6 Traveling Days....

      Wow! This last week has been so busy, I wasn't sure if we were leaving or going somewhere all at the same time. The week started out with us traveling to Nashville, TN to visit with family and friends. Sadly, the main reason we traveled to TN we did not get to accomplish. We were not able to connect with Mike's wife after his passing. We had got the bad news on Friday and they are good friends of my husbands, so we were going to connect with him prior to his passing. Unfortunately God called Mike home so he is now at rest. We had everything all set to go when we got the call that he went to Heaven. So we were then hoping to connect with his lovely wife, but she had already went to Indiana where she has a great support system, to help her with the loss of her husband.  We decided to travel to TN anyways, since the Hotel was booked and it would be great to get out of town for a couple of days. We headed out on Tuesday for the wonderful town of Nashville! We arrived late, and went to visit family when we got there for a couple of hours then headed out to see Bill's nephew (Sean), who is one of the managers at J Alexanders in Nashville. We had a great time visiting with him there and at his home. We then left Sean and headed to the hotel to check in for the night now that it is after 11pm and we are ready for some comfy  beds and pleasant sleep.  Well, needless to say, the beds in the hotel, left a lot to be desired. Bill and I both woke up with bad backaches the next morning. We had some Motrin on hand, so with that we headed out for the day. It was a lovely 60 degrees in Nashville, warmer then being in Chicago. We headed out to get some breakfast. We traveled to the Loveless Cafe, a place that is famous in Nashville not only for the Biscuits but also for running into stars that stop in to eat. The biscuits were absolutely wonderful, they were light and fluffy and the homemade jam was great. We brought some Blackberry jam home with us. Sadly, after eating such a large breakfast the stomach decided that we had consumed too much food and the waves of nausea came a flooding over me. The wonderful hubby did offer to take me to the hotel to lay down, and rest til I felt better. Naw, I am fine, just need to find some medication and I will be ok. I did not want to interrupt his day of visiting friends he was so looking forward to seeing that afternoon.  I started looking for the medication to help and of course I could not find anything that would help. I started to search the car for a script or anything, a lost pill or something, anything! I am in Nashville and I don't want to feel like this here and now! Well, I was blessed, I found a script hidden in the console of the car, and we headed to Wal-Greens to get the medication. Okay, well the first one we ventured into, their computers are down and they are not able to help. We then got the directions to the next Walgreens and headed there. Thank God they are all over in Nashville as they are here in Chicago. We got there and they are able to fill the script. Yes!!! We are in luck, I will feel better soon!!!! Except, we have to wait and hour for the medication to be filled. Grr an hour, really....I need something now! I am not feeling good at all and want to toss my cookies, and you tell me to wait an hour! No, fill it now! So we ended up waiting an hour for the medication. We wondered around the store aimlessly waiting patiently. When we finally got my medication, and a Coke to wash it down with, it was time to wait for the medication to kick in, meanwhile we are on the road to see the next friend! About 10 to 15 minutes I was feeling so much better! Thank God, the waves of nausea were now at bay, and if they returned I was armed and ready to do battle!
