Hair Detox, Day Six!

Hello again! I wasn't going to post, but there are some new developments that couldn't wait until Tuesday, which would've been the start of week two.

• Day Four I was feeling really under the weather with allergies and just felt really crappy. I almost had a weak moment where I just wanted to wash my hair with "normal" shampoo so my hair could feel clean, but I resisted!! I'm glad I did!
• Yesterday (Day Five) I was still feeling frustrated with the fact that my hair was frizzy, greasy and wasn't letting me brush it out all that great! So I read up on the suggestions for detox and read that adding baking soda to the wash can help with the oily feeling.
• Today (Day Six) I tried the Baking Soda, which was something I had never thought I'd do and I have to agree, it did cut out some of the greasy feeling. It made it a little easier to manage and brush and tie back. The one thing I did notice today which is making me stick to the detox even further was that when I went to clean out my hair brush, there was waxy gunk flaking off of the hair that was in my brush! I can actually see the crap that was in my hair!!! I WANT IT GONE!!! 

I am hoping that my detox doesn't take months since I start my job in a few weeks and actually need to look presentable (especially since I need to take a picture for my name badge) so I will press on with the baking soda and apple cider vinegar. When I'm feeling better I will take a picture of the progress so far.

Better late than never?

I was doing so well keeping up with my nursing school weeks! Then I missed a week and here we are a year later. So I thought I'd give an update of school and life. It's been an interesting roller coaster where somethings are worth remembering and some are not.

