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Work has been stressful
Sep. 13th, 2020 08:55 amDid you know that the World Help Organization had designated 2020 as the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife? That was something that happened before COVID-19. But instead of celebrating us, this year has been beyond anything I could ever imagine.
I haven't posted since April, it's been too stressful. For awhile, our policies regarding COVID-19 were changing almost daily. Though over the past few months, things have stabilized a bit. And living in California, so many things are still closed or restricted.
At the hospital, my floor (NICU, Mother Baby, and L&D) plus Pediatrics are the only places allowing visitors in the hospital, though in special cases (end of life), visitors might be allowed. All patients admitted to the hospital are getting swabbed for COVID-19. However, at first the testing was taking awhile, then we had reagents (I think?) that allowed the lab in the hospital to process the test in 24 hours, then 4 hours, then 1 hour. However, now we only have a few 1 hour tests left, and those are usually used for stat (emergency) surgeries. Now results usually take 4-8 hours.
Lately, we have 1-2 COVID positive moms on L&D/Mother Baby every day. Though a few times we haven't had any, and our max was 10 positive moms! Our usually patient ratio is 4 couplets (mother-baby pairs) to one nurse. With COVID positive moms, we get a maximum of 2 couplets, and both would be positive, we don't mix positive and non-positive patients. Luckily, most of our positive moms have been asymptomatic. And we are swabbing the babies of positive moms and 24 hours of age, and then some of our hospitalist Pediatricians also want them swabbed at 48 hours of age, if they are still there. We aren't separating COVID positive moms from their babies unless the mom have to go to ICU (from a bad postpartum hemorrhage or from COVID symptoms) or baby has to go to NICU for some reason (cardiac issues, preterm, respiratory distress, etc).
Patients have to wear masks when staff (nurses, doctors, etc) are in the room, and if they are visiting baby in NICU. Us nurses have to wear masks and goggles in patient rooms. In COVID positive rooms, we wear a procedure/surgical mask over a N-95 mask, goggles or face shield, shoe covers, gown, and gloves. Most of us have also gotten our own scrub caps or hair covers. Plus we wear hospital-provided scrubs that we change into and out of at the hospital, and leave them in a hamper in the locker room.
Last month we started to see a lot of moms who had a history of testing positive for COVID, but had been cleared by Public Health and we are to treat them as if they are negative.
We have had moms come in sicker. A lot of patients are having telehealth appointments with their OB, or have stopped receiving prenatal care, so things have been missed. Plus it does seem like our COVID positive moms are more likely to have clotting issues. One mom straight up didn't seek any prenatal care and had 2 eclamptic seizures, which is just so uncommon to see here.
Since I shift lead a lot, I have barely been on the floor. I was on the floor July 4th and had COVID patients, and I was on the floor Thursday, and since it had been 2 months, it was my turn again to take COVID patients. Plus I had an orientee. And then one of our moms tried to hemorrhage at the end of the shift. I was fucking stressed.
One of my coworkers had to quarantine because her husband got COVID from his work. He was sympaotic only a few days after exposure and quarantined himself early, and luckily neither her nor their 6 children got it. Another coworker had to quarantine because her boyfriend got it at his work, though she actually got very sick as well. Public Health cleared finally cleared her to come back, even though she was still swabbing positive, so I am sure it's fine *eye-roll* but finally she swabbed negative a few weeks ago.
I feel bad for other floors. Most COVID patients are going to Med/Surg, Tele, or ICU, depending on how sick they are. And our plan has always been, if we have a mom sick enough, we will send her to the ICU. Pediatrics has even had a few kids with COVID. One night I was working, the ICU had 2 patients die from COVID within a few hours of each other.
At work, we are all burned out/on edge. I can't even imagine how the staff on those other floors feel. I am sure they actually have PTSD from this.
For 2 months, I didn't even go see my parents. In May, I had minor surgery. I had a hysteroscopy, D&C, uterine biopsy, and I had a Mirena IUD placed. The day before surgery, I was swabbed for COVID, and I had antibodies drawn. Both negative. My mom drove me to and from surgery, and stayed over the first night. I figured since I was negative, I wouldn't pass anything on to her. Now, I see them every once in awhile, now that work is providing us with proper PPE. Let me tell you, the cramping from surgery/the IUD has been brutal. And here I am, 4 months later, STILL bleeding. But at least I wont get endometrial cancer, yay I guess.
Most of my friends are nurses, and carry the same amount of risk/possible exposure, so we hang out outside of work. Restaurants in California are closed except for take-out, so we hang out at someone's house. One of Alyse's cats had 3 kittens and they are so cute and fuzzy. Unfortunately, I have been using Door Dash/Grub Hub and cooking less. I just overall have less motivation to cook/clean/go shopping. I do laundry every week though, I have to so I can have clean scrubs.
And now we are in fire season again in California. To the parents who started a fire with a gender reveal party, fuck you. I can't wait until we start getting rain, hopefully next month. Air quality has been shit. A few weeks ago, we had a weird thunder and lightening storm, and the lightening caused dozens of fires all over the state. Cal Fire told Californians to be ready to evacuate. To where? The whole state was on fire. Where I live, it would take me almost 9 hours to get to Oregon, 6 hours to get to Nevada, 6.5 hours to get to Arizona, and 5 hours to get to Mexico. Where am I going to go? The ocean? Though there are multiple beaches within 30 minutes of where I live.
