Revived

Finally, I’m back! After a long time of silence, I’m here again extending my upcoming days’ events, and more. My hectic days are over. I have been studying for our review center’s rationalization on different exams because The Philippine Nurse Licensure Examination is just around the corner. Seventeen days to go and hopefully, all our students are going to be Registered Nurses then. This is what has kept me busy for weeks. We had to ensure quality review for our beloved students for them to be able to grab their license.

Anyway, as I have vowed before, regardless of how busy I become, I’m gonna keep on blogging. See you around!

Manic Wednesday Afternoon at the Park

It was Bea’s second time to go to People’s Park. She doesn’t have much memory during her first visit because she was just eleven months old then. I almost burst into laughter when I saw her reaction the moment she entered the park. She gave out a deep breath saying “wow!” with all her might. She ran as fast as she could, without deliberately thinking where to go. She didn’t know where to start her adventure. So I led her to the children’s playground where there are lots of swings, slides, seesaw, and a manual carousel (where I had to push it now and then to keep it spinning). Unfortunately, it was the ride that she enjoyed the most. I felt like I lost a pail of sweat. After a while, we roamed around looking at the fountains, wherein Bea was too elated to see the fish and the ducks swimming and wandering about. She also played with the enormous sculptures, which one of those she called ‘lola’ (grandma) sweeping the ground. One of her highlights that afternoon was the small wishing well, where she excitedly threw her 25 cents after I dictated to her our wish. Obviously, she found it peculiar but fantastic seeing countless coins in that basin-like spot because it was the first thing that she boasted when her daddy got there.

At long last, Bea was in low battery. She had a cone of chocolate ice cream to resume her animation. She even had a glass of cola to quench her thirst! After we had our dinner, luckily, she was completely knocked off. Now, it’s my pleasure to redeem my vigor. =)

Emergency Nursing

Emergency can be stumbled upon everywhere, at the most unexpected instances. It is a sudden and urgent occurrence, usually unforeseen, requiring an immediate action. Emergency crisis refers to circumstances in which quick action and judgement is necessary. It may not prevent undesirable consequences but if some medical and nursing interventions are done, it may help save lives. Here are some emergency conditions and actions that we must remember:

No pulse and respiration:
Perform CPR or Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation.

Choking and conscious:
Heimlich maneuver

Choking and unconscious:
Heimlich and finger sweep. Do not perform finger sweep to a child.

Choking conscious child:
5 back blows and 5 chest thrusts, remove object. Never perform finger sweep.

Choking unconscious child:
Give 2 slow breaths, 5 back blows and 5 chest thrusts, remove object

Motor vehicle accident:
Do not rush to get victim out. Contrary to opinion, most vehicle crashes do not involve fire.

Fires:
Do not let a person run if clothing is on fire. Do not get trapped while fighting a fire. Always keep a door behind you so that you can exit if the fire gets too big.

Farm animals:
Do not frighten an animal.

Hypovolemic shock:
Elevate leg 8-12 inches only if with no spinal cord injury. Do not raise legs if with chest injuries, breathing difficulty, or unconscious.

Anaphylactic shock:
Give Epinephrine

External bleeding:
Direct wound pressure, elevate, tourniquet.

Amputation:
Control bleeding; find severed part and seek medical attention immediately. Severed part – wrap in dry, sterile gauze or clean cloth; put in waterproof container; place wrapped part and container on bed of ice, but do not submerge in ice or cold water.

Eye injuries:
Seek medical attention immediately. Protect injured eye and patch unaffected eye to prevent movement. Do not remove an object stuck in the eye and do not apply hard pressure.

Chemical burns to eye:
Keep eye open and flush with water immediately.

Nose bleeding:
Sit upright, head bent slightly forward, pinch nostrils, breathe through mouth.

Chest injuries:
Check *ABCHs; stabilize chest using pillow, coat or blanket, and seek medical attention. Do not remove object because bleeding and entry of air in chest cavity will occur.

*Airway – head tilt, chin lift method or jaw thrust if with trauma
Breathing – look, listen, and feel for breathing
Circulation – check pulse at carotid artery
Hemorrhage – check for bleeding
Spinal cord injury – always assume a trauma to the head with spinal cord injury

Animal bites:
Wash with soap and water, control bleeding, and seek medical attention.

Insect stings:
Scrape stinger off, and wash with soap and water.

Snakebites:
Keep affected area below the heart level, clean with soap and water, splint part to reduce movement, and seek medical attention.

1st degree burn (painful with redness, mild swelling, and pain):
Apply cold wet dressing or soak in cold water. Do not cover with dressing after.

2nd degree burn (painful with deeper affection, blisters develop):
Apply cold dressing or soak in cold water. Cover with a dry, nonstick, sterile dressing or clean cloth.

