Surgical Nurse Musings

I had a DaVinci Robotic Hysterectomy!

noreply@blogger.com (Carrie) — Wed, 30 May 2012 01:17:00 +0000

Well, I'm gonna give this another go...........!!!! Lots of stuff has happened since I was last on here, most importantly, I had my own surgery! About 6 months ago I had a Da Vinci Robotic Hysterectomy and came through with flying colors. Future posts will catch you up and give more details about that wonderful surgery. Hope to speak to y'all soon!

More Common Surgical Procedure Abbreviations

noreply@blogger.com (Carrie) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 01:06:00 +0000

In one of my earlier posts, Common Surgical Procedure Abbreviations I referenced a few commonly used surgical procedure abbreviations.

Now....da da dah.....here are a few more!

LEEP: Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure

FESS: Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery

CABG: Coronary Artery Bypass Graft

D and C: Dilatation and Currettage

ORIF: Open Reduction Internal Fixation

T and A: get your mind out of the gutter!! This stands for Tonsils and Adenoids

So there you go....a few more little abbreviations for common surgical procedures.

Hemorrhoid Surgery

noreply@blogger.com (Carrie) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 22:40:00 +0000

When my brother died back in January, I asked one of my aunts that were at the wake where my cousin (her son) was. Now remember, I live in a Southern city, so my aunt in her “southern drawl” said, “Oh, he’s got the hemorrhoids so bad he couldn’t come. In fact, he’s having surgery tomorrow for them.” At that moment, even through my grief, I had to laugh inside thinking my cousin would be mortified if he knew his mom was out in public discussing his, ummm, delicate situation.

What exactly is a hemorrhoid? According to medlineplus.gov, “Hemorrhoids are swollen, inflamed veins around the anus or lower rectum. They are either inside the anus or under the skin around the anus. They often result from straining to have a bowel movement. Other factors include pregnancy, aging and chronic constipation or diarrhea.
Hemorrhoids are very common in both men and women. About half of all people have hemorrhoids by age 50. The most common symptom of hemorrhoids inside the anus is bright red blood covering the stool, on toilet paper or in the toilet bowl. Symptoms usually go away within a few days.”

I do not personally have hemorrhoids, so I don’t know how they feel, but from what I hear, they can be quite bothersome. As a surgical nurse, I have seen hemorrhoid surgery, though, and believe me, it is not a pretty site. A patient has to be in the prone (on stomach) position, with their bottom exposed. The buttocks usually have to be separated with some kind of tape to hold them apart so the surgeon can get to the area without fighting through fleshy butts! Sometimes, the surgeon just pushes them back in, or other times they actually cut off the offending item, sew it up, and put a dressing on.

I found this downloadable information product that may be helpful to some people. I have not personally read it and cannot support or reject its claims, but go here to see the information if you are interested Click Here!

Or a Baseball Bat

noreply@blogger.com (Carrie) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:57:00 +0000

Our Recovery Room is one huge room with privacy curtains with separate monitors to accomodate about 20 patients arriving from surgery.

My patient that we had just wheeled out was waking up from anesthesia, the patient behind the curtain next to him was making growling noises as he was waking up. The nurse of the growling patient, in an effort to help his apparent pain tried to get him to reposition himself. As he moaned and growled, the nurse said, "Sir, what you need is some pain medicine...."

and my patient, an apparent jokester even when not fully conscious, mumbled through his oxygen mask, "or a baseball bat"...!!!

Now, whether my patient was having empathy pains and felt like he himself needed a baseball bat, or that his fellow patient needed one so he would be quiet, I'm not sure...but we all got a good laugh!

Scared of the Dark

noreply@blogger.com (Carrie) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 22:03:00 +0000

I don't know about you, but I have always had a fear of the dark.....if I'm in a dark room or outside in the dark, I have to hold my breath and walk very quickly, praying the whole time until I get to a light source! Even though I know God is with me, there's just something eerie about the dark.

The same goes for a dark operating room. In the evening, when most surgeries are over, part of my duty is to restock rooms with supplies. All the rooms have 2 entrances and most of the rooms have a light switch on both sides of the room. But there are a couple that don't. If I go into one of the rooms with just one light switch, I try to enter from the side with it....but if I come from the other side, I have to leave the door propped open or go around because it freaks me out....especially since I know that at least one person has died on the table in each of these rooms.

I hope to explore further the "eerie unknown" and "freakish occurrences" that have occurred in our operating rooms and area in future posts.

