It's the latest rage. The ladies love it.

For any Mel Brooks fans out there, the title is a quote from Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Now, if the title doesn't tell you what I saw in the OR, then the picture of Mel as a Rabbi should. Yup, that's right. I saw a circumcision. I've seen an open heart surgery, total hip replacement, endoscopies, but none of them made me cringe. There's just something about being a man that makes you have you compassion on another guy when something traumatic happens to that area of the body.

The patient I saw was a young guy who wasn't content being uncircumcised. It's understandable. But I don't know if I'd be willing to go through something that traumatic during my teenage years. The surgeon said that some guys think they won't get a girl or that she won't like "it" if it's not circumcised. That reminded me of conversations I've had with Shannon in the past related to completely different topics.

Warning: Social Commentary!!!!
Men in America (and I think, in general) are pretty clueless when it comes to women. Most of us think that because we've seen a movie, have talked to a married man or seen a woman naked, we understand women. It's not true. My advice to men: just give up. You'll never understand them. That's not meant to a be an insult to women. Women are meant to be loved, not figured out like some puzzle. "Husbands love your wives." And while you're at it men, drop all the myths that say that women are supposed to look a specific way. They are all different, but they all need love. Over the past couple weeks I've had to come to terms with the fact that I assume so much about women, and I get most of my information from questionable sources to begin with. Humility is probably the only place to begin if you want to understand/love your wife/girlfriend.

That said, I feel really bad for the guy that had the circumcision. Maybe he was getting peer pressure from his friends. That would be sad as well. His body is a gift from God. To modify it solely to please someone else (who is unworthy of such an action, only God is) is a tragedy to me. I think it says a lot about our culture and how far we are from God when not only will someone consider it, but also that friends will support such a decision. How little we fear God and much we fear man.

We Have Contact

Yes! I did my first IV in the hospital today! Yah! I'm so much more of a nurse today than I've ever been. :D

I was in the ER today. It was almost boring actually. I spent a large chunk of time cleaning up a patient who had a case of diarrhea. I also unsuccessfully attempted to insert a foley catheter on a female client twice. But I don't feel too bad about it because the nurse tried it after me and even she couldn't get it. There was a cute baby in the ER too, but don't worry, it was his mom that was being treated: post-partum depression. That's right Tom, it really happens. sigh...

Well, I have a quiz to take sometime tonight I think... I'm waiting for a call because we're supposed to do it pairs. Then I have an online exam tomorrow. I just have to concentrate on breathing and I'll be ok.... (I stress way too much about this stuff... I need to remember that nursing is fun and life-giving, not cold and exacting like our tests which try to suck the very life from our bones... Ok, I'm getting way too goofy and this parentheses is starting to get stretch-marks. Bye.)

Wound Care

Don't worry: I'm not going to tell you about the horrible wounds I saw. I'm more mature now and don't find it humorous to make my friends squirm by telling them about "gross" things I see at the hospital. Ok, I'm lying. I do enjoy making Terrence squirm. hehe.

I followed the wound team today at clinical. It was pretty chill. I got to sleep in this morning, which was by far the best part of the day. So I arrived a little before 9am and went listened to report. There was a picture of a diabetic ulcer on the table. We didn't get to see that patient because they had been visited the day before. It's probably a good thing too. That was probably too much, even for me. Parts of the muscle seemed to be missing.

I accompanied the wound nurse through various floors. Mainly, she just reassessed patients she had seen early this week. So, while it wasn't boring, it was a bit monotonous. One guy had necrotizing fasciitis (flesh-eating bacteria). It's caused by Group Beta-Hemolytic Streptococcus. Not very pretty. But he seemed to be healing pretty well. He was missing a lot of skin and the fascia (the cellophane-like connective tissue which covers our muscles) and had a deep hole in his neck, which the nurse packed. While his wound was pretty nasty, what really surprised me was that everyone seemed calm about it. I thought that once this bacteria started, there was no stopping it. Apparently vancomycin does wonders :D

Two patients incurred gangrene in lower extremities due to the use of vasopressors. Vasopressors block off or limit blood flow to unnecessary systems which increases blood flow to necessary ones, like the brain, kidneys and GI system. One patient had blisters all over his feet with purple toes. I won't tell you where the other patient's gangrene was, but you could probably make a pretty good guess if the re-read the first sentence of this paragraph. Moving on...

Tonight I'm home alone. Shannon is going to dinner with girls from work. I'm happy for her. She needs that time with women. And me? I'm working on a case study which I might talk about later in a later post and studying for a quiz I'll take later tonight I think.

Update regarding my job at Alvarado

Just wanted to apologize. I misinterpreted the letter that Alvarado sent me. They are letting me go, but that's just a letter that everyone got apparently. So... I guess I'm still working, but I don't know what that means for my contract. It'll probably be the same which means that I'll have to work the day after our Anniversary. Which means that our Anniversary will have to be postponed until a few days later... sigh. OR..... I can just quit. I like that idea better :D

Learning the Ropes

I just finished a Kardex for my medical-surgical clinical class. A Kardex is basically a quick reference of what the patient's medical orders are, like diet, activity, if you resuscitate them just in case they die (trust me, you hope that certain patients are a "DNR:" Do Not Resuscitate), and any other information. Our Kardex contains a lot more than that. Info from the body assessment we do as nurses is on there along with medication info and lab results. But probably the more difficult part to put together is the Care Plan. All nurses are supposed to address care plans. It's basically how nurses form a plan to assess, treat and evaluate the patient. They aren't the most comprehensive approach to caring for someone, but they do a very good job nonetheless. I think this week was the first time I've turned in my Kardex and felt good about every part of it. I'm sure my instructor will find something to criticize (for my own good mind you), but I think it will pass. So that's good news.

Tonight Shannon and I are hanging out with some friends. I'm very much looking forward to this. Yah friends!

My Hospital Sells, I Lose My Job

Sigh... Yes, it's true. Alvarado is being sold to Plymouth Health. They're planning on keeping the majority of the staff and will continue to be an acute-care hospital. However, I appear to be in the minority. Alvarado said that I will be terminated as of Dec. 31st, 2006 (or when the hospital sells). Funny. That's my anniversary. And funny. My work contract says I have to work either Christmas Day (going to be in El Centro that morning and Las Vegas that night) or New Years Day (let's just say I'm planning on staying up a little too late the night before if you catch my drift). So guess what Alvarado? Not gonna happen. You can have my job. I'm gonna celebrate with the most important person to me in the world besides my God, my wife.

(This actually couldn't have happened in a more favorable way if I'd planned it. I was actually planning on sucking it up and working on New Years Day, then leaving the next day for vacation. Instead Shannon and I can have an extended celebration in the mid-California area after our trip to Nevada with Shannon's family. Yah!)