Just an update. We got crabs.

 Joe's Crabs just opened up on the renovated Daytona Pier. We had time to spare so we walked on the beach and decided to have lunch and try it out. We were being adventurous. Neither one of us has ever eaten crabs from the shell. I thought it was fun and delicious. Danny thought he had to work too hard for such little meat and that the bill was ridiculous.

Also, Vic would like to say Hello to everyone.

What?! It's on General Doolittle Rd?! I'm sold!

We will be moving from our tiny, mushroom growing apartment where lesbian domestic violence fills the air and we are known as "white folk" (that's another story later), to....21 General Doolittle Rd.
It has been nice Wood Forest, getting to experience the doppler effect first hand with the raceway just minutes from our windows and you were able to give Danny even more fuel for his argument for gun ownership, but we now must go...to General Doolittle Rd. You have been a class act "fixing" our leaking roof by painting over the stains with Kilz, and practically letting our "lake view" run dry because the pump broke for over a week, and charging us more for water than it costs us in electricity each month, but General Doolittle is calling our name. I'm so glad I got to experience with you our roof being replaced and our porch railing being ripped out and then hammered back together. And your timing couldn't have been any better, the 2nd month of me working night shift! Oh, and thanks for that special amenity, our fireplace, which we never used because we live in DAYTONA BEACH.

Beginning June 25th Danny and Karen Browning will be residing at 21 General Doolittle Rd. Daytona Beach, FL 32114.

3 month orientation, check

May 13th was my first official shift off of orientation. All on my own. No nurse double checking my work or there to be my unlimited resource person. I put my big girl panties on, took a deep breath, and said a little prayer. The shift was uneventful, thank you Jesus.

My orientation lasted 3 months and I was ready to be done with it around week 6. It was nice having something of a security blanket, but sometimes it was more stressful because it was kind of disorganized with lots of miscommunications happening and lots of stupid hoops to jump through. I was assigned a Preceptor, a nurse with many years of experience. Her name was Analee. She was perfect. Very laid back, trusted me to do many things completely independently, and was so knowledgeable about oncology. The problem was when she was scheduled as charge nurse or called off or changed her schedule without letting me know I would be put with any nurse who would have me. Precepting someone is honestly a huge pain. The main RN is still liable for the patients I am taking care of and it takes more time to explain things and do things slower. I must have been with more than 7 different nurses in the span of 4 weeks. One had just gotten off of orientation one month ago herself, she got very overwhelmed at one point and cried. One was a travel nurse who had only been on the unit for 3 months himself. One was so type A she would only let me take one patient when I had been taking four. One was very "old school" and even after I showed him the hospitals policy that I followed on drawing blood, insisted I had done it the wrong way (because it wasn't his way) and made me redraw them. But all that is over with and I get to do things my way now. They have been kind to me so far and given me very stable patients, but I am very comfortable and ready for some challenges on my own.  Just last night I was able to start an IV on a very dehydrated black man. That is a very hard thing to do and I did it completely on my own.

Here are a few orientation superlatives:

• Funniest thing a patient said: Me: "Are you passing gas?" 84 yr old woman: "Oh honey, like fireworks!"
• Most insulting thing a patient's family member said: "You don't care" This comment was outnumbered by praise and compliments from many other patients, and the husband was a complete jerk verified by other staff members, but it stuck and it hurt.
• Most disgusting (I would be a very happy nurse if I never had to do it again): Manual fecal disimpaction, if you can't figure it out google it. 
• Coolest new skill I have learned: How to access an implanted port. Again, google it.Closely followed by becoming ACLS (Advanced Care Life Support) certified (how to revive a person who has coded with CPR, drugs, and shocking them)
• Night that took me the longest to recover from, mentally and physically: transferred 1 patient to ICU because her calcium was so high she was paralyzed and having trouble breathing, received a patient that died within 20 minutes of being in my care (it was expected and the family was prepared), got yelled at by a doctor for not notifying him sooner of a patients decreasing urine output. Got orders to transfuse platelets, bolus 1L of saline, draw labs and give a few new medications, all done within the last hour of my shift. 
• Best piece of advice from Analee: "Whatever happens, morning will still come."