Michael Jackson's Death Ruled a Homicide

noreply@blogger.com (Carrie) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 01:00:00 +0000

Yes, I know I promised in my last post that I would be back much sooner than this, but anyway, here I am!!

As you know, I work in surgery as a nurse. I see Diprovan, aka Propofol everyday when we put patients "to sleep" for their surgery. Some even jokingly call the white medicine, "milk of amnesia" because of its likeness in color and texture to "milk of magnesia".

That is in the surgical/hospital setting. As has been all over the news, this powerful medication is not meant for the home setting.

No matter what your views on M.J., it's still sad that this was his demise. I guess if there is any comfort, he died in his sleep....

I'm Back, Hopefully, with some sad news

noreply@blogger.com (Carrie) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 04:42:00 +0000

I know it's been a really long time since I posted, but as usual, a lot of stuff going on.....the main thing being the sudden death of my oldest brother toward the end of January.

According to the coroner, he died of complications of hypertension, COPD and diabetes....we suspect he either had a stroke or heart attack. He was only 55.

He was not in the best of health, and did not take great care of himself, plus he drank too much alcohol and smoked. He lived alone and died at home.

I've been having to go through his stuff because I and my sister are his only close relatives and she had to go back to her home in another state, so it has been occupying a lot of my time, plus I'm still working full time as an OR nurse.

Moral of this sad story: If you have a drinking problem, get help.... If you smoke, find a way to stop.... If you have diabetes, try to eat right, exercise and take medicine as prescribed.... If you have hypertension (high blood pressure), take your medicine every day.... If you have COPD, follow your physician's instructions.

Another lesson learned from this is to always make sure you have your important papers in a safe place and let someone know where they are.

Anyway, I hope to get back to blogging again.

Thanks for continuing to visit!

Get Some Happy Teeth

noreply@blogger.com (Carrie) — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 18:20:00 +0000

When you work in surgery, you can’t help but notice people’s teeth. Obviously, you see them a little while conversing with the patient, but then there’s the intubation. When a breathing tube is inserted after a patient is “out” on the operating table, the mouth is opened by the anesthesia personnel, the teeth are parted and the breathing tube is inserted.

It is amazing the condition of some of the patients’ teeth…..they range anywhere from being yellow, decayed, or just missing. Many patients, and most other people also, could benefit from visiting www.smilewarehouse.com . This company has all kinds of dental products at reasonable prices. Some of the products include: toothbrushes, toothpaste, oral irrigators, mouthrinses and teeth whitening products.

If you’re in need of a dental product, this company has everything you need.

Get this, they even have pet products such as dog toothbrush .

One cool product they carry is oral b triumph 9950 .

So if you are in the market for some cool teeth care products, head on over to this website. Oh, I forgot, they also carry a line of spa products including candles, body lotions and diffusers.

O.K. now you can hop on over there and make your teeth and gums happy!

Delay in the Discogram

noreply@blogger.com (Carrie) — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 05:32:00 +0000

well fooey!!!!

The discogram was scheduled for this past Wednesday. Because we are having financial problems, they told us the whole balance would have to be paid before the procedure...then we got there and they said we only needed to pay the $20 copay, then, they called us to a window and said No, cannot do it without balance being taken care of....we told them we had previously had this worked out....they had to call someone.....long story short, we got home, called who we had previously worked it out with and they said everything was fine....called back the facility and they said everything was fine and we could reschedule!

Dangit, why couldn't they just figure this out while we were there.....anyway after this big fat hassle, the discogram is again scheduled for this coming up Tuesday.....pray there are no glitches because we really need to get this done before the end of the year since we have already met the deductible for this year!

Auto Air Conditioning

noreply@blogger.com (Carrie) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 13:30:00 +0000

I live in South Alabama, and it gets pretty sweltering here in the summer, especially in August!

I have a 1999 Honda Passport that I love, but the AC has gone out on it. I work 3p-11p shift in the Operating Room at my hospital and driving there in the afternoon with no air conditioner in 90+ weather can be quite maddening. It’s kind of gross to get to work and be all sweaty!

This website BMW AC compressor has all kinds of auto ac parts including air conditioner compressors at reasonable prices.

So, if you’re in need of an ac compressor, check them out. Oh, and they also come with a full warranty and free shipping…can’t beat that!

Reason I Haven't Been Posting Regularly

noreply@blogger.com (Carrie) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 12:58:00 +0000

I know I haven't been around in a while.....still lot's of personal stuff going on....very stressful.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but my husband has degenerative disk disease. Last December, one of the disks pretty much collapsed causing intense pain for him, and therefore he has been unable to work for almost a year. We have been seeing a spine specialist, who happens to operate in my facility. So, my husband has had 4 different kinds of blocks, with no relief...has been doing some physical therapy, with no relief....pain medication helps a little.

