Today was my day for a daycation in Baltimore, MD. Well, I picked a nice steamy day to head north. It was only 90 degrees today. No worries, there was a refreshing 2-3 mph wind in the inner harbor strong enough to cool none of your body.
I started my day at the National Aquarium seated right on the Inner Harbor. A very nice aquarium. A bit on the steep side for the price of admission, but obviously it didn't keep me from going. The National Aquarium has the worlds largest Jellyfish exhibit, they claim. I can't look at a jellyfish, without thinking of Will Smith and the movie 7 pounds. They had a pretty cool dolphin exhibit that looked pretty friendly to the dolphins, if that makes sense. I do wish the poor things could swim in the open water on occasion. I can't imagine having miles and miles of the ocean to swim in, but instead you were one of the unlucky ones captured to be put in a pool for humans to cheer on and ooh and aah over. Anyway, moving on, I am depressing myself.
I then walked around the harbor for a couple of hours seeing the sites and taking in the sounds. I figured what better way to take in the harbor than a boat ride. So a boat ride is was. I learned about the marine life in the harbor, the industry that makes Baltimore famous, some history of the city, and the famous people that live in the area. That is the way to do it. I took a speedboat tour on a boat called the Seadog. I would highly recommend it. We passed the Domino Sugar company. Well, that smelled yummy! Would you believe that the dot of the "I" on that sign is 6 ft 4 inches tall? Look how tiny that dot appears in the picture. I was amazed by this. I learned that Proctor and Gamble, my Cincinnati company got the boot in Baltimore, because they were polluting the harbor. They were told to leave and create a nice space in their absence. So they renovated their space and a gentleman came in and started a small company some of you may have heard of called Under Armour. Yeah, he's a millionaire now. I learned about the War of 1812 and Fort McHenry and Francis Scott Key whom wrote a song you might know called the Star Spangled Banner.
I finished the day eating crab cakes, of course. Very tasty! Baltimore is also the home of Babe Ruth and Edgar Allen Poe. I love me some Edgar Allen Poe! I also watched a street performer put himself in a straight jacket in the 90 degree heat and struggle to get out to perform a card trick, pretty entertaining.
Facts of the day: 1) Kids on leashes really freak me out.
2) The Inner Harbor of Baltimore is pretty freaking cool!
3) Dolphins sleep by closing one eye, shutting half of their brain down, while
the other half can play with other dolphins, do tricks, etc. Very cool technique!
Baltimore is definitely as must see if you are ever in town. Another great day of adventure had.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Friday, May 24, 2013
What is your "Where were you" moment?
Today due to cool wet weather, I had to punt and change plans for my play today. I was planning to head east to Annapolis, MD. Instead, I headed back into the District and hit two museums and visited the house where our late Abraham Lincoln died, after being shot at Ford's Theater.
I started my day at a newer museum called the Newseum. I would highly recommend this museum. It is a paid museum, but I really enjoyed this one.
After a quick orientation of how best to navigate through this museum, I was quickly catapulted back to Friday, November 22nd, 1963 at 12:30 (CST). I found myself watching live footage of the motorcade in which JFK was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald. I was surrounded by 10-12 individuals easily in their sixties and seventies. The raw emotion that two of the women demonstrated watching the footage filled me with humility. I have always heard what a great President JFK was and had seen footage of his assassination, but this exhibit was so well done. I am pretty sure the two women above mentioned will be calling their therapists in the coming days.
As I left the JFK exhibit and explored the ways in which the freedoms of press, religion, speech, assembly, and petition change our world as we know it daily, it made me realize that each generation has their "Where were you" moment. For my parents it was the JFK assassination. For my generation it was the Challenger Shuttle explosion that everyone my age probably remembers Christa McAuliffe, whom was the first ordinary citizen to go into space. Then on September 11, 2001 America's sense of safety and security was robbed from us in a way that we could not fathom. There was an unbelievable tribute to the lives lost in this tragedy, survivors, and the reporters that brought the footage to us. There was a room with top headlines from papers going back into the 1800's. I found this fascinating! OJ Simpson found "Not Guilty." Hurricane Katrina. Michael Jackson dies. I could go on for days. This museum is so hard to describe other than awesome. It displays how media infiltrates our lives in every aspect imaginable. We are affected everyday by television, ipads, smartphones, newspapers, comics, movies, photographs, bloggers, facebook users, and other social media.
I can vividly remember my dad watching two thirty minute segments of local news, followed by the world news, and then at least one more local news segment. That is two hours of the news! Let me also add that even though he was asleep, when the channel was changed, he would immediately wake and say to turn the channel back. So I watched a lot of news. So I am proud to say that I grew up with Barbara Walters, Walter Cronkite, Tom Brokaw, Jane Pauley and many others. I still to this day usually watch a local news segment.