Karen turns 29

My birthday celebration started Friday the 11th. Danny baked me a strawberry cake with cream cheese icing and got some awesome authentic Italian pizza from this great place we found nearby. We caught up on our TV shows online and had a yummy date night in.
Saturday we met Kristine and Joe at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure. This was my gift from Danny, year round passes to the park. On the way we got McDonald's for breakfast, the crepe master got to sleep in. The McD's was the greasiest I have ever had and the coffee was soooo strong. My stomach was not happy, oh, and I had been fighting a bad cold the past couple of days and didn't sleep the night before either from the non drowsy sudafed Danny bought me or maybe it was my messed up sleeping schedule from work. Anyway, after we raced from the gates and rode the first roller coaster I was ready to puke. I was starting to feel like an old fart who was loosing her edge at 29! We took some time looking in gift shops and doing some less jarring rides (ie Dr. Suess land), and I semi recovered. I pushed through and was not about to admit I just wanted to curl up and take a nap. Overall the day was so much fun. It was nice being able to take our time because we can come back all year. Favorite ride: the Rip Ride and Rocket?...or something, you get to pick the song that is played in your headset during the ride. Favorite game played: see how many disney things/apparel you can spot on people. Points were given for each item, Danny was the winner. Favorite Island: Harry Potter. It is amazing how much it looks like the movies.
Danny and I left the park around 4, then had to turn around after I realized I had left my phone in Kristine's car. Sorry again Kristine for making you walk to the parking lot for that. We got my phone and were on our way home. I fell asleep and then we were home, amazing how that happens. Danny had stopped on the way to get me some drowsy cold medicine. I showered, popped some pills then turned in for a 22hour nyquil induced coma. I'm not kidding. I went to bed around 6pm and didn't wake up until 4pm Sunday. I would rouse every 6 or so hours still feel like crap, pop some more pills, then curl back into bed. I had to work Sunday night. My first night off orientation and on my own, and with a head cold no less. Happy birthday to me! The shift went well, my preceptor was the charge nurse so I think she rigged my assignment so it would be easy. I'm off now until Thursday so maybe I will finally kick this cold.
Thank you for all the happy birthday messages left on my voicemail, they were nice to listen to on my way to work. Love you guys!

Side note:
Danny's computer is fixed! So hopefully there will be more posts to come.

Mr. Robert Browning, Citizen of the Month

Yesterday (I'm not really sure if it was yesterday. I have worked 2 nights in a row and have lost track), while I was at work, Danny witnessed a "domestic dispute." Our next door neighbors threw down. Danny heard yelling and derogatory language and stepped outside to investigate. Not having much experience with outrageous-hotheaded-not-thinking-logically arguments he tried to reason with them. There was physical contact between the couple, punching and slapping and guys pulling them apart, so Danny called the police. Let me just also mention that we have heard these neighbors through our walls, which I have shamelessly listened to, argue with overly dramatic crying and ultimatums. Also, they are a lesbian couple.

Today (I do know for a fact this was today), as Danny and I were going to the mall, we noticed a lot of smoke it the brush at the edge of the parking lot. I said "boy scout, you better call the fire department." 911 was called and after a few minutes repeating the same information to the dispatcher..."I don't actually see a fire, but there is enough smoke to indicate there is definitely a fire. Yes, the SW side of the mall. Yes, by Sears. Yes, southwest. Well, like I said, I don't actually see any flames, but there is a fire in the brush. Yes, by Sears. There is a lot of smoke. Yes, the Volusia Mall." Within minutes we saw a fire truck. Citizen Browning saved the day again.

After all the fire business Danny said that was the first time he had called 911.
Me: Really? What about the lesbian's fight?
D: I called the police department
Me: where did you get the number? (kind of a stupid question, I know)
D: I programmed it into my phone when we moved here.

And he always carries a flashlight, a pen and a lighter.

Also, it is Bike Week here and we plan to go downtown into the madness Thursday night. I will let you know if Citizen Browning strikes again.

What day is it?

I have asked Danny this question so many times I'm getting on my own nerves. Working nights has really messed with my head. Getting off of a 12 hour shift at 7:30am then telling people "Good Morning" in the elevator can do that. Morning is now 5 in the evening and night is now 8 in the morning. It's even more confusing trying to figure out when to sleep on my days off then transition back to nights when I work again. This can lead to entire 18 hour stretches in bed, and/or being wide awake and on Pintrest at 3am.

Working Nights

The Pros:

• I am so awake at work. I think its official: I am a night person. It is not hard at all for me to stay up all night.


• I have much more time to get ready before work. I really like to dawdle when getting ready in the "morning." I hate to be rushed. Getting up at 3:30 in the afternoon is much better than 3:30 in the morning.


• The shift differential

The Cons:

• A confused brain.


• Trying to sleep when maintenance men are replacing all the patio railings in our apartment complex.


• Vic is going to get so fat and lazy. He sleeps with Danny at night, then when I get home just stays right where he is and sleeps with me until I wake up at 4pm.


• I really haven't cooked lately, something I really enjoy doing. The timing is just always wrong to cook and eat a meal with Danny.

Thank God for blackout curtains (which I fashioned together with duct tape the other day) and ear plugs.

Pintrest recipe fail

"Skip the icing. Add a marshmellow 5 minutes before the end of cooking time."
Yeah right.