Night of Frights!!!!

This is by far my favorite of all Friday's. You see I was born on Friday the 13th, in May of course, but I like all of them! HAMJAR is going to see Stranger's and The Happening. I will blog later on the events that take place on the most frightening of nights.
I worked a couple of days this week, both of which involved the patients coding in the same room on different days. The first episode was a 50 something male who was pretty sure he was having a heart attack. I did his EKG and showed the DR. who confirmed he was indeed having an MI. We both went back into the room and started preparing the patient to go for a cardiac cath at which time he goes into V-Fib and stops talking and eventually breathing. Luckily the appropriate staff was in the room, the patient was shocked back into a normal rhythm and woke to continue talking to us as if nothing had happened. If this man would have been at home, he would have died. Thank God he came in. The next scenario is that of an elderly woman coughing up blood. A fellow tech had put her on a bedpan and the clerk heard her choking. I went into assess and took her off the bedpan., She was very anxious and said she needed help. Her O2 sats dropped from 95-68-12-9-0 at 68 I called the nurse into the room, we started bagging her and then she was intubated. Another life saved. It is weird to watch someone just stop existing right in front of you, however it was not their day to die. It is such a great experience for my future career to watch and help in these crisis.
I had the advantage of meeting with a group from church last night who is introducing a new young lady named Alli to the area. Limestone HS has just allowed Campus Life a program aimed at getting teens and communities involved in sharing the love of Jesus this will hopefully get more teens hooked up with churches and Jesus. It was a gorgeous night poolside, wonderful conversation and fruit kabobs. We look forward to many more encounters with Alli.
Maia is doing great and growing. She is so beautiful. I am helping work on her benefit which will be August 17th and will help establish funds so that Deena and Walt can make it so she can move about the house even with her disability. If you want more info just contact me and I can hook you up. I will be posting a flyer soon about all the details.
Well hope everyone has a great evening and I will be back soon!
K~

Revisiting May

Ok so it has again been a while, but I promise things will be more consistent from here on out. So I am going to recap May and then update you on what is going on these days.
Week 1- Not so much cuz it was only 3 days for the first week.
Week 2- This was the last week for clinicals at school. Paperwork was on the light side thank goodness. I also so Bodhi performing in the chorus at his school program, which made me very proud. I had the joy of watching my best friend Beck's little baby Mason who is stinkin adorable. I have been able to spend quality time with Becky so it has been wonderful we are so in sync with each other. My mom and dad celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary and HAMJAR did the Race for the Cure (Refer to Woo Woo's blog for more info on HAMJAR)!! I had always wanted to do the race and finally did it this year walking 3 miles after working 12 hours is quit exhausting.
Week 3-This week began as finals week, however I had to miss the first final to accompany my mom to Iowa City, where it was confirmed that she has Multiple Myeloma, which is a cancer in the blood. She is currently receiving treatment and is doing better. I also turned 31 this week OMG I cannot believe that I am getting closer and closer to 40 kinda freaky I can remember the excitement of turning 21 it only seems a few years ago. So I finsihed finals and finally it is summer break woo frikidy hoo!
Week 4- I cleaned my house thoroughly and relaxed since I had no studying to do. It is wonderful to have time to do whatever I want. And I love that I am seeing my kids and husband and just chillax with them!
The rest of May was spent working and hanging with my family and Becky and her boys. Ths summer is going to be great!!
Have a Good One K~

Happy Birthday Barb!

Lee & Barb

Today is my little sis's 30th bday. We are the same age for two weeks. I thought i would share a little bit about her on her day.
She is married to Lee who is in the National Guard and has spent time in Iraq and will be heading to Afghanistan in September. She has two girls Abbi and Gracie they are 9 and soon to be 8. She has her hands full with her girls and stays busy working, going to school and taking care of her family. She only lives about 1 mile from me, but due to our busy schedules we don't get much time together. When we do get together we lay on the couch watchin the tube and reminiscing about when we were young. Recently the New Kids On The Block performed on Today on NBC and so she called me at 7am to make sure I saw it, however I was in bed and am so over them that I could not convince myself to rise from the warmth of my comforter. She was so excited though just like back in the day. So here's to you sis... Love ya and can't wait to spend 30 more years hangin with ya!

K~

Long Time...

