FROM MY WORLD TO YOURS

Pictures from the trip back

2009-11-08T12:25:00.000-08:00

McNary dam across the Columbia River. One of the many.
I loved the show of color next to the river.

Fishermen and ducks enjoying the water.

If this will enlarge you might see the big horn sheep on the side of the hill.

This Coho Salmon was just waiting for me to take it's picture. He's looking pretty beat up.

The morning in Umatilla was beautiful. It was pouring down rain when I took the picture of the sheep. It didn't do much for the coloring on the photo either. Hope you can pick something out of them.

Rain, rain, rain, and oh yeah, more rain!

2009-11-07T17:01:00.000-08:00

I'm baaaaacccccccccckkkkkkkkkk. It rained the majority of the trip down and most of the way back. It was not a good picture trip. I did enjoy my time with Mom tho. I have just learned that when I'm there she wants to talk about her and her life. I sometimes interject what's going on in mine and sometimes she even remembers :-) I found it very frustrating at first but have learned to let go of it. It makes my visits much more pleasant. We are each different and unusual. I'm also fortunate in that I have the patience of a saint. (most of the time)

Sometime this weekend I'll attempt to post the pictures I attempted to get of the mountain sheep that hang out a few miles from Bigs Crossing. They were pretty far up on the rocks and well, I still don't have that telephoto lens. The only reason I could see them was because of those big white rear ends. If I can clean them up I'll post em.

Oh.......I also wanted to invite anyone who reads this to come visit. When you do we'll take a trip up the gorge. It is SO beautiful.

Talk to ya all later!

Miles and Miles

2009-11-05T08:03:00.000-08:00

OMG !! I am SO glad my nights are over with. I've worked the past three nights alone. Last night was crazy. It was traumas and amulances and people walking in and police escorts and.... geeze!! It will be nice to get back on days where if you have to work alone there are always admitters in other depts to help out if needed.

I am off to Mom's for my 'weekend'. I want to go get my hair cut and colored today sometime before going but if I can't get an appt I'll end up going to Hermiston and trying my luck there. I'm just ready for a change. I was going to let the grey grow out but it looks really tacky and the grow out is taking forever unless I want my hair cut less than an inch all over my head. Can we say porcupine?? I'll give it a few more years. Maybe when I reach 50 :-)

I'm going to be stopping back by my daughter's on Saturday sometime, hopefully, and spend the night so I can catch up with everyone. The last time I went up there after it had been awhile my grandson sez "Grandma, you came back". It was too stinkin' cute. I have been very lax about getting up there. Bad Grandma!!

K. I won't bore you with anymore details. I won't be posting until I get back so I hope everyone has a safe weekend and I'll catch up with everyone later!

I'm blank on a title for this post...................

2009-11-04T08:23:00.000-08:00

It was another busy night. I worked alone again as I found out that my usual partner in crime has the H1N1 virus and is not allowed back at work for 10 days. I'm sure I'll be working alone tonight as well. No one wants those night shifts. I am glad tonight is my last night shift. It becomes someone else's problem. I should at least get time and a half or something for working alone. I work my a$$ off when there's only one admitter. It becomes challenging to do the little things like using the restroom, getting something to eat, trying to go back and talk to patients to get paperwork complete. GGGRRRRRRRRR

We've had two more Admitters quit and one scheduled to leave in December. That means lots of shifts that need to be picked up and that I'll be working a lot of overtime between now and the holidays. Willingly this time.

Again, most of the people we saw last night had flu like symptoms. There was one child with croup, an OSU student who had been elbowed in the head by an 8 yr old during cheerleading practice and split his eyebrow open, a retired ER doctor's mother who had cellulitis, a gentleman who had leukocytosis, a gentleman who had an enlarged prostrate and was having difficulty urinating, a young lady with a UTI, and a man who had OD'd.

I got a phone call from the Portland Police early this morning looking for a person who had been listed as missing. I let them know she was there in our mental health unit (which I found out later I was not suppose to do) and transferred them over. Late this morning I got a phone call from the pt's son. He wanted to know if his mom was at our hospital. Because of HIPPA I could not tell him anything, nor could the mental health unit. He became very upset and stated that the Portland Polilce had told him she was there but that mental health would neither confirm nor deny to the police that she was there. He never got belligerant or ugly, just determined. He told me he would be calling us every few minutes until we got so sick of him calling that we would tell him what he wanted to know. I told him that he would get the same answer every time he called and that it was not because we didn't want to tell him, it was due to HIPPA. He kept asking me "Are you kidding me?". Uh....NO. He finally called and got the hospital's address so I imagine he'll show up later this morning. I warned our switchboard operator because she's the information center of the hospital and she in turn warned security. I'll have to ask tonight when I go in if anything went down. I'm curious that way.

