Accountability

I feel the need to throw it all out there from now until mid May.  This way I am accountable for my actions, which help motivate me.

I have a rather awesome month ahead in May:

Mother's Day!!

I'll graduate nursing school!!  

My parents are coming to SEE me graduate nursing school!!

I'm going on a rather awesome vacation with the besty and her hubby!!  

My birthday WHILE I'm on vacation!!

Now which one is more exciting?  I honestly don't know.  I feel as though I deserve them all, and I love that they are all happening in one month!!

So since all of these awesome things are coming up, I feel the need to look awesome, because there will be LOTS of pics the entire month!!  

So what do I need to do?  Well I need to get my ass in gear.  For realz.  I've been pretty de-motivated for the past month.  March sucked to be quite honest.  The weather was crappy (it seriously snowed 3 times at least 6 inches!), I haven't been the normal "awesome" nursing student, and well I just have felt grumpy and had no motivation.

What did I do about it?  

I started taking a multivitamin and other vitamins for starters.  I felt better, not as tired all the time.  

And well, that's about it.

So from here until vacation, I'm gonna post my workouts from each week.  And I'm gonna start the "30 Day Squat Challenge" on April 1st.  

After dinner with my running buddy last night, we've decided we should to do the "Squat Challenge" since we need to "lift" our asses.  I don't have many options right now since the hand is still in therapy and I've only been cleared to run, bike, row, and any other workout that doesn't require me to use my hand much.  So squats are perfect.  

So who's up for the challenge?  It's only 30 days of squats! 

If you'd like to join us, here is the schedule:

I'm totally going to take a pic of day one and then of day 30 to compare.  I'm kinda excited.  

Okay, not really.  Mostly because I know that my legs are gonna hurt so bad I won't be able to sit on the toilet like normal.  You know what I'm talking about... you kinda like a hover over until you finally line up then you drop it like it's hot and hope you don't miss.

So that's the plan for the next 30 days.  I also have a friend that is making me a running plan to better my 5K time.  She is a super fast runner who in her spare time coaches people and love to make training plans...all while she is in nursing school!!  Where does she find the time??  

So April should be fun!  I hope to run more since hopefully since it is April, it'll be warmer!!

Are you up for the challenge?  Have you ever done a 30 day challenge?

Getting fired isn't so bad!

There is a first time for everything....

Yesterday I got fired.  Yup.  Fired.

A patient fired me for the first time in my 12 years of nursing.

I am in nursing school, and the patients I take care of have no idea I am a nurse already, granted not a "registered nurse" yet, but a "licensed practical nurse".

I was assigned two patients yesterday on the postpartum floor.  One was a couplet, the other was just a baby.  I walked into the couplet room first, figured I'd knock her and the baby out really quick and focus on my other patient with the more complex issues.

As soon as I walked in, I knew she was gonna fire me.  She had that look.  You know...this one...

I came in, told her who I was, what school I go to, and that I'd be taking care of her and the baby today.

Her response?

Mom:  "You gonna touch my baby?"
Me:  "Yes, I have to touch him in order to do an accurate assessment"
Mom:  "They just did one of those"
Me:  "No, an assessment is only done at the beginning of each shift, unless otherwise indicated"
Mom:  "Hmm."
Me:  "If you are uncomfortable with me doing the assessment, then maybe it is in your best interest to have the nurse take care of you today and not a student."
Mom:  "Yeah, I need a real nurse, not you the pretend nurse"

Ouch!

I smiled, then thanked her for her time and walked out of the room.

Being fired wasn't so bad.  It didn't bother me one bit.  I mean seriously.  I know all patients have a choice.  But when you are admitted to a teaching hospital, you have to realize you will encounter many students (nursing and medical, among other type of students). The hospital I'm at is very open about being a teaching hospital.  There are two hospitals in town, so if you don't like this one...go to the other one.

So in the end, I laughed about it.  I'm a happy nurse, I know I take extremely good care of my patients. If she didn't want me, well then that's her loss, not mine.  I ended up taking a GYN patient instead that was amazing.  I was better off not dealing with some one who was gonna be grumpy.  I don't have time for that!

