So the hospital has decided to contract out my job. The company is going to take over all three hospitals I am currently responsible for. This new company is in need of someone to do the job I am currently doing. So on 4/24, I interviewed for my job. How sick and twisted is that? Now I have to wait to see if they will hire me or go with someone completely new. I should know by 5/15 what they decide to do.
Meanwhile, I am trying to keep myself busy. I am not domestic in any way, but I planned to make browines for a neighborhood gathering on 4/25. But when I pulled them out of the oven, they were still batter... my oven no longer works. So I run to the frig to see what else I could throw together to take to the gathering. When I opened the frig, it was warm inside... so was the freezer. So 2 of my major appliances just decided to die on me on the same day. And no, there was not a power surge or anything... it's just my luck.
So I went pricing on the 26th... HOLY STICKER SHOCK, BATMAN!!!! Here I was thinking I was gonna have to spend around $1500 to $2000 to replace both and it turns out that's about what the frig/freezer is by itself...
So on the 27th I went to purchase a dorm sized frig to put under our bar (which we had already planned to do anyway) so I could at least keep milk in the house until we purchased the new frig. While I was trying to exit the parking lot, another patron backed into me while pulling out of their parking spot... The dent popped out on it's own but the paint is totally cracked and chipping all along the bumper now.
I am tired. I need a vacation away from work and social obligations. I need a day at a spa or on a beach... but I can't afford any of those because I might lose my job and I need a new frig/freezer and stove.
If this is a test from God, I sure hope I pass.
********************
Bailey was 51.5 lbs on 4/27.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
Complications
Bailey was spayed on 4/17/2008. I picked her up the afternoon of the 18th. They told me to keep her as calm as possible (have any of these people ever owned a puppy?) and to call if I noticed any swelling or redness. She wasn't phased a bit... she still wanted to play and jump and we did our best to distract her to more sedintary activities.
But by the evening of the 19th, she had some minor brusing and some swelling. She was still acting fine, though, so we just kept an eye on her. I took her for a walk the morning of the 20th and we ran into a neighboor who is pretty dog-knowledgeable. She said she thought the swelling was a bit more than it should be and suggested I call our vet... it was Sunday so I called the ER vet and asked them what the charge would be to just look at her. Since it could be considered a "complication of surgery" there would be no charge even if the DVM had to examine her.
So we went in and the DVM felt her belly and said everything was still where it was supposed to be. There was, however, a build up of fluid, which is sometimes just a normal part of the healing process. But since fluid that just sits there can be a nice environment to foster infection, he wanted to put her on a profolactic antibiotic. I, being in the ear business and knowing doctors do the same for children with fluid in their ears, agreed that it was a good idea. They sent us on our way with a bottle of meds and said to call if the swelling got worse or if the area became more discolored.
My husband had been gone since the evening of the 19th so when he called the evening of the 20th on his way home, he was quite upset that I had taken her to the ER vet. He told me it didn't make sense that we weren't charged for the exam and that Bailey should be take to our vet sometime this week so they could look at her. Even after I explaimed that the 2 vets were linked, he still wasn't comfortable. So I called our vet this morning and they told me the same thing the ER vet did: try to keep her calm, give her the meds til they were gone, and let them know if there were any changes... and they did not need to see her since the ER vet just had.
So we wait and try to keep her from jumping onto and off of the bed and away from other dogs so she doesn't play too rough. I can't even imagine what my husband will be like when we have kids :-)
She weighed 49.1 on 4/20.
But by the evening of the 19th, she had some minor brusing and some swelling. She was still acting fine, though, so we just kept an eye on her. I took her for a walk the morning of the 20th and we ran into a neighboor who is pretty dog-knowledgeable. She said she thought the swelling was a bit more than it should be and suggested I call our vet... it was Sunday so I called the ER vet and asked them what the charge would be to just look at her. Since it could be considered a "complication of surgery" there would be no charge even if the DVM had to examine her.
So we went in and the DVM felt her belly and said everything was still where it was supposed to be. There was, however, a build up of fluid, which is sometimes just a normal part of the healing process. But since fluid that just sits there can be a nice environment to foster infection, he wanted to put her on a profolactic antibiotic. I, being in the ear business and knowing doctors do the same for children with fluid in their ears, agreed that it was a good idea. They sent us on our way with a bottle of meds and said to call if the swelling got worse or if the area became more discolored.
