Monday, February 15, 2016

Things of which I will never tire, part three thousand and forty-six:

1. The look on an attending's face when the nursing staff in the NCCU actually knows something. We read our patients' charts before the shift begins, we review lab results, we read EKGs and check out the results on CT scans and EEGs. Yet, for some reason, the attendings will never get over that first, pure shock of a simple nurse knowing something he (usually "he") doesn't about a patient.

(Nota bene: this is not all attendings, just a couple. Dr. Vizzini and Dr. Manbags come to mind.)

2. Pure thankfulness from a resident when we solve a problem or save them from a hideous fate. Dude/ette, that's what we're here for. You got problems? Yo, we'll solve them. Check out our scans while the 'puter revolves 'em.

3. The patients who say they don't want to take metoprolol/metformin/insulin/hydralazide for their problems, because they "don't want to mess up (their) bodies with medicine." These patients fall, generally, into two camps:

     a. The patient, male or female, with an A1c of 10, a resting systolic BP of 210, and a creatinine of
         4; or,

     b. The patient, female, with acrylic nails, bleached hair, Botox, breast implants, and liposuction,
          who has had her mercury amalgam fillings removed because they leak "toxins" into her
          bloodstream.

*** *** *** *** ***

Yes, I've been a long time gone. For that, I do truly apologize.

Back in December, the fine folks at Mind Over Media, the people who'd been my liason with Scrubs online magazine, informed me that my services as an essayist would no longer be necessary. (Nothing wrong on my part; Scrubs decided to go in a more fashion-related, nurse-o-nality {dear sweet baby Jesus} driven direction).

I realized quite suddenly about three weeks ago that I'd been blogging, or writing weekly essays for some company or other, for more than twenty years. It started in the early 1990's with a website called ParentsPlace and went from there. I also suddenly realized, about three weeks ago, that I hadn't written shit for HN, and it actually felt pretty good. So I continued on, not writing anything, until I had had enough "I've got to blog this" moments at work and in my personal life to make it worthwhile to put fingers to keyboard again.

It's a little strange, having dissected both my personal and professional lives for--hang on to your asses--twelve years!! to suddenly stop, but I think it was good. I quit looking at life through the lens of bloggable versus boring, and had a break from trying to stage things in writing in my head. Maybe the quality of my stories will improve? Perhaps that's too much to hope, but it's been an instructive, and very pleasant, break.

Thanks to all of you who wrote, wondering if I had been abducted by aliens, the Zeta cartel, an underground supplier of international supermodels, or PETA. I am fine, and I appreciate your concern.

That said, I have to make lunch for tomorrow. We have a brand-new attending, just hired on, whom we have to break in. My job will be getting him used to reports that contain Queen lyrics.



12 comments:

salsabike said...

Awesome. You can write as much or as little as you want. I'm just glad to know you're still out there smart-assing and nursing your way through the world. :)

bobbie said...

Lovely to 'see' you again... I HAD wondered if all was well.
I can't wait to hear of your 'new' adventures ~

Anonymous said...

Missed your snark! I just told the hubs last week that all my favorite nurse bloggers had stopped blogging. I'm so glad it's not true.

Unknown said...


I still love you and we down here in Christchurch are still having earthquakes (Thanks Mother Nature for your Valentines gift of trying to kick me out of bed at 1305 after 1st of 4 nights)
Queen lyrics you say, Hmmm I like, but not sure my young colleagues would even recognise/know them. I'm am going to try to steal that idea though, Our Govt just announced more budget cuts to health. I need cheering up.

jimbo26 said...

Sometimes you just need to clear your head .......... ( in the most respectful way ) . Good to hear from you .

Donna. W said...

OK, you've got my hopes up and I'll be looking for an update now and then. Please don't let me down.

Lynda Halliger Otvos (Lynda M O) said...

Yay, glad to see you here again. Bated breath, genuine wonder if you were ok, sigh of relief.

Anonymous said...

Glad all is well. Do whatever you want to do in the blogging field, but I am happy you are fine and hope the hiatus was helpful. Have been lurking for years.

Unknown said...

I just found your blog and I'm already loving it. I'll keep looking for more posts.

Aviana said...

Do a web search on "Metformin anti aging drug". You will have more people willing to take it.😊

Allison said...

Glad you're back. You have one of the best voices on the internet.

cowango said...

Glad to have you back. I think I speak for most when I say we missed you.