4th Day

This is my fourth day in DLS as a trainee. It's not fun-filled dahil walang makukulit sa group. Lecture days until May 5. We already had exams yesterday on dosage calculations and a 100-item enumeration/fill-in-the-blanks exam on nursing procedures/skills (funda kung funda talaga!).

Just to review, here are some questions from the super enumeration-filled exam. I've provided the surest answers I got:

> complications of giving otic meds in its extreme condition=vertigo, dizziness ...

> things you should avoid in choosing intramuscular injection site=mole, birthmark, scar tissue,

> subcutaneous injection sites=lateral upper arms and thighs, fat pads on abdomen, upper hips

> reasons why you should rotate injection sites in giving insulin

> stock dose of potassium chloride = 40mL/20mL

> the best injection site for emaciated and elderly patients

> the best injection site for 7 months old and above = ventrogluteal

> the best position when instilling nasal meds

> indications for nasogastric tube insertion

> indications for indwelling catheter

> examples of meds for treating glaucoma = beta blockers and NSAIDS

> reasons for doing tracheostomy care

> reasons for doing suctioning

I find this one question so mind-boggling: give 6 reasons why you have to fill the urinary catheter balloon with 10mL of PNSS... I mean, why does it have to be 6 reasons? I can only give 2 sensible answers, 4 are just wild guess. In the book, there are only 2 reasons. Maybe I should ask Mr. JP about it. If only we're allowed to save the presentation in our personal USB's.

Hamburger Speaker

Presenting the mighty hamburger speaker! It's actually a dupe of the X-mini speakers. I got this generic because it's way cheaper than the X-mini (P1,600 vs. 600). I'll just use it for personal purposes like watching movies in my laptop, anyway. It has a quaint bass sound, pwede na rin. I had it replaced with a new one because the previous unit that I got was defective. Mabait naman yung pinagbilhan ko sa Virra Mall, pinalitan kahit walang receipt (note to self: always DEMAND a receipt!).

I'm currently downloading via torrenthound Twilight series and Coco before Chanel movie. I just finished downloading Empire Records after watching it from JackTV. Wala lang, trip ko lang kase yung soundtrack and ang cute ni Rene Zelweger and Liv Tyler in their mini-skirts sa movie. Hanap nga ko sa ukay-ukay ng skirt na ganun.

UPCAT

Ron and I went to UP Manila this afternoon to get the UPCAT form for my cousin who is in Isabela province, but to no avail. Sabi ng guard sa entrance in front of Robinson's Manila, sa May pa daw available. So tumawid na lang kami sa mall para mag-stroll. We sat and chat at a coffee shop and had vanilla frap and chocolate moist cake. So-so ang cake, pero the coffee was superb.

Then, we strolled around and hit the toys 'r us to look for Iron Man War Machine (ang bagong trip na i-collect ni Ron-ron). He wanted the 6-inch version pero wala pa rin stocks. Kahit sa greenhills at cubao wala nito. Saan kaya meron? Sa Quiapo? Divisoria? Addict kase si Ron sa mga action figures. Anyways, it's a good investment because a lot of guys out there are always looking around for these stuff and actually buying and collecting them.

My Digicam's Busted

My digicam's twisting lcd is acting up. The image that's supposed to be seen in the LCD suddenly switches to the viewfinder (the eyepiece) once I twist and press the lcd against the camera's body. It's hard to sort or view pictures from the viewfinder, I have to squint my eye kasi ang liit!

This problem started after my brother borrowed it. There are really some people na hindi kasundo ng mga gadgets. Ultimo digital watch nasisira sa kanya. Hahaha! Idaan na lang sa tawa. I can't afford to have it repaired because I've read that repairs are expensive. On the other hand, I'm thinking of having it checked at Canon Service Center in Chino Roces, Makati baka minor lang naman like there may be some loose connections lang that need tinkering.

Photo taken from letsgodigital.org

Good day!

After long weeks of waiting, here at last is the text message from Delos Santos-STI Medical Center:

Now I'm ready for it! I'll say good bye to Plants vs. Zombies once duty starts (sacrifice). I won't be late or absent until I'm a regular employee (hehe! joke!). I will be good (even if others are not).

I need to thank God for this long-awaited opportunity. At long last, after 2 years of being a jobless nurse, here it is. I know that He directed me to be a part of this hospital because He knows that it is the best one for me (after so many failures in SLMC --2nd priority in Global, and failed in the 2nd exam in QC).

Day Trip 2

The ancestral home is owned by the Monreal's, Ron's family friend.

Froy Monreal

Dr. & Mrs. Monreal

The nipa hut is their resthouse located at the back of their school.

Sarap magkwentuhan dito

Sarap din magbasa

At masarap din mag-siesta kase nakakaantok ang simoy ng hangin.