My husband had been gone since the evening of the 19th so when he called the evening of the 20th on his way home, he was quite upset that I had taken her to the ER vet. He told me it didn't make sense that we weren't charged for the exam and that Bailey should be take to our vet sometime this week so they could look at her. Even after I explaimed that the 2 vets were linked, he still wasn't comfortable. So I called our vet this morning and they told me the same thing the ER vet did: try to keep her calm, give her the meds til they were gone, and let them know if there were any changes... and they did not need to see her since the ER vet just had.
So we wait and try to keep her from jumping onto and off of the bed and away from other dogs so she doesn't play too rough. I can't even imagine what my husband will be like when we have kids :-)
She weighed 49.1 on 4/20.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Never Fear...Super Girl Is Here!!!
Friday afternoon when I got home from work, my husband opened the front door to let Bailey out to greet me in the driveway. I, being the rocket scientist that I am, thought it would be fun to run up the driveway and get her to chase me (I know you aren't supposed to teach them to chase you but it had been so cold and rainy lately that she hasn't had a whole lot of time to really run outside). So I turn and take off running full speed up the driveway. I was watching where I was running, not where Bailey was running so I didn't see her when she abruptly changed directions and ran right in front of my feet... I flew through the air and landed head first in the grass. As I mentioned before, it had been pretty rainy lately so luckily the ground was pretty soft. I wish I could have seen it... I bet if I had been wearing a cape I would have looked just like Superman. I rolled onto my back and laughed (because what else can you do when you fall like that) and Bailey came running back and licked my face and tried to get me to wrestle with her... I finally got up, and with the exception of a headache and some grass stains on my knees, I was unscathed... although, the sore muscles came later that night and stayed for the rest of the weekend...
********************
Bailey weighed 48.4 lbs at the vet on Friday April 11th. She can now jump onto the bed (thank God because she was too heavy to lift anymore) and her collar will need to be replaced soon... We already replaced her harness last week. She's getting spayed on the 17th... my little girl is growing up...
********************
Bailey weighed 48.4 lbs at the vet on Friday April 11th. She can now jump onto the bed (thank God because she was too heavy to lift anymore) and her collar will need to be replaced soon... We already replaced her harness last week. She's getting spayed on the 17th... my little girl is growing up...
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Distruction, Induction, Graduation
I felt kinda bad this last week because, due to a number of things, I had not had time to take Bailey to the dog park or for a walk in our neighborhood. She hadn't been kenneled very much, she just didn't get to leave our house and yard... But Friday afternoon, the weather was great and I was able to take her to the dog park. We spent 2+ hours playing and running and jumping, etc.
So that night when we crawled into bed, I figured she would sleep great. I had been asleep for a couple of hours when I woke up to find the bed empty... so I jumped up to find Bailey to let her outside... she had been playing with one of her toys in the living room so she hadn't been getting into any trouble... or so I thought...
As I walked back into the darkened bed room, I noticed a light spot on the dark carpeting. I thought maybe Bailey had vomited or something... when I turned on the light, I found this:
Here it is next to a dollar so you can get an idea of the size:
Now, Bailey is not a distructive dog. She did eat my husband's cell phone once but it had been left on the bathroom counter and my guess is that he got a text or a voice mail and it vibrated or beeped and she thought it was one of her toys. But other than that, she pretty much keeps to her toys. And her "digging" (in the yard or in the house) consists of a few seconds of superficial scratching, and then she is off to find something else to do or play with, not causing any damage to the digging spot.
So I am confused by the extent of the behavior and I am shocked that the scratching needed to cause that kind of damage did not wake me, considering my head was less that 10 feet from the site. I am not nearly as upset as one might think because we were planning to replace that carpet before the end of the year anyway. But I don't want her to do it again...
So how do I correct a behavior when I can't catch her in the act?