3rd degree burn (not painful, deeper destruction, skin layers destroyed)
Cover with dry nonstick, sterile dressing or clean cloth; treat shock.

Hypothermia:
Get victim out of cold, replace wet clothes with dry warm clothes, keep flat and provide other sources of heat. Do not give warm drinks, they dilate the blood vessels more. Do not engage in physical exertion.

Heat stroke:
Assess for hot skin, high body temperature, altered mental status – seek medical attention immediately.

Heat exhaustion:
Move to cool place, raise legs 8 to 12 inches, remove excess clothing, sponge with cool water and fan.
Bruises, strains, sprains, dislocations, fractures:
Use R.I.C.E.
Rest
Ice (20-30 minutes every 2-3 hours during 1st 24-48 hours)
Compression (bandage 18-24 hours)
Elevation (but do not elevate fractures)

Swallowed poisoning:
Identify poison and how much and when taken. Call poison control center or seek medical attention immediately.

Heart attack:
Stop activity and place in half sitting position, with knees bent and padding under the knees.

Seizure:
Caution head; loosen tight clothing; turn to side; promote safety.

Asthma:
Sit upright, use asthma medication (inhaler, nebulizer), and seek medical help.

A Great Day Ahead

Whew! Finally, I’m back in my shell again, eating my favorite food in my favorite restaurant with my bestfriend. What a tough day! I started my day rushing myself to our office for an unexpected task, where I was supposed to be traveling to Tagum for some lecture in one of our review center’s tie-up school. Our lecturer who was scheduled for review here in Davao wasn’t able to make it, that’s why we had to give the students a 100-item exam to make up for the missed lecture, which I had to rationalize (explain to them the answers of each item) after the students had taken the said exam. I got done with my rationalization at around 12 noon, and my lecture in Tagum will start at 1 P.M., which means I had to travel in a flash, as if I’m one of the characters of the movie The Incredibles. I scuttled my way there, and fortunately I was just thirty minutes late. I didn’t even have the luxury of time to loosen up a bit because I had to start the lecture without more ado. I stood up in front, talking nonstop for three hours. At past 4 P.M., at last I’m done with my hectic day.
To pay off with such a stressful day, I eased up by dropping by my aunt’s house. We spent time just having a light talk. I compensated my exhaustion by “binge-eating.” Hahaha, don’t get me wrong, I’m not a bulimic person. It was just my way of rewarding myself. And I really had a great time.
Now I came to believe what a friend of mine used to tell me. She said that don’t say you’re happy because everything’s fine. It is better to think that we are happy because even if everything sucks, we are doing just fine!

Free At Last!

For nearly two years now, I have been in a relationship that was full of ups and downs. It started great, but of course, I would believe that all boyfriend-girlfriend relationships begin in a happily-ever-after genre. As time went on, each one’s lapses became a reason to clash. Open communication, meeting halfway, apologies, reconciliation, and promises were made to keep such relationship. But I guess if something is not meant for you, whatever means you take to have it, it will still end up slipping out of your hands. As a woman, I would love to be my man’s priority. Who wouldn’t want to be? But it’s a sad fact when there are other things or people who come first. I don’t put blame on those things or people, because it should be him who has the initiative to realize that being in a relationship denotes that you have an obligation with your significant other. It makes you less of a person as a girlfriend if he puts priority in fetching others instead of you, or if he has to just drop you off somewhere to give a ride to another. Don’t think that I’m too shallow. This is just one of those grounds. They are too many to mention, though.

I may sound in grief, but mind you, I’m not! I am more than joyful that finally, I got to realize my value as a person again. I am in high spirits that I was able to free myself from tyranny. Hahaha!

Best Friends

I have always found it astounding seeing a father and a daughter treat each other as best buddies. My cousin and his daughter were spending leisure time just hanging around playing their favorite music. With a guitar and a keyboard, this smart little girl was having wonderful time learning from her father how to play such instrument. They look so cute together! It’s amazing to witness that my cousin's interest in music reflects in his daughter at such a young age. She just cannot contain her excitement being taught of different tunes and melodies, and pleading for another attempt to be able to do it right.

It’s cool to have friends, yes I know… but nothing beats to have a father for a bestfriend.

Yummy Cheese!

When was cheese invented?

Countless countries claim the glory of having come across this delicacy. As per word of mouth, cheese was said to be discovered by a rider embarked with milk contained in leather pouches which came from the stomachs of young cows. To his disappointment, the milk became sour and had turned into curd. But surprisingly, when he tasted it, he liked it very much.

Strangely, there could be some truth in the legend of the cow’s pouches about rennet, a digestive juice found in the stomach linings of calves, which separates milk into curds and whey. As we all know, cheese is produced by the coagulation of casein, a milk protein from cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. The milk is curdled through acids, like lemon juice or vinegar. The solids produced are then separated, pressed and shaped to its final form.