I left the Newseum and walked down to the Peterson House, where Lincoln was carried to, after being shot at Ford's Theater. After viewing the three rooms where Lincoln and his people were housed, I entered the Education center where Lincoln's Legacy was displayed. It was interesting to read similarities between Lincoln and Obama. Obama looked up to Lincoln and it is because of Lincoln that we have a black President today. I think a statistic that I read was that there are over 15,000 books written about Lincoln. How is that even possible?
I then made my way to the Crime and Punishment Museum. This was a museum about outlaws, bootleggers, kidnappers, killers, and forensics. The show America's Most Wanted, one of my favorite shows growing up, was filmed in the basement of this museum. I give this museum a C+/B-. I liked it but it wasn't great. I really liked the forensics and learned a lot about cases I have heard about over the years; maybe didn't really ever know that details about though. John Wayne Gacy, The Boston Strangler, Jeffrey Dahmer, and some of America's most vile individuals. The most disturbing part of this museum was a section devoted to dog fighting. The pictures and words expressed in this section left me speechless and not a dry eye. My beloved late Dakota was part pit bull and Heinz 57. Pit Bulls are sadly fought frequently and labeled as an aggressive dog breed because of their mishandling. Seeing the pictures of their wounds and the voice that do not have was heartbreaking. I just want to punch anyone that thinks it is right to take a soul that loves you from the get go and break it in ways unimaginable. I am not one to cry easily and this exhibit tapped into an area that really hurts. Dogs are such amazing creatures!
Another fun day had here is DC! Have a great weekend everyone.
I started my day at a newer museum called the Newseum. I would highly recommend this museum. It is a paid museum, but I really enjoyed this one.
After a quick orientation of how best to navigate through this museum, I was quickly catapulted back to Friday, November 22nd, 1963 at 12:30 (CST). I found myself watching live footage of the motorcade in which JFK was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald. I was surrounded by 10-12 individuals easily in their sixties and seventies. The raw emotion that two of the women demonstrated watching the footage filled me with humility. I have always heard what a great President JFK was and had seen footage of his assassination, but this exhibit was so well done. I am pretty sure the two women above mentioned will be calling their therapists in the coming days.
As I left the JFK exhibit and explored the ways in which the freedoms of press, religion, speech, assembly, and petition change our world as we know it daily, it made me realize that each generation has their "Where were you" moment. For my parents it was the JFK assassination. For my generation it was the Challenger Shuttle explosion that everyone my age probably remembers Christa McAuliffe, whom was the first ordinary citizen to go into space. Then on September 11, 2001 America's sense of safety and security was robbed from us in a way that we could not fathom. There was an unbelievable tribute to the lives lost in this tragedy, survivors, and the reporters that brought the footage to us. There was a room with top headlines from papers going back into the 1800's. I found this fascinating! OJ Simpson found "Not Guilty." Hurricane Katrina. Michael Jackson dies. I could go on for days. This museum is so hard to describe other than awesome. It displays how media infiltrates our lives in every aspect imaginable. We are affected everyday by television, ipads, smartphones, newspapers, comics, movies, photographs, bloggers, facebook users, and other social media.
I can vividly remember my dad watching two thirty minute segments of local news, followed by the world news, and then at least one more local news segment. That is two hours of the news! Let me also add that even though he was asleep, when the channel was changed, he would immediately wake and say to turn the channel back. So I watched a lot of news. So I am proud to say that I grew up with Barbara Walters, Walter Cronkite, Tom Brokaw, Jane Pauley and many others. I still to this day usually watch a local news segment.
I left the Newseum and walked down to the Peterson House, where Lincoln was carried to, after being shot at Ford's Theater. After viewing the three rooms where Lincoln and his people were housed, I entered the Education center where Lincoln's Legacy was displayed. It was interesting to read similarities between Lincoln and Obama. Obama looked up to Lincoln and it is because of Lincoln that we have a black President today. I think a statistic that I read was that there are over 15,000 books written about Lincoln. How is that even possible?
