8.29.2007

Went for ANOTHER eye exam today ... got the okay to d/c the Polysporin ointment at night. YAY. I hate that goopy crap! (Goopy ... real medical term. Heh.) Still using TobraDex drops, which is fine. My eye is looking better -- fewer dry areas, and my vision is pretty damn good. :D FINALLY. I also confessed to Dr. N about the corneal abrasion in my left eye; she was like, WTF? I know, I know. I'm so careful, too! Oh well ... it's all healed now. I go back again next week for yet another appointment. They're all free, and necessary, given the issues I've had with my eyes.

But despite all these issues ... would I do LASIK again? You bet I would. In a second. With the same doctors, too. Although I would have eaten before the first surgery, and already had my T#3 prescription filled BEFORE the "enhancement" surgery. Live and learn. :)

Next week is my Nursing Concepts 4 exam -- Cardiac Problems, Respiratory Problems, Abnormal Cellular Growth, and Congenital Anomalies/Genetic Disorders/Developmental Problems. Fun fun fun! I'm already pretty well versed in the cardiac and respiratory areas, being a medic and all, but I'm studying them anyway ... can't hurt to be thorough! I really feel like I'm LEARNING the information, not just memorizing it. Good stuff. Conveniently I scheduled my next eye appointment on the same day, since I'd be driving out to that area anyway (testing center is 75 miles from home).

Off to study a bit more, then sleep ...

pixie.dust sprinkled at 7:58:00 PM • 0 witty remark(s)

8.28.2007

Just got back from a great little mini-vacation to Salem, NH to visit Michael's family. We had such a great time!! We left Virginia early on Saturday and arrived in NH at about 4 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. Traffic wasn't really too bad, except for a little construction traffic around Danbury, CT and then again on the Massachusetts Turnpike. We checked in to our hotel and I took a nap (I was soooooo tired), and then we went over to Michael's parents house. They're such great people. :)

We did a little driving around/shopping on Sunday morning, then went back to his parents' house around 1 p.m. for a birthday BBQ for Michael/family get-together. It was fun meeting more members of Michael's ginormous family, including some of his cousins that even he hasn't seen since they were in diapers. Spent some fun time in the pool. Michael dunked his stepfather and became his brother's ultimate hero. Ha ha!

Oh, and I forgot to mention this ... yes, because apparently I'm seriously SPECIAL, I somehow ended up with a corneal abrasion on my LEFT eye. Yes, the one that hasn't had surgery since April. My "good" eye. WTF? I think something flew into the car window and got into my eye on Thursday evening. Friday I had one of the docs check my eye with fluorescein and the lamp, and sure enough, just as I thought ... a minor abrasion. Arrghh. I (half jokingly) said that I needed to go home and just put on my Riddick goggles and leave them on! Sheesh. So yeah, my eye was bugging me throughout the drive and really until Sunday ... both eyes are great today! YAY. Seriously.

Yesterday we drove down to Salem, Mass. to visit some friends and do a little shopping. A short visit, but I'm glad we got there anyway.

So we're home, after leaving NH around 10 this morning ... kitties are happy to see us, and I'm glad to be here! I have another eye appointment tomorrow, and then it's back to work for four days in a row. Woo.

pixie.dust sprinkled at 10:27:00 PM • 1 witty remark(s)

8.22.2007

We did go see Bodies: The Exhibition yesterday in Rossyln. It was awesome!! We met up with some of our friends and had a great time. Bodies was awesome ... I've been in a few cadaver labs, and this was like a giant, posed lab without the noxious odor. It was truly impressive ... lots of nasty looking lungs, though. Ick. But the way things were presented ... truly amazing. I've seen a lot of insides and outsides, including insides on the outsides (ha ha), but this was way different! I really recommend seeing this exhibit if it comes near you, or if you end up near it. :)

pixie.dust sprinkled at 9:19:00 PM • 4 witty remark(s)

8.20.2007

So my eye is healing well, except for this pesky blepharitis that is causing some dry-eye action. My vision is 20/20 when my eyes are properly moistened, and then things get a bit blurry when they dry out, so I've been doing a lot of moisturizing with drops. I also have a combination antibiotic/steroid to use to help with the blepharitis and general healing. The rest of it looks good, though. I'll see my eye doc for yet another follow-up next week. Did I mention that I haven't paid for a single thing (aside from a couple of prescriptions) since the initial surgery in April? That was pricey enough ... I'm glad all of this is free/included. Rightly so, too. But even with all this stuff, I'd do it again in an instant. Seriously. And I really like this eye doctor that has followed me for the majority of my pre- and post-LASIK appointments ... I'm planning on keeping her as my regular eye doctor. :)

Had a bit of a scare tonight -- we ran out to our local convenience store for a little ice cream treat, and when we returned and drove up the driveway, who did we see? Maia, our Siamese! WE DO NOT HAVE OUTDOOR KITTIES! Holy crap, we left the front door open -- or didn't pull it all the way closed. All four cats were outside. Maia came back inside with us, and Smudge and Charlotte came immediately when Michael went around the front deck and called them. However, we couldn't find little Freya, our youngest -- she's still so small, and not even a year old. Something would have eaten her if she'd stayed out all night, I'm sure of it. We have some huge/mean-looking possums and raccoons around here, not to mention some gnarly stray cats. We called her and called her, but couldn't find her. We even searched all over the house. Finally I saw her on the back deck, hiding behind a piece of wood, scared to death. I picked her up and brought her in. WHEW. I was so scared we'd lost one of our kitties!