• I made it through all of my classes for 2nd semester! Health Alterations and Introduction to Clinical Care Management were completed in March and then I began Health Promotions and Clinical Care Across the Lifespan which concluded in May. Alterations was very interesting and I ended up doing quite well with a B! Remember that in every other program, that would've been an A! Gotta hate nursing grade scales! Alterations is a class that weeds out a lot of people from the program. I made it through. Yay! I also got through that lovely clinical. The one where the prof got so close to your face while grilling you and making you feel like an idiot that she spit on you. That clinical made me lose any and all confidence I had in my skills. It's been a work in progress getting it back. Promotions was all about OB/GYN, Peds and an introduction to Mental Health. Basically translated into BORING!!! Not my cup of tea. While the first half of the class I did quite well in, I struggled with the later but still managed to pull off a B- to pass the class. Thank God! In my Clinical I started out with the OB/GYN rotation at St. Mike's in Stevens Point. I was the one in my group who did not want to see a vaginal birth. I wanted to see a C-Section. Guess who was the only one who's laboring patient didn't kick her out of the room? Oh that's right! ME! I was able to bring another classmate in with me because this mom said "the more the merrier". It was on a cold April morning that I watched what some would call the miracle of life. I would call it disgusting. Seeing one vaginal birth is more than I ever would have wanted to and will be a very happy nurse if I would never see that ever again in my career.  On a side note, everyone else got to watch a C-Section while I got to look at a gooey crotch. Moving on....Clinical finished with a rotation at Children's Hospital in Marshfield.  It was a very interesting 7 day rotation.  My patients started with an 18 day old baby, then an 18 year old man. This was followed by a 13 year old boy who if I hadn't looked at his chart, would've thought he was 8. I was able to remove his NG tube which was the first one I did! Yay! The last two days ended with 2 and 3 year girls, and then an 8 year old Autistic Boy who screamed so loud I thought I was going deaf. I was never more grateful to be finished with the tiny humans. I have added OB/GYN and Peds to the "Not gonna be this type of nurse" list. I finished 2nd Semester and was eligible to take my Practical Nursing state Boards but decided not to waste the money. I had heard 2nd semester was the worst of the 4 and 3rd and 4th were smooth sailing. I heard wrong.
• I had made a really stupid decision as I entered my final summer break. That was to take online Mental Health and Community Concepts.  What in the world was I thinking!?!?! I remembered really quickly how much I truly despise online classes. It takes me forever to go through the lecture material and I hate having to motivate my self to do that. A few weeks in and I completely regretted my decision. I looked into withdrawing and then realized that a withdraw in the nursing program is the equivalent of a failed class. I then decided that I'd just stick with the class and find out all that it entails and then just retake it in the fall like I should've done in the first place. 
• Fall Semester! 3rd Semester! The semester that almost killed me! Not really, but now looking back at all of it, 3rd was my most difficult. If there was one I'd never have to go through again, it was 3rd.  I took once again Mental Health, in addition to Complex Health Alterations I and Advanced Skills. Skills was interesting where we learned how to transfuse blood, insert NG tubes, manage chest tubes, administer IV push medications, clean, flush & draw blood from all types of central lines and insert IV catheters. That was a lot of fun. Except the part where we got the opportunity to to try inserting IV's on each other. I opted to not sign that release form and didn't try because there is no way I was letting someone who's never done it before try an IV on me who's never had one before.  Skills came and went and I started my Intermediate Clinical on 7 North at St. Joseph's Hospital in Marshfield.  Going into that clinical was interesting because I was still nervous about screwing up constantly from my horrific experience in my 2nd semester clinical.  I actually ended up doing really well and ended up with 100% in my clinical experience portion!  I'm VERY proud of myself :D I also got to attempt 2 IV inserts, but no such luck on getting them to work. I got to do 2 observation days for that clinical, one in the PACU and one in Hyperbaric Chamber and following the wound nurse.  In PACU I watched an anesthesiologist place an Epidural. After the first two failed attempts he started in on the third and I started seeing spots. It was really nasty. I had to step out of the curtain. I hate needles and that was no exception! Taking Mental Health again was really boring because I really don't like that class at all. I did better than the first time, but I still didn't like it any more. I ended up getting an 89% on my final which was awesome!! Especially since if I didn't pass that class, I'd be kicked out of the program.  Then there was CHA I, that was a HORRIBLE experience. There was a new instructor basically read a script. The material was interesting but very disorganized and the exams were 30 or 40 questions long. So if it was a 30 question quiz, you could only get up to 6 wrong. Any more and it was a fail. With the 40 question exams, it was up to 8 wrong.  That's a lot of pressure.  I struggled and I ended up with an 85% on the final and passed. THANK GOD!!! 
• Which brings me to now and 4th Semester! Right now I'm in three classes: Complex Health Alterations II, Nursing Management and Professional Concepts and Advanced Clinical Practice.  CHA II is really interesting, is taught very well and I'm doing really well in it. Management is kinda really boring and I'm passing so far but it's not the easiest class and just hope I can get through the final.  Advanced clinical is great! Due to our class being larger than normal, and the current 3rd Semester being very small due to a lot of people failing classes in 2nd, the St. Mike's clinical group has been dropped and the 7 North clinical has been moved up to 4th semester! So I sent an email requesting to withdraw my clinical requests since I had put I didn't want to drive, so they had been 1)Riverview 2)St. Mikes 2nd Floor 3)St. Joe's 3 North (Cardiac).  I had asked to make 7 North my first choice and was granted my request!! I had LOVED 7 North during 3rd Semester and am equally loving it in 4th. In management we took a quiz to see if we are right or left brained, and I lean toward left brain or more organized. Makes sense, I hate chaos and love symmetry.  So I noticed that when I'd be assigned a nurse who was more scatter brained, I'd feel lost and behind, but those who were more structured, I would have a much easier day and then even have "bored" moments because every thing was done! Finals came early for me, as we finish all these classes before we are eligible to start our preceptor. I decided at attend Regina Angelorum's 20th Reunion the weekend before finals, and I even studied on the plane and at the airport! I'm very proud of myself. I'm very happy with my decision to take an impromptu weekend trip to Ohio. The day before I left I did SIMS, which was the worst one I've ever done.  I was grouped with two ladies who I really didn't know, so it was a challenge to figure out how to work together. In the end we didn't put in a second IV, hang blood or do a dressing change. However, I got a 93% on it. Not a bad grade but I felt lost the whole time. I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that SIMS was worth 5% of my final grade and at that point, I was like "I don't even care about this." Originally our exams were scheduled for me to take my Unit 7 Exam on Tuesday and the Final for both CHA II and Management on Wednesday. Well I doubly impressed myself and studied my butt off and took my Unit 7 exam after SIMS so I only had to take the finals after reunion.  I had originally planned on taking Management on Monday morning and CHA II on Wednesday morning. That changed when I got home from the airport on Sunday and fell asleep instead of finish studying.  I don't know what it is about eastern time, makes me jet lagged for days when I come back out of it! Anywho I ended up taking both exams on Wednesday, CHA II in the morning and Management in the afternoon. I felt so sick to my stomach taking the first one cuz I knew that doing poorly would mean I wouldn't graduate. The exam was comprehensive of 7 units, multiple choice and then short answer. After I finished I found one of my friends who said I looked pale. I felt like I was gonna puke! Then I took my management final. That was corrected right away and I PASSED!!!! That was a HUGE relief! I then went to log onto the computer to see if my CHA grade was posted and it was, and by the grace of God I rocked that final!!! I had just completed all my nursing courses! All that remained was preceptor and you pretty much pass unless you kill someone! Just kidding, but still.

I'll write about preceptor in a separate post but for now I'll sign off!

