Wednesday:
Up at 6:30
Start to get ready
Help Chris get Natalie ready
All of us are trying to get ready
Leave at 8:20 to see my first patient.
Stop at Sam's to get gas in car.
Stop at Blockbuster to drop off movies.
9:10See my first patient.
10:00Leave his home and go straight to next patients house, they have a med contract, lots of issues.
11:10 Leave this house onto next house with med contract, more issues.
12:15 Leave and drive to team meeting, scarf down lunch on the way, call my doctor back on the way, call Chris and remind him to make several other calls.
12:37 Stop for chocolate.
1:00 Team meeting
4:00 Team is finally over and I have a patient to get admitted to a nursing home, plus two new admissions, plus get coverage scheduled for tomorrow because I'll be meetings all day, plus complete my paperwork from last two days because it's just that kind of week.
6:30 Finish the above the tasks.
6:40 Drive through Wendy's, inhale a burger.
6:55 Finish my fries as I walk up to church.
6:59 Realize there is no teacher for a class.
7:00 Tag team the 6-8 yr olds with Paul.
7:05 Convince a kid to go to the right class.
7:10 Have kids hanging on me.
7:15 Play streets and alleys.
7:25 Play duck, duck, goose.
7:40 Play tag.
8:05 Find Natalie and Chris. First time I've seen Natalie since this morning.
8:15 Drive Natalie and me home.
8:45 Feed my child who is ALWAYS hungry.
9:00 Get Natalie ready for bed.
9:40 Walk out of her room.
9:50 Laugh at Emily as she comes to the house to run on the treadmill.
10:20 Go to bed.
10:40 Pass out asleep.
Friday:
6:50 out of bed
Out the door at 8:00
Starbucks at 8:45
9:00 Meeting
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Meeting
5:45 on my way home
Make two bereavement calls on the way. And listen to 44 voicemails from last two days.
6:20 Get home and start making cornbread salad for tonight.
6:23 Knock on my door, three kids selling cookie dough, my purchase involved a thorough search for my wallet. Kids want to come in and pet dogs.
6:40 Kids leave, I finish cornbread salad.
6:45 Change clothes.
7:00 Leave for Games with Bible Study group tonight.
10:05 Go to pick up Natalie, again, I haven't seen her since this morning.
11:00 Home
11:15 Start typing this craziness out.
11:24 Wondering why I chose these two days this week.
11:25 Because they were the least busy of the last five.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
Will the rain ever stop?
Mocha and Lexi made signs today. The sign says, "Noah, stop here, please pick up the animals, but leave the people."
Thursday, August 21, 2008
For good, quality, news updates...
Many of you have been concerned about how we are doing in the wake of Fay. Click here to see some awesome news updates. :-)
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Disaster supplies
Last week:
"It'll be a tropical storm early next week for us in Jacksonville."
Over the weekend:
"Well, we now think it will just be a tropical depression by the time it gets to Jax."
"We are going to get a lot of rain in Jax."
Yesterday afternoon:
"It's going back over the ocean!!! It's going to be a category 1 hurricane by the time it hits Jax late Thursday night!!! Get ready now!!!"
This morning:
"We have good news from overnight folks, it's stalled over Cape Canaveral (I wonder if they think it's good news?), it'll weaken by the time it gets to us."
Late morning:
"It's stalling and moving to Orlando"
Early afternoon
"It's still stalling, but it is moving over the ocean."
Tonight:
"Well, it looks like Jax will get a tropical storm after all."
It's raining, it's pouring, only Faye knows what she will be in the morning.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Some Wedding Pictures
We had so much fun at Brock and Stacey's wedding last weekend. It was beautiful. We hope you all had a great honeymoon...and we can't wait to see you soon!
Pre wedding...
Stacey laughing with the boys.
Chris' parents, Frank and Candy with Brock and Stacey...
A beautiful bride and groom...
Four generations, Grandmama, Nanny, Daddy, and Natalie...
Natalie loved the dancing...
Okay, we've scheduled an appointment with the eye doctor because this is how Natalie sleeps now, "cover my head with my blankie, cover my eyes..." She doesn't want any light at all while she is sleeping so this is how she slept in the car...she is my child after all.
Pre wedding...
Stacey laughing with the boys.
Chris' parents, Frank and Candy with Brock and Stacey...
A beautiful bride and groom...
Four generations, Grandmama, Nanny, Daddy, and Natalie...
Natalie loved the dancing...
Okay, we've scheduled an appointment with the eye doctor because this is how Natalie sleeps now, "cover my head with my blankie, cover my eyes..." She doesn't want any light at all while she is sleeping so this is how she slept in the car...she is my child after all.
Calling Dr. Natalie
Here are a few pictures of Natalie playing with her Doctor's kit from Uncle DJ and Aunt Sarah. Notice how she consults her book often.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Been a while
My good friend Megan used to blog about this phenomenon.I would always read and think there was no way it was accurate because I really enjoyed her stories. But, alas, I found this phenomenon to be true. The guaranteed way to silence any room full of people is for Megan or me to share work stores with them.
Now, it's not that Megan and I are boring people. I personally think we are rather delightful, charming, and funny individuals. But when you work with hospice, others don't seem to enjoy or find funny the same stories that you do.
The last couple of weeks I have found myself simply saying "fine" when people ask me how I like my job. It's not that I have nothing to say, I could tell them a million things. It's just that I know when I start talking, they are going to get this certain look in their eye. Then, taking note that they are visibly uncomfortable, I hurry and finish my story only to be met with an awkward silence. Nine times out of ten the silence is followed by them saying, "I don't know how you work with dying people like that all the time." I could give them my good response about how it reminds me of the importance of life, or how I really do enjoy it, but that just makes the conversation more morbid and awkward. "Fine" really works much better.