I then made my way to the Crime and Punishment Museum. This was a museum about outlaws, bootleggers, kidnappers, killers, and forensics. The show America's Most Wanted, one of my favorite shows growing up, was filmed in the basement of this museum. I give this museum a C+/B-. I liked it but it wasn't great. I really liked the forensics and learned a lot about cases I have heard about over the years; maybe didn't really ever know that details about though. John Wayne Gacy, The Boston Strangler, Jeffrey Dahmer, and some of America's most vile individuals. The most disturbing part of this museum was a section devoted to dog fighting. The pictures and words expressed in this section left me speechless and not a dry eye. My beloved late Dakota was part pit bull and Heinz 57. Pit Bulls are sadly fought frequently and labeled as an aggressive dog breed because of their mishandling. Seeing the pictures of their wounds and the voice that do not have was heartbreaking. I just want to punch anyone that thinks it is right to take a soul that loves you from the get go and break it in ways unimaginable. I am not one to cry easily and this exhibit tapped into an area that really hurts. Dogs are such amazing creatures!
Another fun day had here is DC! Have a great weekend everyone.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my.
Another day off equals another adventure! Today I set out for the National Zoo.
I think I have finally extrapolated what a zoo really means to a community. The zoo is merely a barometer for parents to gauge if their offspring that they themselves have bred are stronger than the previous generation. They gauge this by pushing their children through nap time and two hours past such the hour in hopes that they will not become the most obnoxious children on Earth. It usually ends with a parental brow beating and multiple threats of food or toys that they will not be receiving upon exiting the zoo.
I met this very nice couple from New Jersey today while I was looking on at the lionesses. They were quite active when we were there. The gentleman was questioning where the male lion was and simultaneously the lady and I said "probably in the next exhibit sleeping." Wouldn't you know it we were right on as we moved next door. I had to laugh at this eight year old, or so, boy that literally bowled the three of us over to see the lionesses screaming "Hey Lion, look at me, yah you. Look at me over here." His mother snapped at him saying "Jamal, say excuse me!" So he says "Hey Lion, excuse me, excuse me, look at me over here!" While I didn't enjoy being run over by a child, I did find this quite comical.
It is a very weird feeling to walk into an establishment such as the zoo and not pay admission. So many things are free here in DC! For now at least. They are contemplating charging a nominal fee for the museums.
I love zoos because we are able to see animals we otherwise would be unable to see, though I do hate to see the animals all caged up. I didn't recall that this zoo really tries to exercise their animals and keep their instincts raw to the best of their abilities. They have something called the "O-line" where the orangutans can cross a cable from their outdoor exhibit to a platform 46 feet above the walkway where all the voyeur humans walk, giving them the chance to evacuate their bowels. Just a suggestion if they are angry about being in captivity. They also have a quarter mile elephant walk that they use to exercise the elephants with random toys and logs along it. Beats the indoor facility and outdoor playpen, I guess. Several animals had little tweaks like this that showed that the zoo really cared about the mental vitality of the animals. Nice to see.
It was a very nice and cool day to be outside. It was sunny and 65 degrees. Tomorrow shall bring some bike riding of some fashion. It is going to be a bit warmer though, so perhaps in the afternoon.
I don't mean to complain, but being a part time nurse and part time tourist is an exhausting job. :-) I wouldn't change a thing though. I love it!
I think I have finally extrapolated what a zoo really means to a community. The zoo is merely a barometer for parents to gauge if their offspring that they themselves have bred are stronger than the previous generation. They gauge this by pushing their children through nap time and two hours past such the hour in hopes that they will not become the most obnoxious children on Earth. It usually ends with a parental brow beating and multiple threats of food or toys that they will not be receiving upon exiting the zoo.
I met this very nice couple from New Jersey today while I was looking on at the lionesses. They were quite active when we were there. The gentleman was questioning where the male lion was and simultaneously the lady and I said "probably in the next exhibit sleeping." Wouldn't you know it we were right on as we moved next door. I had to laugh at this eight year old, or so, boy that literally bowled the three of us over to see the lionesses screaming "Hey Lion, look at me, yah you. Look at me over here." His mother snapped at him saying "Jamal, say excuse me!" So he says "Hey Lion, excuse me, excuse me, look at me over here!" While I didn't enjoy being run over by a child, I did find this quite comical.
It is a very weird feeling to walk into an establishment such as the zoo and not pay admission. So many things are free here in DC! For now at least. They are contemplating charging a nominal fee for the museums.
I love zoos because we are able to see animals we otherwise would be unable to see, though I do hate to see the animals all caged up. I didn't recall that this zoo really tries to exercise their animals and keep their instincts raw to the best of their abilities. They have something called the "O-line" where the orangutans can cross a cable from their outdoor exhibit to a platform 46 feet above the walkway where all the voyeur humans walk, giving them the chance to evacuate their bowels. Just a suggestion if they are angry about being in captivity. They also have a quarter mile elephant walk that they use to exercise the elephants with random toys and logs along it. Beats the indoor facility and outdoor playpen, I guess. Several animals had little tweaks like this that showed that the zoo really cared about the mental vitality of the animals. Nice to see.
