Just let you know..

[bbhero]

I just wanted you guys to know if anyone needed help with some health type questions... You are more than welcome to contact me. I may not have all the answers at all times... But in many situations I can actually be of help.

I realized reading another thread the avg age of people on here... And guess what?? I take care of people who are you all parents age... So.. I can be of good help for many on here... I work at a very high end retirement community... Ages run from mid 60s to over 105 yrs old... In fact we had a lady who made it to 112 !!

I can help you guys out if you have concerns or questions.. guys... I have a tough yet wonderful job.. I greatly enjoy taking care of older people. They are absolutely wonderful. At times I have to be the one to let a family member know that their mom or dad is close to passing on... That is never an easy circumstance. But I feel that it is my place to do so when no one else has the guts to do so.... Had this happen recently in fact... Took 20 minutes with a very nice lady letting her know her 96 yr father was close to passing away... It was not easy. But no one else really had that conversation with her... He passed away 30 hrs after our conversation. I'm grateful to have had that time with her.

So, I am in a position in which I could actually be of help to those here in a number of ways. I understand where many of you all are at... I hope you all have had a good day today.

 

[dave123]

Are you a Doctor?

 

[bbhero]

No. But I play one of tv

I am a RN.. strangely enough. Will say it is nice to work around a lot of ladies.

I just understand and know what it's like to have a lot going on with a family member. And sometimes it is good to have some help along the way... I do this a whole lot while not at work too.

 

[dave123]

Thank all I needed to know

 

[Al]

Originally Posted by bbhero
No. But I play one of tv

I am a RN.. strangely enough. Will say it is nice to work around a lot of ladies.

I just understand and know what it's like to have a lot going on with a family member. And sometimes it is good to have some help along the way... I do this a whole lot while not at work too.

My daughter is a Nurse Practitioner which is a RN with a Masters. But really the Masters really is only a key to hang out your shingle and prescribe drugs. What I am saying is in theory my daughter may be no more skillful than you, but she has the sheepskin. I will say she has been so right on in terms diagnosis when she gets the symptoms and gets the "Dr. Diagnosis" when she disagrees almost invariably she is proven right.

And a Nurse Practitioner, by virtue of training would be better than a Physician's assistant. So what I am saying is if you have been in the Business as a RN treating and understanding "old people's " diseases, your advice should not be ignored.

We had some on here giving diagnosis and have NOT even stayed at a Holiday Inn!!!

 

[bbhero]

Yeah I appreciate that...

And I know that diagnosis is certainly not within my scope of practice. Nor writing scripts for meds... No where near my scope of practice...

Also... Anyone makings diagnoses online is extremely unwise... Even if they have the right credentials... This really should be done in person at all times in my opinion.

My thinking is on the line of certain aspects of care and helping out with that. I do know my boundaries quite well...

There are just a LOT of times where Drs don't have the time or the where with all to have certain conversations with people. Also... The last person one typically sees in a hospital is... A RN.. Medication changes, proper dosing, when to take or not take certain medications, parameters for certain medications... Are explained by a staff member like myself... Other aspects of care are also covered by people like myself...

It has surprised me a good bit at times how often certain things are not discussed by other people.. Also... The people on the floor with the patients are the ones with more time with them... And I found the Drs respected me quite a bit... That was much appreciated.

 

[Garak]

I don't know how it is in the States, but in rural Saskatchewan, the RN effectively runs the hospital. The MDs show up for their daily appointments and come back for emergencies. Of course, what really happens is if the RN can't manage it, the doctor gets called in, who 99% of the time will ship the patient to Saskatoon or Regina anyhow. After all, in a small Saskatchewan hospital, what really is a doctor going to do for an emergency case that an RN won't? A few stitches maybe or stabilize someone for transport elsewhere.

 

[Nick1994]

Thank you for all you do bbhero, as I have mentioned to you in the past, when my grandma was in the hospital almost every RN we came across was incredible.

Maybe you can work on a cheat sheet of things you've found to work best for wounds, cuts, aches and pains, medicines to avoid, tips and tricks for the average senior, etc.

 

[bbhero]

^^^

Yeah true indeed... I can even pronounce people that have passed away... Strange in a way for me to do that at first... I never did that at the hospital. It was kind of new to me when I did this at the place I'm at.

And in a nutshell.... What you posted is a big big key to the overall puzzle.... People knowing when to transfer someone to a higher level of care or call in a specialist... It is a big part of the process in order to help people the most... And it can save a person's life.... I told a infectious disease doctor that had he been consulted on a patient I had at the hospital... That man would have lived just fine... He died on the operating table... For no good reason. I just being a RN.... I asked for wound cultures with gram stain, blood cultures, a infectious disease doctor consult, hospitalist consult.... No, no, no, no was the answer... That poor fella died on the operating table 4 days later... It was a BIG deal.... Such a big deal when I spoke with the hospital chief of physicians 3.5 yrs later about it... She said they were still working through that case.... A sentinel event has they are called... A big doggone deal in other words. That man died from being septic.... Which this RN typing this knew from the jump... Thus why I asked for tests to be performed....


