|
 Being
a Nurse Means
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| I am a Licensed Practical Nurse.
I graduated in 1978 from M.A.T.C. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I have
lots of experience in both hospitals and nursing homes. I spent 6
years at a local hospital working in Labor & Delivery as a scrub nurse.
Then I spent 14 years working in nursing homes taking care of our older
generation. |
| For 2 years I did a different kind of
nursing. My sister, Kathy, had 5 separate CVA's (strokes to the lay
person) in 1998. She was told she needed 24 hour nursing care and
would need to be in a nursing home. She was only 56 years old and
both she and children did not want this if at all possible. I was
recruited by her physician to give her the care she needed. I moved
her into my home where I could give her 24 hour 7 day a week care.
Through daily Physical Therapy she began walking again first with the aid
of a walker then a cane. She regained some of the use of her left
hand. As therapy progressed she continued to improve even more. |
| She was also been diagnosed with NIDDM
(Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus), high cholesterol, heart condition
and a blood clotting disorder. Besides the Activities of Daily Living
assistance she needed, I had to administer her many meds as she could not
see well enough to read the pill bottles. One of her recent strokes
affected her eyesight. I had to do the meal planning for a diabetic
diet with low sodium and cholesterol. I had to do all the grocery
shopping taking many hours to read labels for nutritional content.
I had to monitor her blood sugar levels, blood pressure, transport her
to daily therapy and lab work to monitor her clotting factors, and doctor
appointments. But the most enjoyable part of this job is I WAS HER
CONSTANT COMPANION.
See my Links page for my Diabetes pages.
|
| We spent our leisure time at the computer.
She had learned to type fairly well with one hand. We each had our
computers connected to the internet and could play cards, chat and surf
the net while being in the same room. I had never enjoyed a job as
much as this one. |
| But all good things come to an end.
Kathy moved into her own apartment where she performed all her own activities
of daily living. Her daughter is nearby and transported her to her
doctor's appointment and helped with her shopping. She prepared most
of her own meals. I miss her constant companionship. |
| On May 11, 2001 Kathy had a serious
accident. She fell on cement stairs, hitting her head causing a blood
clot. After surgery to remove the clot, she was put on life support.
She is now breathing on her own but still has the trach. They have
tried to wean her off the trach but she is too dependent on it to breath
through her mouth or nose. She is unable to bear weight, so it takes
4 people to transfer her to a chair. She has been admitted to Manitowoc
Health Center. Therapy has made no progress and was discontinued.
She can now speak with a speaking valve over her trach. She will
probably reside there indefinitely. |
| I decided to continue in Private Duty
Home Care. I took a position taking care of a gentleman with ALS (Lou Gehrig's
Disease). This was a challenge but I learned many new skills.
Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks. My patient
expired in January, 2003. He lived for almost 20 years diagnosed
with ALS. This far exceeds the normal life expectancy for ALS patients.
See my Links page for my ALS page.
|
| I am currently working for an agency.
Due to the severe shortage of nurses in my area, hospitals use agency nurses
quite often. I am working 12 hour shifts. I can get my whole
week in with 2-3 nights a week. It is very satisfying. I put
in most of my hours at the same hospital and feel like one of the staff
only I make twice as much as they do. The disadvantage is that if
they hire more nurses or have a low census, I don't get my hours.
I am the first to be cut. |
Thank you Miriam
|
|
|
10/23/98
I received this award from CindyLou,
R.N.
from the Nurse's
Station
Please visit her site!
Thank you Cindy
|
|
"Beautiful site! I've so enjoyed
viewing your work and would be
honored to give you my Awards.
You deserve both for the lovely work!
Keep up the great work!"
Claudette
Petit's House
|
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My Diabetes Pages
My ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease Page
Emphysema Page
My Women's Health Site
and much more
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These graphics; Dream Maker Software
Cool
Clip Art
Animated by:
Graphics
by Jo
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