It was a very nice and cool day to be outside. It was sunny and 65 degrees. Tomorrow shall bring some bike riding of some fashion. It is going to be a bit warmer though, so perhaps in the afternoon.
I don't mean to complain, but being a part time nurse and part time tourist is an exhausting job. :-) I wouldn't change a thing though. I love it!
Saturday, May 11, 2013
A day of mammals, mummies, bones, archives, and art.
The radar last night showed strong storms for today. So I cancelled my hike and made it a museum day. I set out to visit the Museum of Natural History, the National Archives, and the National Museum of Art.
The Museum of Natural History was very cool yet very creepy. Every animal you can imagine was stuffed and on display. There were mammals, mummies, amphibians, and black widows oh my! My favorite part due to my medical background, no doubt, was the bones exhibit. They showed bones post mortem (after death) affected by disease, repaired with metal rods, and afflicted by different types of fractures. I found this quite interesting. If I went through this in the 7th grade, I sure don't remember it.
My next stop was the National Archives. I do recall this. Viewing the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights just never grows old. They had such nice handwriting back then. No pictures from this stop, but no worries I asked the question that was most important. I questioned the armed guard at the entrance of the rotunda. My question was "so in the movie National Treasure, it was stated that the above three documents are dropped 25 feet down into a bomb shelter and highly guarded with multiple security vaults, is this accurate?" Her reply was vague but per protocol, no doubt. "Many years ago, yes that was accurate. But due to new technology and new security protocols, I cannot comment on what happens to them at night." My response, "Oh, so if you told me you would have to kill me?" She replied, "If I told you I would lose my job and yes then I would kill you, because I love my job." No problem lady, I get it. Very cool to see John Hancock and George Washington's signatures. How come it is always, can I get your "John Hancock" and not your "George Washington?" I am going to start a new trend.
My last stop was a surprise. It was the National Museum of Art. I arrived about 45 minutes before closing, thinking it wouldn't much interest me. I was royally wrong! I already have plans to return. I really rushed through it. There were cool busts scattered about mixed with naked statues and cool paintings. Really an unexpected liking on my part.
Now I am enjoying a very cool thunderstorm from my balcony. Back to work tomorrow. This work nonsense is really putting a wrench in my tourism plans. I am thinking the zoo and back to the art museum on my next day off. I gotta get some bike riding in too.
The Museum of Natural History was very cool yet very creepy. Every animal you can imagine was stuffed and on display. There were mammals, mummies, amphibians, and black widows oh my! My favorite part due to my medical background, no doubt, was the bones exhibit. They showed bones post mortem (after death) affected by disease, repaired with metal rods, and afflicted by different types of fractures. I found this quite interesting. If I went through this in the 7th grade, I sure don't remember it.
My next stop was the National Archives. I do recall this. Viewing the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights just never grows old. They had such nice handwriting back then. No pictures from this stop, but no worries I asked the question that was most important. I questioned the armed guard at the entrance of the rotunda. My question was "so in the movie National Treasure, it was stated that the above three documents are dropped 25 feet down into a bomb shelter and highly guarded with multiple security vaults, is this accurate?" Her reply was vague but per protocol, no doubt. "Many years ago, yes that was accurate. But due to new technology and new security protocols, I cannot comment on what happens to them at night." My response, "Oh, so if you told me you would have to kill me?" She replied, "If I told you I would lose my job and yes then I would kill you, because I love my job." No problem lady, I get it. Very cool to see John Hancock and George Washington's signatures. How come it is always, can I get your "John Hancock" and not your "George Washington?" I am going to start a new trend.
My last stop was a surprise. It was the National Museum of Art. I arrived about 45 minutes before closing, thinking it wouldn't much interest me. I was royally wrong! I already have plans to return. I really rushed through it. There were cool busts scattered about mixed with naked statues and cool paintings. Really an unexpected liking on my part.
Now I am enjoying a very cool thunderstorm from my balcony. Back to work tomorrow. This work nonsense is really putting a wrench in my tourism plans. I am thinking the zoo and back to the art museum on my next day off. I gotta get some bike riding in too.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Stubborn as a mule and sleeping standing like a horse.
I have been a nurse for almost ten years and I have learned there are some days that are miserable during your shift, but you can only laugh about afterwards. This account is not to desecrate the demeanor of the gentleman I am talking about. But I have to write about my accounts for the day because it must have been funny, because my coworkers could only laugh and mock me ALL day.
