My Blogs (Writings about every day life)

[dewdrops]

Young Minds
We were in the car the other night...and were joking around..so I asked the kids..how do we make 3 little monkeys...my oldest replied... by putting 2 chimpanzees together?? hubby thought it was hilarious...hehehe I didn't think she was going to say that for the reply was you put 2 big monkeys together..

then last week we went in to help hubby....and since they were having junk for lunch..meat pies..I compromised and told them they have to have water for drinks..my 4 year old said to me...mummy...it's too cold to have water...she wanted juice..but since I specified water..she couldn't very well ask me for juice...hehehe so I answered but juice is cold too..colder than water as it's kept in the fridge..

and my son?? ..he's a classic with what comes out of his mouth..we spent thousands on speech therapy for him since he was delayed in speech and now we can't seem to shut him up

he asked me a few months ago..when can he start falling in love?? hehehe I told him you are too young...to fall in love..I have got myself a romantic for a son...his job is to hold the doors open for all of us when we go out ..we told him that's what a gentleman would do..and when we go shopping he's always offered to carry things for me...the girl who marries him will be one lucky girl...ehhehe she just have to feed him pizza, spaghetti...and kebab..oops..and thịt kho trứng ..his favourite Viet dish..and he'll be hers for life..

[dewdrops]

Cơm Chiên
Mỗi lần có tiệc là mấy nhóc lại réo tôi chiên cơm ..V làm cơm chiên nhe ..thế là hai hôm nay tôi tranh thủ lấy giờ lunch đi mua trứng ..mua đĩa giấy ..thìa mủ ..xì dầu ..tương ớt cho món cơm chiên ..

Trưa nay B còn dặn ..mà V nè ..có làm cơm chiên thì làm nhiều nhiều nhe ..hehehe vì cô ta thích ăn ..ăn trưa còn để dành chiều ăn tối ..còn S thì ra mặt buồn ..mai không được ăn cơm chiên của V rồi ..vì mai đi NSW..thứ ba mới về lận ..

Lần trước chiên tụi nó méc tôi ..bảo con nhỏ đó nó ăn hết lạp xưởng đó V...nó chừa có cơm với trứng à ..thiệt tình ..lần này tôi cắt cũng phải cả chục cái lạp xưởng ..tính chiên 2 chén gạo cho mấy nhỏ ăn thoải mái ..

Mấy nhóc cũng vui ..hôm nay tôi bảo nhức đầu quá ..chiều lên thấy có bánh ngọt từ kitchen gửi .. V ơi ăn đi ngon lắm..đừng lo mập ..vì chị nào cũng ú nù ..ehhehee...V ơi life is too short..nên tôi cũng ăn ..thôi kệ ...đã lỡ lên rồi thì cho lên luôn ..vui..

[dewdrops]

Satisfaction
I am about to undergo a work appraisal in 2 weeks..one of the question is job satisfaction...I can't seem to write it on paper..as they only left 2-3 lines for me to write why..

I think the biggest satisfaction must be convincing patients to take their medicines knowing that it would help them and coming back the next day asking them how they went...and seeing them smiling saying it has helped their pain and no signs of the side effects that they were so worried of ..

that was the time I persuaded a lady to have her Fentanyl patch..she didn't want to as she didn't want to be zonked out..I told her ...doctor only prescribed the lowest strength Durogesic 12..other people have Durogesic 100 ...and that the drug is released slowly over 3 days..it shouldn't be a problem..plus it would help greatly with her pain..and if it makes her zonked out then she can always take it off..would she give it a try ?

or yesterday spending time with another explaining what the doctor have done..why he has prescribed her pain killers that only lasted an hour..what's the point..she didn't have much faith...I told her he used it as a gauge to gauge her pain..and then when he knows how much he would increase her other pain killers, a slow release preparation of the same drug so she won't be in pain...you could see that was when it clicked...it made sense to her..

or the man who have been refusing his antibiotics...he told me his doctor told him last admission it was only suppose to be for a week why are they making him take them?...I went up to him and told him he needs to take it as the doctors have no idea what is going on so they are covering all bases..ie..the antibiotics worked last time thus they think it might work again...you need to take them until the results of the tests come back and they can see what is going on..after that he took his antibiotics..

I think that is pharmacy...using knowledge to alleviate anxiety in patients..all they want to know is what is going on..they don't feel safe when their tablets are being switched around..or new ones starting..or why they are on the same antibiotics when doctor told them last time to only be on it for a week..they don't understand and thus the safest way is for them to exert their right to refuse..