Next week, he will have what's called a discogram. Dye will be injected into the collapsed disk and the 2 above it that are already "bulging"....this test will determine where his pain is coming from and will determine if he is an appropriate candidate for back surgery.

Anyway, hopefully we will have some direction after this test. If, after the test, it is determined he is not a candidate for surgery, I'm not sure what the next step is.....say a prayer for us.

Emergency Lighting

noreply@blogger.com (Carrie) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 12:53:00 +0000

Being in the bowels of the hospital, away from all windows to the outside, it sure can get very dark if we happen to experience a power outage. Granted, we do have emergency lighting, but it is not very much.

The flashlights at Surefire would sure come in handy in such an emergency. They have all types and sizes of flashlights. I particularly like the looks of the ones that fit in your hand….very convenient. I think I would like this even for home use, or on campouts.

So, if you have a need for flashlights or any other kind of police gear, be sure to check out Surefire .

HTFU

noreply@blogger.com (Carrie) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 17:44:00 +0000

Funny, but true story that happened one evening in a surgery......................

Preface: we have an anesthesiologist at our facility. Dr. C. is our resident "muscle man"...he is a professional body builder..he's also a little arrogant, cocky, and curses like a sailor. I, on the other hand am meek, mild and rarely if ever, curse. I also am very modest and blush when embarrassed. That said, on with the story....

Scenario:
People in Operating room: patient (who thankfully was already "asleep" and unaware of situation, me, surgeon, scrub tech, retractor (person who holds body parts out of way so surgeon can work, Dr. C., anesthesia student, 3 nursing students, 2 xray staff, another scrub tech who came to help, and a nurse anesthestist who came to help Dr. C., so at least 13 staff in this room.

Situation: a very sick patient with a bad bowel, was being intubated. Due to her condition, it was feared that she may have aspirated upon intubation...meaning fluid went into her lungs which is a bad thing. Dr. C. was supervising the intubation and ordered a "flexible bronchoscope" so he could "look" into her lungs by going down her windpipe.

We don't have one of these in our area, so he barked at me to "call cardio pulmonary and tell them to bring us a flexible bronchoscope"... I called our front desk 'cause I didn't have the number and she called the other department.

Funny part of story: A few minutes later, she transferred a staff member from cardio-pulmonary to our room...she asked exactly what we wanted....I called across the room to Dr. C and relayed the question.....he asked who it was, I told him her name, and he said "Tell her we need a flexible bronchoscope and HTFU".

I being the compliant nurse that I am, repeated this exactly. As I said the HTFU, people started laughing and I looked up and Dr. C. started laughing and I realized what I had said. In case you haven't figured it out by now, HTFU stands for "Hurry The F*** UP". As I figured it out, the girl was still on the line and I profusely apologized. I naively thought that it was the name of a machine or something. The whole room was laughing hysterically!

This story has now circulated around our OR....now, anybody that was in that room and even others who have heard the story, will frequently mention to me, something about HTFU!

Footnote: the patient was fine and the surgery proceeded and was successful

Blood, Blood and More Blood

noreply@blogger.com (Carrie) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:04:00 +0000

I guess maybe this should have been a Halloween Post! But, here goes.....
Disclaimer: If you have read any of this blog, you know that sometimes the things I talk about are rather graphic and sometimes gross...so, that being said....read on!

Sometimes, when I am Circulating as a Nurse on a case, I feel like I am in a bad horror flick like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or something!

For example, some surgeons perform a procedure called a "Whipple". This is where several organs are removed from a person during the same surgery. It is usually performed in cases of cancer that has spread throughout the body and they are trying to halt it, or at least give the person more time to live.

The patient is cut from bottom of chest cavity down to top of pubic area and one by one, organs that can be lived without are removed: gallbladder, uterus, ovaries, appendix, parts of intestine and stomach, sometimes a kidney or lung. Each of these "specimens" is placed in a container and sent to the laboratory for testing. So at the end of the case, there may be 4, 5, 6 or more containers, each with a body part in them.

But, in the end, the patient is sewn up and sent to recovery hopefully to live longer.

Hopefully, I haven't grossed you out too bad!!

Weight Loss Surgery

noreply@blogger.com (Carrie) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:40:00 +0000

At my hospital, we do not perform weight loss surgery such as lap band or bariatric surgery, but there are some hospitals in the area that do.

