and so it goes...

Death becomes her. A dark comedy fantasy movie. Drinking a magic potion with a promise of eternal youth. A triangle between an actress and the writer and plastic surgeon couple. The hunger. An erotic horror film. Drinking the vampire's blood with a promise of eternal life. It is the story of a love triangle between a doctor and a vampire couple. I watched both movies (again) yesterday, too lazy to get out of bed. I loved both movies.  It's funny crazy promises of eternal life. I wish I had that potion for my mother. Death in the family is inevitable, especially my Clinic-setting family. How many of them passed away? Four? Five? Ten? I cannot recall. The surest thing there is--- its greater than those I lost because of transplant. I hope none this coming year. The saddest deaths I've encountered by far was with Mrs. King and Mrs. Queen. Both DNR patients. Mrs. King was easier, I noticed early in my shift one day that blood pressure was going low with skyrocketing...

When you have a competent desk Executive Assistant you’re sure to end up with a glory day! Liz is efficient. Ask her to do anything and she will do it in an instant, well, of course sometimes she forgets especially when her laughing buddy is beside her! She works quietly. You won’t even notice her leave the building unless she says her goodbyes! Ahh like her FA! LOL! Sneaky. She is behind this closed door. This door used to be wide open years ago, and it just changed recently, for some stupid reason. Anyhow, open or closed door you can still hear her giggling or I can still disturb her with just a press of “transfer 10” in the phone in from my Station. She is the “MAN” (as Paul often says) when it comes to translating for my Hispanic patients. I always ridicule her for getting a more paying job as translator, @#$% some people who knew how to use the language line are just too lazy they would always call her to translate. Geez. I am one of them. As she passed by my Stat...

Lording over my quiet floor is a heavenly sight! So I took the liberty of checking my emails (sneaking) and read some fave blogs... Emotional train wreck. When someone is emotionally wreck--- events and circumstances are overwhelming them to the point where they are emotionally wrecked! An emotional train-wreck is a person who is highstrung--- who comes into a new relationship with a lot of unresolved issues or who has a lot of emotional baggage (I remembered that one character in the L world series). But Mrs. M is different; the doctor fondly called her state as "broken heart syndrome" not because she is broken hearted from a recent breakup but the doctor said she has a broken heart from the recent death of Mr. M. " Broken heart syndrome is a temporary heart condition that's often brought on by stressful situations, such as the death of a loved one. The condition can also be triggered by a serious physical illness or surgery. People with broken hear...

The 24th went by smoothly in the Clinic, though not as perfect as we expected as there were patients still that needed to be called and reminded but at least I went home knowing I painted a smile to most of them. The sad thing was I had to sleep the night away as my sciatica kicked the hell out of me! Who would not? With a straight ten hours run managing everyone in the chair without complications, who wouldn't strain oneself???? My consolation? Receiving this funny looking Teddy! We have our favorites, and this 70-year old patient of mine loves me so much she's the only one who always personally give me crazy little things. For the last three Christmases that she was with us she handed me her 7-days bracelet, a perfume that looks like in a potion bottle, a handmade refrigerator handle and now this frowning Teddy. Oddness. G.

What's the crazy way to spend Christmas Eve? Working 13 hours shift converting your clinic into a factory with my PCT as my machinery. So instead of running everyone on scheduled treatment times, we're two hours ahead. Ahh the joy of giving-in to patients' requested time as they are in a hurry to celebrate their own Christmas Eve, while I am praying real hard no ditch in between shifts will happen. Huh??? I thought politics stopped on Fridays???? Our team's giving-back to patient gifts are LOTIONS! Just perfect for their needs as they end up with dry skin most of the time, plus the itching brought about by the increase levels of their phosphorus. I'm on to my last two hours now of the 13-hours shift. Everything went well for the past 11 hours. We have 6 more patients left to tend. Aghhh my feet is hurting now. G  

  Pat is screaming “cramps! cramps! cramps!” Then the machine just went ballistic and gaga with all its might --- beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep… it didn’t stop until I got my butt off my freakin’ throne in the station. I tried to troubleshoot the machine at the same time alleviating pat’s pain. Muscle cramps are a common complication of hemodialysis treatments.   Patients may have it in their hands, calf, legs, toes but the worst is in the stomach.   It’s hard to help patient when they have stomach cramps as you cannot relieved it by shaking or massaging their tummies, funny. The machine didn’t stop beeping and the patient continued complaining. The machine is complaining now--- its chambers are clotting! Arghhhhh. When Pat moved her arm moved and so the fistula rolled. Restarted her treatment with new lines and stuck her again with new needles. I know that’s double jeopardy huh but we have to do what we needed to su...

Russell Patterson Where there's smoke...the fire alarm goes on! While working on the floor, the fire alarm went on. Everyone was jumpy, we exchanged glances to check if it was a real one or a drill. I saw the Biomed Tech in the floor and assumed it was a drill. I continued working. The fire alarm went off. Patients were okay, no one’s hurt. During the 10 minutes huddle, the Manager discussed about safety especially in the break room.   It turned out the smoke came from an unattended toaster. Damn. The Biomed Tech was quick to call the Central Fire Department to cancel for a false alarm. Good or we’ll be charged big time. On second thought, the sight of those firemen brings glitters and glow to my desk secretaries eyes. Dang! I heard it through the grapevine. G

Tempus fugit.   As a little girl I wanted to become a nurse because I can choose to work at night and sleep during the daytime; but I don’t want to wear the white uniform…arghh that is not so comfy I thought. So instead I thought I wanted to work in a bank because I can finish at 3pm. After college, I worked for a bank. I was disappointed, afterall, I cannot leave the office at exactly 3pm and now I am sticking to my nursing career. Time flies. Really. Anyways, Sharon’s access is not working. For it to work I needed to administer a de-clotting agent which will entail pausing her treatment for an hour. Explained to her that we will resume treatment after an hour. Time flies. I almost forgot Sharon, one hour went by unnoticed. I resumed her treatment but she was not happy to be running the full treatment after she lost an hour of it. Taking into consideration the weight she gained, I conjectured it will be okay to run her for 3 hours but I explained to her that...

While working with June’s access she sort of withdrew her arm and stated “I think I saw somebody at your back! Look I have goosebumps!” I stopped. Checked who’s in my back. Nada. So I told her nobody’s there, and I continued to work. Back in my station. After thirty minutes when all’s calm and quiet I heard a big male voice sighing. And the faucet just went on as if a soul is standing there playing with the water. I went to the sink, checked it out, it stopped. And I felt a gush of air in my nape. I brushed it off and went back to my station. The faucet turned on again. Goosebumps! G  

Nobody said That life is fair Hold on tight Because life is a touch and Go. Never get so busy making A living...that you forget To make a Life. I have so much to do That I am going to Bed. G.

Mr. D got back from a week of hospitalization wearing a mask. He had MRSA-nares.  When I was about to give him his medication, he stopped me saying " you need to wear a mask, I have a bacteria in my nose".  In my treatment clinic we do not have any isolation room and if we do, we isolate those with TB and Hepatitis. Anyhow, I followed suit, went back to my station and got a mask.  I gave him his medication.  I asked him -- so what's the bacteria doing in your nose? He replied " I don't know but its real bad because they put me in an isolation room". G "Support BACTERIA it's the only culture some people have." Two bacteria walk into a bar. The bartender says, "We don't serve bacteria here." And the bacteria says, "But we work here. We're staph."