Yes, it will be hard for Brit because, well he was her husband, (SIGH)but she'll get over it like we all have before and finally find someone who is worthy of her. Let's hope this isn't a publicity stunt. My theory is she waited until his album was realeased to break the big news so that atleast he'd have some kind of income and she wasn't leaving him out in the cold. Don't give in Britney...you deserve better girl, we all know it and are glad you finally came to your senses. Wonder what K Fed will have to say about all this during his upcoming appearances to pimp his album. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.................

If you go over to TMZ.com you can check out the actual video of K Fed finding out he was soon to be the ex Mr. Spears. Unfortunately he finds out via text message, oops! Guess little Britney didn't let him onto this fact. Also glad she has an air tight pre-nup because this dude seems like a money grubbing BLEEP! Sometimes it's better that way....while they're away and out of the house. Change the locks Brit! Can't wait to see you back to your normal self.

Onto other, and possibly more important, news. The democratic party has kinda taken back congress and I luuurv it! My husband feels quite the opposite, but that it his problem now isn't it? Ha....just kidding. Seriously though, it is really hard being a democrat living with a die hard republican. Come to think of it, I don't know how this little oversight didn't rear it's ugly head until 5 years later. Where is Britney's mom when you need her? Just kidding again. I'm having a hard time coping with this war. The more I hear and see, the more I am frightened. Also, the more I hear and see, the less I know what to believe. The media has undoubtably manipulated us to believe one thing or another. Fox news for instance....Bill O'Reilly...that's all I have to say about that. I want to know what's really going on. I want facts, truth and justice. I mean...isn't that the American way? Isn't that what our country was founded on? I want to know what news channel and what newspaper is reputable and credible, but how are you to know, how does anyone 'really' know?

People....our President has lied to us. If the President of the United States of America can lie...then who can we trust? Well, as the coin says....God. Isn't he the only trustworthy one? I believe so.


Ok so I'm drifting off....I just think the world has gone crazy and having the race turn towards democrats atleast gives me some hope for our future. Now...if we could just get Borack Obama to run for prez all will be right with the world again. Let's hope and pray we can come out of this war with as few injured and dead men and women as possible and move forward. God bless to all the troops and their families.

Peace!

Trick -or- Tweak

So... it's been like forever since I've posted and a lot has happened. We had our cardio I exam and I made a B, then we had our cardio II exam and I made a B again. We had our second math exam and guess what I made? Yet another B. B...B...B... What can I say..I'm just average. Needless to say I think for NSG 202 I'll come out with a B. I don't ever see myself getting an A in any nursing class and that's ok with me. I don't know how your program is set up, but ours is one big ol' class. We don't have separate grades for pharmacology and etc...ours is all on one test and that's that. Not that I'm complaining or anything.

I think the last skill we had was trach care and suctioning. I passed both...shew! Our next skill, which is on Friday is central line dressing. It should be a piece of cake. I mean how hard can it be to remove and apply a dressing right?

In case you're wondering... that is me pictured on this post. I thought the picture was cool so I posted it. I usually hate...I mean hate photos of myself, which is why I never have any...this is the rare exception. I need photoshop. You know those celebrities don't look like they do in real life like they do in their pictures don't you? If you don't believe me there are several websites dedicated to before and after photos so google them and check em out. When I'm feeling really down and ugly I always look at their before pictures. It makes me feel better to know they are just like everyone else... Us! Wrinkled, blemished, imperfect. Hooray! For a while I thought they were aliens from some celestial planet where everyone had perfect skin and hair. Whatever.

I hope you had a good Halloween. It was cold here, but it was good. Nothing like getting candy to make you feel good. It's really odd though when you think about it. Knocking on strangers doors and begging for candy. Actually I had a lady, I think that's what she was because honestly it was a little hard to tell if she was a she or a he. Anyway, they asked me for money so she/he could get their diabetic medicine. Now, normally I'm a charitable kinda gal. I don't judge and I'm not a hater, but when someome comes and knocks on you door and is looking all paranoid, and acting really peculiar my first thought isn't that they need money for some insulin...if you know what I mean. This was on Halloween by the way, in the middle of the day when I was alone, which made it all the more odd and creepy. I didn't know if it was trick-or-treat or trick-or-tweak, cause this person was surely on somethin', I don't know what, but it wasn't good. I didn't give her any money, for one I had none, two I wouldn't do it anyway. When I told her I didn't have any and perhaps she should try the local health department she had the nerve to give me a dirty look. How rude! Needless to say, I was a little freaked out and kept my door locked until the kiddies came out later that night.

Jim Morrison was right...people are strange. Everyday I encounter some weird person. I live very near to a public park and let me tell you all the freaks come out at night. Tree huggers...literally, 16 and 60 year old pot smokers, 13 year old kids on their bikes at 10 pm with babies on their laps, one weird man who stares at the kids all day...I got my eye on him, people having affairs and oh believe me you can tell who they are. They act just as paranoid as the crack head who came to my door. (NO JUDGEMENT!) There is just always some strange walkin' around. My husband and I treat it as entertainment. Some of them come around like clockwork. "Come on honey, it's almost 11. Tree huggin' Mary should be on her way." He he he.

Grey's Anatomy was awesome this week. I'm beginning to love Alex more and more. I thought it was so funny how he was standing in the window eating that apple eaves dropping on Callie and McSteamy's conversation. His face just cracked me up! Will Bailey figure Christina out and what will she do? She knows what happened the last time she caught one of her interns doing the unethical on the job (Izzie and Denny...rip love) now she'll be forced to out Christina...or won't she??? Hmmmm.....this will make for some interesting television. I feel sorry for Bailey right now. Thinking that everyone thinks she's an incompitent doctor because of what happened with Izzie. Surely she can't let yet another intern get away with "murder" will she? Bailey knows now after she saw Christina writing on Burke's surgery board. So she's forced to make a decision. Shame on Dr. Burke for letting Bailey believe he didn't want her in his surgery. Shame, shame!! Shame on Burke for allowing Christina to cover for him to save his own ass. Frankly, after what he did to McDreamy (grabbing him by the neck) in real life and how he outed George in real life (calling him a f*g) I just don't like his character anymore. Pbbbblllllllltttt on him!!!! BOOOOOOOOOOO on Isaiah Washington AKA Dr. Burke!!! He's still hot though, can't change that. I think he'll kill someone because his hand isn't right and he'll be booted for using an intern to perform his surgeries and then ABC can write him off the show. Good riddance...sorry to all those Burke fans out there.

Poor little Izzie feeling all left out. I'm dying to know what she's going to do with all of that money. It had to be hard for her to have Merideth as her boss and for Merideth to be so bossy made it even worse. Yes Merideth was given a job...to watch over Izzie..BUT...Merideth is her friend and her roomate and so what if she talked to a patient...who's going to tell? If Mer is a good friend she'll let some things slide and not be so suck upy. Is that a word? No it's not, but it is now. ;-)

George...he just wasn't ready to "catch" Callie even thought he was chasing her was he? Poor George. That's all I can say. He just doesn't know what he wants. Ham and eggs George, Ham and eggs!! Are you the chicken or the pig?

I knew that Alex was going to love the Gynie Squad. I think he'd make an awesome baby doctor...awww.

I think McDreamy made the right move about taking some time. He really needs it. His sister really was McBitchy too. I love how he told her about Addison and he told her to finish her dinner and shut up....basically. LOL. Loved it!!!!!!!!

Well..I'll try not to wait so long to post next time. As if you all are waiting with bated breath right?

Till' next time.......Peace, love and happy nursing.