********************
Saturday, I attended the first birthday party for a friend's little boy. While I was there, their dog, Bella (Bailey's playmate in the 2/8/2008 post), was found eating the grease left under the grill after they made the hamburgers for the party. My friend knew from experience with her mom's dog, Harry, that this can make a dog very sick and can even kill them if they eat too much, so we called the vet ER. We were able to induce vomiting with peroxide and all was well... It's amazing how little peroxide can produce such a body wrenching reaction... poor Bella will hopefully never eat that stuff again.
********************
Bailey graduated from her puppy class today. She got a diploma and everything.
She looked so cute in her mortarboard...
And then she tried to eat it...
Oh, well... life as a dog can be so taxing.
She weighed in at 47.1 lbs today. So big and yet still so cuddly.
So that night when we crawled into bed, I figured she would sleep great. I had been asleep for a couple of hours when I woke up to find the bed empty... so I jumped up to find Bailey to let her outside... she had been playing with one of her toys in the living room so she hadn't been getting into any trouble... or so I thought...
As I walked back into the darkened bed room, I noticed a light spot on the dark carpeting. I thought maybe Bailey had vomited or something... when I turned on the light, I found this:
Here it is next to a dollar so you can get an idea of the size:
Now, Bailey is not a distructive dog. She did eat my husband's cell phone once but it had been left on the bathroom counter and my guess is that he got a text or a voice mail and it vibrated or beeped and she thought it was one of her toys. But other than that, she pretty much keeps to her toys. And her "digging" (in the yard or in the house) consists of a few seconds of superficial scratching, and then she is off to find something else to do or play with, not causing any damage to the digging spot.
So I am confused by the extent of the behavior and I am shocked that the scratching needed to cause that kind of damage did not wake me, considering my head was less that 10 feet from the site. I am not nearly as upset as one might think because we were planning to replace that carpet before the end of the year anyway. But I don't want her to do it again...
So how do I correct a behavior when I can't catch her in the act?
********************
Saturday, I attended the first birthday party for a friend's little boy. While I was there, their dog, Bella (Bailey's playmate in the 2/8/2008 post), was found eating the grease left under the grill after they made the hamburgers for the party. My friend knew from experience with her mom's dog, Harry, that this can make a dog very sick and can even kill them if they eat too much, so we called the vet ER. We were able to induce vomiting with peroxide and all was well... It's amazing how little peroxide can produce such a body wrenching reaction... poor Bella will hopefully never eat that stuff again.
********************
Bailey graduated from her puppy class today. She got a diploma and everything.
She looked so cute in her mortarboard...
And then she tried to eat it...
Oh, well... life as a dog can be so taxing.
She weighed in at 47.1 lbs today. So big and yet still so cuddly.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
The Story of Geronimo
It's not the "Geronimo" you may think it is.
My inlaws adopted another dog. They have Bandit and Taz already. But when they heard about Geronimo, they decided to take him in. Have I mentioned how awsome my inlaws are? I am very blessed...
Anyway, back to Geronimo's story:
When my husband and I were trying to decide who would crop Bailey's ears, we wanted to see some of the work the vets did before we made the final call. My husband happend to know someone who had their dog's ears done recently. So we went by the guy's house to check out the work.
The guy had 3 boxers: a male, a female, and Geronimo, a puppy that his son had kept from a litter the male and female had had about a year ago (this was the dog with the recently cropped ears). Apparently, the kid never paid the dog any attention and guy just took care of it with the other 2 dogs. All 3 were kept in separate crates in an enclosed garage at the guy's home. They were let out various times throughout the day to play and go potty. The 2 older dogs seemed content with this. The puppy, Geronimo, however, did not seem quite as content. We could tell all he wanted was to play and jump and run and that just wasn't happening as much as it should. The guy told us he felt bad that he could not give the pup more attention and that his son neglected him so. We left feeling sad for the dog but pleased with the work done on his ears.
We told my MIL about the puppy and how much he just wanted to play and how bad the guy seemed to feel. We thought if we could find a good home for him, the guy would probably give him up.
Now, Bandit is getting older and is not really all that playful anymore and Taz is not quite 2 yet and wants to play all the time. My inlaws live on a couple of acres and have plenty of space for big dogs to run and play. So my inlaws decided to take Geronimo; good for Taz, good for Geronimo....