One of the main things I love about this area is the diversity of people from all over the world. Well, I got my spoon full of diversity this day at work for sure. I arrived at work 5-10 minutes early, as I always do, (To my TCH coworkers, I turned over a new leaf and arrive earlier.) only to hear a gentleman smacking his son around and yelling at the nurse practitioner that is removing his chest tubes. I refused to look at the dry erase board to see my assignment and tried to ignore the room that the yells were coming from, because I only knew my name was written all over it. So after charge report was over, the huddle broke and as I suspected Mr. Combative Pakistan man was all mine for the day!
So I decided he should probably get my first bit of attention. As I walked in and introduced myself the son says hello to me and states, "My father is a little upset and wants to go home." I concurred that he is a little upset. This gentleman is around 82 years old, as his age was estimated when he came from Pakistan to the US, and he had heart surgery the day before. This gentleman understood a fair amount of English but speaks very little. So I really wanted to call my awesome SW from dialysis at TCH, Jewel Porter, and have her make the situation all better. That is really what she does. From best I could tell, the situation became explosive when the language barrier essentially clouded the reality of what heart surgery meant for this gentleman. He did not realize that it meant being in the hospital for 3-5 days and that he would have to be attached to monitors and have chest tubes and a foley catheter attached to him. He is an extremely independent man. This gentleman is also disoriented to everything but person as he believes we are in Pakistan and still very clouded from anesthesia from the day before. All very normal activity for an elderly individual that goes under anesthesia. This reminds me of when my grandma would get anesthesia, she would always hallucinate and see a little girl standing in the corner with a pail of water and would often dump the pail on my grandma. I stayed the night with my grandma after a surgery and as sincerely as she could say it she asked that I go get a cup of water and douse the little girl standing in the corner. I still laugh about that. Interesting that should had this same reaction each time with anesthesia.
So enough introduction, I spent a lot of time walking with this gentleman as that is really the only thing that kept him from throwing punches at everyone around him and calmed the yelling. Did I mention that he was a retired boxer in Pakistan? Dude had a mean right hook. The first two hours of my day I spent walking this gentleman around the unit and to any window with a view. We returned to his room and he was sitting in a chair, finally. As I was preparing his medication, I was turned from him about 45 degrees and he was yelling at me in Ehrdu. Speaking to him really only made it worse. So I just listened. Then silence. My thought: he finally took a breath and is exhausted. Reality, he is back in the hallway. I literally took my eyes off of him for 10 seconds. So about 3 rooms down, I caught up with him and tried to coax him back to his room. Again, a lot of yelling. Two sons were there and trying to translate only for the sons to get really mad and they left. Here I was again, trying to rationalize with a man that is only yelling Ehrdu at me. He wouldn't walk back to his room, nor would he sit in a wheelchair. He merely just stood there yelling. Best case scenario for Shannon! And if I tried to steady him as he was swaying looking like he would fall, punches are being thrown. My manager, whom is really nice and sweet and petite, walks out and states the obvious. "He can't stay in the hallway yelling like this. Here let's try to walk him back to his room." My suggestion "Duck and weave to the left." She attempts and quickly understands what I mean. Eventually, he sat down on the floor in the hallway with just a gown on. Not my first option of choice, but he really just went limp like a two year old throwing a temper tantrum. (For the nurses out there, no incident report if your patient willingly lowers himself to the floor.) Eventually security was called and a after 35-40 minutes of really nothing he stood up and at least looked towards his room. He was thinking of walking back and our Hispanic housekeeper who is awesome yells, "Poppa come to me. Come on, Poppa!" That is really what got him moving. He was a bit more compliant from the IV Ativan I gave him too. Now he really looks drunk. It's finally 10:45 or so and we are back in the room again. Another dose of IV Ativan was given per my suggestion because I was not going to do this all day, just my first half. The next two hours we stood just inside the door near the wall and fought sleep like an infant and tried to remain standing. Any attempt to make him sit or walk was like making a mule walk where he didn't want to go. So my job was to watch him stand and sway sleeping standing up like a hourse, because his fall is on my name. Not cool. I really didn't think my day could get worse until the Lasix that I gave him kicked in and the yelling started again only to end when he peed on the wall. My response, "You have got to be kidding me!" Thirty more minutes pass and we have walked 4 ft at least closer to the bed and completely unannounced this time he pees on the floor and now we are both standing in a pool of urine. All my coworkers could hear was, "NO NO NO NO, what are you doing?" It's all fun and games until you are the nurse standing in the pool of urine, that is not your own. Eventually around 12:30 my Ativan was taking full effect and I got him to lie down in the bed with the coaxing of yet another son. A very long 5 hours!!! Thank goodness someone else was taking care of my other patients.
