All that for an upset tummy....

At the weekend I had the pleasure of volunteering and being a member of the nursing team. (Obviously I was out practicing as a student under the supervision of a suitably qualified mentor). This role took me up and down the Southbank several times in order to re-assess patients.

Now, don't get me wrong I love what I do but I dislike being called upon by a member of staff who is equally if not more qualified to assess patients than I am. By this I mean, ambulance crews who are trained to perform certain examinations in order to build a list of potential diagnosis in order to rule each out as the examination goes on.

For example, on Sunday I was based outside of City Hall and with an area to cover that would take me on a 2 mile round trip without a vehicle I was somewhat reluctant to answer minor calls which could be covered by ambulance crews. After all, Nurses do not operate pre-hospitaly so the demand for one would be unnecessary if there were an alternative, say an ambulance crew, near by.

On this particular occasion the call was for a 27 year old female with upper abdominal pain. What would your first impressions be? Mine consisted of, ectopic pregnancy, GI Bleed, numerous Gastric problems, trauma etc etc. The list is endless. Include the fact that that was all the details I had for this patient. Upon arrival, after a mile of brisk walking through dense crowds, I find the young lady laying supine on a stretcher. My initial thought is that she doesn't look unwell, which is usually a good sign!

Her obs were stable and there was nothing significant in the menstrual history to suggest to me that she could be pregnant, no PV/PR bleed and the rest of the physical assessment didn't flag up anything significant. Abdomen was soft and non-tender. So there I was with a young lady with abdominal pain who seemed to be quite anxious but none the less, quite well.

'When did you last eat?'

In a strong Spanish accent.. 'About an two hours ago, some paella'

'Do you know what was in the food?'

'Sea food'

BINGO!

I had just discovered that this lady had a minor case of the poops. Do you think I was pleased about this? No. I certainly was not.

Although, not to discourage you from asking for help if you ever need a second opinion, it is always best to be safe than sorry in these kinds of circumstances. Just don't boast to me all day about being one of 'the' best ambulance crews and then flap over a minor case of the poops!

Blind

'Do you mind just feeding the lady in bed D'...

This is often a question I am asked both as a student nurse and as a health care assistant. Most of the time I don't question the nurse and off I go before their meal gets cold; but on some occasions, and this one in particular, I felt the need to ask why.

'She is blind'

So there was my answer. Pretty simple you would think? Although we could delve into this so much further couldn't we. I want to know why the fact the patient is blind plays any part in her being able to feed herself? Why must being blind render her useless and unable to function as a human being?

The patient in question was an elderly lady. She was in hospital for a few days after a hypoglycemic attack (low blood sugar). Her uncontrolled Diabetes took her sight six years ago and since then she hasn't quite come to terms with it. As I approach her I hold her hand and introduce myself, trying not to shout because after all, there isn't anything wrong with her hearing!

'Oh hello dear, no thank you. If you put the bowl in front of me I shall find it'

I arranged her tray so that everything was in the right place for her. Bowl in the centre, spoon on the right and drink on the left. This made her relax and she was soon gulping down her cornflakes like they were going out of fashion. It was at that point that a thought struck me.

How would i feel/react if I just suddenly lost my sight?!

One day you can see. You are able to interact with your environment doing things independently and then all of a sudden you are trapped in this dark place. unable to see what dangers may surround you or if there is an unsuspecting first year student nurse ready to shovel your food into your mouth! It must be the most scariest thing I can imagine happening to me.

I always thought that what ever happens to me physically wouldn't matter as long as I was alive. However, now I do not want to lose any of my senses.

New Year, New Term

It is not very often that I get to write in this blog. Occasionally I will get the inkling to write something deep and profound but I just can't seem to find the words. Instead, this time I am just going to write about how my life stands right this very moment; and I apologise in advance if it is not as glamorous as it should be!

To begin with I have started my final year of nursing *round of applause*. This excites me and scares me all at the same time which is a new experience. I suppose the thought of finally being responsible for all those patients and to a greater extent, myself, is a thought that fills me with dread. (I get an odd lingering bubbly feeling in the pit of my stomach even as I am writing this!) What excites me is that when I qualify it will be the time my life begins. I don't know where that will take me but I am looking forward to the adventure.

In other areas I am still having a constant battle with who I am and who I want to be, not to mention who everyone else wants me to be! Sometimes, being yourself just isn't enough and most of us find this out the hard way. My family struggle to see where my 'caring' gene came from so I am the black sheep of the bunch. Although I am there for all of them 24/7, this kind of unconditional love for my family is very rarely returned which I am still struggling to get used to. However, I am learning to walk alone.

Boys. What can I say about boys. Well, to be honest I think I would rather do without boys in my life. They make things so complicated and they make you cry. Often it is their fault which they will never admit to and I am left taking full responsibility and feeling like I'm doing everything wrong. The truth is, I have done nothing wrong and have been nothing but nice to them. My current partner would not agree with this!

Ultimately I am having a good time. I am looking forward to a good year and hopefully this time next year I will blog about being a qualified Nurse!