[dewdrops]

Choices

We were in bed last night having our cuddle and talk..I told him I do not know what I want to do..I am at a cross road..40 going on to 41 and yet I do not know what to do with myself..

He replied..it is because you have a choice..thus you can choose what you want to do..whereas me..I have no choice..I have to stick to the same thing day in and day out..

I laughed..yes you do have a choice..everyone has a choice..if you decide that you are sick of it we can always sell up..the kids are going to a public school..no school fees..go and live in a caravan..the money can go into the bank ..we can live on its interests.

A wise man told me once ..everyone has a choice..it is better to have a choice than no choice..another said to me when I couldn't decide..thus I just sat on my decision..if you do not decide and just go with the flow..it is still your choice..a choice to not decide..

[dewdrops]

Gorgeous

hehehe I got called gorgeous today..he is absolutely awful..he wanted a drug after 5pm which we don't stock..

B rang down..so I asked her who's ordered it..she said Dr M ..I was like.. he's naughty...so what does he want? IV or tablets?? could hear him ummmming and arrringggg ...he couldn't decide...tell him to hurry up as we have to run across the road?? ..

after awhile..B...by the way he thinks you're gorgeous...I laughed..tell him I am not blushing..hehehe could hear him laughing in the background..yes she is..she's gone red..

that's his way for sweeten me up for ordering so late..

at this rate I might have to go and read Pride and Prejudice..he's told me I reminded him of this giggly girl who was very naughty...except he couldn't remember the character's name..

[dewdrops]

Chucking it in..

I wish..this week have been a downright horror...Monday was a horror...then I though Tuesday would be better..turned out to be another horror...then I thought today it would settle down...nope...same old horror...

was bombarded with discharges and new patients..it would have been okie if they had stayed a bit longer...give me time to catch up...they came in one day..and left the next..and they were on god knows how many tablets...

have no idea who is who...or what they are on..or what they came in for...it's absolutely horrible..came back from lunch yesterday to find a note left on my bench...discharge..urgent..ambo booked for 2pm..

I looked at the clock it was 150pm...had 10 minutes max... walked upstairs thinking I had 10 minutes...to find the 2 ambos standing there with their trolley..

I told them...no you can't have her yet...the nurses were like she's not ready...go grab a coffee....hehehee so off they went to the coffee shop...lucky she was an easy one...only a few tablets..and I had stocked her up on Monday...it went smoothly...

today was the same...came up to go see a patient..a transfer from another ward yesterday..to find his doctor standing there saying he can go home...I was...ummmm but I haven't even met him...no one has seen him ..how can you let him go home? ...

the doctor must have felt sorry for me so he updated me on what he's done to the drug regimen...just to give me a headstart...

it was so bad that I faxed through a medprof to a pharmacy for another patient....and the pharmacist rang back...asking about warfarin...told him not on it anymore..haven't been on it since he came in...I must have sounded incompetent..remembered I rang up the pharmacy and they said he was on it...somehow must have checked up on it or left it because I was going back to it...

said I would get back to him....ran upstairs got the history out..flipping through...and I found the answer..yes they had stopped it because he was bleeding....rang back to say yes...no he doesn't need it anymore...

what is really hard about this job is doing things quickly...you really need your wits about you...you can't be tired...you can't be unwell...a lapse in concentration might mean wrong tablets dispensed...some days I go home...and it is when I am in bed that I get anxious...oh no..have I dispensed the wrong thing? have I supplied? or have I forgotten anything?...

tomorrow is already Thursday...usually Thursday I stock up the ward..get ready for discharges for Friday...tidy up loose ends...

the pessimistic me can just see it...all those empty beds that I emptied out today will be filled with new faces and I have to start all over again...can already tell it is going to be another day of horror...

the optimistic me...new day...new start...who knows..may be they will run out of patients to admit...may be it will be a quiet day...

who knows...I can only hope...what I do know is that I am looking forward to a nice long weekend...since Monday is my ADO (accrued day off) ..yippee doo...

