Impaction Fracture ... what's your function?

Ok!

Anyone else remember School House Rock?

I got to visit the lovely nurses of our emergency department last night. According to one of my 3-year-olds, I "feel down and went boom!" It is a story I am reluctant to tell as it was stupid :) I tripped at the gas station on the gas pump line - whoops! I landed on my elbow so as not to hit my head on the concrete. OUCH! My elbow and hip are black and blue and hurt like hell! I took some ibuprofen liquidgels and grabbed some frozen peas. (I fell about 4pm) We ate dinner at about 6:30 - I promptly got sick - I hurt too much. I talked to my Mom (also a nurse) at 8:3o who asked me if I could pronate? I told her "of course I can pronate - I have twins, remember!" She laughed and explained the rotation of the lower arm she was talking about - I put my arm out palm up and half-way over I thought I was gonna pass out from the pain. Oh goodness! Mom says go to the hospital.

Now, a side note about having a Mom who is a nurse. I NEVER stayed home from school. She could smell feigned sickness and insisted on "muttering" through quite a few illnesses. Having this same mother sound worried and ask when you are going to the ER is quite unnerving. Especially when you are 7 weeks from finishing an ADN program that will not let you on the clinical floor with any sort of cast or splint on ... talk about anxiety attack.

So I drove to the ER and left my hubby with the twins. My vitals in triage were alarming. BP of 128/104 - wow ... pain can do that, right? I was seen pretty promptly and taken to xray after I was given a shot of toradol in the rear. Xray was torture - "can you give me a thumps up sign while bending your elbow?" Well, actually, NO if I could do that I wouldn't be here! Anyhow ... she was nice and it was quick if not painless.

The good doctor comes in with my xrays and says, "I need you to look at this" - uh oh. I have a "funky elbow" he tells me. No radiologist here tonight (remember small rural hospital - 25 bed) and I think this half-moon thingy is a impaction fracture of your ulnar head but I am not sure - your elbow films aren't like any I've seen before. Huh? Okay ... so what's the plan?

The plan is I am going to ice it, elevate it, rest it, take ibuprofen and wear a sling - until we find out if it is really broken at which time I'll see another doctor to find out the plan. I know the plan includes a splint and time to heal ... this makes me nauseous.

So I am here ... RICEing my arm and typing slowly. Hope and pray it is not broken ... I don't know what I'll do about school - probably just take of the splint for 10 hours a week during clinical and not use it ... but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. This was a lucky week for this to happen. I don't do patient care this week on clinical. I am team leader (student charge nurse) on Thursday and we have evaluations on Friday as we are switching rotations next week.

Think good healing thoughts for me ...

Less than 3 months to go ...

I am tired. There. I said it. Admitted it. I work every other weekend at the hospital, work Monday afternoons and Tuesdays at a doctor's office, I teach childbirth education (just one more series before I graduate) and I am well into my last semester of school (I graduate May 19th). I consider myself a good wife and mother. My twins just turned 3. Even the dog and cat look at me like they haven't seen me recently.

Sunday night studying for my hematology test, the tiredness kicked it. I started doubting why on earth I do what I do ... am I nuts? Today is Tuesday, I feel like perhaps I have it under control for a minute but I am still tired.

Tomorrow, I am playing hookie :) I never do that ... I already feel guilty. My husband calls it "pre-guilt" A day just for me ... and then with my girls ... and I am actively planning a date night for next week.

John talked about how ER nurses "turn it off" ( You can read about it at http://www.disappearingjohn.blogspot.com/) ... but I think people in general and especially nurses don't turn it off at all. We are the great absorbers ... we only break down for the most part when it is convenient :) Others (patients, spouses, kids, even the dog) come first. I don't know if it is good or bad. I suspect it can be a little or a lot of both. I do know that it is just nature. It is the kind of person I am ... and part of what makes me tired.

Ready for a Break

Okay ... so two more clinical days and then a break from 3 of my 4 classes. I still have statistics next week, but the nursing gets a rest. I am so ready I can't even believe it. It's amazing how stressful nursing school is ... a classmate wondered if we could initiate a class action lawsuit. No big damages ... just want enough to pay for the zantac, tylenol, maloxx and Starbucks! No one ever factors these things into the cost of going to school!

I had my ER experience last Friday night at clinical. I know why you love the ER John! It was a great experience and I was actually surprised at how much I liked it. I really do enjoy "procedure based" nursing as well as "floor nursing" but I was surprised I liked the acuity.

I also got another job. Shhhhhhh - it's a secret (especially if you are a particular reader/blogger/nurse who works with me!) I am going to be working part time at a doctor's office down the street from my house. It will give me just a few hours a week and good experience in things like blood draws which I have never done. Wu hooooo!

I also went on an interview for my dream job (again with the Shhhhh :) There are no positions available, but it was nice to hear that I am doing exactly what I need to do to get there eventually. The nurse manager told me to stay put in my job and get as much experience as I could ... this is great news as it is exactly what I want to do. I really like my little rural hospital with it's variety of patients. I just wish we had a few more nurses to spread around ... we've been a little short lately as census has been up for a long time. I am looking forward to transitioning into the RN role here - I think it's a good fit.

Happy late groundhogs day! (Did you hear he didn't see his shadow and winter is almost over - Al Gore was so excited - turns out he's right!)