life :(

This week has been one of the most disappointing and sad weeks I've had in a really long time.

On Monday my grandma was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, she'll be seeing the surgeon tomorrow to decide what she's going to do in the means of treatment/surgery etc. The breast care coordinator we spoke with said she should expect to be having surgery in 2-3 weeks. Things are moving pretty quickly and it's very scary but we're all trying to stay super positive and hope for the very best.

Also on Monday I found out I won't be having L&D as my final preceptorship. Sara and I thought she might be able to work something out but there are already too many people precepting at VMC on L&D and it wasn't possible. It sounds so pathetic but the more it's settling in I feel so upset. Seriously crying all day today...laaaaaame. I am truly disappointed and feel that it's very unfair that my experience this summer in Truckee didn't help me get the placement I wanted. It feels like I wasted my time (even though I know I didn't and it was an amazing experience.)

I'm reallllly happy to get to spend some time in the sun tomorrow and be with my nursing friends who are basically the only people who actually understand what I'm going through. xoxo

blogspot failure

Obviously I suck at keeping up with my blogspot. I guess it's because I actually don't like writing I'd rather just talk and talk and talk about things instead but I am going to actually try to be good at this thing now. I'm home from Truckee and it was the most amazing experience I've truly ever had. I feel grown up now and seriously ready to get done with school and do what I now know I really want to do. While I was there I saw about 10 deliveries. Towards the end of my preceptorship I was doing everything :) Adjusted pit rates, documented FHTs and toco readings, interpreting (with supervision) decelerations, started about 15 IV's, put in about 7 foleys/straight caths, gave more IM injections than I can count, did soo many assessments, charted like a crazy person and was seriously helping out in some very scary deliveries. One of the babies started having a huuuuuge decel (like into the 40s for almost 10 min). The doctors thought it was because the baby's head was being squeezed so they just had her push and deliver the baby vaginally like they were planning. Well AS SOON as the baby came out so did the most blood I've ever seen. The doctor called a code, the baby was WHITE..not blue not pink..WHITE and totally toneless and not crying or breathing. APGARS 1, 1, 3. Mom was totally bleeding and baby looked terrible. I knew right away it obviously was not just the head being squeezed but a placental abruption. So scary. So the code team came in and everyone..EVERYONE left with the baby..the OB, pediatrician, all the nurses and left me in the room alone with a hemmorhaging mother who had not yet delivered her placenta. She's crying, freaking out because her baby basically looked dead and I'm freaking out on the inside because all I see is blood gushing out of her. So I did the only thing I knew to do and opened up her Pitocin all the way and massaged the absolute crap out of her uterus (such professional terms I know..) Her bleeding almost stopped and finally a nurse came in to deliver her placenta which was going to be really hard since I basically firmed up her uterus and clamped shut her cervix. As the nurse was delivering the placenta soooo much more blood came out and she told me to run and get the hemmorhage kit. Mom ended up being okay. They decided to transfer the baby to Reno so it could be cared for in a NICU and recieve blood transfusions and lots of monitoring. The husband left with the baby and the mom was understandably so upset she asked me to stay with her until her mom got there. I was there from 7am-11:30pm quite the day but I learned sooo much most importantly that I can work effectively under pressure. All of the nurses and 2 of the doctors told me how impressed they were of me and how I really proved myself on the unit. It made me sooo happy. The mom called the unit a few days later asking to talk to me and told me the baby was in the NICU but was going to be able to go home in the next couple days. She also told me how she was really surprised I was a student and how comfortable she felt having me there. Made me feel pretty damn good :)

Truckee ended up not being so lonely at all after all. Jaimee and I got so close again. I've missed her and we totally rekindled our friendship (soo corny I know) and spent every waking minute together when we weren't working. I wasn't bored at all. I learned to kind of love hanging out alone and being outside taking the longest walks of my life and laying out on the lake whenever possible. It is impossible not to fall in love with Tahoe, it is seriously gorgeous.

