Sunday, May 23, 2010

around here

It has been a fun springtime here in DC. Everything is so green here, I love it. Here’s a shotgun overview of what’s been happening around here.

Eastern Market is a great place to spend a Saturday morning. Not only is there really good breakfast, but all sorts fruit, vegetables, crafts, and random stuff. Lots of interesting people too. Pretty weird/amazing when you think about the fact that all of this stuff just randomly grows out of the ground or on a tree. Spring 2010 124 Spring 2010 122 Spring 2010 126

I surprised Julie and got some tickets to the Owl City concert. As you can probably tell by coming on my blog, we really like them (him). It was a really cool ensemble of guitars, keyboards, drums, xylophones, electronic, and even a cello and a violin. Quite a show in a really great venue just a block or so from the White House. 

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We went to the Navy Yard (just a few blocks from our house) finally, where there is a really cool Naval museum and a decomissioned naval battle ship (not sure what it is called) it was cool to walk around the ship and go below the decks to imagine what life would be like on the ship. Bless those guys hearts, that would not be fun to be smashed into those little bunks and live on ship.

Spring 2010 152

Spring 2010 155

Julie Finally got to make her birthday strawberry pie thanks to a really nice person that sent her a supply of Danish Dessert (the xfactor in strawberry pie according to Julie). I gotta admit, it tasted as good as it looked.

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And we finally made it to Arlington Cemetery. Pretty awe inspiring place. I’d say that’d be a pretty cool place to wake up on resurrection morning. We saw the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldiers and enjoyed a beautiful spring day as we walked around.

Spring 2010 148Spring 2010 134Spring 2010 144

Pretty amazing view from the top of the hill there. Do you know the story of Arlington Cemetery? I didn’t really before I went. Google it.

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That’s news from around here. We’re excited for a wicked awesome summer.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

8,680

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This is the number of steps that I took at work on Monday.  For nurses week we got these pedometers and I decided that I should see how many steps I take in one 12 hour day.  I did some calculating on the treadmill after I came home and figured out that I walked almost 4 miles!  Wow.

Also, many of you have asked what my day is typically like.  After working for two months I feel like I can give you a little taste of what those 8,680 steps encompasses.

Now, hopefully I don’t sound frustrated. This is literally how busy it can feel sometimes. You get moments of “how I am going to get everything done,” but you get through it.

5:20 get ready and eat breakfast

5:55 catch the train

6:20 catch the shuttle to the hospital

6:40 find the patient assignment list for the day, find a computer, look up the history on the kids, check orders, and the schedule of medications.

7:05 get report from the night nurse and peek in their rooms to say hello.

7:45 check in with your PCT (patient care technician) and give them report on your kids. Get a phone for the day.

8:00 check your meds; are they here for the day or do you have to start calling pharmacy early?

8:15 see your first patient. Assess them, get vital signs, bring 8am meds. Discuss plan of care with family.

8:30 second pt

9:00 go to “rounds” on the patient. (this is when doctors, nurses, pharmacist, nutrition, social work, etc) all sit down and talk about the patient. How are they doing, do we need to change something, and so on.

9:30 look for 10am meds. Get your meds out for the pyxis (locked chart with meds). Find someone to double check your narcotic pain med.

9:40 given 10am meds early to patient A. While you are in the room patient B calls saying they need their nurse now!

9:45 pick up patient B meds on the way. Find the right tubing to set up a new bag of IV fluid since the tubing in the room is expired. While you are doing this patient B calls again saying they need you.  Okay, I promise I am on my way.

9:50 you finally get to patient B room and the monitor tech calls saying that your patient in A (who is on cardiac monitoring) O2 saturation is down in 88%. Yikes! you run back into his/her room, but first you must don a gown, gloves, and mask because they have pneumonia.

10:00 Finally you give all your morning meds and no one is calling. Wait, you check the computer and there are new orders. Pt A will now need blood. But the resident put the orders in wrong so for the next 10 minutes you try to find them to change it.

