28th August (Thursday) - You're probably wondering why is there insanity involve in this post... Well, if you keep reading on you'll find out. Today, I was given the assignment of going to the pharmacy. So I waited and waited and waited for someone to come. The lights are all on, but there's nobody in sight. Finally, I saw a clerk went in so I told her that I'm posting to the pharmacy and she just went, "You shouldn't have come early, girl. The supervisor usually comes in late."I told her it was okay and I'll just wait inside. Then when the clerk was tidying up her folders, she saw the date and went, "Oh no. The supervisor's not coming, girl. Because today is her annual leave." Oh man, is there even such a thing possible? I suggest alternates to her : I'll follow the other staff on their topping up medications rounds, I'll help prepare their medications, can't I follow the big boss instead? She shook her head at each suggestions and said only the supervisor's allowed to teach. The others aren't allowed. So I'm not allowed to come to the pharmacy. I went to find the sister in charge of my roster and after helping out in the usual ward which I'm familiar with when there was a phone call from the downstairs Sister who asked me to come and post to her ward. Seeing as how I don't have any other choice, I went down, just in time to help them for a shower. One of the nurse wished me luck and I asked her why, and she merely replied, you will find out.
So I went into the room and found this old lady sitting on a chair. My first thought is, Oh, an old lady, maybe she really does need help. Big mistake. She, I'm sorry to say, is uncooperative and acts like a total helpless person. When I tried standing her up, she moaned and said she was in pain. The attendant who was with me told me she had been living there for a month, and she never helps herself. I then asked her how does she usually bathe and she said that she can do it herself but refuses to do so. Then the lady moaned that she was in pain and the attendant told her firmly to help herself and then she made a big noise about us being selfish and refusing to help her, and the attendant shouted back at her which seems to add fuel to the fire. Then she actually did stood up and managed to walk with the walking frame.What the- Something about the way she talks makes me think back about yesterday about an incident where the CI mentioned to me that there was an incident where a patient said the nurses treated her horribly to her son, whom in turn, complained to the professor, and whom in turn screamed at all the nurses til the Sister and the CI have to lower their heads and humbly apologize. Oh dear. I have to force myself to swallow all of my annoyance and keep a cool head as she kept moaning that she's in pain and that she's a helpless old lady who needs someone to carry her. The attendant was losing her cool and I kept distracting the lady by keeping her occupied with the shower. Since I'm just a new staff, whom am I to take sides on? They probably knew the old lady better than me so I wisely kept my lips shut. And she doesn't let me go. I spent my whole morning all locked up in her room busy attending her. No matter I put all of her possession close to her, she just won't reach out for them. She just kept asking me to take for her, saying that she's in pain. When I finally got out, all the senior staff were laughing and said, "How did it feel?" and I merely gave a sigh of exhaustion and said, "I get it. I get it." But they did congratulated me for being super patient with her and I merely shrugged. 3 years of handling super fussy patients at my previous training taught me to swallow all of my anger and just put up a blank expression. After that, I have to send a patient to billing and handle a shaving for a patient who is going for angiogram. When they asked whether I could handle shaving alone, I merely said, "I'm out of practice but I'll do it." So I spend a while shaving while chatting to the patient, whom I gotten to know well that she trusts me even though we only met for a moment. Then when I finished shaving, I got one of the senior staff to inspect my shaving, she took a long glance, then gave me a thumbs up. "Good job. It's your first shaving right?" Whew, lucky me. I will admit, I never had experience with shaving before. I only made sure there were no hair sticking out and that the area is clean. Before I left, I also advised the patient to wash with clear water to clear any bits of hair that maybe sticking on her skin.
Then, the worst part came. Remember the old lady? Everyone warned me she's an attention-seeker and she will keep pressing the bell every 5 minutes. The lady beside her never presses the bell, but she will call for attention as well, just not as bad as the other lady. Hoo-boy, see what I mean. The moment I get called by that room, I'll be doing a disappearing act for hours. The saddest thing was, she doesn't help herself and she's uncooperative. She can turn, she can use her hands, even though she had slight pain on her leg, she can move with the help of a walking frame... It's just sad. Sigh. No wonder why all the senior staff told me to just sit in that room. Once you start attending to her, she'll never leave you alone. Sigh... The nurses told me I can just make a drama in that very room itself and I told them to get the camera ready. I went in to make sure the old lady eat and she kept shouting that she refuses to eat and that no one can feed her. Recalling a lesson that I learnt back from my time as a student nurse, I told her firmly, "Madam, you can use your hands to feed yourself. And you should feed yourself, because then your muscles won't be so stiff and you can go out of the hospital. Don't worry, I will help you chop your fish and mix your rice together but you must try feed yourself." The patient, after hearing my words, nodded and waited patiently as I chop the fish into bits and mash it with the rice and vegie and curry. And miracles of miracles, she actually managed to eat the fish finish, with half a portion of rice and some vegies. Yes! The nurses saw the result and were like, "Whoa. You managed to get her to eat." and I just said all I have to do is keep saying the word try and she'll do it.
Then noon came. Darn, I couldn't get the report on time thanks to being occupied, nevertheless, I rushed just in time to see a PEG feeding. Wow, it sure brings back memory when I used to do PEG feeding for a regular patient. You commonly see NG tube feeding but PEG, super rare.
As I got out of the room, I happened to pass by my friend who is struggling to measure the height of a tall patient who just came in. She barely reached over his chest and I just said to her that I'll help her. Then the patient looked at me uncertainly and I asked him to bend a little and managed to put the plastic plate on top of his head and pushed it slightly up as he straightened. And we managed to get his height. And he was like, "What??? I'm that short?" And I went, "No, sir. You're actually considered quite tall." Considering I have many guy friends who are taller than him, um, yeah, he's quite tall.
Going to the Front Office Counter tomorrow. I hope there'll be no more dramas going on.
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