Okay so the last few weeks have been a little stressful! It is coming to the end of the semester and tons of work is due, so that is why I have not been posting.
Next week is our last week of classes for this semester and a much needed summer break will begin. I am so excited!!!!!!!!!
Things that are new with me after a couple of emotional breakdowns I think I am good. I have decided to change my eating habits to more healthier selections in a chance to shed some pounds. I will start riding my bike again very soon so the exercise will help as well. Currently I am reading Foulgrin's Letters, and it is very good. I hope to get much more reading accomplished this summer as I sit in the sun. The fam is good with the exception of some viral illness running its course through our home. Work is great as usual and trauma season is approaching fast. Unfortunate events will take place when summer activities get mixed with alcohol and such and that cause a busy time in the ER.
On another note my fav show is back on I love Greys Anatomy and finally some new episodes!!!
Well I will be back soon with more, but need to rest because I am feeling rather ill. Hope you have a great week!
K~

Good News....

The week ended on a good note. Maia Ruth got to go home with mommy and daddy!!! We still would love for those praying to continue to do so . Maia still has a lot of obstacles to overcome and more surgeries are a possibility. Deena and Walt are doing good and glad to have her home. It has been a busy week at school, so much is going on now that we only have 5 weeks left of this semester. I am now going to spend a little time with my fam before I go work the night shift in the ER! Will post more soon! Have a good weekend!

Later K~

Robin VS. Impaction

This blog is not for those with a weak stomach!!!

As a nursing student, well anybody in the nursing profession we put up with a lot of well....Shit. When walking onto a floor the smell smacks you in the face as you question is the C-dif poo or bloody poo? We constantly clean it up for those sick individuals who couldn't make it tot he potty in time, we loosen it up with water, we talk about it over lunch, discussing whether it is healthy poo or if someone is dehydrated. It is the never ending job of the nursing staff to make sure that our patients GO! If they are stopped up it opens the door for more problems. Well to get to the name of the blog, last night on clinical my friend Robin's patient couldn't go, Robin had no other choice she had to go in, she donned her latex gloves, maybe doubled but not sure and with the swipe of one finger in the rectum began the humiliating task (for both nurse and patient) of cleaning out the impaction. I just wanted to salute her and all other nurses for going above and beyond so that our patients feel liberated from narcotic laced constipation and can begin their road to normal bowel movements!!!!

Weighing In @ 7lbs & 4oz.

Maia Ruth holding mama's finger

Happy Birthday to Maia! My very good friends Walt & Deena are the proud parents of a beautiful baby girl. She was born at 950 something pm on March 28th. She weighed 7lbs4oz and is 19 inches long. She has chubby cheeks and a full head of jet black hair. Maia and her parents need lots of prayers, they have some obstacles facing them, but with everyone's prayers everything will work out according to His plan. Maia underwent surgery today and is recovering fine. Mom is in lala land and resting well and Dad is getting no sleep..please pray that he can get some rest! Have a Blessed Sunday!!

Talk with everyone soon....

The O'Malley's

Okay so this a little late, but better now than never. On Saturday March 15th my husband and myself and two other couples went to Chicago for the St. Patty's day parade and to see the river dyed green. It isn't a big river and they use environmentally safe products to do this. We took a train which I had never done before, it was so much fun. Men in skirts were viewed and talk of what they had underneath there kilts filled the air. We ate dinner at the Weber Grill and at the end of the day our feet were extremely sore from walking from one end of downtown Chicago to the other and back. The parade was not that fabulous a lot of political people were in it. I did like the bag pipes and the Irish dancing. My favorite Irish jig was the one done by Mike who was with us. He had practiced all week for that day. It was hilarious. While the temperature was a little chilly we stayed warm with laughter and enjoying each others company. Enjoy the pics!!!


In between the cars of the train



A guy in a skirt that takes _A_L_ u fill in the blanks


The password is "seahorse"


Al & Diane "flask anyone"


Green River

Well have a great weekend talk with you soon!

Betrayed by a Kiss

Good Friday is one of my favorite days, even though there was much suffering on this day. This day my Saviour was betrayed by a kiss, Judas walked up to my Saviour and kissed Him revealing to the soldier's the man to take away. My Saviour was whipped and beaten leaving slashes that oozed crimson, then a crown of thorns was placed on my Saviours head piercing his brow leaving streaks of blooding sliding down his face. If that was not enough He was forced to carry the cross he would die on for several miles with no help. My Saviour was laid on His cross as large nails were pierced the his hands and feet. My Saviour was erected next to a thief and left to die. As awful as this is my Saviour was fulfilling His Father's wishes. Because of this fateful day which leads us to the third day, Easter where Christ rose from the grave I have eternal life. Do you??? Any questions let me know!! Have a Blessed Easter.