The rest of the afternoon was spent with us visiting friends of Bill's that he wanted to catch up with, since he left Nashville 10 years ago. He has talked with them over the years but it was nice for him to sit down and really talk to them about his friends passing and how life was going for him and his dear friends in Nashville. After visiting with his friends we headed out to get something to eat, since it had been 6 hours or so since breakfast and we were starving. We headed down the road to an old favorite in Nashville, we were heading to Chick-Fil- A! After eating we headed out on the rest of our journey, next on the agenda was visiting with family. We got to see everyone that night except Bill's nephew that we saw the night prior! We had a great time visiting, taking pictures, filming short videos and laughing, enjoying true family time! After several hours we headed back to the hotel for the night, watched some TV and fell asleep on the uncomfortable bed! When we got up it was Thanksgiving, a time for family, football and lots of wonderful food including pumpkin pie! We checked out of the hotel, stopped for some breakfast then headed back to the see the family for a couple of short hours before heading back to the windy city!
          After that long trip home, we only stayed here for less then 12 hours before heading out again! We left on our next adventure when Bill arrived home form work on Friday. We were now on the road again to Michigan to visit with my dad and see one of my truest friends ever! Saturday morning we were up and out of the house headed to Bringer Inn. It is a favorite place to eat when we go to see my dad. It has the best food and it is cheap! My husband got a 3 egg omelet that he was not able to finish! Yes, it was really that big, and he put a big dent in it, but he was stuffed.  After breakfast we headed back to my dads and visited for a little bit before heading out to get some fresh ground burger meat at the butcher shop.Well, before we could get to Frankenmuth, we were traveling along the highway when something fell off the trailer in front of us and hit my car! Then the driver had the nerve to speed up to prevent me from getting the plates off the trailer and off of his big red truck. We got the info and then reported it at the state police in Michigan. We then went off to the butcher shop to get some fresh burger meat. Sadly, they had closed 45 minutes prior to our arrival. So we went on with our day. We were then off  to Sears to look at Washers and Dryers for my dad. Of course he decides that the ones he has is fine and that he doesn't need one now or in the near future. My friend joined us at the mall and then we headed to Denny's and had some pie since it was going on 4pm already. After visiting for a bit over pie and cheesecake we were on the road to Bronner's the Christmas Wonderland. It is located at 25 Christmas lane in Frankenmuth MI! It is the largest Christmas store ever built! It is a place that everyone must see before they die. It is filled to the brim with all the Christmas stuff you could ever think of or imagine. They have ornaments from every country in the world, light inside and out that will just WOW you! When you walk through Bronner's you have to look everywhere, on the shelf, up high, all around you, or you will miss a lot of the store. My husband swears that you need to visit at least two times or more before you really see it all. I have been going to Bronner's since I was little and they have expanded several times in the late 90's and early 2000's. It is truly amazing, they do have an online store, but it has no where near what you will find in the actual store. After 3 hours of shopping in the Christmas Wonderland, we went home and relaxed for a bit. Then Sunday morning we slept in then got up and head back to Bringer Inn for something to eat. After brunch we headed back to Frankenmuth Mi to see the rest of the town.   After shopping for a short time we headed back to pack the car and say our good-byes to head back to the windy city. It was a wild 6 days, but it was a ton of fun to be able to see everyone and visit with all the family! Now off to work on Monday!