The other day we had a drug seeker come in and I can honestly say I've never been scared of anyone or felt unsafe in my environment until he arrived. He came in with difficulty breathing so he was taken back and given a breathing treatment. When he was told he could leave he became angry and asked why he could not just sleep there for the night and why he did not get any narcotics. Hello...we're not a hotel and we don't give people narcotics for breathing problems. Plus he was not going to be paying the bill. He got dressed and was throwing the blankets and his gown around according to his nurse. He came to my office so I could give him the financial paperwork. He asked where his wallet was. I told him I did not know. I only had his license and I had watched him pull it out of his wallet. I asked if maybe his friend had it. He said no and became aggitated. His nurse, who happened to be a male, had been standing out in the hallway because as he stated later "he had a bad feeling about the guy". He came into the office and asked what the problem was. The guy asked him where his wallet was. The nurse told him he (pt) had it in the exam room. The guy stands up, smacks his hand down with quite qa bit of force on my desk, and yells "Don't give me that shit, I didn't have it". The nurse sez "Calm down there buddy. We'll go look in your room". He lectured him on the way back to the exam room about it being his own resonsibility to keep track of his stuff. They found his wallet on the floor wadded up in the blankets. The nurse escorted him out of the ER to the waiting room where his ride was waiting. I was just glad to see him leave.

Corvallis is a nice little town. We have roughly 75,000 souls here and rarely does anything bad happen. We have some drugs here but not nearly as many as some close surrounding communities. Just for the experience I'd like to work a few nights in a big ER such as Portland. I'm betting it would make me even more thankful for the job I have and the community I live in.

So I've rambled again. :-) Thanks for hanging in there.

Blather

2009-11-03T09:09:00.001-08:00

Whew! What a week it has been already. I keep thinking my weekend is sooner than it is because I worked Saturday. I did find out that I have 5 days to adapt to my day shift rather than being on one night, off one day, then to day shift. This will be much easier.

They have implemented new policies at the hospital due to the H1N1. The hospital has put security at two main entrances 24/7 and if you don't meet the criteria for entrance, you don't get in. No children under 12 are allowed in. They just changed that within the past few days. It was no children under the age of 18. No one under the age of 18 is allowed in the maternity unit and each pregnant mom can only have two support people with her during her whole visit. The two people must be the same, they cannot be a rotating 'two'. If anyone comes in that wishes to visit and is showing any signs at all of a cold (cough, fever, runny nose, sore throat) they are not allowed in. If they exhibit these signs and have to have lab work done they must wear a mask their entire visit. The ER entrance now is strictly that. No one but ER pts can enter. Everyone else is being redirected to the hospitals main entrance for screening. As employees, if we don't have our badge with us at all times it becomes a bit tricky getting in the doors. Especially as most of us enter through the ER.

There are mixed feelings regarding all of these policies. The way the official memo reads is that it is for the employees benefit so there are enough health care workers able to care for those who are sick. Also to help eliminate the chances of children contracting the virus through the hospital environment.

I worked alone last night. My co-worker called out and Main Admitting didn't even try to find a replacement as they knew no one would pick up the shift. It was a busy night. Not overwhelmingly so, but steady enough to keep me on my feet all night long.

The security guard last night is an older gentleman. I believe he said he was 68. Retired mailman, has had a few independant businesses on the side. He is also a smooth talker. It was fun to banter back and forth. He'll be there again tonight. At least there is an entertainment factor!

I am off to visit a few blogs before my sleep meds kick in and I can see straight. Have a great day everyone!

I Wish I Could Take Pictures

2009-11-01T20:59:00.000-08:00

I volunteered to work last night purely for the entertainment factor. I was not disappointed.

If I only could take pictures of the drunk college kids as they stagger in or are brought in by ambulance.

We had a fisherman and his mermaid who came in because she had fallen at a nightclub and cut her hand. She needed to be much more buxom to be a good mermaid.

We had Tinkerbell who had vomited her nights worth of alcohol onto her costume and was not afraid to show the world her pink ruffled panties that were close to being thong. She turned out to be a real pain in the a$$ and was calling our nurses the 'c' word. They discharged her to her friends.