OHH What a night....

Hello all, it has been about a week. I thought I would get extra bloggin done over spring break, but I did none. I was super busy. I spent today at a local high school for my community clinical and it was interesting, nothing exciting to mention. Of course I am at my favorite place having a deli sandwich and water.

Now to the title of the blog. My fav girls and I decided to start spring break off the right way. We decided to unwind and relax, dnace, drink. We had the best time. I met a bunch of new people, got a little tipsy. It was nice though not worrying about what test to study for or what paperwork was due. I am glad I went out this night because the rest of my break was uber busy. Hope you enjoy the pics of our wonderful night out. I would like to state that we were missing 2 of our comrades due to work. Wish you could have been there Deena and Callie!!


First thing of the night, a mullet sighting...they do exist!!!!!


Lemon Drop anyone!!



Angie,Lori, and Myself feelin good!


Lori & Mellissa


A couple of rowdy boys on the right Melissa's husband Danny (Woody)


Me & Angie


Oh he looks cute all passed out..He sounds like a freight train tho!!
Nick, Lori's Husband

We had a blast..Saint Patty's Day Pics coming soon!! Have a great day!!

A son, sister, and cousin

Candi, Bodhi, and WooWoo

Ok so I have talked about Luke and posted pics of him, so now it is time to put Bodhi in the lime light. He is 10 and this week is taking ISAT tests. He is wonderful, imaginitive, a true gift from God. He loves hockey among many other things, he is a good student, but is seeing a tutor for math ande comprehension. When he grows up, he wants to be a marine biologist (like his mom once did), however he never new this about me so I find it very interesting. He also wants to be a movie star and play in the NHL. I am so proud that he has so many dreams! He is a sensitive guy and he loves the Lord. He is already talking about how in 6 years he will get his license. Oh how time flies.

Me and my Little Man


Now I would like to talk about one of my sisters, I have 3 so I will have to seperate them. They are all younger than me, but Candi is the youngest and her bday is tommorow so that is why I have chosen her. I cannot believe she will be 23 this year. She is a high school teacher in southern Illinois, it is her first year teaching. She is married to Kyle and they have yet to produce another niece/nephew for me they only have a dog so Dakota will do for now. I remember when she used to cuddle with me when she was about 3 and throw her leg over mine. Today we enjoy playing Guitar Hero and checking out the latest scary movies to watch and try not to pee our pants. We love getting the !@#$ scared out of us. Of course it is usually followed by the Wedding Singer so we can laugh and fall asleep easier. We also try to take a trip once a year to an amusement park we are adrenaline junkies. I don't get to see her much because she lives 4 hours away, but we always manage to have fun when we get together.

The Happy Couple married 9/07

Finally my cousin Whitney aka Woo Woo who is always along on scary movie nights and goes with us to amusement parks. She is also in nursing school and is 22. Whenever we take trips to Great America and Candi and Bodhi are passed out in the back seat, we are up talking about our patients and the newest, coolests things we have seen in the medical world. These things would probably make most people vomit a little in their mouth, but the more blood the better when we are talking. Wether it be me holding a mans foot that is still in his shoe, but not attached to his leg, or her watching an embalming at a funeral home, good times, good times. She is so unique and I love how we interact, her, Candi, and I. We get each other, if we act the way we act together around others they just look and say huh, but we communicate via movie lines and quirky little sayings that only we understand. It is so much fun. We always laugh, even when watching a scary movie, most likely we are laughing at the one who screamed the loudest, or jumped the farthest out of their seat.
Crazy Woo I Love You


Sis & Cuz Best Friends

The three of us enjoying Famous Dave's after a long day at Cedar Point Riding Top Drag Thrill something or other Very high and Fast either way!!

Well I hope you have enjoyed this little glimps into my my world and hope you have a great week!! Did I mention Spring Break is next week? Probably have and will again, I am so excited!! Sleeping in, watching movies, sleeping in!! Have a good one!!

peace and quiet please!!!!

