She Makes the Best of What's Around

Worked all last weekend. You wouldn't believe how many hand lacerations I've repaired. I'm going to need to ask everyone in my geographical area to please step away from the heavy & sharp objects. I've had 3 crush injuries and at least 6 lacerations in the last 4 shifts I worked. The most impressive damage was someone who accidentally put their arm through a glass & metal door. Y'all, don't expect a door will hold your weight!

I've also had 2-3 admissions, which is unusual for the area of emergency in which I work. They try to send the lower acuity folks over to the Annex (where I work) because there are fewer infrastructure type resources (heart monitors, vital sign machines, only a Omnicell & supply Pyxis), so most of what I see are simple laceration repairs, twisted ankles, sore throats, chronic low back pain that magically became an emergency at 6pm on a random Tuesday, krunny noses, & the occasional N/V/D (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea). Every so often, a VERY high acuity patient sneaks in because they simply don't look bad to the naked eye--it takes some digging to find the real problem. In the last year I've admitted a major heart attack who came in because of a cold, a hip fracture (bad enough to need next-morning surgery) that walked in, a pneumonia patient who had no fever, no cough, and just a little shortness of breath, and a back pain that turned out to be a ruptured kidney! My admissions this week were along those lines: walk in looking not bad at all--run a white blood cell count or get an x-ray or two and OH hey, why don't you come in & stay for a night?

Of course it hasn't helped that I was sick this week. Bryan went to a teacher training last week in the exotic far away lands of Arkadelphia and he brought home this upper respiratory virus which he then thoughtfully gave to me. Booooo. I was okay on Tuesday, sick on Wednesday, and then yesterday was REALLY bad. Fortunately I didn't have anyone who checked in with cold symptoms, because I probably would've stomped on their foot. When you're rocking pseudoephedrine, prednisone, acetaminophen/ibuprofen combo, and oxymetazoline nasal spray just to function enough to come to work, and someone comes in with a runny nose wanting a work excuse? Breeds just a touch of resentment.

I do believe things are about to change a bit though. We recently hired several more nurse practitioners. It's enough that M, the physician owner of the staffing agency for whom I work, has decided to start staffing the Main ER with 4 NPs per day: 2 from 09:00-17:00, and 2 from 17:00-03:00. This is in addition to the Annex, staffed by 1 NP from 09:00-21:00 and one from 11:00-23:00 (usually me). As the 2nd most senior employee, I get to state a preference for more shifts in Main or Annex, and I'm going to go for Main for sure. Not only am I specifically trained for that, I'm almost a year into my practice. I'm comfortable with my work flow and my processes, and once that happens it's only a matter of time until boredom strikes. UNLESS I'm learning new things, that is--which is what happens over in the Main ER with the very ill patients who come in. Lots more experiences interpreting labs, which is something I'd like to get better at.

My RV really wants to go somewhere! Ganon's birthday is Monday, and between that & my work schedule, there's no time for us to take the RV anywhere before school starts back. I'm going to plan us a trip to northwest Arkansas anyway, though. That can be done in just a couple of days. We can stay at an RV park over in Bentonville or Bella Vista and see the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Amazeum. A trip like that might even be MORE fun on a random weekend during the fall, when the heat is less unbearable. Even later in the fall would give us the gorgeous foliage of the Ozarks.

We're going to our first Dragon*Con over Labor Day weekend! I'm so excited! My mom is working on a costume for Ganon to dress as Link from BotW. I can't wait for...

Ganon: I'm Ganon.
Fan: Don't you mean Link?
Ganon: No, I'm cosplaying as Link. My NAME is Ganon. :D

I'm taking one cosplay outfit: my Pokémon professor costume from last Halloween. It's incredibly easy. It's just one of my old lab coats to which I sewed a Pokéball patch on the front. Put that on over one of my cute dresses, and *poof*! Pokémon professor! I already have a bit of an animated look, with my colorful hair and my professor-type glasses and my stand out makeup. When I wore it last Halloween, people knew instantly--even the parents at houses we went trick or treating at. Other than that, I think I'm going to stick with my geeky shirts & skirts from Her Universe & Tee Fury.

Right now, however--I am craving pizza with mushrooms, and I just found that Lost Pizza now supports online ordering. It's go time!

 Well it's day #1 of our RV vacation in Hot Springs! It's sort of a working vacation, since Bryan is actually at a training at the school of math & science here (it's the curriculum organization training for his programming class). Anyway, we've learned a few things so far: 

Have a longer sewer hose than you need. We went out & bought a 15' with an elbow joint and all threaded connections. SO NICE.

Wanna bring out the ultimate stupid in other drivers? Drive an RV. Had a dummy almost cause a head on accident with oncoming traffic yesterday. It was on a very winding highway between the main interstate and Hot Springs. I was driving 55 in the right lane at an area that's meant to let people pass the slower moving traffic for a short distance. This goober waited until the left lane had already ended, AND THEN decided to swing out and pass me. This of course DIDN'T WORK because there was no more lane, and there were cars in the oncoming. If this accident had happened it would've involved at least 4 vehicles including my RV, and would've happened right at my left front bumper. All this to try & pass someone technically driving the speed limit. It's not worth it, whoever you are in the white Tacoma.

KOA campgrounds have wifi! This is how I'm currently coming to you from an RV. It's not the BEST wifi connection (it is certainly not up to Ganon's standards) but as Leslie said: "Wifi at a campground! Living in the future!" It's enough for Ganon & I to be watching Breath of the Wild YouTube videos.

Haven't tried showering yet, but that's next up. 

Looking at all the other RVs. Some are super stripped and plain; some of them are ULTRA FANCY. There's an incredible one up the hill with this outdoor entertainment system...holy cow. Right now I'm looking at the cutest little teardrop camper. They're cute & cleverly laid out, but boy do I love my much bigger motorhome with all the nice amenities.