I haven't posted since April, it's been too stressful. For awhile, our policies regarding COVID-19 were changing almost daily. Though over the past few months, things have stabilized a bit. And living in California, so many things are still closed or restricted.
At the hospital, my floor (NICU, Mother Baby, and L&D) plus Pediatrics are the only places allowing visitors in the hospital, though in special cases (end of life), visitors might be allowed. All patients admitted to the hospital are getting swabbed for COVID-19. However, at first the testing was taking awhile, then we had reagents (I think?) that allowed the lab in the hospital to process the test in 24 hours, then 4 hours, then 1 hour. However, now we only have a few 1 hour tests left, and those are usually used for stat (emergency) surgeries. Now results usually take 4-8 hours.
Lately, we have 1-2 COVID positive moms on L&D/Mother Baby every day. Though a few times we haven't had any, and our max was 10 positive moms! Our usually patient ratio is 4 couplets (mother-baby pairs) to one nurse. With COVID positive moms, we get a maximum of 2 couplets, and both would be positive, we don't mix positive and non-positive patients. Luckily, most of our positive moms have been asymptomatic. And we are swabbing the babies of positive moms and 24 hours of age, and then some of our hospitalist Pediatricians also want them swabbed at 48 hours of age, if they are still there. We aren't separating COVID positive moms from their babies unless the mom have to go to ICU (from a bad postpartum hemorrhage or from COVID symptoms) or baby has to go to NICU for some reason (cardiac issues, preterm, respiratory distress, etc).
Patients have to wear masks when staff (nurses, doctors, etc) are in the room, and if they are visiting baby in NICU. Us nurses have to wear masks and goggles in patient rooms. In COVID positive rooms, we wear a procedure/surgical mask over a N-95 mask, goggles or face shield, shoe covers, gown, and gloves. Most of us have also gotten our own scrub caps or hair covers. Plus we wear hospital-provided scrubs that we change into and out of at the hospital, and leave them in a hamper in the locker room.
Last month we started to see a lot of moms who had a history of testing positive for COVID, but had been cleared by Public Health and we are to treat them as if they are negative.
We have had moms come in sicker. A lot of patients are having telehealth appointments with their OB, or have stopped receiving prenatal care, so things have been missed. Plus it does seem like our COVID positive moms are more likely to have clotting issues. One mom straight up didn't seek any prenatal care and had 2 eclamptic seizures, which is just so uncommon to see here.
Since I shift lead a lot, I have barely been on the floor. I was on the floor July 4th and had COVID patients, and I was on the floor Thursday, and since it had been 2 months, it was my turn again to take COVID patients. Plus I had an orientee. And then one of our moms tried to hemorrhage at the end of the shift. I was fucking stressed.
One of my coworkers had to quarantine because her husband got COVID from his work. He was sympaotic only a few days after exposure and quarantined himself early, and luckily neither her nor their 6 children got it. Another coworker had to quarantine because her boyfriend got it at his work, though she actually got very sick as well. Public Health cleared finally cleared her to come back, even though she was still swabbing positive, so I am sure it's fine *eye-roll* but finally she swabbed negative a few weeks ago.
I feel bad for other floors. Most COVID patients are going to Med/Surg, Tele, or ICU, depending on how sick they are. And our plan has always been, if we have a mom sick enough, we will send her to the ICU. Pediatrics has even had a few kids with COVID. One night I was working, the ICU had 2 patients die from COVID within a few hours of each other.
At work, we are all burned out/on edge. I can't even imagine how the staff on those other floors feel. I am sure they actually have PTSD from this.
For 2 months, I didn't even go see my parents. In May, I had minor surgery. I had a hysteroscopy, D&C, uterine biopsy, and I had a Mirena IUD placed. The day before surgery, I was swabbed for COVID, and I had antibodies drawn. Both negative. My mom drove me to and from surgery, and stayed over the first night. I figured since I was negative, I wouldn't pass anything on to her. Now, I see them every once in awhile, now that work is providing us with proper PPE. Let me tell you, the cramping from surgery/the IUD has been brutal. And here I am, 4 months later, STILL bleeding. But at least I wont get endometrial cancer, yay I guess.
Most of my friends are nurses, and carry the same amount of risk/possible exposure, so we hang out outside of work. Restaurants in California are closed except for take-out, so we hang out at someone's house. One of Alyse's cats had 3 kittens and they are so cute and fuzzy. Unfortunately, I have been using Door Dash/Grub Hub and cooking less. I just overall have less motivation to cook/clean/go shopping. I do laundry every week though, I have to so I can have clean scrubs.
And now we are in fire season again in California. To the parents who started a fire with a gender reveal party, fuck you. I can't wait until we start getting rain, hopefully next month. Air quality has been shit. A few weeks ago, we had a weird thunder and lightening storm, and the lightening caused dozens of fires all over the state. Cal Fire told Californians to be ready to evacuate. To where? The whole state was on fire. Where I live, it would take me almost 9 hours to get to Oregon, 6 hours to get to Nevada, 6.5 hours to get to Arizona, and 5 hours to get to Mexico. Where am I going to go? The ocean? Though there are multiple beaches within 30 minutes of where I live.