Ok so I am doing my normal thing drinking my fav tea at my cozy little joint I like to hang at. Well it is usually very quiet here, I don my headphones and listen to my fav tunes. Today there is a man caddy corner from where I usually sit, I can here him right now over my headphones at max volume. He seems to be eccentric and the young guy who was talking with him when I arrived has metioned several times that he needs to return to work on his paperwork and has yet to be released from his grasp, stepping further and further away and now at last is finally free. I am not sure if this guys is homeless or what but he is very weird. He has referenced me a couple of times talking about me on my computer. Ahh finally silence, how long will it last??? If he tries to start a conversation do I ignore him? What to do, I do not like to be perceived as someone who is not caring, but I do not want to be reeled in to a lengthy conversation about who knows what, philosophy or something.
So I had a test and a quiz today. I left class after the test to nap, I have been very tired lately. It was a nice balmy 64 yesterday and then I walk out this morning and smack in the face old man winter has not yet gone. Oh well in July I will probably be begging for the crisp coolness of winter.
Spring break starts next week, and I cannot wait to lay around and do nothing for at least one day. Well I will write some more tommorow, but now I must go read my favorite blogs.
Have a great night!

I can't complain!

I left off last week hoping I would get to sleep in on my day off, and I did, However I was called in at 930 to sit with a Psych patient. After I had showered and headed in I seemed to be bombarded with the sadness of the world we live in. I was sitting in my warm car thinking about how it would just be nice to go back to bed, and I look up and see a man in many layers walking the street. I have seen this man before and believe he is homeless. I could never imagine having to live with no shelter and no heat. Further up the road as I turn on my blinker to turn into Mcdonalds for a quick bite to eat, I see a man just standing in the liquor store parking lot, as if he is just waiting for it to open. I again feel bad, he is a slave to his drug of choice, so much so that he is awaiting its opening. Then as I turn Our God is an Awesome God comes on the radio. I feel a sense of relief, thinking they are where they are supposed to be because 1) they don't know God, 2) This is something they have to go through in life and it will bring them closer to God, or 3)I have no idea what I am talking about . Either way I looked at my situation and came to the conclusion, that no matter how crazy my life is right now, now matter how many sacrifices my self and family are making to get through this nursing school business, at least we have food, shelter, warmth, and most of all Christ is at the head of our family. I truly feel blessed. So if you know me and hear me complaing remember I am human, but also remind me of my blessings!

So this is a big weekend, I have to work Friday night, but on Saturday it is the Annual Doctor's Dance for us nursing students. Actually no doctors are at this dance, but they do pay for our meal and entertainment for the night. A night out with my hubby sounds great. Before I go to the dance I get to spend some time with my favorite gals. It is Deena's baby shower and I am excited to see all the fun stuff she gets. She has a big challange ahead of her, with school and a newborn, please be in prayer that the Lord will give her and Walt strength to get through these next few months.

Spring break is quickly approaching. I cannot believe this semester is 1/2 over. It does go by fast no matter how tedious it feels.

Well I suppose I should wrap up. I am again at a local coffee shop enjoying some hot tea. I have to go pick Bodhi up from the tutor. Hopefully I can get on again later this week. I always have so much to say and by the next week I forget half of it. I hope all is well with everyone. Talk with you soon.

Tired!!!

Sorry it has been a while. I am so super busy!!! Becky delivered Mason on Tuesday Feb 12th. Everyone is well and he is so precious. Next due is my friend Deena, she is being induced on April 3rd.
Valentine's day was spent on the clinical floor at OSF. I got an I Love You from my wonderful husband. The boys gave me cute little cards. My sister Traci flew in from Texas that day as well so I was able to see my nephew. She was here to help celebrate my dad's retirement party on Saturday. This is one of the reason's I am so tired.
I worked the usual on Friday 7p-7a and then I had to get out of bed about 1pm and go pick up balloons for the party. After the party I got called in to watch a psych patient from 11p-7a. I went to bed at 8a on Sunday and was up at 1230 to head to my aunt's for lunch, from there was a practice at church that ended up being cancelled and then off to study with Robin, Ashley and Megan. We studied and worked on our project and watched Big Brother. I had never really watched it before, but I really like it.
Right now I am in a local coffee shop waiting for my son to get done at the tutor's. I just want to go home and sleep for 16 uninterrupted hours!! I will not do this though, maybe after nursing school.
I would just like to say how happy I am that the writer's strike is over! I cannot wait for a new episode of Grey's Anatomy, my favorite show. Well I suppose I should get some homework done, just thought I would get caught up on the blogging! Talk with you all soon!! K~

PUSH!!