There was another character who came in but they got her undressed before I had the opportunity to see what she was wearing. The nurses did however not hesitate to leave the curtain open on her room as they undressed her and one of our male admitters got an eye full :-)
He is a gentleman. He just didn't look away fast enough.

There was the frequent flyer who came in and as this same male Admitter was getting signatures she 'accidently' let one of her boobs fall out. His take on that was 'I could have gone a lifetime without seeing that'.

Ambulance after ambulance came in. Police officer after police officer came in. It was a busy night and the extra hands were needed.

I love my job.

Palm Trees and Ocean Breezes

2009-11-01T04:41:00.000-08:00

I contemplate moving quite frequently. The adventure of living somewhere new, exploring interesting places, meeting new friends, starting over.

I am one of those people who has trepadations about the unknown. Making a life changing decision such as moving without a plan of action and 'for sures' taken care of. By saying it causes anxiety attacks would be putting it mildly.

There are only so many details that can be worked out before you have to step out in faith and know that God will catch you no matter where you land. I am a firm believer in the statement 'there are no wrong choices, only best and better'. You must make the best of your choices and if one is not working for you, you switch gears and try another.

I long to move to somewhere that is warm and mild all year round. I would love to live close to the ocean. Hawaii is a thought but it is truly expensive there and a long ways across that beautiful Pacific Ocean. It would be difficult to find a job and then move there, or move there and then find a job. Both of those options make the sweat break out and the chills begin. Much too scary for me at this point.

On the other hand, Southern California, as was so kindly pointed out by my sister, is a viable option. It has the mild weather I crave, beautiful sunny beaches, and lots and lots of ocean. It is a bit expensive to live there but jobs are fairly easily obtained, especially if I stay in the health care industry. The one thing that will hold me back from taking that plunge is the earthquakes that California experiences. The thought of those scares the bejesus out of me.

So, I guess the bottom line is.............will I allow my fears to control my wants and desires or will I stifle them, take the plunge, and live with the consequences?

Gas Mask and fun times!

2009-10-30T19:40:00.000-07:00

I was going to fix meatloaf tonight for dinner. I turned the oven on, loaded the dishwasher and turned it on, did what few wouldn't fit, carried my laptop from the living room to the kitchen, son was mixing the meatloaf ingredients together. He smelled something, brought it to my attention, smelled like melting plastic so I looked into the dishwasher. Nothing there, turned around and there was a fire in the oven~!~! EEK! Could see a cookie sheet in there, but that does nto normally catch on fire, this was something down on the element of the oven. I, of course, don't have a fire extinguisher, the once outside on the stairs that should be there is not, so I called 911. I had three handsome and one pretty firefighter show up at my door in less than five minutes. Turns out in addition to the cookie sheet I had evidently left a plastic tupperware bowl in there from doing dishes previously. WHOOPS!! Ruined the element and the bowl but everything else worked. The fire alarm did not go off, no surprise there. It works, just did not go off. I now have two fans going in the middle of late fall (bbbbrrrrrr) to get the horrendous smell of burnt plastic out of my house. I'm also wearing my duck mask from the hospital so I can't smell it. I'll share it with my son when he gets back..........maybe...........

Sometimes I surprise even myself.

Ready for Halloween

2009-10-29T17:22:00.000-07:00

Costumes my daughter made all by herself for the kids this year. They are all so stinkin' cute and I'm am SO very proud of her.

I need an upgrade

2009-10-26T09:07:00.000-07:00

Can you see what is in the tree? Looks like a pretty small bird huh? It's actually a really good sized juvenile eagle. He was standing off the road just chillin'. I stopped my car a ways up the road and walked back to where he was which of course promptly scared him into the tree.

The top photo is using the zoom on my new camera and the bottom is without the zoom.

I need a telephoto lens. I could have gotten an excellent shot of him without getting so close. Frustrating! Perhaps my own x-mas gift.

My day full of babies.

2009-10-24T18:33:00.000-07:00

The top picture are the lambs looking out curiously around the adults. The second picture is what happens when you try to get closer to the lambs :-)

Baby toes. I absolutely LOVE baby toes!!

The face of a content baby. He just got done eating and is out for the count.

Just another day

2009-10-24T11:01:00.000-07:00

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood today. The sun is shining, the leaves are falling, and I hope to get a nice walk in with the camera in hand later this afternoon.