Had some crazy days at the ER ... Saturday was insane. Totally insane. Beautiful day out, right? So I expected trauma -- falls from horses, motorcycle mishaps, that kind of thing. WRONG. It was all cardiac, cardiac, cardiac. Fun way to review ACLS = have at least four patients (three of them simultaneously) trying to go to their ultimate reward in a cardiac fashion. Yikes. It was chaos, but of the controlled sort. We rocked.

There is always debate in the medical community about whether or not to have a family in the room during a code ... I think it has to be a case-by-case thing. If it's going to help them get some peace because they can see that everything was done, then it's good. It's just tough to make that call about people you don't know in just an instant -- will this be a good thing for them in the long run, or not? And it's always hard for us to have family in there, but really, what does that matter? In the end, it's not about us.

Tomorrow: Bodies: The Exhibition! Going with a few friends ... can't wait! I'm so excited. I wonder if they have souvenir items? :D I want a t-shirt, at least!

pixie.dust sprinkled at 10:38:00 PM • 0 witty remark(s)

8.18.2007

Crisis averted ... annoying hair/particle/whatever seems to be gone this morning. Good grief! I hate that Polysporin stuff, but if it helped in any way, I'm now a big fan. :)

pixie.dust sprinkled at 4:37:00 AM • 2 witty remark(s)

8.17.2007

Went for yet ANOTHER eye appointment this morning. My eye is looking better -- infection nearly cleared, abrasion about 80% improved. Yay.

So on my way home from work tonight, I feel something in my eye. Yes, the right eye. Of course. I get home and look at it, and there's a frickin' HAIR or something like that on my eye. I can't get it out. It won't budge. It's driving me directly out of my fricking mind. I've blinked, irrigated, blinked, irrigated ... I really don't want to stick my finger in my eye, for pete's sake. *&^%$&^%!!!!! Oh well ... at least I work tomorrow, and we do have a slit lamp in the ED ... I'm sure I can get our doc to take a look and get it out, if it's not gone tomorrow. I'm going to go goop up my eye (that is, put in my wonderful nightly Polysporin ointment) and go to bed, wearing my awesome (not) goggles. Bah. I swear, my right eye HATES me.

P.S. Mom, got your voicemail. I'll call you Monday when I have a day off! :) Love you.

pixie.dust sprinkled at 9:06:00 PM • 0 witty remark(s)

8.16.2007

The latest in the eyeball saga ... because as anyone who knows me can tell you, nothing is ever easy with my eyeballs. (My mom is probably nodding at this point, having endured my many eyeball issues during my teen years.)

Anyway ... I went for my follow-up yesterday morning, and lo and behold, I have an infiltrate (infection) in my eye, outside the area of the corneal flap. Whiskey tango foxtrot?! Who put that there?! I dunno, but I had the (dis)pleasure of putting very sting-y (medical term, ha ha) antibiotic drops in my eye every hour yesterday, plus putting some lovely antibiotic ointment in my eye overnight. Goopy crap. That ointment pretty much cancelled out the ONE GOOD THING from this "enhancement" -- my new 20/20 vision! Arrgh. But yes, I know it was for a good reason. And they did remove the contact lens bandage thing yesterday, so that made me happy. Until a little while later, when the intense pain started to set in. Holy crap, not again. So we drove back to Winchester and stopped at Wally World so Michael could grocery-shop while I rocked myself in pain in front of the pharmacy, waiting for my Tylenol #3, Vigimox and antibiotic ointment prescriptions to be filled. (To the pharmacy's credit, they did beat their 40-minute wait estimate ... I guess my pacing, rocking in pain, and ouch-ing in front of their windows did the trick, bless them.) I have to say that while I'm not a big Tylenol fan (I prefer ibuprofen for life's aches and pains), I am now a convert to the Church of Tylenol #3 -- it did wonders for my eye pain.

So I went to work this morning, and everyone says, "What the hell happened to your eye?" That's never good. My right eye still looked angry and swollen and pissed off in general. I went for my 8:30 appointment, and was told that the infiltrate was nearly gone, lookin' good, etc. So I asked the doc why I might be having all this pain on the medial portion of my eye, and he takes a good look and discovers that I am also the proud owner of a corneal abrasion. Good grief. That's what the pain was feeling like, so at least I have an explanation for it! So I'm home from work to rest my eye -- I feel bad, but at least the ED is fully stocked with RNs today. :) I have to go back tomorrow morning for yet another eye check-up, just to make sure everything is headed in the right direction. It does feel better today, but it'll be nice when this is all DONE. Arrghh.

