Like a virgin... Grossed out for the very first time...

Like a viiiiiiii-iiiiiiiii-rrrrrgin....

Tomorrow is going to be a big day; lots of cool things going on at the hospital. These are not all from the same patient, but I will get my first real experience with most of them in the morning. I'm pumped, Are you??

a TPN line
a Foley Catheter
MRSA infection
an open wound with wet-to-dry dressing changes
a colostomy bag
giving insulin
and an NG tube

My big question right now is 'Why in the world do they make us wear white uniforms??'

Just call me Bubbles

Remember the 'phone in the disposal' incident? Or maybe the 'glasses in the dishwasher' story? Well, third time's a charm when it comes to my crazy run-ins with ordinary kitchen appliances.

I had moved just about everything out of the apartment except for the second-string cleaning supplies from deep under the sink. It came time to run that last load of dishes that had been in the sink for, well... a while. Anyways, ahem...

So I finally used that off-brand mail-order 'dish detergent' that someone had given me in ancient times. I always kept it around as a back-up in case I ran out of the real stuff. Even though it said 'extra concentrated' I put I good helping in the dishwasher. I then left to run some errands while the machine ran. Luckily I went back in to grab something because it didn't take long for the LAUNDRY DETERGENT to suds up and flow onto the floor. Go. Me.

Update

Oh goodness. So much has happened. Last Monday Courtney called me and told me that roommate that was supposed to be here for the summer up and left over the weekend with nothing but a note on the counter. Courtney IM'd me around one, by five o'clock I had all of my furniture at the new place. By the next day I had most clothes, books, and things over here. The roommates are fantastic, the house is superb, and the six foot wide window looking out over the backyard gives me all the sunshine my little heart could desire.

Wednesday we 'picked up' our patients for Thursday clinical. We went to the hospital at three, dug through the charts, gleaned information and the five of us in my rotation came back to my house and worked on our clinical paperwork. I was up until 2:00 looking up drugs, analyzing lab reports, writing a careplan, and eating pizza (very important part of the process). Going through the chart was fascinating. I got to see how lab reports will correlate with each other and how they can be used to diagnose. I got to see very clearly the effects of lifestyle on one's health as aging occurs. Cool stuff.
The next morning we were at the hospital at 6:30 for pre-conference where the professor picks over our work and asks all about the information we found. By 8:30 we were on the floor. Three of us had one patient. He was the nicest, most patient, most easy-going man I could ever imagine being in a hospital. It was such a joy to work with such a pleasant patient on my first clinical. My classmates and I worked very well together and got things done quickly, effectively and with little fuss. The whole experience was very calm and will be one that I rely on to get me through the rough days that I am sure to come with clinicals.

AND THEN

Wesley came to visit me. We had a very busy but simply wonderful weekend. We went to a wedding on Saturday. It was a very nice wedding in a beautiful church but it did offer us a chance to notice some things that we don't want to happen at our wedding (oh, did I just say that?). For one, there was a very harsh woman with a clipboard standing at the church door directing people on when they should walk down the aisle. It was extremely unattractive. Then there was the industrial strength camera crew and the photographer with the clicky-noise turned on. Eesh. But when you are busy coordinating flowers to dresses to tuxes to hair styles to ring cushions to church colors I guess there will be little things that slip through the cracks. I just hope that my wedding will be personal and not look like something out of a catalog. And I plan on having a bang-up reception.
Sunday we went down to the coast and visited Wesley's dad and stepmom for Father's Day. We went to church with them and then had yummy po-boy's for lunch. I simply love this couple and always enjoy visiting with them. After that we stopped by Wesley's mom for a quick hello and then came home to start the barbecue. My dad and my brother came down and Wesley cooked some crazy-good steaks for all of us. The roommates were here too. I love having a full house and having the three main men of my life together. There were several times during the night when I just stepped back and watched for a second and let the happiness wash over me.

I've had a very blessed week and I hope you all have as well.

Wesley

Wesley is coming to visit me in a week. It is so sweet of him to take time off from work and drive down here just to see me for a few days. We are going to go to a wedding of a high school friend of his while he is here. It will be our first wedding to attend together. The thing I am most looking forward to is dancing at the reception. I love to dance but it's not really Wesley's favorite thing.

It's when he does little things like dance with me or let me cook squash that I know he really loves me. I hope that he knows how much I love him. We've been together for so long now, I don't think there is anything or anyone that could destroy our love for each other. It's a wonderful comfort to know that we have a hardy connection and fondness for each other that will keep us going long after other relationships die away.

Another thing I love about our relationship is that we enjoy doing so many of the same things. We have the best times hiking, doing photography, reading to each other, cooking for each other, and simply being together. It has been a joy to grow together and learn so many amazing things about Wesley over the past four years. I truly believe that we have something special and I'm a lucky girl. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that I LOVE YOU WESLEY AND I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU!! XO!

Smiles and Storms

I started my psychology internship at Ellisville State School today. Before I went out there I had no idea how all-encompassing their care was. They have on-campus dorms, a Special Education school, work programs, recreational programs, rehabilitation programs, care for geriatrics, pediatrics, and everyone between with a wide variety of special needs. Most of the clients are mentally handicapped and psychiatric diagnoses are secondary from what I can tell.

The facility is much cleaner, calmer, and prettier than I expected. There is a pond, lots of green grass, and some really fascinating architectural detail. Inside the buildings were clean, organized, and had a much warmer feel than I expected. It does have the same smell as a hospital unit would. I think it is mostly due to the wide use of PEG tubes for feeding the clients. There is a distinct aroma that goes along with the nutritional supplement they use.

Today was my first day to work in the SPED school, where I will do the rest of my 80 hours this summer. It was a wonderful experience. The teacher was very friendly and well-spoken. She didn't have that air of working too long at a mental health institution like some of the employees I have met. One woman I met yesterday exhibited several behaviors of her clients and although I'm sure she is completely healthy and capable of doing her job, I think she could benefit from some time away from the institution.

The children were a pleasure to be around. It truly is something amazing to see the innocent joy in their faces when you say a kind word or they know they did something correctly. Those uninhibited smiles are something only a special child could give. It was sad, though, to see how quickly a smile could fade and a storm would take over the mind. The retreat inward often looked painful and chaotic. I found myself compelled to try to keep the kids I was interacting with focused on the world outside their minds, like the best thing I could do was to keep them distracted. But who knows if that is truly the case?

I know that this is going to be a huge part of my summer and I will probably be writing about it often. Forgive me if my posts become obtuse, as I am not allowed to talk about clients due to the HIPAA law. I will, however, be sharing my feelings about the experience as the summer goes on.

Brick House

I am moving into a house! A real house with a front yard and a back yard, even a carport. It has hardwood floors, three bedrooms (two roommates), washer and drier, tons of space and more than one door leading to the outside world. I even made the extra effort to get out of bed this morning and go to church so that I could give thanks for this blessing.

I have lived in apartments for five years now. I have done my laundry in crappy laundromats for FIVE years now. I've been without a backyard for (say it with me now) FIVE years now. I need to live in a house, absolutely need it. I've lived alone in a two bedroom apartment, with a roommate in a two bedroom apartment (the bitch kicked my cat!), alone in a studio apartment for two years, and now alone in my little living room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom apartment with black mold in the shower for a year. The time has come... well... almost. I don't move in until August. I can't wait!