I'll be heading over to Lebanon around 2 for a visit with brother and their new addition. Max. I love that name. Just Max. Not shortened to Max. Just Max. It is an interesting choice. I hope to get some pictures to post here later this afternoon or early evening.

Nothing else on the agenda. The housework and laundry can wait until this evening or perhaps tomorrow. It is back to the grindstone tomorrow so have to get it done. Need those scrubs!

It has been pretty laid back these days off. Which has been nice. Emotionally I needed the down time. The only predictable thing about life is that it is unpredictable :-)

Well that's about it for now. I'll try and update later today with pictures!

Dear Friends

2009-10-23T11:23:00.000-07:00

I lay in bed this morning listening to the rain and wind through the small opening I keep in my window. Knowing that Winter is just around the corner and the liquid sunshine that the Willamette Valley is so famous for is here to stay. The wind is blowing the leaves from the trees giving a show of fall colors. Small branches snap off in the wind and land on the soft bed of leaves below.

Unfortunately since the complex is covered in trees this means the small branches also hit the vehicles sitting below.

Today will be my pajama day. Sitting and catching up on blogs, e-mails, and shows that I miss while working. I have been invited to the Pumpkin patch with my brother and his family but the weather is not to my liking today. I do not want to walk around in the rain and wind today. Just not my idea of fun. I hope they have a good time though.

I have received some news about a family member and am having difficulty processing it. My entire counseling session last night was consumed with it. Tears flowed, anger reappeared, fear of expectations loomed. It is going to be a difficult next few months.

I hope you all are where it is dry and warm and enjoy the day.

It just goes on and on

2009-10-20T15:48:00.001-07:00

Time to update I guess since it's Tuesday.

My sister came up to see the new baby Sunday evening so she stayed the night with me. I had to work so she tagged along for a few hours and kept me company until she got tired and bored :-) Not much entertaining going on. It was really good to see her. I don't get to do that enough. We had breakfast on Monday morning after I got off work and then she headed off to get some more visiting in prior to heading back over the mountain.

I know Tigger enjoyed the company :-)

I am going in a few hours early tonight. The overtime will be nice especially with the holidays coming on.

I am still debating whether I want to go up to daughter's for Halloween or not. They are all dressing up and going trick or treating. It would be fun to go all out and wear a costume as it has been years. I'm not sure financially I'm up for the challenge tho. Time will tell.

I found out yesterday morning that I got the day position!! Whoot!!!! I can't tell anyone at work yet because they are still working out the kinks in scheduling. But I can tell you guys!
I'm pretty excited to be going back to days I can tell ya. It should begin the 8th of November so just a few more weeks of this night stuff.

Well that about does it for my daily update. Exciting stuff ya'll. Don't miss one single post :-)

Hope you have a great evening and hope to catch up with everyone later.

Hyperdermic Speed

2009-10-18T13:53:00.001-07:00

She called again during the wee hours of the morning. My co-worker, who has never gotten one of her calls, and I were discussing her interesting phone calls when she actually called in. When I picked up the phone I heard "Are you a government run facility?" I immediately recognized her voice and asked her if she could hold a moment and pointed at my co-worker and said "There she is".

He immediately went to his work station and picked the call up. It was the usual randomness of her nature. Did we have a spa in the bottom of the hospital? We wish!!

Earlier in the evening I had taken one of her calls and she was convinced that the war was actually going on in Cuba instead of Iraq.

"Have you ever seen pictures of the Cuban and Russian countryside", she asked me.

"Well yes I have", I replied. "In magazines and on tv and other such media".

"They could just be fooling us you know. I think it's dirty play that they don't allow us to see their countries. I think we should play dirty if they are. Don't you?" She asked.

"Ummm....well I suppose that is one way of looking at it" I replied.

"How do we know that the war is not really being waged in Cuba instead of Iraq. We've never seen pictures of the Cuban and Russian countryside. They could be pulling the wool over all of our eyes", she concluded.

"Is there anything I can help you with medically?" I asked. "You've reached (insert hospital name here) and I'm busy with other paperwork".

"No, hypidermic speed to you", she replied and then hung up.

As usual it left me shaking my head and laughing.

Back to Uniforms

2009-10-17T16:51:00.000-07:00

This has been a down day. No where to be, nothing to do. Mouth is feeling better. Just a bit sore. I was able to eat solid food today which was kinda nice. The past three days have been ice cream and mashed potatoes. Heck of a diet.