I want all you guys reading this ^^^^^^^^

To understand this... When something does not make sense... You need to push the issue until it makes sense....

 

[joekingcorvette]

Thanks for your service my son is an RN! Keep up the good work!

 

[53' Stude]

Originally Posted by bbhero
^^^

Yeah true indeed... I can even pronounce people that have passed away... Strange in a way for me to do that at first... I never did that at the hospital. It was kind of new to me when I did this at the place I'm at.

And in a nutshell.... What you posted is a big big key to the overall puzzle.... People knowing when to transfer someone to a higher level of care or call in a specialist... It is a big part of the process in order to help people the most... And it can save a person's life.... I told a infectious disease doctor that had he been consulted on a patient I had at the hospital... That man would have lived just fine... He died on the operating table... For no good reason. I just being a RN.... I asked for wound cultures with gram stain, blood cultures, a infectious disease doctor consult, hospitalist consult.... No, no, no, no was the answer... That poor fella died on the operating table 4 days later... It was a BIG deal.... Such a big deal when I spoke with the hospital chief of physicians 3.5 yrs later about it... She said they were still working through that case.... A sentinel event has they are called... A big doggone deal in other words. That man died from being septic.... Which this RN typing this knew from the jump... Thus why I asked for tests to be performed....


I want all you guys reading this ^^^^^^^^

To understand this... When something does not make sense... You need to push the issue until it makes sense....


Thanks for all you do for people Bradley

Makes me feel better about donating platelets

Carry on Captain

 

[bbhero]

Originally Posted by Nick1994
Thank you for all you do bbhero, as I have mentioned to you in the past, when my grandma was in the hospital almost every RN we came across was incredible.

Maybe you can work on a cheat sheet of things you've found to work best for wounds, cuts, aches and pains, medicines to avoid, tips and tricks for the average senior, etc.



One of the best things to start with my friend..

Is with strong medications.. start low... And increase slowly... Metabolism is different with our older people... It is often slower... So be careful when getting or starting certain types of medications... And only use prn medications in that way... Pain medication, antipsychotics, muscle relaxers, anti anxiety medications, blood thinners... And others... Start low... And have latest renal and liver tests done and up to date...

 

[bbhero]

Thanks Captain

I ain't crud but I try...

 

[Mr Nice]

I take it you're an ICU nurse.

My brother and sister are nurses.... something I couldn't do even if I was offered crazy money.

 

[maxdustington]

Originally Posted by Al
My daughter is a Nurse Practitioner which is a RN with a Masters. But really the Masters really is only a key to hang out your shingle and prescribe drugs. What I am saying is in theory my daughter may be no more skillful than you, but she has the sheepskin. I will say she has been so right on in terms diagnosis when she gets the symptoms and gets the "Dr. Diagnosis" when she disagrees almost invariably she is proven right.
This guy is offering his skills free of charge to members of this board and you come in and post about how your daughter is superior "in theory" to him without knowing anything about him because of her degree that he may or not also have. Bravo.

 

[KneeGrinder]

Much respect to you sir!

I'm dealing with my own elderly mother, so I understand some of what your saying, and I appreciate you and others like yourself! I find it a difficult situation often. My mother will not go to a retirement, assisted living facility, a few months ago I finally got her back to the hospital when she was very ill. She had a urinary tract infection, and a blood infection, had a pic line placed for antibiotic, and we had to take her back to the hospital every day 45 minutes each way for a month. Doing better now, but still very difficult!


I was diagnosed w/stage 4 B Melanoma 6 months ago, bumped down to stage 3 B after surgery and sentinel lymph node biopsy, positive for melanoma. Now on Immunotherapy for 1 year, and its kicking my rear end, killing my immune system, and all my cells, new growth cells really bad! I have little energy. Now get to have another surgery on some growth thing in my throat, doc says its going to be really painful, great! Bright side, I will probably lose a couple more pounds...Thank you for doing what you do!

 

[bbhero]

Holy cow.... Bless your heart..

Yeah I have to say this... UTIs are no joke... Especially in our older people... This can led to sepsis which happened to a lady at my place of work... She was very, very I'll when I sent her to the hospital.. PICC line for iv antibiotics has well... And guys UTIs can be rather hard to identify in our older people. Lethargy, confusion, falling down easier than normal, obviously foul smelling urine are some signs of a problem. But with some people who have other conditions these symptoms can be very hard to identify from their normal behavior pattern. Hydration is a big part of this equation has well... Truth be told almost all of us don't actually drink enough water. But this is especially true for our older family members. Hydration and good personal care can help tremendously.

 

[Schmoe]

My wife is a kidney dialysis RN at a clinic in OKC and has to do home visits at times....the stories she tells me how some of her patients just don't give a blank about how they live or how they just won't try and help themselves will put chills in your spine.