"G-mo" or "Mo" (as we have been calling him) has lost so much weight from all the running, my MIL was kinda worried. She told me she feeds him as much as he wants but he still slimmed down a lot from all the running, and he wasn't overweight to begin with....
So now they have 3 dogs. And Bailey loves to go over to play.
My inlaws adopted another dog. They have Bandit and Taz already. But when they heard about Geronimo, they decided to take him in. Have I mentioned how awsome my inlaws are? I am very blessed...
Anyway, back to Geronimo's story:
When my husband and I were trying to decide who would crop Bailey's ears, we wanted to see some of the work the vets did before we made the final call. My husband happend to know someone who had their dog's ears done recently. So we went by the guy's house to check out the work.
The guy had 3 boxers: a male, a female, and Geronimo, a puppy that his son had kept from a litter the male and female had had about a year ago (this was the dog with the recently cropped ears). Apparently, the kid never paid the dog any attention and guy just took care of it with the other 2 dogs. All 3 were kept in separate crates in an enclosed garage at the guy's home. They were let out various times throughout the day to play and go potty. The 2 older dogs seemed content with this. The puppy, Geronimo, however, did not seem quite as content. We could tell all he wanted was to play and jump and run and that just wasn't happening as much as it should. The guy told us he felt bad that he could not give the pup more attention and that his son neglected him so. We left feeling sad for the dog but pleased with the work done on his ears.
We told my MIL about the puppy and how much he just wanted to play and how bad the guy seemed to feel. We thought if we could find a good home for him, the guy would probably give him up.
Now, Bandit is getting older and is not really all that playful anymore and Taz is not quite 2 yet and wants to play all the time. My inlaws live on a couple of acres and have plenty of space for big dogs to run and play. So my inlaws decided to take Geronimo; good for Taz, good for Geronimo....
"G-mo" or "Mo" (as we have been calling him) has lost so much weight from all the running, my MIL was kinda worried. She told me she feeds him as much as he wants but he still slimmed down a lot from all the running, and he wasn't overweight to begin with....
So now they have 3 dogs. And Bailey loves to go over to play.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Slow Growth and a Quote
Bailey weighed in at 41.9 lbs on 3/30/2008. I believe her growth rate is slowing...
"Heavily Petted: 35% of American households currently have children. 60% have pets. Your dog wants children." Playboy, April 2008
"Heavily Petted: 35% of American households currently have children. 60% have pets. Your dog wants children." Playboy, April 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
How To Save A Life
I saved a life today. I am still kinda shaky from all the adrenaline.
First, some back ground so you know how out of the ordinary this is:
My job at the hospital is to take care of the hearing health needs of inpatients. Although I see a few adults a month, the majority of my patients are infants. The majority of the tests I do are the state-mandated hearing screenings on newborns. I work with babies in the intensive care nursery (ICN) the most.
Now, babies in the ICN can be pretty sick. Some are on the verge of death when they are admitted. But by the time I see them, they are about to go home. They are eating well and gaining weight. And although they may still be hooked up to monitors (which trigger a pager worn by a nurse when they have an "episode"), they are not having any issues with decreased breathing or heart rate.
The point I am trying to make here is that my job is not one that is emergent. The patient is not going to die if I don't see them. The patients are usually healthy enough to be heading home fairly soon after I seen them. So when there is excitement in an area where I am, I usually get as far out of the way as possible.
So this morning, I did a hearing screen on a baby who was doing so well that she was not on a monitor. I finished the screening and she did well. While doing the charting, I noticed I was out of the hand-outs I usually leave for the parents describing the test and the results. I figured she didn't really need one and went off to test another baby in another part of the ICN.
When I was finished with that baby, her mom showed up and I decided to print out the form for her. I had to go back to the part of the ICN where the first baby was to pick up the printed forms. I figured since I was already there, I would drop one off in the first baby's room.