I have not heard about the day position yet. In the staff meeting yesterday it was metioned that she (supervisor) was setting up interviews and looking to see how people moving around will impact the whole department. It is always a domino affect within the department when one person moves around.

We were offered the opportunity to vote on a 'professional business attire' line of clothing. Basically it means that we get to chooose $300 worth of clothes from a specific line to make up our wardrobe. There will be no more scrubs in the ER once we have moved into our new department because we will not be in the back ER anymore. The money is provided by the hospital and if we don't use the whole $300 we don't get the balance in our paycheck so there is a good push to use all of the money on clothes.

I have mixed feelings about it. On one had it would be nice to have the clothes without having to fork out the money for them. We get to keep them once we leave Good Sam, so it increases our wardrobe. We get $300 each year to spend. All of the clothes are pretty nice and they are geared from young to old. They will be taylored to fit each of us. We can wear flats to heels depending on what works for us. We also can accessorize them as we wish with scarves, jewelry, etc. It will be roughly three outfits per year. With a mix and match wardrobe that gives the opportunity for several outfits per week. They are all wash and wear clothes so they don't have to be dry cleaned. There are cardigan sweaters (which are pretty ugly) blazers which are pretty nice, several style of blouses, some vest options (which are ugly) skirts and slacks.

On the other hand, if we agree to this line we cannot wear our own clothes to supplement the line. It has to be that line of clothes.

The young college kids were raising cain over this opportunity. They frowned at all clothing and were not diplomatic in letting their feelings show. There were a few times they were very close to being insibordinate. These clothes would be a good start for them when they finish college. They seem to think that cami's, cleavage, tight fitting, and low slung pants are appropriate for work.

I am on the fence right now. I have the ballot and it has to be returned by mid week. If it's not a majority we won't do it and vice versa. A couple of the other hospital admitting departments have gone to this line and seem to be very happy with it. It's a mixed bag and we'll see. I'd like to see the clothes on before I make my decision. I may have to make a trip over to Lebanon where they have chosen this option and talk to them.

Brief update

2009-10-16T18:31:00.000-07:00

I am loopy and unfocused so we'll see how this post ends up.

I had my top Wisdom teeth extracted on Wednesday. I had some hydrocodone left from my back pain so I took that when I got home. It worked great. My sister in law called a few hours later and she was in labor. I had not gotten any sleep by 6pm and headed to the hospital. I was not driving. I hung out there until Midnight and then could not take the pain, lack of sleep, and lack of pain medication any longer. I went home.

She had a beautiful baby boy at 3am sometime Thursday morning. I went to the hospital that afternoon after sleep and pain meds and had a wonderful visit. They named him Max Robert and he is so stinkin' cute. He has the tiniest little nose.

I was going to take my camera up Wednesday evening but figured she would not appreciate me taking pics while she was in labor :-) I then promptly forgot my camera when I went up on Thursday afternoon. *sigh* You'll just have to take my word for him being stinkin' cute until I can get some pics of him.

I had a staff meeting today and did not take any pain meds because I had to drive. Our meetings are always at least 2 hours and by the end of it I was SO ready to go home and get some meds into me.

This last month just has not been my month. It's been one thing after another.

Fuzzy Wuzzy Was A Bear

2009-10-12T09:26:00.000-07:00

I don't know what to say today. I've written three posts and deleted them all because I don't like the format. The first one was too depressing, the second too rambling. This is the third one so we'll see where it goes from here.

My life is pretty predictable which in some ways is a comfort and others darned boring.

I've taken a pain pill and a sleeping aide so perhaps my brain is just too fuzzy to come up with one cohesive thought.

I'll try again after I get up this evening.

For now dear friends, have a wonderful fall day, stay warm and enjoy what Mother Nature is offering.

Violence on the street

2009-10-10T18:54:00.000-07:00

His street name was Junior. He was a hispanic man in his late 50's to early 60's who could not have stood more than 5'3 or so. It was difficult to tell his real age because he was always wearing a knit cap and covered in grime.

I first encountered him in the late 90's while working for a local convenience store. He would always come in and utter the same greeting "How ya doin' little sister?". He would lean on the counter for a bit chatting with us then wander back to the beer cooler and grab his favorite 40 ouncer. He would come back up and pay for it then chat a bit more. He would eventually wander out the door to bed down for the night in some remote alleyway and consume his favorite brew.

