Things I Never Thought About

It seems there are a few things I never thought about having to do for patients (excuse me, we call them clients now) when I decided I wanted to be a nurse. Some things have come to light in the last week or so that have given me pause. Oh, I knew all about the bloody dressings to be changed and cleaning up poop and vomit. I am very kind and non-judgemental regarding lifestyles and such, and gosh darn it, people like me. So I was sure I could handle the nurturing part of it. I did not think, however, about having to insert a catheter into an old man's weiner, (oops! I mean penis), and I certainly never realized that sometimes people get so constipated that the poop (I mean feces) becomes a large, hard ball that has to be dug out with a gloved finger! (Guess whose?) Can't wait for the clinical on THAT!

Why do they have to have such long and complex names for things? Example: Purulent exudate. For heaven's sake, would the world come to an end if we just called it pus?

Just like I said in my last post, all storms of a tropical nature will hit my house eventually. Ivan missed me the first time, then swung around and came back, after realizing his mistake. We've had wind and rain all week from his remnants. Now Jeanne, after a week of trying to turn north, has seen fit to come toward, you guessed it, MY HOUSE! I plan to stop by the Home Depot later and see if there is anyone new in the plywood line. Also, I will top off the gas tank before the police tell me I can't.