March 16th, 2010 by BarbaraFicarraRN in Better Health Network, Health Tips
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There’s no doubt that prescription drug abuse is a major problem in America, and it’s escalating in epic proportions. Prescription drug abuse affects men, women and teens. Concerning trends include older adults, adolescents and women.
On MSNBC’s website, Karen Asp writes, Superwoman syndrome fuels pill-pop culture, and it’s about how “Overwhelmed overachievers turn to prescription drugs for an edge.”
This article is a little misleading since there are many women who are hardworking “superwomen” who do not indulge in illicit drug use. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Health in 30*
March 8th, 2010 by CodeBlog in Better Health Network, True Stories
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My son accidentally ingested peanut butter yesterday. He’s allergic.
He’s done this once before, which is when we found out about the allergy. He had some really awful hives 3 hours after he ate that small bite of peanut butter sandwich but that was all. His allergist told me that it would most likely never get worse than that.
He managed to eat some more yesterday. I braced myself for the hives to come, and we dosed him with Benadryl. An hour later he vomited. The pediatrician’s advice nurse advised me to take him to the ER. At the time I thought it was overkill. He wasn’t having any breathing difficulties beyond the cough he already had (he has a cold). He definitely wasn’t acting quite right, though, so off we went. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at code blog - tales of a nurse*
March 7th, 2010 by MotherJonesRN in Better Health Network, True Stories
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I wonder why these nursing students are smiling. They are hanging out in their room at the nurses’ dormitory. Don’t they look sweet and demure? That’s probably because the housemother was standing in the room. I bet these ladies could tell you some intriguing stories about what it’s like to live in the dormitory, but there are some things best left unsaid. Silence is golden, especially when your housemother is within earshot.
I lived in a nursing dormitory while I attended a three year nursing school in the Midwest. I won’t tell you what state it was in because I don’t want to incriminate anyone. Every resident was expected to follow the dormitory rules. The number one rule was that no man could step foot in the inner sanctum of the dormitory.
Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Nurse Ratched's Place*
March 6th, 2010 by Emergiblog in Better Health Network, True Stories
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Well, this is creepy!
It’s a photo from the Library of Congress‘ digital nursing collection.
It looks like a still from a Hitchcock film.
She’s going to the light….
Actually, she is probably going down to central supply for gauze.
Wouldn’t be surprised if Rod Serling stepped into view…
“Nurse Nell is about to take a step…into the Twilight Zone…”
Oh geeze, now I’m freaking myself out.
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I came across a blog post today. I was floored.
I have reprinted it here with permission: Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Emergiblog*
March 5th, 2010 by DrRamonaBates in Better Health Network, Health Tips
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I’d like to recommend this article (full reference below) to anyone involved in the care of palliative care patients, as well as anyone who does wound care. It is a thoughtful and well written consensus paper from the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel.
The article begins by pointing out the difference in goals between palliative care patients and the usual patients with pressure ulcers (PrU).
Usual care of a PrU is designed to promote healing; however, healing or closing the ulcer in patients receiving palliative care is often improbable. Therefore, the focus of care is better directed to reduce or eliminate pain, odor, and infection and allow for an environment that can promote ulcer closure, as well as improve self-image to help prevent social isolation.
Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Suture for a Living*
March 3rd, 2010 by BarbaraFicarraRN in Better Health Network, Health Tips
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How do you know if you’re having a heart attack? Are you thinking about the classic Hollywood example?
Hollywood Loves Drama - Know the Signs of a Heart Attack
The classic example of a Hollywood heart attack is a person clutching their chest, gasping for a breath and falling to the ground.
After all, Hollywood is hot for drama, and when it comes to portraying a person having a heart attack, the exaggerated Hollywood version is far more riveting than a person sitting quietly wondering if their very slight arm discomfort is anything they should be concerned about.
The Hollywood version can be very misleading. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Health in 30*
February 27th, 2010 by MotherJonesRN in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Humor
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These young ladies are prancing back to their nursing dormitory after a snowstorm. They look really happy to finally make their exit from the hospital. I identify with these girls because I got snowed in at my hospital for eight days last week. It was tedious, but I used my time constructively. I studied human nature.
People go through three phases when a snowstorm starts bearing down. The first phase is giddiness. I saw at lot of people become gleeful when the first snowflakes started hitting the sidewalk. They became delusional and said things like, “Look at the snow. It’s so beautiful!” People, snow is NOT beautiful. It is wet and cold. No one enjoys digging their car out from a five-foot snowdrift.
The next phase of a snowstorm involves a strange survival instinct that compels people to rush to their local grocery store and buy copious amounts of milk, toilet paper, and comfort food like corn chips. I’ve never been about to understand this phenomenon, but I’m sure that grocery store chains love it. Panic in the air indicates that people are entering into the final phase of their snowstorm response. The snowstorm is in full gear and everyone wants to leave work and go home. The walls start closing in, and those with a lesser constitution make a break for the door. I understand that some people can’t deal with their claustrophobia, but please don’t yell, “You can reach me on my Blackberry,” as you run out the door. That just makes you look pathetic. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Nurse Ratched's Place*
February 17th, 2010 by Shadowfax in Better Health Network, True Stories
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Seems like I’ve been on a real run of chest pain patients lately. Which is fine — it’s part of the gig. I did have a very interesting pair the other night. They were seen in sequence, right next to one another, in room 7 and room 8. They were both totally healthy women in their mid-fifties. And they were both over-the-edge, crazy, crawling-out-of-the-gurney anxious.
Anxiety is an awful red herring in the work-up of chest pain. People who are having an anxiety attack often if not always manifest some chest pain (pressure, tightness, whatever) as a prominent symptom of their anxiety. On the other hand, someone having a heart attack who is experiencing chest pain will also be anxious — and for good reason! Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Movin' Meat*
February 13th, 2010 by PhilBaumannRN in Better Health Network, Opinion
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The Pharmaceutical industry has effectively made a mockery of itself with television advertising (harsh assessment, I know, but bear with me). In the late 1980s – 30 years after television advertising was figured out – Pharma finally jumped into the game after regulatory constraints were lifted. Some of it worked – but mostly, the efforts just amplified the industry’s public relations comorbidities.
I actually believe that the industry could learn a few things in this video I came across. It’s a road safety advertisement and it brilliantly weaves together a simple idea with visual and emotional vigor. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Phil Baumann*
February 11th, 2010 by Emergiblog in Better Health Network, True Stories
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Something is in the air.
Work has been uncharacteristically crazy, nuts, bananas busy since I returned from my influenza-induced hiatus. Scores of very sick people, no real pattern. And a ton of pediatrics.
Feverish, coughing, runny-nose, wheezing, stridorous, vomiting, diarrhea-having, screaming, combative, medicine-spitting small humans.
It’s not easy triaging these little folks. You have to get the history over the crying/screaming, try and obtain vitals while they kick off any and all probes, do a rectal temperature if they are under 2 years old (wrestling to keep them still), and weigh them for medication dosing. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Emergiblog*
