Nurse Carlos

festival

together

wore

only

poems 

fruit

walked

favorite

wine

listened

before

shades 

I am joining Sunday Whirligig today, using the some of the word prompts assigned. I am writing a short story inspired by my experience as a nurse. This is my first try.

It's been slow in intensive care unit this week but not today. It is Thursday. I knew it even before hitting my floor as the employee parking lot is almost full.

"Carlos, I am giving you this patient with GI bleed (gastrointestinal bleed).

Immediately, I admitted Mrs. P from the emergency department (ED) to an ICU (intensive care unit) bed. Her blood count is normal but per her report, she started throwing up blood several times since she took 600 mg of Advil six times in a day four days ago for left arm pain.

From the ED, she received liters of normal saline through her intervenous access (IV) and the first blood just got started.

The GI lab nurse called me. "Can we come up at 11 to start setting  up for endoscopy in the (ICU) room."

"You can come up now." It was 10:30 am.

"But we don't want to get in the way of your admission."

Admitting a patient takes time. We have to take history, ask pages and pages of questions,  enter the data in the system, assess the patient, et ce te ra.

"That is OK. Patient's needs come first." She is not critical but I thought, heck, the GI team is ready. I would take them when I can.

Mrs. P  started as stable to very unstable before our eyes.

Two hours of long endoscopy, and more administration of liters of saline and units of blood, the team gave up as they could not see the source of bleed. They were suctioning blood, alright, but the exact source could not be scoped. Her blood pressure stayed low. She required intubation. We are going to the interventional radiology (IR) to look for the bleeding source.

I left her there with respiratory therapist and the whole interventional radiology team. It is now 4:30 pm. Starving, I  walk back to my unit. I can finally take my overdue break.

The nurse's lounge has Panera cookies and fresh fruit bouquet waiting just for me. OK, they are not just for me but they look great.

It is late. This is more like supper. My arms and legs feel weak.

I had great desserts to end my break with pork chops I brought from home.

Shortly, the IR team comes wheeling Mrs. P back to ICU. They found two small arteries in her esophagus that needed to be embolized. They fixed them and she is now stable.

My charge nurse reported that Mrs. P's ex-husband called during my break and complained to her that I did not call back to give an update. Apparently, he brought her to the ED, and he wants to be called at home for an update.

"He called? I did not get the message and Mrs. P said (when she was still able to talk) that her son is her only main contact. The residents have phoned this son  about the recent events."

Soon, her son came and visited just in time for the good news. He knew up to the point that his mother was brought to the IR but that was all.

I am sorry my patient's ex-husband was not notified but Mrs. P is doing better now. It must be stressful waiting at home wondering what is happening. I cannot help but wonder, though, what is he doing at home?

 Back in the room,  Mrs. P's son expressed a lot of gratitude to me and the team. This is the picture I want to take home.

 It feels great to go home and know that my patient is finally stable (for now). I hit my goal for my shift. Tonight, I don't have to drink my favorite wine.

Zippy

Meet my hiking partner, Velvet, in this zestful open space.

The letter of the week from ABC Wednesday is the letter Z.

I choose the word zippy.


I belong to a Facebook group on body transformation where each member defines his or own transformation. Whether the goal is to lose weight, shape your body, add bulk, etc, we all want to work on our goals with eating and exercise.

We talk about, among other things, what gives us energy or motivation to exercise and go to the gym.

What makes me zippy and energetic? I tell them my secrets of having the energy to exercise or workout.

1. A breakfast with 20 or more grams of protein makes a difference. It gives me this satisfied feeling and not feel hungry for hours. When I go to the gym, I do not think about hunger or food because I am not hungry. How do I get 20+ grams of protein? I cheat by adding protein powder to my green smoothie. I eat yogurt or eggs or ham in the morning.
2. I drink lots of water. By the time I hit the door leaving the house to go to the gym, I would already drink 4 cups of water and then two more in the gym. I am well hydrated. In the past, before I get conscious about my water intake, I get so thirsty and get a headache while exercising. I reach my maximum heart rate according to my age within minutes of walking in the treadmill. I think I was dehydrated, that was why. In 15 minutes, I was so tired and could barely continue.
3. Caffeine also keeps me going. I feel a bit hyper after 1 cup of coffee and 2 cups of matcha tea. I pour this energy in cardio and weight machines. It works. It extends my stamina. No need for me to use expensive pre-workout out supplements.
4. Meditation and yoga, I think, helps my mind and helps me to think about positive things too so my mind does not wander too much and I could concentrate on what I want to do--exercise, read, or work.
5. My dog Velvet, keeps me going as we walk outside. She is so fun to be with on a hike. To see her happy motivates me to go further.
6. A good quality sleep. To me, it can be anywhere from six to nine hours with a good amount of deep sleep. I use my Fitbit blaze to track my sleep and I notice, the more I spend time in deep sleep, the better I feel throughout the day.

How about you? What gives you energy? How do you motivate yourself to move?