Thursday, 22 October 2009
Death in the Family
I have missed a few days posting due to a small amount of badness.
Thursday it all went wrong. Lights were not on, there was noone at home when she was found. No response to any stimulus. She was examined by experts and others were brought in to check her over, to make sure she had the best care available.
Despite this she deteriorated overnight and crashed first thing in the morning. We don't know why. The won't be an autopsy.
I refused to give up and managed to breathe some life in to the old girl. A bit of care and attention and it all seemed to come together.
Now I'm happy to report that, after several days of intensive care, my computer is fixed, but not all there mentally. It went away for a day or so, but thankfully most of my files remained thanks to a timely bit of backing up.
I'm back!
Thursday it all went wrong. Lights were not on, there was noone at home when she was found. No response to any stimulus. She was examined by experts and others were brought in to check her over, to make sure she had the best care available.
Despite this she deteriorated overnight and crashed first thing in the morning. We don't know why. The won't be an autopsy.
I refused to give up and managed to breathe some life in to the old girl. A bit of care and attention and it all seemed to come together.
Now I'm happy to report that, after several days of intensive care, my computer is fixed, but not all there mentally. It went away for a day or so, but thankfully most of my files remained thanks to a timely bit of backing up.
I'm back!
Wednesday, 14 October 2009
7 hours
Spent 7 hours in surgery on 2 ops. Only a bitch spay and a castrate, this shouldn't have taken very long at all. Maybe 3 hours at the absolute maximum.
Bitch spay was our first op at 9.30. Except she wasn't ready until 10.30 despite there being a plan and all sorts of things meant to be happening afterwards. No problems though, we got around to it and just took our time. She was a rather large Rottie so not great surgical conditions.
After that cue 3 hours of waiting around for the next op. Or not, as they decided at the last minute not to do it. And then another 2 hour wait for the next dog to be ready.
In my limited experiences from EMS these things shouldn't take this long. Maybe I'll appreciate it more when I'm on anaesthesia, but it was just annoying! I can do a dog castrate in under 30 minutes from the induction time, but the waiting around was just dull.
Oh and I don't like being watched, so having a group of 10 or so fourth years watching was not great. Run away!
On the plus side there are only a couple more days of ICU to go. Then microbiology. I doubt there will be very many late nights there. Plus I have a degree in that, so shouldn't be too taxing. Wonder if I can get an exemption...
Bitch spay was our first op at 9.30. Except she wasn't ready until 10.30 despite there being a plan and all sorts of things meant to be happening afterwards. No problems though, we got around to it and just took our time. She was a rather large Rottie so not great surgical conditions.
After that cue 3 hours of waiting around for the next op. Or not, as they decided at the last minute not to do it. And then another 2 hour wait for the next dog to be ready.
In my limited experiences from EMS these things shouldn't take this long. Maybe I'll appreciate it more when I'm on anaesthesia, but it was just annoying! I can do a dog castrate in under 30 minutes from the induction time, but the waiting around was just dull.
Oh and I don't like being watched, so having a group of 10 or so fourth years watching was not great. Run away!
On the plus side there are only a couple more days of ICU to go. Then microbiology. I doubt there will be very many late nights there. Plus I have a degree in that, so shouldn't be too taxing. Wonder if I can get an exemption...
Thursday, 8 October 2009
ICU part 2
*Names changed to protect the guilty*
Sooooo....Our one night when SpanielDog is off constant monitoring because he has no chest drains...
First a paracetamol toxicity dog. Not too bad. Fairly simple. Quite pissed off as back to constant monitoring. Just need one night off!!
Become happy that dog is not on constant monitoring. May get to sleep after all.
Some shitty little Yorkie with porto-systemic shunt (4yo!) decided to have a fit at 6pm. Resident puts it in ICU for seizure watch. Not impressed. Back to constant monitoring. I get the 1-4.30am shift.
Dog walking takes from 2030-2200. Ortho decide to take a case to surgery (after ordering/eating pizza for themselves) and takes the nurse and Laura away. Just me and Jane walking.
I'm having to do the midnight walks/meds with Rachel. This will not take long. I will then stay up for my constant monitoring shift and cover Laura's if she is a) too tired or b) still in surgery.
Grand total sleep - from midday til 1400. And maybe 0430-0600 if I'm lucky. I may become homicidal if the weekend is like this, except then I'd have to do all the work!
Sooooo....Our one night when SpanielDog is off constant monitoring because he has no chest drains...
First a paracetamol toxicity dog. Not too bad. Fairly simple. Quite pissed off as back to constant monitoring. Just need one night off!!
Become happy that dog is not on constant monitoring. May get to sleep after all.
Some shitty little Yorkie with porto-systemic shunt (4yo!) decided to have a fit at 6pm. Resident puts it in ICU for seizure watch. Not impressed. Back to constant monitoring. I get the 1-4.30am shift.
Dog walking takes from 2030-2200. Ortho decide to take a case to surgery (after ordering/eating pizza for themselves) and takes the nurse and Laura away. Just me and Jane walking.
I'm having to do the midnight walks/meds with Rachel. This will not take long. I will then stay up for my constant monitoring shift and cover Laura's if she is a) too tired or b) still in surgery.
Grand total sleep - from midday til 1400. And maybe 0430-0600 if I'm lucky. I may become homicidal if the weekend is like this, except then I'd have to do all the work!
Tuesday, 6 October 2009
ICU Part 1
Not too sure if I'll have to update this as much as I'd like, but I'll try.
At the moment I'm covering the small animal ICU here at uni. This involves two separate weeks of night and day work. Currently I'm on the night shift which involves working from 4pm until 10am the next day. It's quite a long shift! Especially the tutorial at the end.
It is said that a difficult ICU week can turn even the most reasonable of people into a homicidal crazy person at the best of times, and I can see why! Most of out time is spent sitting about watching animals all night, or walking everything in the hospital at least 4 times. It does not require a lot of mental power, but it gets tiring.
Tonight I'm on the 0430 constant monitoring shift. And I have to do rounds at midnight. So maybe 4 hours sleep if I'm very lucky and the damn pager doesn't go off. Ah well.
At the moment I'm covering the small animal ICU here at uni. This involves two separate weeks of night and day work. Currently I'm on the night shift which involves working from 4pm until 10am the next day. It's quite a long shift! Especially the tutorial at the end.
It is said that a difficult ICU week can turn even the most reasonable of people into a homicidal crazy person at the best of times, and I can see why! Most of out time is spent sitting about watching animals all night, or walking everything in the hospital at least 4 times. It does not require a lot of mental power, but it gets tiring.
Tonight I'm on the 0430 constant monitoring shift. And I have to do rounds at midnight. So maybe 4 hours sleep if I'm very lucky and the damn pager doesn't go off. Ah well.
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