I have considered weight loss surgery, even though I guess I'm not that overweight, maybe 60 lbs, but a quick fix sounds inviting at times.

Check out weight loss surgery . They have all sorts of information on weight loss surgery.

Politics in the Workplace

noreply@blogger.com (Carrie) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 22:08:00 +0000

I've always heard the old saying about not discussing at family gatherings the topics of Religion or Politics because there will always be differences. Well, they should include the "Workplace" among the places.

Let me give you an example of my workplace. I work in a "closed department" which basically means no one is allowed in the area except Operating Room staff and the patients who we transport to our area for surgery. Our staff, including surgeons, is predominantly Caucasion, with maybe 25% African American and a few of Latino descent. Now as far as Democrat or Republican, it seems to be about 50/50, but most surgeons seem to be primarily Republican.

With all that said, most people who work in the OR are, shall we say, "outspoken" and will voice their opinion on everything and argue, usually in a professional way, if you think differently than they do. This is not usually a problem, unless this discussion takes place during a surgery, where you are not able to just "walk away". For example, a particular surgeon was coming to a close on the surgery, and all of a sudden, the surgeon starts blasting Obama and saying all kinds about his policies and turns to his scrub tech and says, "don't you think so?"....you guessed it....this particular scrub tech just happens to be an Obama supporter.

Being an Obama supporter is not the problem...the problem is that she has stated in the past that the only reason that she is voting for him is because he is supposedly African American. If she had other valid, rational reasons about how his policies will help America and such, it would be different for her, but she doesn't. Now, she just smirks under her surgical mask and wisely says, "No comment" and usually the conversation is directed elsewhere.

Maybe that's what we should all say when asked in a confrontational way about Religion or Politics....just politely say, "No comment." and leave it at that.

My Personal Surgery Experiences

noreply@blogger.com (Carrie) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:03:00 +0000

Lest anyone think I do not understand how a patient feels having surgery, I thought I would share my personal surgery experiences.

I've had 2 surgeries. When I was 22 years old, I was the passenger in a 2 car accident. I broke my right ankle (I think I must have been trying to put the brakes on!) and 5 ribs. I had surgery the next day on my broken ankle. They put a screw in my ankle to put it back together (I still have it 22 years later!) and I was in a cast for 6 weeks and miserable between that and the excruciating pain of the broken ribs. I really don't remember anything about this surgery because I was on so much pain medicine.

My second surgery was a cesearean section (aka C-section). I was 26 and was in labor. I was fully dilated and had pushed for 3 hours and was exhausted, but my precious dd would not come down, then she started getting in "distress" and the doctor decided I needed an emergency C-section in order to save her. Approximately 30 minutes later, she was out! I was awake during the procedure, but had an epidural. I was awake but had the medicine that gives you that "I don't care what you do to me" attitude! My husband watched from my head and my sister-in-law filmed it so we do have it recorded.....thank goodness she was very discrete and didn't show too much of me! By the way, my beautiful daughter was just fine and is now a thriving 17-year-old about to graduate from high school!

Anyway, those are my experiences from the perspective of a patient. I was scared in both and really don't ever want to have surgery again, but if it is required, I guess I'll have to. But these experiences have helped me in relating to our patients that I meet right before they are to have surgery.

Drug and Alcohol Addiction

noreply@blogger.com (Carrie) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 17:24:00 +0000

You’d be surprised at the number of patients that come in for surgery who have a drug and/or alcohol addiction. We even had a lady that came in due to a miscarriage…she denied using any drugs, but the toxicology report they ran on her showed otherwise…when asked again, then she admitted it.

Too bad we don’t live in West Los Angeles or Malibu because then we could refer such patients to drug rehab centers . This place has a drug/alcohol rehab/treatment center that helps people overcome their addictions to aid in the achievement of lifetime dreams.

My First Award!

noreply@blogger.com (Carrie) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 14:06:00 +0000

It's been a little while, but Jen over at The Geek's Girl and Jacqueline at Mom to Three Sisters have both given me an "I Love Your Blog" award and I am very honored.
It took me so long because I couldn't figure out how to get the heart picture, but I finally figured out how to get it into my post! (I know it was simple, but I'm tired, o.k.?! lol!)

There's so many good blogs to nominate and so many already have "the award", it's hard to know who to put on the list. So, as someone else did on another blog, I nominate anyone who does not already have this award! (I hope that's not a copout!)

The rules are:
1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog.
2. Link the person you received the award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Put links of those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the blogs of the persons you've nominated.