[dewdrops]

Creams and Lotions

We were taught how to make them when we were in college..our pracs were full of creams, lotions, gels, ointments and what not..we even learnt how to make suppositories..

those were the olden days..now we just buy them in..thus no need to make them..only the students or trainees get to manufacture to help them learn...plus being in a big hospital there are still products that we make up especially for our patients..

like today I had a script for Tacrolimus 0.03% ointment which we do buy in..problem is the supplier could not supply as they were waiting for the Tacrolimus powder..and since we did use to make it up ...I kind of volunteer..eventhough I have not manufactured for yonks..a peppermint water here and there..cocaine solution ..that's probably it...

did lots of manufacturing in the olden days..about 15 years ago..thought my manufacturing days were way over..

tackled the ointment today and it took me forever..had to make 200g of ointment...base already supplied..someone had made it beforehand..so all I had to do was take 20 capsules apart..=100mg Tacrolimus...and then triturate it into the 100g ointment..

first I had to find the recipe...copy down the batch numbers of the ingredients..expiry dates..then I had to measure out my base..weighed on an electronic scale..luxury..we used to have to use weights on the old ones..

then got a glass slab 2 spatulas and started my work...had to pull out 20 capsules..pop it in the centre....then plop the ointment in the other corner..

the trick to getting a good mix is to only use a small amount of ointment and mix the whole amount of drug into it..once it is all mixed then slowly add the ointment to the mix a little at the time..

after that it is a simple task of entering in details manually and print out labels for the jars...it took me about 15-20 minutes to finish one jar of 100g...because of the huge amount of powder it is always better to do in 2 batches..that way the ointment is well mixed..

one of the trainees told me it takes about an hour and a half to make the base..I thought...ummmmm and ointments are tricky...if you don't melt the stuff properly it goes lumpy when it sets..

she must have seen my distress and so she has kindly offered to make me my base...

made 2 jars of 0.1% today..tomorrow I have 4 jars of 0.03% to make..after I get more base..told her to make me 1kg..as it lasts 1 year..

[dewdrops]

Got Him

Today I was running late...I had to leave a note for C... Mrs J's doctor...but wasn't sure if he would get the note or not as tomorrow will be the weekend...and well if I don't catch him that's it till Monday..

told the nursing staff but they are iffy as they are short of staff...and never can find anyone around..and if they can't catch him that's it...he tends to disappear real quick..hehehe

so I came up with a new plan...

I went to Mrs J a sweet old dear who I have gotten to know ...she's been in 6-7 times ever since I have started here...asked her to tell C when he comes to do her IV that I have left a note for him...and pointed to where I have left the note..

well since he has to do her IV...she was the most likely candidate...as Mrs J like to talk...ehhehee

caught C on the way out as I had to deliver some drugs..he laughed and asked me... have you been leaving me secret messages.. I said yes...hehehee C said he told Mrs J I am a little pest...I laughed ..did it work? ...he laughed again...yes it did...hehehee

C is about 190-200cm tall...big built...and have a big belly laugh ...you could hear him from down the corridors...one patient commented that he could have made a good footballer...I replied..yes...may be even a basketballer since he is so tall...

I like C...especially his laughs...makes me feel like nothing is so bad in this world..he is always cheerful...have never seen him grumpy...

[dewdrops]

To The Fullest

Yesterday P left our care..she is very sick..yet always have a smile on her face..she's been in a few times and in the last admission she gave us all a scare..she coded..luckily she came back...

don't tell C she pleaded with us, C is her treating doctor...I am off to a party..my cousin's 18th tomorrow..he has specifically told me I can't leave Geelong...the party well it's not here or in the Greater of Geelong...

She giggled mischievously....we will need 3 tanks of gas and an electric to get there..I...is it that far ?? don't forget your oxygen...she then explained oh it's not that far...we will need 2 tanks..1 there and 1 back and the third one is a spare..just in case...

J asked her near the border ? she laughed ...no...and I am not going to tell you..J is our ward clerk and well she knows everything...ehhehe got to becareful on our ward...gossips start like wild fires hehehe

when I went into her room to give her her discharge meds I asked her so where are you heading ? ..she told me...Shepparton..a 3-4 hours drive away ..I was worried..she tried to assure me..it is okie..I have my oxygen tank..we will rest along the way...and the family know that if I go blue they make me lie down until my colours come back then I can dance some more...plus we are staying overnight..

She puts me to shame ..I laughed..you are very naughty..may be even more naughtier than me...she laughed..I know..

I hope she will be okie..will miss her as we have all gotten to know her very well...

[dewdrops]

Angels

My youngest came home last year...she said ..mum...grandma said that you are an angel..you were born around Christmas time..so it made you an angel..

I was surprise to hear that from her...and to think my mum thought I was an angel...you see I have never been close to my mum..now that I am older I am still not close..don't know why..may be all my life I have tried to please her yet I felt like all my effort has been fruitless..

For this life I hope that my daughters are closer to me than I was to her...

as for angels..I do not know if I am an angel..for angels are suppose to bring happiness to others..not sorrow..