Depressed Elderly?!

I work with the elderly almost on a daily basis, and when you work with people all the time you tend to notice things, and it does help that I am a nurse. I have seen depression in the elderly population and the little to help them. I can tell you if you are in your 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's and even early 60's and you live at home that you will be probally treated differently for depression then if you were living in a nursing home in your 60's, 70's or older. In the general population you call the MD and make the appointment to talk to the doctor about what is going on, the signs and symptoms. Then if they feel you are displaying signs of depression they will refer you out to see a therapist. So that  you may explore the feelings, the root of the issues that may take years to find or months to surface but you are there and want to feel better so you take the risk and develop that therapist / patient relationship that becomes so vital to your well being. This relationship is one that you know in a moment of crisis you can pick up the phone and the one that you talk to will know you, what is going on inside you because you have shared the past and the emotions that goes with all the pain and hardship with them already. So when you are in a moment of need, real need that goes beyond your husband, wife, girlfriends, and all other family members you reach out to them for a word of direction, you know they are there no matter what and will not laugh at you, tell you that you are crazy, rather listen and get you through the moment, hour, or minutes what ever the case may be at the time to bring you back to the place where you are able to function again  in your life, then they will see you in the office usually that day or the following day depending on the time that your crisis occurs. Then you build that relationship til you have the skills to function and live as your need to without feeling as if life is always in the toilet, knowing in the back of your mind that if you need to see the therapist again in the future they are there a phone call away. But what happens if you are sad and in a nursing home, if depression sneeks up on you there now what do you do? Do you dare talk to the nurse? Do you want to have the staff think your crazy, what will your family say? Will they tell your family? Will they be disappointed? After all they are an adult, and they should know how to handle things being they are now old right and have lived all their life and now they are depressed? What do they have to be depressed for they have people all around them all the time, they have relaxation to the max.  Why would the elderly be depressed or have symptoms of depression?  Yet the elderly is a population that depression is rapid in and often can lead to suicide. I cannot say that I have ever heard of a elderly person committing suicide in a nursing home, but the elderly living on their own it has and does happen. The staff in the nursing home start to notice things about the resident and tip them off to the possibility of depression. They then have to call the doctor and get a referral for the resident to see the Psychiatrist. Now, before they resident can run off and talk to the Psychiatrist the family has to be notified and they have to agree to their family member seeing the new doctor (psychiatrist). If their family mainly their power of attorney say no there is nothing that the staff can do other then monitor them, talk to social services and see what they can do on their end. Unless the resident makes threats to harm themselves or others, but you then have to take into account do they have dementia? Is this there dementia talking or is it an expression of their true feelings? The key here is the consistency of staff, knowing  your residents, paying attention to them as their nurse. Talking to them and building that Nurse - Patient relationship. This relationship is vital at this moment, because you are there to take care of them, and that is so much more then passing the medications, and doing dressing changes. This nurse - resident relationship in a nursing home is vital to them and vital to your care of the resident. The nurse in this situation is key, because if you are working and you don't have that vital relationship established, because you are only there to deal with medical issue, pass the medications then you are missing what nursing is all about, it is about taking care of the residents. Yes, that does include the whole person, physical, mental, and spiritual issues. You have to talk to them, get to know them so you can care for them they way that they deserve to be taken care of, you have to care about them in order to reach them and talk to the doctor about the mental health matter that is at hand. So after all the careful consideration you call the family and talk to them about their loved one and they agree that their family member is down, or not acting right and agree for them to see the Psychiatrist. In other cases they were just waiting for the nurse to say something, because they have noticed a change yet were unsure how to approach the subject matter with the nursing staff. So when you finally bring it up they are relieved that they will get the help for their loved one. They agree to them seeing the Psychiatrist to find out what is going on, so then we get the consent signed, and make the appointment. Now depending on the facility the resident may go out or the Psychiatrist may come in to the facility and talk with the resident in their room. After they are seen the Psychiatrist will make recommendations based on their findings when they spoke to the resident. They may recommend a new medication or two, then the Nurse will take the orders and process them, but before anything can be filled, we have to have permission again. The nursing staff will have to call the residents power of attorney and speak to them about what the doctor has recommended for their loved one. If they agree then we get the consent and start the new medication(s), and they sign the paperwork for the new medication(s) when they come in to visit their loved one. Simple right, well not always, sometimes the family refused the medications and then the nurses hands are tied, they can just talk to the resident and their family and refer them to social services. Also if the family doesn't call often or visit often it can take a week or longer to get the consent verbally for the new medication(s). Meanwhile the resident is sad, anxious or what ever the case may be at the time, and the nursing staff cannot help other then talking to the resident or calling and having social services talk to the resident. One thing that is very different is the elderly in the nursing home usually do not have any form of talk therapy. So this is the nurses job to talk to them, help them deal with recent losses in their abilities, death of friends and residents that they are close with along with any other issues that they are experiencing. Again that Nurse - Resident relationship has to be there otherwise they are not going to open up to you as the nurse. The Psychiatrist will follow the resident and monitor the resident's progress, monitor their behaviors, are they getting better, has the nurse and staff seen an improvement in the residents behavior. They will monitor the medication(s) and make the necessary adjusts to the medication(s) as needed. Yet, if there is a change in dosage, frequency then the nurse is calling the power of attorney again to discuss the change and get the consent(s) signed for any changes that need to be made so the resident can enjoy life to the fullest even if they are living in a nursing home. It is a different world if you live in the nursing home and you are depressed, but their is help, if the nurse and staff take the time to know the resident and are not there just for the paycheck. Nursing in a Nursing home is different then any other setting we are more involved with our residents, because we have to be and should want to be for the care of the residents.