Have you been fired before?  Was it ugly?  Did you see it coming?

I kinda saw it coming as soon as I walked in...she had "the look".

Sleep, Snuggle, & Study

You ever have one of those weeks where you think, "really?  REEEAAALLLLYYYY?????"

I had one of those weeks this past week.  It's over now.  Thank goodness.

I just could not shake this "I don't wanna study, I'd rather sleep/snuggle/eat/watch TV/read Game of Thrones"

Yup.  I said snuggle in there.

Anyone who really knows me, knows I don't snuggle.  Ever.  I've never been one to show any PDA.  I've stolen a kiss a time or two in public, but not those messy sloppy ones.  But for some reason all I wanted to do was lay up in the bed and snuggle with the hubby.  Weird.

Dogs make me smile.

I did it.  I feel better, and I no longer need the snuggle.  I sweat too much for that.  Yuck.

So this week was challenging for me in more ways than one.

I had a test.  I didn't do so well, I felt very prepared, and you know nursing school, all the answers are correct, but you have to pick the most correct one.  Well I was off my game.  I believe I was sleep deprived.  I reviewed the test yesterday with the instructor.  I feel better now, mostly because she said everyone did horrible...and my grade was not the lowest.  Not that it was really low, but definitely not in my normal range.

I'm over that.

I need a full time job come June.  I've had no luck so far at the local hospitals.  You'd think they'd be all over new nurses.  Fresh meat.  Apparently not.

I do have a job now, but it will more than likely not be full time.

I did have an interview the other day for a pediatric clinic I worked at before I went back to school.  It looks promising.  I love peds, so I will more than likely take the job (if they offer it to me) just so I can work with the kiddos.

My PT is going very slow.  I was highly discouraged at my Wednesday appointment, even my therapist noticed.  I just told her I'm moody and I want to make a freaking fist for goodness sakes.  Is that too much to ask?  I haven't been able to make one in 6 months.  Ugh.

The highlight of my week was my run on Monday, with my buddy Stephanie.  We only ran once, and that's okay, mostly because I had to take Wednesday off because I had to take a freaking stool softener Tuesday night because the pain meds for my hand constipated me.  Of course I woke up at 5:30 with crazy poop cramps, so I had to call it off.  She understood, I had the poop discussion with her the night before.  She said and I quote, "no runs on the run!!"

Another highlight is I also found out a friend is moving back here after being gone for three years!!!!  I met her while I worked at the pediatric clinic.  Her hubby is a Marine, so they move a lot, and he's been given an opportunity to come back and teach, so they will be here for three years!  AND they want to move in the area I live in!!!!!  YES!!!!!  She is also a runner, so maybe we can make our runs a threesome!!!  Woo Hoo!

So that's it really.  I need to get my butt back into school mode, and I need to run more.

How do you deal with the stress of life? 

I usually run, but that hasn't been happening much lately!  I need to get on that!

Surgery Update

I can actually use my hand more now than I could before surgery.  If anything, that is a success!

My pics are a little graphic, well not to me, but to some maybe.

Therapy is going well.  She fit me in a splint to be worn until she says so.  My sutures will come out on the 17th, and they are already getting on my nerves!

The first thing we did Wednesday was take that insanely huge dressing off!

At therapy

Getting fitted for my splint.  They really need to make cute ones.  I mean for realz.

After a good scrubbing. 

Side by side comparison.  

Post therapy ice and electro therapy

All in all things are good.  My hand is stiff, but that's expected.  The sutures are annoying, that's expected too.  I'm ready for things to be normal again with my hand.  My therapist is super confident that I will return to post injury status.

I sure do hope so.

Talk about an expensive trail race.

Nearly Wordless Wednesday: Surgery Edition

Dr. Evil!!  Bahahaha

In recovery, I was asked to "smile" for my mom and dad

Wrapped up...yet again

All is well.

Typing sucks.  

It hurts.

Drugs are awesome.

Physical therapy starts today.