Long story short, I have never met a more stubborn human being. I not only should learn some Spanglish but maybe I should learn some Ehrdu. I am sure he is a very nice gentleman but man is he stubborn.
Oh a day in the life of a nurse! Happy Nurses Week everyone!
One of the main things I love about this area is the diversity of people from all over the world. Well, I got my spoon full of diversity this day at work for sure. I arrived at work 5-10 minutes early, as I always do, (To my TCH coworkers, I turned over a new leaf and arrive earlier.) only to hear a gentleman smacking his son around and yelling at the nurse practitioner that is removing his chest tubes. I refused to look at the dry erase board to see my assignment and tried to ignore the room that the yells were coming from, because I only knew my name was written all over it. So after charge report was over, the huddle broke and as I suspected Mr. Combative Pakistan man was all mine for the day!
So I decided he should probably get my first bit of attention. As I walked in and introduced myself the son says hello to me and states, "My father is a little upset and wants to go home." I concurred that he is a little upset. This gentleman is around 82 years old, as his age was estimated when he came from Pakistan to the US, and he had heart surgery the day before. This gentleman understood a fair amount of English but speaks very little. So I really wanted to call my awesome SW from dialysis at TCH, Jewel Porter, and have her make the situation all better. That is really what she does. From best I could tell, the situation became explosive when the language barrier essentially clouded the reality of what heart surgery meant for this gentleman. He did not realize that it meant being in the hospital for 3-5 days and that he would have to be attached to monitors and have chest tubes and a foley catheter attached to him. He is an extremely independent man. This gentleman is also disoriented to everything but person as he believes we are in Pakistan and still very clouded from anesthesia from the day before. All very normal activity for an elderly individual that goes under anesthesia. This reminds me of when my grandma would get anesthesia, she would always hallucinate and see a little girl standing in the corner with a pail of water and would often dump the pail on my grandma. I stayed the night with my grandma after a surgery and as sincerely as she could say it she asked that I go get a cup of water and douse the little girl standing in the corner. I still laugh about that. Interesting that should had this same reaction each time with anesthesia.
So enough introduction, I spent a lot of time walking with this gentleman as that is really the only thing that kept him from throwing punches at everyone around him and calmed the yelling. Did I mention that he was a retired boxer in Pakistan? Dude had a mean right hook. The first two hours of my day I spent walking this gentleman around the unit and to any window with a view. We returned to his room and he was sitting in a chair, finally. As I was preparing his medication, I was turned from him about 45 degrees and he was yelling at me in Ehrdu. Speaking to him really only made it worse. So I just listened. Then silence. My thought: he finally took a breath and is exhausted. Reality, he is back in the hallway. I literally took my eyes off of him for 10 seconds. So about 3 rooms down, I caught up with him and tried to coax him back to his room. Again, a lot of yelling. Two sons were there and trying to translate only for the sons to get really mad and they left. Here I was again, trying to rationalize with a man that is only yelling Ehrdu at me. He wouldn't walk back to his room, nor would he sit in a wheelchair. He merely just stood there yelling. Best case scenario for Shannon! And if I tried to steady him as he was swaying looking like he would fall, punches are being thrown. My manager, whom is really nice and sweet and petite, walks out and states the obvious. "He can't stay in the hallway yelling like this. Here let's try to walk him back to his room." My suggestion "Duck and weave to the left." She attempts and quickly understands what I mean. Eventually, he sat down on the floor in the hallway with just a gown on. Not my first option of choice, but he really just went limp like a two year old throwing a temper tantrum. (For the nurses out there, no incident report if your patient willingly lowers himself to the floor.) Eventually security was called and a after 35-40 minutes of really nothing he stood up and at least looked towards his room. He was thinking of walking back and our Hispanic housekeeper who is awesome yells, "Poppa come to me. Come on, Poppa!" That is really what got him moving. He was a bit more compliant from the IV Ativan I gave him too. Now he really looks drunk. It's finally 10:45 or so and we are back in the room again. Another dose of IV Ativan was given per my suggestion because I was not going to do this all day, just my first half. The next two hours we stood just inside the door near the wall and fought sleep like an infant and tried to remain standing. Any attempt to make him sit or walk was like making a mule walk where he didn't want to go. So my job was to watch him stand and sway sleeping standing up like a hourse, because his fall is on my name. Not cool. I really didn't think my day could get worse until the Lasix that I gave him kicked in and the yelling started again only to end when he peed on the wall. My response, "You have got to be kidding me!" Thirty more minutes pass and we have walked 4 ft at least closer to the bed and completely unannounced this time he pees on the floor and now we are both standing in a pool of urine. All my coworkers could hear was, "NO NO NO NO, what are you doing?" It's all fun and games until you are the nurse standing in the pool of urine, that is not your own. Eventually around 12:30 my Ativan was taking full effect and I got him to lie down in the bed with the coaxing of yet another son. A very long 5 hours!!! Thank goodness someone else was taking care of my other patients.