Hair Detox, Day Three!

So I am three days into my hair detox using the Radiantly You Tea Tree Shampoo Bar.

Side view, Day 3

You're only getting a side view cuz lucky me, I have a cold or it could be allergies? I don't know, but I do know I don't want any pictures of my red nose!  I washed my hair this morning and I just took it out of a pony, that's why it's crimpy. So here's my two cents about the last three days or should I say the first three days?:

• Day 1: So I used the shampoo bar in the morning and I agree with some of the other reviews that it does lather nicely.  I've read that some people scrub it in their hair and it helps the detox along. So I tried that as well as just making sure it got all of my long hair washed. My hair is relatively thin, so I'm hoping that my detox goes faster (fingers crossed!) What else did I notice? My hair felt very waxy, like the strands were all coated in wax.  I followed the wash with the Apple Cider Vinegar rinse as was recommended and I used cool water.  I noticed that there was no hair in the drain! That's a plus. I don't shed that bad, but there is usually some hair that falls out after washing. The next thing I noticed that when I went to wring my hair out, it really didn't want to do that. Water poured out, but not like when I used normal shampoo and conditioner. When I went to comb it out, I had very few tangles, so the vinegar worked in that aspect! Then I attempted to dry it with the blow dryer. That took a lot longer than normal! I was a little time crunched cuz I had to get to class so I left with a half dry head.  My hair felt kinda soft and that was day one!
• Day 2: Nothing was very different in the washing department. Combed nicely, drying was not so fun. I did notice on this day that it looked a little shinier! So then I left for class with my hair down. About half way through the day I noticed my hair was very frizzy. So I threw it up in a messy bun. I also noticed as evening approached, it started feeling a bit greasy. Ick. 
• Day 3: Today! When I went to comb it out, it was VERY tangled, even with the Apple Cider Vinegar.  I had more time today to try to blow dry it, but I gave up after 5 minutes (yea, I'm impatient!) My hair was VERY frizzy and felt weird. Still waxy like day one. I ended up throwing my hair on the top of my head. I also noticed that it felt and looked greasy. It was as if I hadn't washed it, like it was the next day after washing. I'm a wash my hair every day person so I felt kinda gross.  Luckily, this was my last day of class and now I have 2 weeks of nothing until I start my job. Part of me wants to just wash it with shampoo, but the other part was like "You just paid over $10 bucks for this shampoo bar and it's only day 3, don't be a pansy!!"

.So this means that I will press on, and just see where it goes from here. Those who are post-detox say it's worth it in the end and that you shouldn't give up. I must persevere! 

Hair Detox, Day Zero!

Now that I have nothing to really do for a month before I start my job, I decided to try out the Radiantly You hair detox using the Tea Tree Shampoo bar.  Now, I'm not one into organic, all-natural products, but I thought I have a time period where I don't really have to worry about my hair looking good, so I can go through the detox portion now! In the end, if I'm not happy with the results, I can always go back to my normal shampoo and conditioner routine.  Today I received my tea tree shampoo bar in the mail and that means tomorrow I'm going to start! Therefore, I call today "Day Zero" since this is the day before.

Note that I hate taking selfies. Anywho, I'll try to take selfies periodically throughout the process and see if I get to the end of the detox or I chicken out and go back to shampoo and conditioner!
I also bought the Dead Sea Mud Soap bar. I'm going to try that out and then perhaps give my 2 cents on it.

So here's a toast to my hair hopefully being awesome in the next few weeks!!

Midterms in February?

So this is midterms week! So exciting! NOT!!!!!! I hate comprehensive exams. They are waaaaay to broad. I have the most difficult time studying for them. There is just such a plethora of information that I don't know where to start and don't know how in depth to study it. Fortunately for our Midterm it's 75 questions and 50 of them will come from the two units we are just learning now: Hematology & Immunology/Malignancy.  The other 25 will come from the previous 4 units: Intra-Operative Care, Respiratory, Cardiac & Musculoskeletal. So I know what information to spend the majority of my study time on. As intense as this class is, it is a lot nicer having just a single lecture paired with a Clinical verses three classes and a clinical like I had last semester. So far I'm doing alright (fingers crossed).