This blog may quickly become an outlet of stories as I am finding no other outlet suitable for the release of thoughts constantly in my head. I can type them and not have to hear the awkwardness of the story. And, some things in print, really are funny. Even if they are wrapped in the context of death. For example, I have a patient who is not actively dying (meaning not in the next 24-72 hours), but he is dying none the less. He has cancer and is using a walker. He is very unsteady and has fallen a lot lately. He is cute and his wife will talk more then me any day. She's also not quite grasping how ill he is. I'm visiting them a couple of days ago and she says to me, "Will you hold him up so he can reach up there and hang that vertical blind for me?" I look at the poor man, with his walker in front of him. Our eyes meet and he shrugs his shoulders like he could do it, but his eyes are screaming for me not to ask him to. I looked at her, looked at the walker, looked back at her and said, "no." She looked shocked. I told her I would hang the blind for her. I spent the next 15 minutes with a Hispanic lady wildly explaining to me how exactly to hang her blind. Graduate school does not prepare you for these moments.
Or, I could tell you about today, when I had to flush narcotic pain medication down the toilet in one of our in patient units. I picked it up from a home patient and had to destroy it at the office so I could have a witness. I poured the pills down the toilet in a stall. The toilet did not flush automatically. I can't find the button to make them flush. Many colored pills makes for one mess in the toilet. So, I do what any logical person would do. I pretend to use the toilet, hoping to "trick" it into flushing. This didn't work. I know I'm taking so long my supervisor is probably convinced I'm taking the narcotics. I try this sitting on the toilet and standing up routine several times. Does not work. I consider taking the narcotics. Finally, I find the button. Much to my dismay, after it flushes most of the pills are stuck now inside the bottom of the toilet. This is a PUBLIC bathroom in our facility. I flush again. Still stuck. I see what I think is the toilet brush and I think, I'll just move them and flush, but it was the plunger. I can't stick it in there to move tiny pills, it's too big. So, rationally, I flip it over and use the stick end to unstick the pills and flush quickly. Very satisfied that the pills are gone, I put the plunger down. I then notice the handle was orange from some of the pills. I washed my hands and walked away. I'll let people guess why that handle is bright orange. Everyone should have something to think about in the bathroom.
I know, a really long rambling blog. But such are my thoughts. More stories to come. And, some wedding pictures from Brock and Stacey's wedding, I'll put them on here it soon. It was beautiful!
Now, it's not that Megan and I are boring people. I personally think we are rather delightful, charming, and funny individuals. But when you work with hospice, others don't seem to enjoy or find funny the same stories that you do.
The last couple of weeks I have found myself simply saying "fine" when people ask me how I like my job. It's not that I have nothing to say, I could tell them a million things. It's just that I know when I start talking, they are going to get this certain look in their eye. Then, taking note that they are visibly uncomfortable, I hurry and finish my story only to be met with an awkward silence. Nine times out of ten the silence is followed by them saying, "I don't know how you work with dying people like that all the time." I could give them my good response about how it reminds me of the importance of life, or how I really do enjoy it, but that just makes the conversation more morbid and awkward. "Fine" really works much better.
This blog may quickly become an outlet of stories as I am finding no other outlet suitable for the release of thoughts constantly in my head. I can type them and not have to hear the awkwardness of the story. And, some things in print, really are funny. Even if they are wrapped in the context of death. For example, I have a patient who is not actively dying (meaning not in the next 24-72 hours), but he is dying none the less. He has cancer and is using a walker. He is very unsteady and has fallen a lot lately. He is cute and his wife will talk more then me any day. She's also not quite grasping how ill he is. I'm visiting them a couple of days ago and she says to me, "Will you hold him up so he can reach up there and hang that vertical blind for me?" I look at the poor man, with his walker in front of him. Our eyes meet and he shrugs his shoulders like he could do it, but his eyes are screaming for me not to ask him to. I looked at her, looked at the walker, looked back at her and said, "no." She looked shocked. I told her I would hang the blind for her. I spent the next 15 minutes with a Hispanic lady wildly explaining to me how exactly to hang her blind. Graduate school does not prepare you for these moments.
Or, I could tell you about today, when I had to flush narcotic pain medication down the toilet in one of our in patient units. I picked it up from a home patient and had to destroy it at the office so I could have a witness. I poured the pills down the toilet in a stall. The toilet did not flush automatically. I can't find the button to make them flush. Many colored pills makes for one mess in the toilet. So, I do what any logical person would do. I pretend to use the toilet, hoping to "trick" it into flushing. This didn't work. I know I'm taking so long my supervisor is probably convinced I'm taking the narcotics. I try this sitting on the toilet and standing up routine several times. Does not work. I consider taking the narcotics. Finally, I find the button. Much to my dismay, after it flushes most of the pills are stuck now inside the bottom of the toilet. This is a PUBLIC bathroom in our facility. I flush again. Still stuck. I see what I think is the toilet brush and I think, I'll just move them and flush, but it was the plunger. I can't stick it in there to move tiny pills, it's too big. So, rationally, I flip it over and use the stick end to unstick the pills and flush quickly. Very satisfied that the pills are gone, I put the plunger down. I then notice the handle was orange from some of the pills. I washed my hands and walked away. I'll let people guess why that handle is bright orange. Everyone should have something to think about in the bathroom.
I know, a really long rambling blog. But such are my thoughts. More stories to come. And, some wedding pictures from Brock and Stacey's wedding, I'll put them on here it soon. It was beautiful!
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