Off to commune with the Gods of Tylenol #3. All Hail the Mighty T#3.

pixie.dust sprinkled at 11:08:00 AM • 0 witty remark(s)

8.15.2007

They (the ubiquitous "they") warned me that the LASIK enhancement surgery might be slightly more "uncomfortable" post-surgery than the initial surgery ... but holy crap. I was in so much pain last night. I kept wondering to myself what it would be on the pain scale, but honestly, I think it was only about a 5 or 6. Although it kept me from doing anything but laying on the couch in our hotel suite, snarling in pain. Even that little bottle labeled "PAIN" didn't do squat. I took a Tylenol #3 and went to bed, wearing those annoying "Hi, I'm Riddick" goggles they gave me last time (and that I have to wear while sleeping for the next three nights), and finally drifted off around midnight. I woke up this morning and it looks like someone punched me in the eye -- it's all swollen and pissed off. I also have a contact lens "bandage" in there for comfort, and it's all I can do to keep myself from removing it. Arrghh. But it's a lot less painful today, so that's good. Whew. My follow-up appointment is in two hours, so I'm looking forward to them taking this stupid lens out!

The enhancement surgery itself was a breeze -- it was a little weird to watch the doc lift the corneal flap, and it didn't lift that easily (hence the protective lens), but it was over quickly. My vision was better the minute they were done. (They have a yellow smiley face on the ceiling of the surgery room, too ... he was clear, and kinda creepy in a vacant way, ha ha.) Yes, I'm still glad I got it done, but had I known what the pain was going to be like, I think I would have armed myself with more painkillers! Oh, and eating before surgery and the 10 mg of Valium was very helpful ... I didn't feel so wasted this time! Heh.

pixie.dust sprinkled at 7:45:00 AM • 3 witty remark(s)

8.14.2007

Surgery went fine. Valium is good. Going to sleep! :D But man, I can really see!! Woo hoo!

pixie.dust sprinkled at 12:51:00 PM • 0 witty remark(s)

8.11.2007

So Tuesday is my right eye "enhancement" surgery -- I'm really looking forward (no pun intended) to having BOTH my eyes in the 20/20 range! I still rarely notice that the right eye is a little blurry, but it does bother me every now and then. I am NOT looking forward to the procedure itself, but hey, the 10mg of Valium does really help. Ha ha. I'm going to be sure to eat something this time so that the Valium won't mess me up so badly! I'm a small person, so 10mg is quite a lot for me. Anyway, please think happy eyeball thoughts for me on Tuesday morning!

Still studying for my next nursing exam, scheduled for September 4. The first two parts of Nursing Concepts 4 is cardiac and respiratory, which I know VERY well as a medic ... and the last couple of years working in the ED has only reinforced all of that. :) I'm hoping for an A on this test! Of course, I hope for an A on all of them, ha ha. My GPA went from a 3.86 to 3.58 when I got Bs in A&P and Nursing Concepts 1, but it's back up to a 3.67 now that I got As on NC2 and NC3. I know, I'm way too concerned about my GPA. What can I say? :)

In other exciting news, we're going to New Hampshire to visit Michael's parents (and take a few days off) this month. And then my dad is coming out from Oregon to visit in mid-September. It'll be good to see him -- I don't think I've seen him since late 2003! I really want to take Michael to Oregon -- I think he'd love it out there -- but we'll have to save that for another vacation ... maybe in the spring. And I want to go visit my stepsister and her family in Florida ... so much to do!

And now, for a public service announcement ... if you should splash yourself with bacon grease and sustain first- and second-degree burns on your face and/or chest, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not apply toothpaste all over yourself. Ouch. I'm not sure where that "home remedy" came from, but good grief ... toothpaste contains, among other things, alcohol ... that can't even feel good! And if you're an EMS provider transporting said patient for a 20-minute ride, please remove that toothpaste, or have the patient do it ... don't let it harden into something like cement, okay? Yikes.

And now, five days off from work ... ahhhhhhh. I love my schedule, and my job. :) (Remind me of that when I'm working four 12s in a row next week, mkay? Ha ha ... I'm a little crispy by day four!)

pixie.dust sprinkled at 9:45:00 AM • 0 witty remark(s)

8.01.2007

I took my Nursing Concepts 3 exam today and got an A! I almost jumped up and down when my grade came up, seriously. I feel like I studied really hard (and really well) for this one. Yay!! The subjects on this exam were:

1. Comfort and Pain
2. Human Sexuality
3. Cultural Diversity
4. Chronic Illness
5. Community-Based Nursing
6. Needs of the Childbearing Family
7. Sensory Impairments
8. Reproductive Disorders

From what I've heard, this is the most difficult test of all seven. Now you can understand why I'm so happy with this A!

I've already scheduled Nursing Concepts 4 for September 4. Movin' right along ...

pixie.dust sprinkled at 12:04:00 AM • 3 witty remark(s)