Umuwi na din kami ng Manila bandang 3pm. We stopped by Los Banos to buy some buko pie here in The Original Buko Pie. The smell of it makes my tummy go hungry even if I'm not.

Day Trip

Went to Pila, Laguna last Wednesday with Ron, Tita Len, and Ate Kay. I joined them without being able to do my morning rituals (as in di pako naligo and toothbrush--eew!) because they picked me so early in the morning and I slept very late due to Plants vs. Zombies.

There's no heavy traffic in SLEX and we reached Calamba by 6am.

We stopped by Burger King in Calamba for breakfast. I didn't like the bacon, too thin and bland. But I like their spam sandwich and onion rings.

We arrived in Pila at around 7a.m. This is the rest house of Ron's family friend at the back of their family owned Colegio Monterei de Pila. I love this nipa hut particularly this spot--chillax with a coke on a hot summer day!

Then we drove around and dropped by their ancestral home (soon to open to public).

To be continued..

Little Things that Make Me Happy

I thought it's so phallic. Haha. I need these pens in charting and kardex-ing in the hospital. I love the pink mech. pen (beside the syringe pen) because it writes like a ballpen and the pencil doesn't break at all. I bought the Heineken and the upper pens at Greenhills toy shops. The yellow faber castel the red eraser are from NBS.

These are fancy erasers in a lock-lock-like food keeper. I bought this in one of the toy shops in Virra Mall (Php59 only!).

Medicine Blue Book

Here at last is my latest find from the Book Sale:

So handy esp. when you need some infos while you're on duty

I got it for only Php75 (orginal price marked as Php247 at the NBS). Most of the authors are doctors from the PGH. There are lists of abbreviations, antibiotics, and what-have-you in the clinical setting. Straight to the point and the layout of info is just like what you find in a patient's chart like the doctor's order, diagnosis, disease, etiology, meds, labs, nursing care, etc. The meds given are specifically designed for Asians and the labs are listed according to importance. It's better than the 1-ton book that is fundamentals of nursing :)

Cubao

Ron and I went to Cubao at Noynoy-Roxas HQ to buy the yellow-bird ribbon car sticker for Ron's dad. Unfortunately, it's out of stock and the volunteer referred us to National Bookstore. Off we go to NBS but only found the plain yellow ribbon worth P65. Ron bought 5 pieces for His dad and business partners.

At the NBS, we headed to the top 3 floors to look for books on sale. We found books upon books piled up everywhere. I was tempted to buy some but scrimped on my few pesos in my wallet. Next time na lang pag may nursing job na ko (God willing, I'll start on April 19th at my beloved alma mater's hospital). I picked Butch Dalisay's Best of Barfly and Healing Cut which is about anecdotes of Filipino surgeons on their personal clinical experiences.

By the way, I will post my latest HG medical book at the Book Sale next time. It's so cheap (P75) and so handy and it's written by Filipino doctors :)

We were hungry by 4pm so we went straight to Farmer's Plaza. Sago't gulaman at the Goldilock's is not available. Tropical Hut is our next stop. Ang sarap ng macaroni salad, mais con yelo, at classic hamburger nila! The spring chicken lacks flavor, parang Max's lang na matabang na malutong ang balat.

Punta sana kami sa Ali Mall to hunt for the X-mini speakers for my mac kaso tinamad na kami. Next time na lang, sa Greenhills na lang baka mas cheaper pa.

Anywhere but Here

Ngayon ko lang ulit naramdaman ang burn out. First time 'to sa pagiging isang nurse ko. Not because of nursing care or toxic patients. This is due to some unavoidable elements. I wanted to be reassigned to other areas but this. I wanted to go back to the ICU or the Ward 4. Masaya kase at professional ang mga staff dun. They're task oriented and patient-centered.

The other day, I dropped by Ward 4. It was holy week so medyo benign ang floor. Naglalaro lang sila ng pinoy henyo and I was asked to join them. The word was "Erceflora," a medicine used to treat diarrhea for kids. Napaatras yung orderly na makulit kase ang hirap daw nung word. Ayon nahulaan ko. Hahaha!

I always try to drop by the ICU and Ward 4 before and after my duty at Ward 6. Nakaka-miss kase mga staff na nakaka-inspire sa 'kin to go on my duty as a newbie nurse. Never sila nagsungit, nagtaray, or nagparamdam na isa lang akong hamak na volunteer na wala pang masyadong alam sa nursing tasks. Pag may pera ako, I am planning to give them a treat. Pag madami akong pera, bibigyan ko sila ng mango bravo ng Conti's or icecream with cones. Basta wag lang pansit or spaghetti kase may curse ang mga 'to sa hospital, nagiging toxic daw ang situation.