• Clinical was quite interesting. On Tuesday I only had one patient and was prepared to receive a fresh surgical patient. Well unfortunately (or fortunately) I never got one. So I had plenty of time to do what I was doing, but got caught up and bored. The reason I didn't get a surgical was a) There was a lack of them and b) Two classmates were on the list first, one because her patient went up to CCU and she had none and another girls patient went home so she didn't have one either. Wednesday I had two patients. The same one from Tuesday and a second one. That went alright. It was an experience in juggling 2 patients and how I wish they would've given us some tips or tricks. Oh no, that'd be too easy so we were just thrown to the sharks. I think I did okay...
• Friday I took my midterm. We took it on the computer over blackboard (the most evilest, stupidest online tool ever) and we got instant feedback. I ended up with an 83%. Not that great but I PASSED! I have adopted the same mantra as many of the ladies in my class have: 80% is Passing. Who gives a shit about grades anymore as long as at the end of the day you have that 80.00% or higher. You did it. You deserve a pat on the back. Way to go!

I really am sucking with keeping up with my entries but I'm a 2nd semester Nursing student in Health Alterations...that's excuse enough!
 5 weeks and 1 semester down, 12 weeks and 2 semesters to go.

Better Late than Never?!?

So this is a late blog post, but to keep it in it's proper week, I changed the date. Yes, I'm cheating!!! This week brought about a lot of crazy stress, busywork and some cool and interesting things.

• The first few weeks of Lecture were nice cuz we didn't have any exams. Now I have one once a week. My second exam was on Friday and it was on the Cardiovascular System and Musculoskeletal Systems. I did surprisingly well with an 88%. So far so good, I have an 89% exam average!
• Clinicals! I had my first day of 2 patients. That did not go so well. Tuesday I just had my one patient and I was able to time manage quite well. On Wednesday I received a 2nd patient, a post-op patient. I was excited for the challenge because one patient just didn't seem to fill up my day and I feel like I'm intruding when I'm in the patients room all day. Well I was getting grilled by my instructor so I missed the bedside report of my new patient coming in. So I basically knew that a) she was female. b) she had a total shoulder arthroplasty and c) her name. So when I went to do my head to toe assessment on her I missed a lot of stuff that I had no idea was supposed to be charted. So I got a big fat 0 on my documentation evaluation. I WAS PISSED! Needless to say, I'm hoping that next week will go better cuz that just sucked!!
• I got to go into the OR with my patient to see him have an ERCP. An ERCP is done post surgically for patients who have had a cholecystectomy (gall bladder removed) to make sure that the bile ducts aren't clogged with bile sludge or gall stones. An endoscope is sent down the patients throat until it gets to the stomach, then to the duodenum. From there you can reach the bile ducts.  Since you are in surgery you have to be as sterile as possible. So I was asked if I wanted to put on scrubs or a marshmallow suit. I was like I guess the suit since it was right there. Uh bad idea! The nurse was like uh take that thing off were gonna get you some scrubs! I like the idea of the OR scrubs. They are provided for you because they are laundered at the hospital. You DO NOT have to purchase uniforms if you work in the OR. However, they are BORING! 
• Unfortunately my patients procedure was delayed due to the doc being tied up in some other surgery so I was allowed to step in and watch a THA (Total Hip Arthroplasty) or in layman's terms a Hip Replacement Surgery. I was a little apprehensive going in cuz the thought of bones being sawed gives me the heeviest of jeevies. Fortunately for me, that part was done already but I was kinda take aback by the fact that after the prosthesis was in place the doc was taking that leg and moving it in all sorts of positions legs aren't supposed to go in. It looked like a contortionist. This is done to make sure that the joint moves properly before they close (stitch them back up). I was happy that I didn't get nauseous or light headed cuz even though it takes a lot to gross me out, there is always that chance you can get sick seeing a surgery for the first time. 
• When that surgery was done I met back up with the nurse that had kinda taken me under his wing and I got a little tour of the Surgical Floor. When it was time for my patient to FINALLY have his ERCP, I got to put on some "lead". Lead is a huge apron thing that is filled with lead to protect you from the X-Rays that are taken during the procedure. My lead was Tye-dyed. Before the surgery began, I got to see my first intubation (where the anesthesiologist places a tube down the patients throat into the trachea and it is used to breathe for the patient while they are on anesthesia)! After he was intubated, his Oxygen Saturation (amount of oxygen that your red blood cells has in them) dropped to 60%. The anesthetist started freaking out but was able to quickly stable the patient and got his stats back up above 90%. Then the procedure began and the doc basically looked like he was playing a video game. I only got to watch about 15 minutes of my guys procedure cuz I had to return to post conference but it is cool seeing all that anatomy on the TV. 

Lots of cool stuff but I'm just way too stressed out lately.

4 weeks and 1 semester completed. 13 weeks and 2 semesters to go!