Health Care Insurance

noreply@blogger.com (Carrie) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:21:00 +0000

With health care costs on the rise, unless you are in perfect health and never have to go to the emergency room, it is almost essential to carry health insurance. www.healthcareinsurance.me is a website where you can go to get quotes on health care and hospitalization insurance.

www.healthcareinsurance.me has an easy to navigate website. They have definitions of all types of health insurance: PPO, HMO, group health, short term, catastrophic, student health, supplemental insurance and traditional insurance.

You can type in your state at www.healthcareinsurance.me and will be instantly taken to a list of companies that offer health/hospitalization insurance in your area. They provide the link to these companies so you can contact them directly.

So if you’re in need of health care insurance, why not check out www.healthcareinsurance.me and see what they have to offer?

Orderly Week

noreply@blogger.com (Carrie) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 15:08:00 +0000

So, at our hospital we have Nurses' Week and Tech Week. Our management decided we needed to add "Orderly Week" to be celebrated in our Surgery Department.

Orderlies are the staff that get patients from other areas and bring them to our area for surgery. They also clean operating rooms after cases and anything else needed.

Our Orderly Week basically consisted of having food everyday (yum-yum!). On Monday, staff brought in the stuff for tacos, Tuesday it was hotdogs and fixins, Wednesday-management provided sandwiches, drinks, chips, dessert from our cafeteria, Thursday staff brought in stuff for red beans and rice meal, and Friday, everyone chipped in for Wal-Mart chicken and biscuits, green beans and mashed potatoes with gravy.

We eat very well in the OR!

Martin Sands

noreply@blogger.com (Carrie) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 14:26:00 +0000

Martin Sands has been in practice since 1976 and is the founder of Dermatology Associates P.C. Dr. Sands graduated from the University of Iowa’s School of Medicine. The practice has been serving the Waterloo/Cedar Falls and surrounding areas of Iowa since 1986.

The practice handles all things skin related. We have many patients that come into our surgery suite for removal of cysts. This is one of the many types of skin conditions Dr. Martin Sands treats. The practice also treats skin cancers, rashes, moles, acne, dermatitis, eczema and many more both surgically and non-surgically.

So if you live in the Waterloo/Cedar Falls area and have a skin condition, call the office of Martin Sands and make an appointment.

Work Blaahhhss!

noreply@blogger.com (Carrie) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 18:39:00 +0000

Somedays I just feel so blaahhh and wish desperately that I did not have to go to a "brick and mortar" place to work,.....instead I would much rather work at home.

Now, don't get me wrong or look down your nose at me in judgement. I realize that the work I do as an operating room nurse is very important and vital. I know that my function as a nurse is to make my patients priority and to help keep them safe during whatever procedure they are having.

But, still................I just have some days when I don't want to go to work! And this kind of work, along with all kinds of other careers, can be very stressful. We have to make sure our patients are safe, that the procedure goes smoothly, be a team player with everyone from surgeons to orderlies, and everyone in between. The most stressful time is if something goes awry and we start losing the patient....but that is another post!

Anyway, say a prayer for me as I am about to go to work for my 3p-11p shift.

Products for Troubled Skin

noreply@blogger.com (Carrie) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 18:22:00 +0000

It is obvious by looking at the skin of some of our patients that are having surgery that they have lived a hard life and/or have not taken care of their skin along the way.

Mineral Makeup products are skin care items that our patients, or anyone could benefit from. The website was founded by Dr. Gregory Nikolaidis so that people could have easy access online to the professional grade skin care products he recommends to his own patients.

So why not take a look at Mineral Makeup and see what you think?!

Suction D & C

noreply@blogger.com (Carrie) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 02:36:00 +0000

My hospital does not perform voluntary abortions on demand, which was one of my considerations when looking for a job, because I am Pro-Life and could not bear to be an accomplice in the killing of a baby.....my blog, my views, o.k?!

There is a procedure called a Suction Dilation and Currettage (Suction D&C) where a fetus that has died is removed. It is essentially an abortion of a baby that is already dead. The dead baby needs to be removed for the sake of the mom because leaving the contents inside could become toxic and dangerous for her.

The first time I was a witness to one of these was very traumatic for me. The baby was 12-14 weeks old and had died inside the woman. The couple wanted dna testing done on the baby to verify what sex the child was and to possibly determine the cause of death.

I won't go into all the gory details in this post, but just know that I saw obvious body parts and even had to carry a hand to the pathologist.

Needless to say, I was very traumatized by this procedure, and wondered and prayed as to how anyone could voluntarily have this procedure done to a viable, healthy baby. It's beyond me.....those contemplating abortion truly need to see one to understand what happens.