Long story short, I have never met a more stubborn human being. I not only should learn some Spanglish but maybe I should learn some Ehrdu. I am sure he is a very nice gentleman but man is he stubborn.
Oh a day in the life of a nurse! Happy Nurses Week everyone!
Monday, May 6, 2013
Sunday, May 5, 2013
A Flurry of Activity
Sixty five degrees and sunny brings everybody outdoors here in northern Virginia. As I stopped at the corner nearing a crosswalk, I looked around at the others waiting for the light to change with me. I counted 7 bicyclists, 2 unicyclists, 3 kids on skateboards, 2 roller bladers, 2 guys on "prostate" bikes as I call recumbent bikes, 3 women in full Muslim garb (just their eyes exposed), and 2 nuns in full habit. Needless to say I was busy counting during the wait. Wouldn't you know it, the nuns muscled their way to the front and beat all of us across the street. Two of the other people commented, "Bet you didn't expect that?" I couldn't agree more.
Today I set out to bike the Arlington Loop. As it would suggest, it is a loop that pretty much outlines the perimeter of Arlington, VA all via bike paths. A coworker gave me a Bike Arlington map, so I couldn't let her down. My first loop around I dedicated to measuring the distance and noticing the topography. It is a 16 mile loop from my apartment. So I decided to do this loop twice; though in my head I wanted to do it three times. Perhaps another day will evolve into three loops. Much like the Billy Goat hike, I again noticed that there were definitely more bicyclists riding towards me than with me. Yep, my direction was mostly uphill once you got past the airport. Though I wanted to reverse the second loop, I continued the tougher direction because I don't want anyone to accuse me of getting soft when I get back home for a visit.
Along with the activities mentioned above; the Potomac River was busy with kayakers, speed boats, jet ski's, and fisherman. Quite the eclectic group. What a beautiful day!
Call me simple, but the favorite part of my ride was an area called Gravelly Point. Gravelly Point is a park right on the river next to Reagan airport where you can watch planes land and take off, one after another after another..... There were picnics going on, very competitive wiffleball games, and plenty of onlookers just watching the planes. That is one busy runway. Key word there, RUNWAY. The planes taking off have to get off the runway quick because there is a plane hot on their tail ready to land. I always envisioned that airport much larger.
Well after two days of vigorous hiking and two days of biking, this girl officially feels like she has been ejected from a vehicle! So tomorrow, I shall lay low and rest up for my three days of work for the week.
Today I set out to bike the Arlington Loop. As it would suggest, it is a loop that pretty much outlines the perimeter of Arlington, VA all via bike paths. A coworker gave me a Bike Arlington map, so I couldn't let her down. My first loop around I dedicated to measuring the distance and noticing the topography. It is a 16 mile loop from my apartment. So I decided to do this loop twice; though in my head I wanted to do it three times. Perhaps another day will evolve into three loops. Much like the Billy Goat hike, I again noticed that there were definitely more bicyclists riding towards me than with me. Yep, my direction was mostly uphill once you got past the airport. Though I wanted to reverse the second loop, I continued the tougher direction because I don't want anyone to accuse me of getting soft when I get back home for a visit.
Along with the activities mentioned above; the Potomac River was busy with kayakers, speed boats, jet ski's, and fisherman. Quite the eclectic group. What a beautiful day!
Call me simple, but the favorite part of my ride was an area called Gravelly Point. Gravelly Point is a park right on the river next to Reagan airport where you can watch planes land and take off, one after another after another..... There were picnics going on, very competitive wiffleball games, and plenty of onlookers just watching the planes. That is one busy runway. Key word there, RUNWAY. The planes taking off have to get off the runway quick because there is a plane hot on their tail ready to land. I always envisioned that airport much larger.
Well after two days of vigorous hiking and two days of biking, this girl officially feels like she has been ejected from a vehicle! So tomorrow, I shall lay low and rest up for my three days of work for the week.
Friday, May 3, 2013
I love Goat Cheese! Bring on the Billy Goat!
