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Any nurses out there?

Re: Any nurses out there?

Blue said:
Kirby, I can relate so much to what you have said.

I like your plans. They are good ones. For myself, I have not decided exactly where I will work. Right now I am agency RN working in LTC.

I am feeling very depressed today. I gave report to today's supervisor in the nursing home where I worked last night. She just finished taking a course so that she could cover the role of the infection control nurse in her 110 bed home. She said that her course barely covered avian flu, and that her instructor really knew her stuff, but there was nothing we could do anyway, so they did not cover much. She told me who she thought was at
risk, the same people as for seasonal flu. I showed her the long term care facility pandemic flu plan which was in the infection control manual in the office above her desk. It was obvious that no planning had been done, and no committees had met. The PPE, for the protection of the staff consists of a tissue thin paper mask that you can almost see thru, and paper gowns, but at least there was a pair of goggles, and of course, gloves.

I have grown used to the continued indifference and lack of leadership, amongst nurses regarding avian flu planning. But, I have to tell you that sometimes it just gets to me in the worst way, and today is one of those days. So few of them are willing to do anything to educate themselves. You can give them all of the information in the world to help them to make informed choices for themselves, their families and their patients, but if
they won't read it, and won't contribute to any discussion, what good is it going to do them or those of us who must depend upon them "to get it" for the good of all of us. I am profoundly disappointed, saddened, and angered by nursing's collective disdain for this subject. I really fear for all of us.
I think that this is the first time, that I feel like giving up on everyone. That is how badly I am feeling about this situation.

I guess that I just needed to get that off my chest. Thanks for being a captive audience, so to speak.

And thanks to all the nurses that do "get it", and to everyone else on this informative and supportive site. Thanks for all that you are doing to help.
Click to expand...

Any of the RN's here who post over on allnurses.com know extactly what you are saying. The pandemic flu thead is where I first got involved. It really amazes me how uninterested that whole community of HCW is about the pandemic threat! Thanks goes out to the one who PM'd me about this site!
 
Re: Any nurses out there?

Welcome to all HCW. We support you. If there is anything that we can do please private message me. If there are any issues that you would like to see covered that we do not have, we will obtain that information for you for discussion.

Please do not hesitate to contact me.

We appreciate all HCW and the daily sacrifices that you make on behalf of public health.

Thank you. :applause:

S.
 
Re: Any nurses out there?

Forgot to say I am a retired critical care nurse. Can't get the edit function to work.
 
Re: Any nurses out there?

welcome, mojo! glad to have you here.

I think the IV soln's available on line require a prescription. Not sure about that site. If you find one thats Rx free, please let me know!

I second Florida1's sentiment. As a fellow RN, (ED) please know y'all are welcome to PM me anytime with concerns, questions or just to vent to someone whose in the same place!
 
Re: Any nurses out there?

Welcome gr8hart, mojorox, and all.

Hang in there with bringing the issues forward. It's difficult for people, especially nurses, to even face issues over which they feel they have no control.

I posted a number of the states' pandemic plan "report card" evaluations last night. Many, if not all, states info I posted mentioned no surge capacity for beds, nursing shortage, and that they are collecting a list of trained but retired/non-working medical staff who might be willing to help in pandemic.

Next to when schools should close and who determines that, the nursing and hospital issue was the most common issue facing states.

It's not surprising nurses do not want to hear about pandemic if they perceive there's nothing that can be done. The nurses I know are also overworked; they say it's hard for them to imagine how they can do more...

All that said, it's worth trying to get the word out that we need to plan as best we can.

This is a good forum to toss around ideas, formulate problems and try to come up with solutions to those problems. If enough people who work within the medical system get to brainstorming on hospital issues here, perhaps some good ideas that can help all can come out of it.

I encourage you all to hang in there.

Mellie
 
Re: Any nurses out there?

You don't need a rx to buy iv fluids over the net. I buy them by the case. I do wildlife rehab and order them from vet sites. The brands are the same as for human iv fluids and a lot cheaper.
Thanks for the welcome!
 
Re: Any nurses out there?

mojorox said:
Forgot to say I am a retired critical care nurse. Can't get the edit function to work.
Click to expand...
Sometimes you need to go into 'Edit' and then into 'Advanced' to get the edit function to work.
 
Re: Any nurses out there?

mojorox said:
You don't need a rx to buy iv fluids over the net. I buy them by the case. I do wildlife rehab and order them from vet sites. The brands are the same as for human iv fluids and a lot cheaper.
Thanks for the welcome!
Click to expand...

Do you have a link and a shopping list? tubes, needles, etc.
 
Re: Any nurses out there?

