Happy belated St. Patricks Day

Ok- I know St Patricks day was three days ago, but I hope you had a happy one! In celebration of old St Pat, I went with a group of friends (and their spouses) from work to Pasadena. People outside of Southern Cali don't often hear about Pasadena, but it's a really cool little town with TONS to do. I highly recommend taking a day to wander around "old Town." We chose to go dancing. There was a little bit of salsa, a little bit of hip hop and a whole lot of fun! For anyone who has ever seen the show "My wife and kids" (Laura, I think you're the only one who will appreciate this) the guy that plays the son "junior" was there. Just like they make fun of in the show, he does have a BIG head but isn't quite as goofy in real life.

Sheli and I have been having secret midnight rendevous since I've been here and I have come to enjoy them. Sheli is type I diabetic. Her pancreas doesn't produce any insulin, so her her body can't absorb the sugar she's eaten from her blood. Doctors discovered it when her little sister found her unconscious on the bathroom floor when she was six, with a blood sugar of >800 (normal is 70-100). She checks her blood sugar at least 6 times a day (before each meal, at bedtime, and before two snacks) she gives herself insulin at least as many times, plus an extra different insulin at bedtime. At least once a week around midnight I hear her stumble down the hallway into the kitchen to check her blood sugar because she feels like she's her blood sugar is dropping. Its amazing evidence of Gods perfect timing, because it seems on these nights I'll be having a hard time sleeping, or wake up easily. (Sometimes it's amazing she can even make it to the kitchen like the night her blood sugar was 18. Medically speaking, she should have been in a coma!!!! or the time I found her sitting on the kitchen floor because she didn't have energy to stand). Most nights are nothing that a little snack can't fix. So the two of us, (no need to wake anyone else up) sit in the living room, me on the couch and her sprawled out on the floor, eating nachos (what, its a carb and a protein) or milk and graham crackers, or carrots and juice, or sometimes even a breakfast burrito and talk until her blood sugar is normal (usually about a half hour). This midnight meeting has produced some of the most meaningful times for the two of us.... even if all we did last night was try to figure out all the lyrics to the new Gym Class Heroes song and then laugh when we tried to sing it.

Work has been crazy lately. The floor that I work on recently went from 24 beds to 42 beds. Anyone who has worked in a hospital knows that a bed increase of that size can be stressful. The combination of more patients, sicker patients, new inexperienced nurses, major personalities conflicts, and everyone wanting easy patients and no admissions can drive someone crazy. Not to mention that anytime a group of strong willed women work together, it can get ugly. And it has on more then one occasion! In the mix of it all, I'm thrown into a weird position. I'm not permanent staff, but most think of me as just that. So I find myself having to walk a narrow line. On one hand I am a "guest in their house" so to speak and need to graciously accept what is handed to me when I walk in the door. On the other, because most see me as experienced permanent staff that leaves every once in a while ( I oriented most of the new nurses when I was here last summer) I am often called on to figure out staffing, "make" someone take an admission or fix the assignment..... no one is ever a fan of that person when you're on the losing end of the assignment lottery. Thankfully, I get along well with most of the people I work with, and even though most don't throw a fit when they get a patient (although this past sunday was quite a different story!) I can tell that the tension and drama are wearng on me. My fuse seems to be much shorter then it usually is, and my understanding for co-workers who always say their assignment is "unfair" is in short supply.
I have several days off next week and am really looking forward to them because it is just what I need! Melanie and Jamie Sensnig are coming out for a long weekend to celebrate Jamies 30th birthday! It will a blast Im sure. Hopefully by then I'll have some picutres to post!

I'm off to shower and get redy to go out to dinner! My aunt is here from Tennessee so the whole family is going out; and I am not getting a salad!!!