Well you don't get skinny eating cupcakes all day! I already tried that a couple of months back. So Day two of hiking was on the agenda for today. I viewed it as my 15 year'ish orthopedic check up for knee surgeries and a test of my ankle strength. Strong work Dr. Ellis and Dr. Bilbo.
I went back to Chesapeake and Ohio National Park today to conquer their toughest hike, the Billy Goat Trail. The Billy Goat trail is divided into three trails A, B, and C. A being the toughest trail down to the most moderate. All three of these trails are below the falls that I saw yesterday. The Billy Goat trail A is on Bear Island which is sequestered between the canal and the Potomac River.
Have you ever been going against the grain of society and you wonder why everyone is coming at you but no one is following you? I have been marching to the beat of my own drum all my life in many different arenas, so this didn't bother me, but it did make me wonder. The Billy Goat trail A has two entrances from the towpath. Just for the record, I did google which entrance would have me scaling up the 50 ft traverse rather than going down. I really couldn't find much on it, so I took a guess. As you can imagine, I guessed oh so poorly. After, oh I don't know 25 people or so passed me; I asked a gentleman if I would be going up the cliff or down. He kind of giggled and said, "Sorry lady, you will be going down. Just be careful with your step." "Thanks buddy!" With all the scary signs and heavy traffic going against me, trepidation continued to build so I stopped on an overlook and called my pathetic brother Blake to say my goodbyes. :-) LOL!
What a beautiful area! So I was sitting atop a 200 foot cliff overlooking the Potomac river towards a comparable cliff on the Virginia side. Every thirty seconds or so a Blue Heron would soar through at about eye level and each one would amaze me as much as the last. Sorry to continue on about the Heron. These can be seen in Ky, but not in the numbers they are at this park. I have only seen a few back in Ky. They soar majestically in multitudes here comparable to robins back home. All the while, I was keeping my eyes peeled for a bald eagle. No such luck. I saw Herons, cliff swallows, Turkey Vultures, canadian geese with babies (as if they aren't mean enough, throw a few young in there and they will down right chase you.), and the cool bird of the day was a screeching peregrine falcon. I heard this guy before I saw him. These are cool falcons because of their fierce speed. When they are going after prey or an annoyance with determination; they can reach speeds up to 200 mph. He took off after a turkey vulture. Quite a difference in sizer there. I have Dr. Rambo, from NKU, to thank for my knowledge and love of birds.
After watching the birds for about 30 minutes or so I decided to press on. Easy to get lost in the beauty of the moment. I had to laugh several times because there would be a clearly beaten down dirt path that headed into the interior of the island that I would think was the trail and then as I looked for the blue blaze marking the trail it would be on these huge boulders screaming "This is the way over all two hundred of these huge boulders." I guess that was the path for those scared of heights.
So by the time I got to the cliff; it was a 200 foot drop in my mind. After climbing boulder after boulder then boom; there it is. Oh okay, Holy Billy Goat! Yep, now I understood why everyone was walking against my grain. This definitely would have been easier to scale up rather than to lower down. I conquered it and had a great remainder of the hike. I then hiked the B and C trails of Billy Goat. It was such a beautiful day there were people out doing all kinds of activities, as you will see in my pictures. Well, I need to figure out what to do the rest of my weekend outdoors as the great weather is to continue.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Hello Maryland the Beautiful!
Today I stepped out into nature enjoying the awesome weather! I headed up to Great Falls, MD to the falls that everyone recommends that I see. What a treat! I must admit that I got lost a time or three on the way there. I wanted to go during the week because the weekends bring humans in high volumes. I rode past this park a couple of weeks ago when I rode with the bike group that I joined. Everyone on the bike ride said it is a must see. Another attraction locals tell me about, knowing my love for biking, is the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal trail (C&O). This is a crushed gravel trail that was originally a towpath used for the mules that pulled the boats along the canal. I was feeling all ambitious and wanting to come back and ride the length of it. Then I delved into the maps and literature and it is 184 miles long. That is a haul on a mountain bike! Regardless, I shall return on bike to ride a good portion of it.
So along the towpath there are varying levels of hikes that shoot off of the towpath and either loop or reconnect further down. A recommended hike to me is the Billy Goat trail. I love the name! The signs are a bit daunting though. I spoke with 3 people that finished the trail today and I am definitely going back! Tomorrow I shall conquer the Billy Goat! Wish me luck! Here are some pics from today.
The awesome part about today were all of the Great Blue Herons flying above the water around the falls. The Herons were as plentiful as a Robin back home. They were everywhere. I just love this bird! I got some profile pics of them.
Feels good to be off after working a lot of days in a row!
Feels good to be off after working a lot of days in a row!
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