Men & PMS

Today I was reading the label on my bottle of Pamprin (after all, I'm taking pharmacology now). Now just why would somebody seeking relief from menstrual symptoms need to consult their doctor before taking this medication if they have trouble urinating due to an enlarged prostate? I always thought some men suffer from PMS. Now I have the proof!

I've managed to survive the first two weeks of the semester. I haven't formed an opinion on my classes yet though. Because of the MLK holiday, we have only had one lecture in Medical-Surgical and Pharmacology. It's a good thing because I still haven't finished my reading assignments for either class despite reading every spare minute I have.

The concentration for this semester will be psychiatric and surgical nursing. My first clinical rotation is at the local mental health institute. They receive acute patients there, mostly via court. All patients are committed involuntarily. This means they cannot voluntarily leave either. It's been very interesting so far. We sit in on patient rounds first thing which is when the treatment team discusses each patient and then interviews them one at a time. The treatment team consists of a psychiatrist, RN, social worker, unit coordinator, and sometimes a nurse practitioner. It feels much different than what you would expect for nursing since it's all about the mental health status instead of the physical.

After rounds, we are supposed to have an interaction with our assigned patient. So far, we can't seem to get much done besides rounds even though we're there from 8:00 until 2:30. We did have one patient interaction on Friday.

I'm really looking forward to my surgical rotation. We'll get to follow a patient before, during, and after surgery. The during part is what I'm really looking forward to observing. My friends at work think I'm warped for looking forward to that. Maybe I won't be able to handle it, but I'm still looking forward to finding out.

Miracles

Do miracles still happen today? Would we even recognize them if they did? Or would we just attribute them to some scientific explanation?

I choose to believe that I have my own miracle in the form of a functioning car. I took it in for an oil change and a physical today, and it was given a clean bill of health other than a need for some new front brakes. I realize that some mechanical geniuses may say there was nothing wrong with it in the first place. However, given the symptoms it has been displaying recently, I was bracing myself for a terminal condition or an ailment that would cost half the value of a new car. Since I specifically prayed that God would keep it running, I believe the outcome is a God thing. I fervantly hope it's a long-lasting miracle.

I've already been bombarded with e-mails from my professors with instructions and assignments for this coming semester which starts on Monday. I have reading assignments due in two of my classes on the first day of class and a drug calculations test on my first clinical day. I have an additional clinical day for the first two weeks and we're starting our rotations on the third day. This semester, the concentration will be psychiatric and mental health, so I might just fit right in with the patients before it's all over. I've definitely got the "tight chest, can't breathe" feeling going on from the first e-mail. I'm really dreading this semester. Only 18 weeks to go!

To make things worse, I had gotten it into my head that classes didn't start until Tuesday. I had all these plans to get last minute things done on Monday, including getting my car serviced, only to find out that it starts on Monday. Now I feel cheated out of a day. I gritted my teeth and changed my car appointment to late Monday afternoon after my last class. I'm praying for some good news on my car. Maybe they can figure out why it's always stalling on me. Someday I want to be able to go buy a brand new car, just because I can even though it doesn't make economical sense.

On a brighter note, I joined Curves on Wednesday and had my first workout today. It's really nifty the way they design the workouts. It only lasts 30 minutes, and you're only on a machine for 30 seconds before rotating. I'm hoping the brevity of the workouts, along with having to pay whether I go or not, will make me motivated to keep up a routine. I did really well when I joined a fitness club back in Bowling Green, so maybe I'll manage it again despite full time work and school schedule.

New Church

My friend from work asked me to go with her to a new church on Sunday. The one she originally wanted to go to started at 9:00, but she found another one on the internet that started at 10:45. She decided we would go to that one instead. Of course this suited me fine. The more sleep, the better. Sunday morning we set forth in her new vehicle which I was admiring on the way. When we drove in, I thought it rather odd that there were no other vehicles arriving at such an obviously large church. Normally, these mega-churches with their two services are a madhouse at the change-over between services. The parking lot was very full, but we found a spot at the far corner and went inside. Once again, I got a funny vibe since there were only a few people lingering in the foyer, and they were young fathers with their toddlers at that. But we dutifully waited for the first service to end since we could hear the pastor over the sound system. Finally, I asked my friend if she was sure the service started at 10:45 because it was already 11:00. So she went over to a lady who had just come out with her young grandson and asked her. It turned out that the Christmas and New Years services were both at 10:00 with Sunday School eliminated. In addition to this change, they no longer had two services and the remaining service started at 9:00. So much for the new church that never happened.

On our way out the drive, we noticed the sign which we hadn't read coming in. In big bold letters it said, "Christmas and New Years services begin at 10:00. Yes, we felt a little thick in the head. But we decided we did get one bonus--we beat all the "after church crowds" to go eat. We were eating by 11:30 and pretty much had the place to ourselves.

Sunday afternoon I went to meet up with L just before she left for KY. She had brought her baby to be with his daddy for the weekend. He looks like a little angel. Unfortunately, he was sick. She seems to be doing well back in KY, but she still wants to come back to Chattanooga.

Sunday evening another friend from work came over for the evening. We painted ceramics for several hours and then we watched a movie while munching on munchies. It was a musical called Seven Wives for Seven Brothers. It was a very enjoyable evening and probably my last free Sunday until May.