I would often see him at the Post Office panhandling. He would not take money from just anyone though. If a mother with children tried to offer him anything he would refuse it stating that she needed it to raise her babies more than he did. He would often do the same with the young college kids. Anyone else was fair game. He never badgered or harassed people. He would just sit in his little nook beside the building and wait for people to offer him money.

It was rumoured he had more money than he knew what to do with. If that was true, why he chose an occupation of homelessness I don't understand. Especially in the late fall and winter time where we get inundated with rain and ice.

I recall him saying that he had a mother and sister in Arizona I believe. Perhaps he was sending the money back to his family. Perhaps it never existed.

While I was working for a law firm around the year 2000 he was robbed and consequently died from his injuries. Our firm was the lucky one to pick up the persons who allegedly killed him for representation.

He was found on a sidewalk in the early morning hours. He was nude from the waist down, in the early days of fall. He had been drug from his sleeping bag by two other homeless men and beaten for what little money he had on him. He already had health issues and the beating he took was all his little body could tolerate.

The police escorted children who normally walked that route to school in a different direction so they would not be exposed to the violence done to that small little body.

When ever I am downtown I always think of Junior and what he is doing in Heaven. I'm sure he is making God laugh.

20 Questions

2009-10-09T15:00:00.001-07:00

I am not a confrontational person by nature. I will do just about anything to avoid it. On Sunday evening and Monday morning I was forced to go against this adhorance.

We had a homeless man come in by ambulance late in the evening. Because I was not the one who caught that ambulance when it came in I had no idea why he was there.

Shortly after we had another ambulance come in with an elderly woman who had chest pain.

There was an elderly gentleman with greasy hair, bloodshot eyes, dirty t-shirt and shorts who came in shortly after the woman came in and said he had someone that came in by ambulance. I assumed he was connected to the heart attack patient. Wrong. That assumption got me an attitude full.

As he walked from my co-workers office to mine he asked if he should put on the mask he had picked up on the way in. I asked him if he were sick. He stated that he was not. I told him that no, he would not have to wear it then. "Will I get sick if I don't put it on", he asked. I told him that it was up to him. It was a hospital and sick people were here. He told us that he would sue the hospital if he got sick because we told him he did not have to wear the mask. That was my first inclination that this guy was gonna be trouble.

He sat in the chair in my office and stated "I work with the homeless. Some of the guys down at the park told me that he had been picked up by ambulance and had the crap beat out of him. They said he looked pretty bad. I'd like to see him."

"Can you give me his name?" I asked.

"I don't know his name" he stated.

"Without the patients name I can't assist you" I told him.

"You can't tell me whether a homeless man came in who was beat up" he asked.

I told him that yes, a homeless man came in but I did not know why and that without a name I could not assist him.

With a sarcastic attitude he stated "John, his name is John. I know a lot of people named John".

I asked for his last name.

"I don't know it" he growled.

"I'm sorry I can't help you sir" I said.

"I was in the hallway once and saw a gurney with a body covered with a sheet. I'm not afraid of death. Dead bodies don't bother me. Death is a natural occurance. Is he dead?" he asked.

I told him I did not think so. I had not heard of any deaths in the ER that night. After looking at our White Board that listed all of the current patients I told him it did not look like he was still here.

"Well where did he go? How did he get back to the park?" he demanded.

"I don't know" I advised. "Perhaps he walked out against medical advise. Maybe he went with the police officers. Maybe he took a taxi."

"Well who's going to pay for my gas to get back to town?" he demanded.

"I guess the same person who sent you up here" I replied.

"Daniel told me. Besides he owes me money" he said.

"Who owes you money?" I asked.

"John" he replied.

"I'm sorry but John does not appear to be here so there's nothing more I can do for you."

My patience was running out and this gentleman had shown me that he was not playing with a full deck.

"So if he died and you didn't tell me I could sue the hospital then. You can't tell me whether he's still here or if he died?" he persisted.

"No" I stated.

"I have a 92 year old father. So if he comes into the ER you can't tell me whether he's here and I can't see him?" he demanded.

"You could see him if you were a family member and it was o.k. with your father" I assured him.

"Oh he'd want to see me" he replied.

This same type of conversation went on and on. He became very aggitated and confrontational. I asked my co-worker to please call security. He had no further business in the hospital and was staying to simply harass. Security came and escorted him outside and into his vehicle.

