Yesterday=rough, Today=great

Things can sure turn around fast....
Yesterday
-very busy day, couldn't get a handle on everything, many dismissals and admissions (very time-consuming) and spent 3 hours in MRI monitoring a patient with sedation

-while I was in MRI, the JCAHO lady interrogated me for 20 minutes. (JCAHO determines accredidation of institutions). They target employees and grill them with questions. This lady was very rude, and I almost cried while at the same time I was trying to continue monitoring my patient. I answered the questions pretty well, just couldn't remember the "A" in RACE in cases of a fire. When she and the other hospital officials finially left, some techs/etc came back into the room who fled when they saw this lady coming. I said "well thanks guys" jokingly and one of the techs told me that next time she does that to me, I should grab my butt and say "I have to take a poop!" and run out frantically. I liked his advice.

-I had a new admit at the time of change of shift who was life-flighted into the hospital. This family spoke no English.

Today
-I inserted a nasogastric tube (it's the one procedure I was most afraid of doing and hadn't done yet, so it felt good to have that under my belt.)
-I was supposed to help with holding a toddler while she received an IM shot. The nurse who was supposed to administer it graduated a semester before me, and was visibly shaken as we were preparing to give the shot. She finally said "I just hate giving shots. I'm so nervous." I jumped at that opportunity and said "I'll do it!" She was thankful that I volunteered, and it all went well.
-I administered chemotherapy for the first time.
-Two of the nurses plus my preceptor had to leave the floor for various reasons, so at one point this afternoon, I was in charge of 9 patients at one time.
-This afternoon, we had clinical students from UNMC-Lincoln (my alma mater!) I knew 2 of the girls in the class. It was so comforting to see the familiar faces from my home territory.
-I started calling my preceptor mom today...she has been such a mother to me and is very protective of me...she's great (don't worry, Mom, she doesn't replace you...she's just a fill-in while i'm at work:))
-I had quite a bit of autonomy today and made many decisions independently, and I felt competent in doing so.
-I talked to Gracie, my 3 year-old cousin on the phone tonight
-I have time to do a load of laundry
-I'm going to Oklahoma to see my sister in 1 day!

A suppository, my spleen, grad school, and a haircut

These four terms may seem to bear no relation, but in fact they all relate to today. Let me briefly explain:
A suppository==> For anyone not familiar with medical lingo, a suppository is a medication in pill form shaped like a small bullet. It is inserted into the anus and is used when pills are not able to be swallowed. I administered one today. The process went just fine, but that patient's reaction to it caused me to chuckle for a moment. I administered this suppository to an infant. Not 2 seconds after I put it in, this little baby shot the suppository right back out at me! I thought, well that's strange, so I put it back in. Even quicker this time, he shot it right back out. It was as if this baby was saying "YOU CAN STICK THAT UP MY BUTT, BUT THERE'S NO WAY I'M KEEPING IT UP THERE!" By the second time this happened, it kind of made me chuckle. Anyhoo, I administered it for a 3rd time and it stayed this time.
My spleen==> is inflamed. I have been having stomach pain for several days. At first I thought that maybe mono was resurfacing, but when I went to work today I learned that there was an outbreak of a type of influenza and several of us were having similar symptoms. Supposedly this virus will run it's course and my spleen will shrink with time.
Grad school==> I explored some possibilities with grad school. I will most likely attend UNMC's grad program and hope to begin in January. I have tentatively decided that I would like to pursue a degree as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Psychiatric Nursing. My original plan was to pursue a Nurse Practitioner degree, but I would have to attend school full time which would most likely mean not working at Children's, and I'm not willing to give up a job that I love. My responsibilities as a CNS differ a bit from being an NP, but the two roles have quite a bit in common.
A haircut==>I'm getting my hair cut and permed (wavy-style) tomorrow. I'm excited.

Valentine's Day

I want to take this opportunity to honor Andrew and all that he means to me. I can honestly with all my heart say that I am deeply in love. I have never felt this way about anyone or felt this kind of connection with anyone before. Andrew and I are entertained and content with each other regardless of what we are doing. I want to be with him all the time. I miss him when we're not together and when we are together, I want to freeze time. I admire him for all that he is....honest, genuine, caring, patient, supportive, and the list goes on and on. I feel incredibly lucky to have him in my life and be able to call him my true love. We are a good balance and I believe we bring out the best in each other.
I don't need anything for Valentine's Day except for my honey.

I don't get it.

I wanted to write a post on how much I don't understand death. My friend's mom just passed away. I don't get it. It's not fair. I feel that I have been exposed to death and dying quite a bit, but I still don't understand it. It's just not fair.

Big Day

Today was a huge day as 2 very important things happened....

I found out that I PASSED THE NCLEX! (That's right, I'm a real true Registered Nurse now!)
and
I turned 23 today!

I had a wonderful day at work today, and had many reminders of how lucky I am when I got home from work. I had some messages and e-mails from friends. My parents also came up from Lincoln to take me out to dinner. I feel so blessed. My friends and family mean the world to me and I hope they all know that. They make my life complete and I am so thankful.

Thank you.