Today is my best friend Becky's birthday. Not only is it her birthday, but she is being induced at 8pm tonight to have her next son Mason. I am so happy for her. I cannot wait to see him tommorow!! Here is a pic of my lovely friend!


Becky & Kyle

Just the two of us!!





Speaking of tommorow and birth, my clinical is quite the contrary. I will be following around a Hospice nurse all day. I am excited about this. I would love to volunteer for hospice now and in the future, so I am looking forward to seeing what oppurtunities are available to me.
I took my first test of the semester today, I feel ok about it and will anxiously await the email, that grades are posted. All of the S1 students went to St. Paul today and did a poverty simulation. Now I feel poor most of the time. I cannot go out on a date with my hubby on a whim, and vacations don't happen to often, but we always have food, water, heat and a roof over our heads. Today in this simulation my family that I was assigned only started out with $10. I had to pawn some of our belongings to get enough cash for bus passes and groceries. I could only make minimum payments on rent and utilities. I cannot even fathom having to decide between food and a place to live, which is what some people in this world have to do. I thank God that he has provided so well for myslef and my family. I think I will definitely be more empathetic.
Well it is cold so I am going to take a shower to warm up and then hit the sack. I have to meet with Nurse Tom at 0745 to start my day. Hope yours is great..until next time! I'm out!!

What a week!

Okay so I left you last with the news of my son Luke having the flu. Well he is back to his normal self. Thank God for that, he is now running, playing, screaming, and eating.
This week in clinical I was introduced to a 2 patient load. I know that does not seem like alot, but when you are learning, it is trust me. I had to be reminded by my primary nurse every time a med was due, this really bothered me, because I should be on top of anything it should be meds. Oh well lesson learned I definitely need better time management skils, and this will come about throughout the weeks.
Clinical seemed to drag on and while I was standing with Robin, gathering my thoughts I said to her, it is moments like these when I wonder...can I really hang as a nurse, I mean they make it look so easy (the RN's who are already established). I definitley feel called to this career and know this is where I am supposed to, however at 930 pm when clinical has not gone perfectly as all of us nursing students wish for, it is then that I start to question myself. I am over that thinking for this week and will be until my next overwhelming night on clinical.
After clinical I was called in to sit with a suicidal patient at the hospital. I am called a D.A.R.T. monitor. Rewind, my day started at 10am and clinical was 2p-10p and monitor from 11p-7a. So I was exhausted, but this overnight task allowed me to get all of my paperwork for clinical done. About 5am I started to nod off, but my patient was quite the snore machine, so sleep was not going to happen for me. I got home about 0730 and slept unitl 4p on Friday.
Every Friday and Saturday I work at the local hospital in the ER. I work 3rd shift and it is a 12 hour shift 7p-7a. I get home and sleep for 8 hours, this usually gives me 2 hours to spend with the fam before I do it all over again. This weekend brought in many flu infected individuals, some really sick older people and several overdoses. I am well rested and working on a project for school with Ashley and Robin, and we will soon begin to study for our first exam of the semester. That is all for now. Soon to come...Mini Meltdown!

Holy Snowstorm Batman!!

I am usually either 1) Learning about taking care of people, 2) Taking care of people, or 3) Sleeping. I am a senior in Nursing school and don't get much of the last one. I must have been focusing on school to hard, because I was not aware we were going to get the large quantities of snow, that now surround my entire world. Kind of a good thing though, I got out of doing paperwork for clinical tommorow night. Well at least for now. Starting tommorow I will be taking care of 2 patients. I believe I can hang. Only time will tell.


So the weather is not fantastic, but my 4 y/o has yet another fever. Starting to get real concerned because he is already on an antiboiotic, I call the doctor. We drive in the wintery conditions, all the while semi's are throwing large amounts of slush on my windsheild, which causes me to flinch as if somehow it is going to come through the window and hit me smack in the face BRRRR... We arrive safely at the family Dr and much to my relief he has the flu. Trust me this is a relief, I work in an Emergency Dept. so I automatically think worse case scenario. He will be contagious, sleepy, achy and cranky for 5 days. I watch him sleeping now though and feel blessed! He is so sweet. This is him on one of his better days!




A few of my favorite things before I go for the night. I love dolphins, music, reading for pleasure, being with the fam and friends!


I would like to send a shout out to Megan, if it weren't for her I wouldn't have entered the world of blogging. I love it! So until next time... LIVE, LAUGH, LOVE!!!!