Then the excitement started. I walked over to her crib and see her silently flailing her arms while turning a nice shade of purple. Now most babies this age choke on their spit-up at some point but once they are rolled on their side, the "stuff" pours out and they sputter and cough and are generally okay. So I rolled her on to her side but nothing came out and she still wasn't making any noise. So I picked her up and draped her over one hand (yes, she was small enough to hold with one hand) while hitting her back with the other. She still wasn't making any noise so I shouted out for help while continuing to slap her back. She still wasn't making any noise and the purple color was getting deeper so I shouted again so the nurses could figure out which room I was in. Just as the 5 or 6 nurses, the neonatologist, and the respiratory therapist got to us, she made a little cough sound. I asked the nurse in front of me to take her and I backed up against the wall furthest from her crib. Meanwhile, the nurses suctioned out her mouth and she started to cry. At this point the shock wore off and I started to hyper-ventilate and cry.
Once she was crying, the doctor smiled at me and jokingly asked if they needed to resusutate me... one nurse said to the baby, "Let's get you back on a monitor". GEEE, YOU THINK?!?!?!
The whole incident, from the time I saw her struggling to the time I handed her off to the nurse, could not have lasted more the 45-60 seconds but it felt like an eternity. It seemed to take forever for the nurses to find us and forever for the nurse to take her out of my hands.
I had never seen a baby that color before. I don't ever want to again. I don't remember consciously making the decision to do any of the things I did... I guess instinct (read "God") just took over. But as soon as there was someone there who knew what to do, I panicked and handed her off.
This is why I am not a nurse.
First, some back ground so you know how out of the ordinary this is:
My job at the hospital is to take care of the hearing health needs of inpatients. Although I see a few adults a month, the majority of my patients are infants. The majority of the tests I do are the state-mandated hearing screenings on newborns. I work with babies in the intensive care nursery (ICN) the most.
Now, babies in the ICN can be pretty sick. Some are on the verge of death when they are admitted. But by the time I see them, they are about to go home. They are eating well and gaining weight. And although they may still be hooked up to monitors (which trigger a pager worn by a nurse when they have an "episode"), they are not having any issues with decreased breathing or heart rate.
The point I am trying to make here is that my job is not one that is emergent. The patient is not going to die if I don't see them. The patients are usually healthy enough to be heading home fairly soon after I seen them. So when there is excitement in an area where I am, I usually get as far out of the way as possible.
So this morning, I did a hearing screen on a baby who was doing so well that she was not on a monitor. I finished the screening and she did well. While doing the charting, I noticed I was out of the hand-outs I usually leave for the parents describing the test and the results. I figured she didn't really need one and went off to test another baby in another part of the ICN.
When I was finished with that baby, her mom showed up and I decided to print out the form for her. I had to go back to the part of the ICN where the first baby was to pick up the printed forms. I figured since I was already there, I would drop one off in the first baby's room.
Then the excitement started. I walked over to her crib and see her silently flailing her arms while turning a nice shade of purple. Now most babies this age choke on their spit-up at some point but once they are rolled on their side, the "stuff" pours out and they sputter and cough and are generally okay. So I rolled her on to her side but nothing came out and she still wasn't making any noise. So I picked her up and draped her over one hand (yes, she was small enough to hold with one hand) while hitting her back with the other. She still wasn't making any noise so I shouted out for help while continuing to slap her back. She still wasn't making any noise and the purple color was getting deeper so I shouted again so the nurses could figure out which room I was in. Just as the 5 or 6 nurses, the neonatologist, and the respiratory therapist got to us, she made a little cough sound. I asked the nurse in front of me to take her and I backed up against the wall furthest from her crib. Meanwhile, the nurses suctioned out her mouth and she started to cry. At this point the shock wore off and I started to hyper-ventilate and cry.
Once she was crying, the doctor smiled at me and jokingly asked if they needed to resusutate me... one nurse said to the baby, "Let's get you back on a monitor". GEEE, YOU THINK?!?!?!
The whole incident, from the time I saw her struggling to the time I handed her off to the nurse, could not have lasted more the 45-60 seconds but it felt like an eternity. It seemed to take forever for the nurses to find us and forever for the nurse to take her out of my hands.
I had never seen a baby that color before. I don't ever want to again. I don't remember consciously making the decision to do any of the things I did... I guess instinct (read "God") just took over. But as soon as there was someone there who knew what to do, I panicked and handed her off.
This is why I am not a nurse.
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