Besides all the nursing stuff going on I just had a really great couple days. Friday I saw step brothers with my mom and sister and Sex and the City with my friend Dana. Dana and my goal for the summer was to watch every epidsode of SATC and we did it hahaha (what an impressive accomplishment huh?) The movie was awesome and I'm depressed that my sex and the city summer has come to an end lol. Saturday Jaimee, Hilary, Lisa, Dana and Lisa's little sister and I went to the John Mayer, Colbie Caillat, Brett Dennen concert and it was SOSSOSOSOSOSOSOSOoooo good. I loved every second of it and had the best time with my friends. I'm leaving to go to Tahoe again for a week on Saturday and I better get to see you (Caroline and Tricia) before I leave. I seriously really miss you. Ok thats all for now. xoxo

my 1st week as a NON- l&d nurse.

This week turned out slightly different than expected. But before I start bitching about how I did not see even one delivery or how not one person was in labor during any of the 36 hours I've worked the past 3 days I want to say that I really actually love it. The nurse I've been working with is amazing. All of the nurses here are awesome. I have truly loved my 1st 3 shifts and seriously can't wait to work more. I've learned sooo much and I've feeling more confident than I was going into this experience.
So basically so far I've done a zillion mom/babe assessments, 5 hearing screenings, passed meds (vicodin, darvocet, motrin and colace..big freaking deal), d/c'd a couple foleys and IV's, done a bunch of education etc. I am literally working post partum right now. During the down time I'm learning to read every kind of strip imaginable, watching a bunch of videos on breastfeeding, natural birthing etc (they are very hippie and al natural here, it's awesome), learning more in depth about PIH, HELLP, GDM and how to do a correct vag exam. Also, a couple moms came in to be monitored for diff reasons. One was 22weeks and came in on the 4th when she was hiking to go watch the fireworks and tripped and fell on her stomach. She felt a gush of water and couldn't feel the baby moving anymore. It was really sad and she was SO upset so we did a urine sample, set her up on the fetal heart monitor and the Dr came in to do an ultrasound to check fluid levels.
This hospital is super small, the OB unit has 3 labor rooms and 4 mom/babe rooms. I was talking to my nurse about how frustrated I was that no one has been in labor on my shift and she said that I will definitely get to see a bunch...so we'll see. I changed my schedule and I'm now working on Monday during a scheduled induction for a multipara mom so I should def be seeing something then.
Well I feel like I'm rambling on about nothing, just thought I'd fill you in on my totally un-eventful week. I'll get back to you on how next week goes ;)

the beginning of my summer in Truckee

So, Thursday I moved up to Truckee. I'm living with my good friend Jaimee and her parents, they are so nice and welcoming. They're all so busy though so I'm kind of feeling lonely :( I'm sure I'll start feeling better once I start working and getting busy. I'll be working on the L&D/post-partum unit at the Tahoe Forest Hospital. I TOTALLY love it up here. It feels so cool to be able to have this new experience in a new place. I feel totally out of my comfort zone here but I think it will be good for me and help me start having more confidence in myself and learn to be independent. I met my preceptor and the nurse I'm working with on Friday (my preceptor is the nurse manager so she isn't the nurse I'll be working with). The manager is really nice but the nurse I'm actually working with is REALLY nice. I am so so so excited that I get to work with her. Our personalities totally mesh and she seems like the coolest, nicest person! Also, I found out my schedule. I'm working 12 hour shifts, the 1st and last weeks I'm working nights, which makes me a little nervous because I've never worked one before..but I'm sure everything will be okay.
7/2: night
7/3: night
7/4: night
7/9: day
7/10: day
7/11: day
7/13: day
7/14: day
7/15: day
7/22: night
7/23: night
7/24: night

I'm planning on leaving to go back home on 7/25 and I'll be home until August 2nd when I leave to go on vacation with my fam to Tahoe. But I'll be home for my birthday so PLEASE keep your schedule open so we can hang out!! I'll update this after my first day on Wednesday.