DRJJ said:
Do you have a link and a shopping list? tubes, needles, etc.
Click to expand...
posted by mojorox:
You can purchase iv fluids on the net. If you google lactated ringers a lot of places come up. Here is one
http://www.atlanticmedsupply.com/sho...at=IV+Supplies
Click to expand...
Now which one of you are willing to give a tutorial on how to start an IV? I've had so many, I could probably handle it, but would love to find a good simple reference on the steps.

I'm the only woman in my family who is not involved in healthcare - with the exception of wiping snotty noses and administering tylenol to my 3 children :D

Add my thanks to all the nurses and healthcare workers who are participating here. You are in very good company!
 
Re: Any nurses out there?

Niko said:
posted by mojorox:

Now which one of you are willing to give a tutorial on how to start an IV? I've had so many, I could probably handle it, but would love to find a good simple reference on the steps.

I'm the only woman in my family who is not involved in healthcare - with the exception of wiping snotty noses and administering tylenol to my 3 children :D

Add my thanks to all the nurses and healthcare workers who are participating here. You are in very good company!
Click to expand...

Here is one.

http://www.chmeds.ac.nz/skillsunit/CDHB%20CSU%20CANNULATION.pdf

Or you could do this instead of using the veins, this is what I have used with animals, but it can also be used for people and is easier.

http://dysphagia.com/mlist/2002-June/msg00082.html

Medical disclaimer, these instructions are for emergency use only. They are not a substitute for medical advice. You should talk to your health care provider about emergency medical care for your family and the possibility of a pandemic event.
provider about providing this type of care in an emergency.
 
Last edited:
Re: Any nurses out there?

mojo- I used to too, and then it was impossible to find, the animal stuff had gone to Rx too- so this is great! Thank you much.
 
Re: Any nurses out there?

Blue said:
Or you could do this instead of using the veins, this is what I have used with animals, but it can also be used for people and is easier.

http://dysphagia.com/mlist/2002-June/msg00082.html
Click to expand...

WOW

Hypodermoclysis: This was used with a friend of my in Hospice a few weeks ago. It sounds and looked very "do"able and practical for the lay, but determined, player. I know that Woodson reports that hydration is the single most important treatment for AF, and the sine qua non of survival. In reading about the arduous nature of dripping a drop of fluid at a time down the sick persons throat for 8 hours a day, I realized that a 1:1 nursing ratio would be required. It seemed that small groups (families) in isolation would be placed under great stress if one parent had to nurse the other, leaving the children unattended for hours. Clearly, there are significant difficulties in managing the risk of disease transmission from the patient to the children, but at least the possibility of supervising each is possible. And, it makes it possible to set up a small hospital ward in a neighborhood with a few round the clock "nurses" to manage patients.

The list of equipment and techniques provided is a bit vague. For instance...where do I get hyaluronidase? Is it inserted into the tube or into the bag or into the patient at the site of needle insertion? How is it administered (e.g., injected into patient, powdered put into tube???) What is a sterile occlusive dressing?

I shall go shopping for a more thorough tutorial.

Thanks so much....This is a winner!!!!!!
 
Re: Any nurses out there?

Thank you Blue!

I have held my cat on a number of occasions while she was hydrated in this manner. It seemed so simple and effective. I was not aware of this method being used with humans, but assumed it worked the same way. The vet simply inserted the needle under the skin between the kitty's shoulders and infused the fluids. It created a soft lump under the skin and did not appear to be unccomfortable for the animal. Within a hour, the large lump of fluid had been absorbed.

I plan to research this futher and would love to hear from HCW who have used this method on humans.

Blue said:
Here is one.

http://www.chmeds.ac.nz/skillsunit/CDHB%20CSU%20CANNULATION.pdf

Or you could do this instead of using the veins, this is what I have used with animals, but it can also be used for people and is easier.

http://dysphagia.com/mlist/2002-June/msg00082.html

Medical disclaimer, these instructions are for emergency use only. They are not a substitute for medical advice. You should talk to your health care provider about emergency medical care for your family and the possibility of a pandemic event.
provider about providing this type of care in an emergency.
Click to expand...
 
Re: Any nurses out there?

Also I took the amazon link all the way to checkout and needed only one more click to buy so I don't think you need an rx there. Overstock.com also had it by the case but they are out of stock right now.
 
Re: Any nurses out there?

Niko said:
Thank you Blue!

I have held my cat on a number of occasions while she was hydrated in this manner. It seemed so simple and effective. I was not aware of this method being used with humans, but assumed it worked the same way. The vet simply inserted the needle under the skin between the kitty's shoulders and infused the fluids. It created a soft lump under the skin and did not appear to be unccomfortable for the animal. Within a hour, the large lump of fluid had been absorbed.

I plan to research this futher and would love to hear from HCW who have used this method on humans.
Click to expand...

Here is some discussion on this technique. It is still used in Israel:

http://allnurses.com/forums/f25/subcutaneous-iv-fluids-164298.html

http://allnurses.com/forums/f27/clysis-183280.html
 
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