It was a bit scary that he was driving at all.

The following morning he returned. This time it looked like he had bathed. His hair was clean, he was in a clean shirt and the same shorts, wearing a ballcap. I did not recognize him at first but then I realized who he was. My stomach dropped as he walked into my office.

"Why are the main doors of the hospital locked?" he asked.

"They are locked at night for security purposes" I told him.

"Security purposes? What does that mean" he demanded.

"It means we lock the doors because we want everyone to come thru one door during the night time hours." I informed him.

"I want a list of all of the rules so I don't break any" he said.

I told him to write down his name and I would see what I could do. I knew that we would never get the information together but I just wanted him to leave so I was doing everything I could be appease him. He stated that he would be back in a few days to pick them up.

He then began the conversation about his father and blah blah blah. I asked him to hold that thought for a moment and went next door to get my co-worker who is a male. I told him about the conversation the night before and asked if he would please field this one for me. He had no problem stepping over and engaging with the guy.

I stood outside the door and listened to the exchange. It went round and round as the night before and I went and found the security guy. I updated him on what had occured the evening before and could he please escort him off campus. He stood in the door and listened to the conversation and when he realized the guy was a few bricks shy he asked him to please leave. He refused. The security guy went and called CPD and they knew exactly who he was. Once CPD was mentioned to this guy he left, throwing insults all the way out the door.

I SO owe my male co-worker. He is like a big brother to me. He looks after me and fields the confrontational patients so I don't have to deal with them.

I AM SUCH A KLUTZ !!!

2009-10-08T04:52:00.000-07:00

I took Tigger to the vet yesterday as he's had a swollen node behind his left ear and I needed to get it checked out. After taking some blood it turns out he does not have an infection but they are pushing to remove the remainder of his teeth. I think he only has about four left. It's going to be expensive and I have to really give it some thought.

I think I told you that the neighbors downstairs moved and abandoned their cat. He would sit on the railing outside the door and on the doormat waiting to be let in but they were gone. It broke my heart. I called animal control and they came to get him. I had used my cat carrier to catch him and so they took that with him and I'll collect it later.

Because I did not have my cat carrier I was holding Tigger in my arms when we got home. I was walking down the sidewalk, which mind you have a 6 inch to 12 inch dropoff on the left side, when I stepped off that droppoff because I could not see well and I fell. I twisted during the fall to avoid landing on poor Tigger and in the process did some damage to the muscles in my right hip.

I was able to hobble up the stairs and was going to wait and see how bad it got. Then I sat down and could not get back up again. I was afraid to go to bed fearing I would not be able to get back up. My muscles were spasming so badly that I was nearly in tears. I headed to the ER to make sure there was no more damage done and to get some meds for the pain. Now that was embarassing. I am such a klutz!! The doc gave me some muscle relaxers and pain meds and today it's feeling better. Still a bit twingy but I'm off the meds and hopefully on the mend so I can get back to work. I bruised my knee up really well and skinned some off of my elbow, but by far the knee is the worse for wear. A bit of fluid on it and bruised really well.

I have a dr's appt this morning to see my own doc and then an appt this afternoon with my psych. It's going to be a busy day and a test to see how well the muscles are healing.

Hope you all have a good day!

Is there a 'to do' list in the hereafter

2009-10-04T01:53:00.000-07:00

I spent last night cleaning up the kitchen. Got the dishes done, the dishwasher emptied, the stove taken apart and cleaned, the kitchen table cleaned off, grocery shopping done, and some fun to boot.

I felt pretty productive all in all. It always feels good to check things off of the long 'to do' list.

My days off have been pretty quiet over all. Can't say as I've done anything overly strenuous or exciting.

I'm thinking of buying new furniture. I only have a few pieces in my living room and they are hand me downs that are not so comfy for spending much time in. It's on my 'to do' list also. I think if I get my 'to do' list done before I die I'll still have plenty to do in the hereafter :-)

I'm waiting on my neice/nephew to be born within the next few weeks. I'm pretty excited to have another little one in the family. I know my brother will make a good father. He's very excited. She has two boys currently so she has experienced parenthood. I hope he continues to be so excited once it gets here..lol. One thing about parenthood, you never know what you're getting yourself into until it's here.

I'd really like some icecream right about now.

What happens when you hope for the best?

2009-10-02T02:16:00.000-07:00

You know when you do everything possible to assist someone and nothing is ever good enough?