Sunday Afternoon

This afternoon my husband and I went to for a drive he told me it was to see some homes in Downers Grove. I was like ok, and he said you have got to see these homes. We got in the car and started out on our journey for the day. We arrived in downtown Downers Grove, on our way to the unique neighborhood. It is just a couple of blocks for the downtown section. We came into Denburn Woods, what an amazing place, it is in a wooded section, and one would never know it was just a hop, skip and a jump away from downtown. The homes were simply amazing. There were a couple of homes for sale. This neighborhood is a architectural dream. They are all different and very unique, it looks like some of the home home were just built while other may have been there since the 1930's. I am not too sure, but they are simply beautiful. I loved driving through the windy streets to look upon the homes. There is an stone home that is Tudor home, with a guest home out by the garage. It is one I would take in a heartbeat, of course it is not for sale, or at least not at this time. There is one English Tutor that is fabulous that may still be for sale. I loved this place, quiet and secluded in the woods, there by the downtown section, well hidden from the rest of the world.
After the wonderful drive through the homes we went to have dinner. We went to Del Rhea's Chicken Basket. The one that is featured on Diners Drive - ins & Dives with Guy Fieri. their Chicken is simply amazing, tender, juicy and has a wonderful flavor. The mashed potatoes are wonderful along with the best chicken gravy.

The Guilty Left Behind

Being a nurse that works with the elderly, I deal with dying a lot, not daily but often, it comes with the job. I end up watching my residents die and helping them in some sense move on to heaven. I am there to give the medications, keep them comfortable, when they are restless, talk to them, hold their hand, and let them know it is ok to let go and to move onto the other side. It all come with the job, yet there is an annoyance that come with all of this too.....that is dealing with some of the residents families! The ones that you haven't seen in years, the ones that never call or even bother with the resident, until the end is near. When you have to call the family to let them know that their dealy beloved is declining and dying, yet not telling them that they are dying all at the same time. As the days shorten and they move closer to death we call again to update the family that their beloved is approaching the end of their life. Then the fun begins.........they come in and now question every move and that you make, along with wanting to know why this is happening now, they were fine a week or so ago! Yet, did you call them a week ago? Have you been in to see them? Sadly, unless you are the residents power of attorney or on that list that says we can talk to you about the resident, we cant tell you a thing over the phone or in person with out permission. It is the law. Now with that said, when the families do come in, and some are a emotional wreck, while others I am not too sure of their status, other then they are there to watch them pass on. Until the guilty ones walk in, now they are the fun family members. They are the ones that cry at the moment and try to tell the nurse that their dying family member is not that bad, they will pull through this, that this is just temporary thing! Now they are here to visit, they wont leave the residents side other when aides and nurses need to tend to the resident. It is then that they will walk out of the room. Then promply return and sit in with the resident, this is the funny thing though, they are not talking to the patient that is dying, they are not telling stories to them, no stroking their hair, not holding their hand, NO! They are not there for the dying family member they are there because they are obilgiated. They are there to sit and talk among themselves about everything that is going on in the world other then the issue that is at hand. They are sitting in the room watching t.v and act as if it is the nursing job to wait upon them hand and foot! Now granted we bring in food, coffee and juice for them, but this is not a joyous time, they are dying! Yet, now they want to be all involved in there care, know everything that is happening, and yes they too expect us to know how long will this whole thing take? What? I don't have that answer, talk to God, I can judge a little, depending on what is going on but they all go when they are ready not when we think they are ready. They want to know why and we explain to them the dying process and answer all their questions, but asking me their care for the last 2 to 3 months is not going to change the fact that they stop eating, they stop participating in some activities. We cannot make them eat, drink or any other thing in the nursing home. It is all part of the dying process, they all go through the same steps, and if you are not here and do not call and check on them, we cannot force you to care for your family member that you left here for us. It is so sad to watch some o them go, but it is even sadder when the family is there and you can tell it is all out of obligation, and not out of love, care and concern for them. Then when your guilt sets in, we will help you grieve, but we are not there to take your guilty conscious away, that is now between you and the dying and God!

She's Still Dying?