10:10 You sit down at a computer to start charting. (Charting is our life. We chart vital signs, complete physical, pain score, skin assessment, nutrition. You also chart IV or central lines every hour. You chart education. You chart Intake and output. (And it is detailed. For example: You chart that your patient had a bm, what color it is, how loose it was…etc).

10:15 Patient C is now here and is ready for chemo. (Oh well, you got five minutes of charting in ). You get the orders from the doctor and find another nurse to go over them in detail, checking dates, doses, what time it will start. Is there something that has to be done before it starts? Is every order sheet signs by two doctors…

10:30 Patient A is screaming in pain. You call the resident and see if we can up the dose of pain meds. She agrees, orders it, and now you have to wait for the pharmacy to verify it before you can get it from the pyxis. You wait 5 minutes while listening to your patient still screaming. You call frustrated and finally you get it verified.

10:45 Patient C needs fluids, anti nausea meds etc before chemo.

11:00 Patient A now has a fever and is having increased respirations rates. She has sickle cell disease and this means blood cultures, labs, chest x-ray, and urine sample. The IV team comes to draw her blood because the patient has tiny veins. You set up all the supplies for him.

11:30 You call radiology and ask when they are coming to get your patient for the chest-xray. They say they don’t have anyone to come get her which means you take patient A down yourself. You ask your fellow nurse to listen for you other patients while you leave the floor.

12:00 The blood bank calls and says blood is ready. Great, right as you need to give noon meds and actually 11am meds that you missed for patient B since pt A’s fever was more critical. You get noon vital signs. Test the urine on patient C to see if we are okay to start chemo, give meds and finally get to blood bank.

12:30 Start blood. Try to chart on the computer on the room for your other patients so you aren’t totally behind. (You have stay in the room for the first 15 minutes to check for reactions to the blood anyways). Resident calls and asks why the patient doesn’t have any recorded output for patient B for the day yet. Are you kidding.  I haven’t even had a chance to sit down!

1:00 you sit down for lunch for about 20 minutes. 

You get the point. 

Obviously, not all days are this busy. But I would say many days are pretty similar; busy but manageable. Luckily, some days literally feel like I have been there for about 3 hours instead of 12 which is a huge blessing.

Hopefully this is some good insight into my life. peace.

Sunday, May 09, 2010

here’s to moms

cheesy here we go. seriously though. here’s to my mom and kathy haslam (julie’s mom). two of the most incredible woman i will ever know. both are so incredibly christlike and are perfectly content with thinking of themselves last. they always put others first without even thinking about it. they are the ultimate examples of mothers as they are so loving, have great senses of humor (i think that was a must to raise 9 and 7 kids respectively), can cook like nobodies business, are incredibly smart and versed in the arts, are ALWAYS there when you need someone to talk to, have incredible testimonies of the savior…the list could go on forever. love and thanks to the two of you from your youngest son/son in law and youngest daughter/daughter in law.

2008-05-02 Utah 0045-3

Monday, May 03, 2010

2 years!

Well, it has been two years...wow. It's amazing how much more I love Julie today than I did yesterday. She is an amazing woman. These last few years have been an adventure and the best part about it is that is just keeps getting better. I know we've both had some "what the heck did I do?" moments, but those are quickly forgotten as we talk, laugh, experience life, debate, have fun, and grow together.

This is a little video I made for Julie for our anniversary. It's pics from our wedding day and then from year 2 of our marriage; which included a move across the country. You don't have to watch the whole thing, but mainly I just want you all to see/remember how beautiful Julie looked on our wedding day and how beautiful she is today! It has been a fun year!

Saturday, May 01, 2010

Hey Lakers....

I hope you are ready for this...



and this...




it's time to put the fakers in their place. man it is going to be tough watching kobe. i cannot stand him. but it will be really fun seeing him lose, and seeing what kind of excuses he comes up with.