Distractions

Some weeks when I blog, I'm really on top of it. The week is over, have to blog my week before I forget it! Other weeks it's Thursday and I'm like "I have to blog!" but the week isn't over, then the weekend comes.  Then I usually forget and it's Tuesday and I still need to write up the last weeks entry in which I start to forget little things I'd had wanted to add into it for future reference. Then there are the weekends where I have a butt ton of homework and I want to blog cuz I know I need to. I also know that I don't have time cuz those are usually work weekends. So it's either I blog and waste precious study time, which is a valuable commodity on work weekends, or I ignore it and remember sometime the next week. Then there are days like today where I have lots of time and I remembered I have to blog so I do it before I start homework this way it's done. It's one less distraction on the back of my mind. This blog is one of my many distractions. However it is a welcome distraction, when done at the right time.
Another distraction that I hate is the "I have to clean" distraction. Dusting, vacuuming, organizing, laundry, dishes - it all NEEDS to be done, especially when I HAVE to get my homework done. I can get a little OCD with that kinda stuff. I have learned to ignore it most of the time because I know that homework is more important because it has a due date. The cleaning can wait because it will still be there the next day. The cleaning thing happened a lot when I lived in Steubenville. But if you had a pig for a roommate who "just had to mess things up cuz I can't stand things clean" you'd be pissed when things were filthy all the time from her too. However, she is a different story and I'm glad I never have to see her again *end rant*.
My next biggest distraction is the TV/Internet. The TV isn't so bad anymore, I had cut out shows last semester and with the cancellation of Private Practice, I'm down to watching 3 on a regular basis. I can afford 3 hours of TV a week. I need to in order to not go crazy. Of those 3, only 1 will be on for the rest of the semester, the other two will have their season finales soon. The internet is always a big time waster too. So before I start my homework, I go on facebook and read my notifications, then I make sure I didn't get any emails from school and that there's nothing on blackboard or on my prof's website. Once I know everyone's business on my craputer, I can shut the lid and concentrate on schoolwork with it pushed across my room where I can't reach it from my bed. Unless I need it for something, then it's a little more tempting. I am getting better though.
But! BUT! My hands down biggest distraction is sleep!!!! I don't get enough and I want more. I had just read on my favorite fb group (which I've had since I got my facebook back in 2006) 40 Things College Admissions Forgot to Tell You About that there are three things everyone wants to have in college: Good Grades, A Social Life or Sleep. However, you can only have just one. It's so true!! I have no social life (I'm a Nursing Major!) I barely sleep, so the good grades I guess is my choice. And I did get good grades last semester. Sleep does rear it's welcoming (not ugly) head all the time, so I take advantage of it where I can. Like this morning was the first morning I slept past 0730 in over a week. I did wake up at 1030 but I was refreshed and felt like I got adequate sleep last night for the first time in a long time. Now that I'm almost done blogging I can pound away the homework. Which I need to cuz I have plans to go out for my cousin Kassandra's 21st Birthday next weekend. I also work next weekend so if I can get ahead on my homework, I may have time to get some sleep. I hope so.
So without further ado, I give you a quick recap of my week and then I'm hitting the books!

• Monday I took my first exam in Health Alterations. This was the one where I was super slacker on studying. I was impressed on how much I did know. I thought this would be like my Fundys midterm or worse but surprisingly I actually learned more than I thought. I only had to leave 6 questions blank of the 50 to go back to and answer. Our grades were posted in the afternoon and I was prepared to get a not so good grade. I earned it and deserved it for not studying. I almost fell over when I saw that I had received a 90%! I guess I did know more than I thought. I do also know that I won't be so lucky next time and that I really need to vamp up the studying. I still can't believe I got 45 of those questions right. This just affirms that this HAS to be my correct vocation.
• CLINICAL'S HAVE STARTED!!!!!!!!!  They are scary cuz there's so much to do, but oh the skills I get to do!!! I got to take out an IV on Tuesday for the first time and did great! On Wednesday I got to take out a Foley Catheter for the first time and give two insulin injections with the pen. I kicked butt on those so I know I have conquered the skill I flubbed last semester. Go me!
• Clinical is very intense. This week we had partners but next week I'm on my own which I'm okay with. Then we get 2 patients sometime soon! There is tons of charting and unlike Riverviews charting you don't get choices or check boxes but just open text. This means I have to know what I'm doing and have to really use my head. We also get grilled about our meds and medical diagnosis, so I have to really get my butt prepared cuz I thought I was prepared but I was so far from being prepared. I will do better this coming week!
• Thursday I worked (whoopee) and Friday was class. On Friday we had Birthday Club and it was for me and Aunty Karen. It was a fun time. I love our Birthday eat outs! Then we went out to a bar and it was nice just to hangout and not worry about school for a night.

With that I now have 3 Weeks and 1 Semester completed; 14 Weeks and 2 Semesters to go!