One of my residents at the nursing home is in the very active process of dying. Her body is shutting down and she is unresponsive for the most part, yet will moan in pain when we reposition her. She is on hospice and medications are given around the clock for agitation and pain. Yes, they indeed get agitated when they are dying, jerky movement and restless at times. The medication does help them relax. The pain medication helps with their breathing along with any pain that they may be having during this time period. She is comfortable as we can possible make her at this point in her life when she is waiting to go meet Jesus. She was often talking to him and calling out to Jesus before she went unconscious. Now she waits for Jesus to come and take her home. The hospice nurse come in and baths her and watches over her care and check her progress daily, since she is in the end stage now. They are wonderful and I am thankful for them. The hospice nurse and volunteers will sit with her for a time and talk to her, hold her hand, caress her when the staff is busy during the day tending to other residents needs. Then at night the nurses and aides tend to her, turning her every 2 hours, keeping her dry and comfortable during the shift. Talking to her, doing oral care, and brushing her hair during the shift. Her sister who also lives in the building will come up and sit with her for a little bit then return to her room on the other floor, on another wing in the large facility where they are residing. Her sister will visit daily, and will stop prior to dinner then retire to her own space at the end of the night. It is interesting though that the niece who is so concerned about her care when she was active has not been in to really see her. Rather, call and check on her vitals....what is her BP, is she close to going? If so I will come in to be there? What is up with that? Why not seee her now? Talk to her, comfort her! Tell her storied, bear your soul, tell her of your love for her and that it is ok to go to Jesus! Oddly a lot of people have to be told it is ok to go to Jesus, they will hang on until they receive permission from the right soul, or they are waiting for someone to come to see them before they go up to meet Jesus. So yes, she is still activily dying and I know it has been a week, but God takes them in his timing and not in ours. Also we all go slightly different. We all die essentially the same way with the body shutting down, but how long and when we go is up to God, our will to hang on and when it is our turn and we are ready we will leave peacefully and go to Jesus, not before that time!

Nutrition Meeting

This am I headed to the gym for the first nutritional meeting. Well, being a Nurse I do know some of the concepts of nutrition since i have to teach them to my patients. Now I don't have anywhere the knowledge of a Nutritionist or a Dietitian. But I was blown away by the meeting. She told me I am not eating nearly enough that we need to eat every 4 hours to keep the metabolism and the body functioning. I was like I am not even hungry that often let alone eat all that she wants me to in a setting. Then she told me that I am boarder line starving myself, and I am like have you seen me I am not underweight ok? I may not be obese but I am not starving! I am lacking a lot of protien in the diet and you are to eat a lot of protien during the day to keep you full? What I thought that is what the Fiber was for, fiber keeps you fuller longer, so protein does the same thing? Well, she gave me a eating plan with some reccommendation like Kashi, that tastes like dirt, or at least the one that I tried did! I am not eating twigs and pebbles, No I won't, It is nasty! Then on top of it all the 100 calorie groanola bars that I just bout a hugh box of a week ago are not good for me? They are granola, oh wait they have chocolate on them, but that is bad? I need to have Chocolate in my diet it is a MUST!!!! Rather I am to eat some Luna bars, Kashi bars (the twigs again!!!) and a few others, I mean seriously why does the healthy stuff have to taste so bad! It should be eatible and not taste like dirt or rocks. Also how many almonds and string cheese can one person eat? With all that string cheese that she has me eating with the almonds, I am sure to be bound up for a while even with the IBS!!! Wait that may be a good thing, oh no then the severe constipation that comes with it and the sharp pains, naw give me the diarrhea and lets just run & get it over with already! Hmmm so now we venture into this new eating plan on Wednesday, along with seeing the IBS MD, we will see what he has to say about all this mess, my luck he will agree and then I am doomed! I am sure that it will be an adventure of new eating patterns. I want my brownies and Chocolate Chip Cookies too, can't we compromise? Seriously?!!!!!!

The Kingdom.

Last Sunday the sermon at Church was about the Kingdom of God. It was a great service with the Bible references and how it all comes together. yet I still wonder what is the exact definitation of the Kingdom of God. Is it complex or am I lokking too deeply into what I heard and now wondering what is the correct answer. I have some notes from service but seem to misplaced them in a day..LOL that is because my heart and mind have been elsewhere lately. Now that I am trying to focus on the Godly things I somehow became lost in though in the service and missed alot of the key points that the Pastor was trying to tell the congeration. Is the definitation of the Lord's Kingdom influenced by the religion that one follows, and those beliefs that we hold so dear to our hearts? Is it the same for Baptist as it is for the Catholics or any other religion that is out there that believes in God? OR is it all based on the personal relationship that we are to have with the Savior who knows us better then we know ourselves?