We had one of our semi frequent flyers come in looking for assistance on a head injury caused by something falling on her at work. So, first of all, the charges would be taken care of by whoever the WC company is. When attempting to enlighten her regarding all of the financial assistance options we had if she were to be charged for the visit we were told that we were being hostile and un-helpful.

Her concern was that it would reflect on her credit score if she did not pay the charges.

Well............ya.

That was a valid concern. However, if she were to set up payment arrangements on one of the financial programs that would not happen unless she discontinued payments. But bottom line......it was a WC claim!!

On the way out she glanced into my office and saw the startled expression on my face as I had overheard the exchange between my co-worker and her.

That particular co-worker could not be hostile if his life depended on it. He is cool, calm, even tempered and never raises his voice. Ever.

I did not offer to assist her as again, I had overheard the exchange. She walked out.

Not 30 minutes later she called and wanted to know who to contact to lodge a complaint so I gave her the information she needed. She asked me if I was the woman whom she had seen in the office over in Admitting and I told her that yes, I was. She asked me if I had overheard the exchange between she and my co-worker and I again told her yes.

She stated "I'm done talking to you then", and continued her rant.

What happend to "I'm done talking to you"?

She asked me why I had not offered to assist her and I told her I had not heard the entire exchange but that it did not sound as if she were willing to be helped at that moment. Needless to say that particular comment didn't go over so well.

She wanted advise as to whether she needed to be seen or not. I gave her the standard answer to that question, we could not advise her either way, that if she had a primary care provider she could call him/her, or she could come in and we would be more than happy to see her. She didn't like that answer either.

The conversation ended with me once again offering her the name and phone number of my supervisor.

It would not be the first time such tactics had been pulled on me. I seem to have a knack for pissing people off as I just tell them like it is, in a tactful manner of course :-). Most people don't appreciate that either. Go figure.

So far (knock on wood) I've never heard it come back to me from my supervisor.

I try to be sympathetic, empathetic, compassionate for the situation they are in, but sometimes, even that is not enough.

What do you want from me people??!!

Water........I need Water..............

2009-09-29T22:06:00.000-07:00

I have a cold. I don't like colds. They last forever. Or so it seems. I dislike that I can only breath thru one side of my nose. The otherside is clammed up tight. Or sleeping and waking up with a mouth as dry as the Sahara because I snore when I have a cold because it's the only way to breath. I hate colds. Did I already say that?

I went to work not feeling well because I did not want my co-worker to have to work alone. My thought was that I would take the second desk and he could do most of the foot work. HA! Karma kicked my butt. He called out and I worked alone. Can I begine to describe how 'not happy' I was?!

When I left this morning I told the people in Admitting I was not coming in tonight. They interpreted that as I 'might' not be coming in tonight. I didn't get that message until about 10 to 8. I go to work at 8:30. When I called back they stated they had not called in a replacement because they did not know if I was coming in or not. So now he works alone, if he did not call out also. This is the life of an Admitter at Good Sam.

The day shift is open. She found out yesterday. I applied today. I'll take the pay cut for the loss of being a bat day in and day out. I can always pick up overtime because it's always available. I'm excited. I'll have to stay on night thru most of October but that's o.k. It gives me something to look forward to. Whoohoooooooooooooooooo.

The Beavers lost to Arizona State by 5 pts. 5 lousy points. I sure hope it's not another season of such losses. It's difficult to remain stoked about seeing games when it's always a loss. The Cowboys won tho. Pulled it out of the bag!

Can you tell I'm on meds? I have to be one of the few people who take DayQuil at night and NiQuil during the day. How messed up is that?!

2009-09-25T20:59:00.000-07:00

This is an easy post as my day has been uneventful.

Tomorrow I will be watching the grandkids while their mom and dad go to the Beavers game. They managed to get two tickets. Hopefully they'll play much better against Arizona State than they did with Cincinnati. That was a pathetic game.

I saw the grandkids briefly tonight as they came into town. Dave was not very happy that he could not stay with me tonight. He gets this pouty look on his face and bows his head and won't talk. He's so stinkin' cute. I called him a baby boy and he told me 'i not a baby, i Davey'. I asked him if he were a big boy and he said "no, i Davey". He made me laugh.

Not much else has happened today. Made a chicken and rice casserole that is edible but that's about it. There are still double stuff Oreos in the cupboard and hey, that's worth everything~

K, I'm done rambling...again.