I’ve gotten a lot of requests for more information since Twittering about the new diet my vestibular specialist has put me on, so I thought I’d try to summarize it here for everyone who is interested. My particular vestibular disorder, Menieres Disease (aka endolymphatic hydrops) is caused by excess fluid in the inner ear’s hearing and balance structures. Normally these structures are independent of the body’s fluid system, but in Menieres Disease the independent fluid control is lost, causing fluctuating fluid volumes and concentrations in the inner ear, which in … Continue reading
Eating in the Zone: My new Menieres Diet
Posted in Cooking, My Life, Vestibular Disorders
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Seven Things You May Not Know About Me
I was in labor for two months with my 3rd child (which probably explains why I don’t have a 4th). I went into premature labor at 24 weeks on August 4, 1986. My due date was November 28. The doctors didn’t hold out much hope, and despite using every tactic in their arsenals they never could stop the contractions completely. They did, however, manage to slow the progress of my labor for 8 long weeks, which gave Rusty time to get big enough to survive. (If you medical sorts are … Continue reading
Voice Lessons
One of my responsibilities as a psych nurse is patient education. I help my patients learn coping skills, teach them about their medications and how they work, and help them find ways to change the thoughts and attitudes that keep defeating them. It’s not a one-way street, though; my patients teach me, too. They show me new ways to look at the world; they teach me honesty and transparency, and about the resilience of the human soul. Once in a while, one comes along who teaches me more than I … Continue reading
Posted in Deep Thoughts, Nursing, Parallel Universes
Tagged mental illness, psych unit, voices
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Calendar Conspiracy
Back in my hospital CNA days, I worked the night shift. Each of the rooms on the med-surg unit where I worked had a 365-day calendar hanging on the wall to let the patient know what day it was, so one of the things I did each night as I made my rounds taking midnight vitals was to tear the previous day’s page off each calendar to update it for the new day. During one shift, I was assigned to “sit” with a somewhat confused elderly woman. She had wrecked … Continue reading
Posted in Nursing, Parallel Universes
Tagged calendar, dementia, elderly, night shift, orientation questions
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What is a Nurse?
Despite the fact that the American public consistently ranks nurses as among the top five most trustworthy types of people, nursing is one of the least-understood professions. Very few people really understand exactly who we are, what we do, or how much we have to learn in order to do it. My friend “Strong One” has put together a list that describes us quite nicely. Check it out on his blog. Thanks, Strong One!
Post-Election Thoughts
The time for choosing sides for or against a candidate is past. Now it’s time to unite as Americans and move forward. I’ve had enough of the badmouthing and doubt-casting and the “just wait, you’ll see!” doom and gloom negativity. What’s done is done. There is no longer a choice of candidates before us – what’s before us now is a choice between sitting on our butts complaining to whoever will listen because our guy didn’t get elected and we don’t think the new guy is going to be any … Continue reading
Yet Another Personality Test
I love this stuff. This one seemed to peg me pretty well, actually. The link to the site where you can take the test is down there at the bottom. NBPC – The Daydreamer Nature, Background, Big Picture, and Color You perceive the world with particular attention to nature. You focus on the hidden treasures of life (the background) and how that fits into the larger picture. You are also particularly drawn towards the colors around you. Because of the value you place on nature, you tend to find comfort … Continue reading
Posted in My Life
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