Ask a nurse anything.

reply to post by ANNED


Take notes guys ANNED is someone who knows how to self advocate, and get the care they need.

When you know it just isn't right you don't always assume the doctor knows best. You push, and dig, and prod until you get answers that make sense, or care needed. When most of us get sick it's usually one of a couple dozen problems. Doctors see lots, andlots, and lots of patients in a day. They can get stuck in a rut, and when something out of the ordinary comes along sometimes it's easier to pass the patient off as a wack job, or hypochondriac, when something rare, or easy to miss is really going on.

On the other end of that spectrum, and I'm sure ANNED, and Nursejr will agree with me. In the medical profession we see a lot of wack jobs, and hypochondriacs. So next time you wanna go see a doctor just 'cuz, or you are lonely or itching for a prescription med fix, think about the other people who may really have something strange, or out of the ordinary wrong. Whackos make diagnosing true statistical outliers very difficult.

Now I'll get on my soap box for just a minute, and let the general public know what nurses REALLY hate.

First you must realize our job is very heavy on observation, and critical thinking. We get lied to five millions times just before lunch. Whether we make any outward show of it or not. WE KNOW WHEN YOU LIE TO US!!!! We can smell it. It's kind of like a banker knowing real bills from fake at a glance. When you get lied to constantly you have a very sensitive lie detector. Don't do it. We are not here to judge, condemn, or make fun of you. OK we may make fun of you if what you did was really stupid, but it will not affect your care at all, and we do keep it "in the family" Plus we've done stupid stuff too, so we may just be identifying with you. However you will never know we were making fun of you we're all pretty professional that way, but C'mon guys some of the stuff that happens is hilarious, and we do stressful jobs together for 12-14 hours straight 3-5 days a week. You gotta laugh sometimes or you'll cry. The point is be honest with us for the best care. Tell us how it really happened, be honest about how much you drink. It can save your life.

When we come in your room to assess you. Put the damn phone down. There is no conversation you could possibly be having that is more important than your health.

If you are laughing, and cutting up with your friends, and immediately upon our entering start groaning, and frowning and rate your pain a 10 out of 10... News Flash!!! We don't believe you. Yes we will get your medication because we do want you comfortable, but we will not give you the "10" dose. On the other end of that if you are hurting, don't play hero, and deny pain. You are not impressing us, you are hiding symptoms that might kill you in certain situations, and making our job harder. Just be honest. We will take care of you with out you exaggerating one way or the other.

If you think of a med suddenly that you think you need at 3am, unless it is life or death, I am not calling the doctor, sorry. I do not enjoy having my butt chewed any more than you do. Doctors are grumpy beyond imagination early in the morning. If it can wait, it will.

If a nurse slips you that tylenol, or rolaids at 3am because we aren't going to call the doctor, and we tell you not to tell, and you "slip" or otherwise make it known. That will be the last time it happens ever, and you are now on the whole staff's #list. If we stick our neck out for you in anyway, don't you dare betray us. We could lose our jobs over a sneaked tylenol if someone higher up wanted to get real ugly. We are being VERY nice when we bend the rules a little for you. Burn us just once, and it's over, and we talk, so the next shift will be no better.

Look at your healthcare team as just that a team. One that you are also a member of. If I look a little frustrated that you are unhappy with the aamount of ice in your coke, don't assumed it is because I am lazy, and just don't care. I might have just put a child, or someone's grandpa in a body bag. Sorry, your coke just wasn't on my radar at the moment. Normally I of course want my patient happy, and comfortable, but we deal with matters that trump your comfrot measures at times. When things calm down, then we'll be back to fluffing your pillows, and icing the cokes better.

We have orders from the doctor that we are lagally accountable to fulfill. If your doctor put you on a restriction. Do not beg the nurse to go against that restriction. We are no happier about it than you are. NPO(nothing by mouth) means NPO!!! It is for your safety. When I worked surgery, and people snuck food after being made NPO they took a risk on choking to death on their own vomit while being extubated after surgery. If they had it would be their fault, and not the doctor, you lied, we believed you, YOUR FAULT!!! but we have people sue surgeons constantly because they think the doc should have magically known that you were a liar. If you are on a fluid restriction it is because your body cannot hand the fluid load. Drinking more will result in you drowning in your own fluids. So the next time you hear someone in a hospital throwing a fit for something, don't assume "mean nurses" sometimes it is "stupid patient" that has no self control.

OK rant over Back to our scheduled programming.

This is a real question

I was given some pain meds after an oral surgery and I can't get off this crap! After I ran out I ran to my doctor and told her I hurt my back and she gave me more with alot of refills. I tried to stop but my body does not work and I can't even get out of bed! how do I get off this crap?

reply to post by SkipperJohn


Hi SkipperJohn, it sounds like you already have more than half of what you need. The recognition of the problem, and a desire to fix it. It is not a matter of will power, and it does not mean you are a weak, or a screwed up person. Addiction is both physical, and mental. Your addiction sounds mostly physical because you voice a desire to get back to normal. The mental aspects are much more difficult. I know, I have smoked for 15 years, and can't seem to kick it. The what is not the issue. Alcohol, nicotine, caffiene, coc aine, food, sex, it's all the same, it is a question of when, not what.

Pain killers release endorphins, "feel good" hormones in our brains. It triggers a primitive reflex in our reward center. On a very deep level our brains says "YEAH! do that again!" At the same time it decreases the level of natural feel good the brain makes on it's own since it senses enough feel good stuff already. When you quit cold turkey you are miserable because you are imbalanced. The same goes for all addictions. Do not try to do it on your own, you can't. You need to tell your doctor what is up, and express your desire to not be dependent on the pain killers. You need to wean off of them, and replace the artificial feel good with some natural, healthy feel good. Your doctor, and an addiction counselor can help you with this. They know how to make a smooth taper from the artificial feel good to the natural feel good. The desire to change on your part is all that is needed. You can, and will beat it, but not all by yourself. You are not a loser, or a junky. Just someone who got addicted to something that your body can't tolerate long term. You know this already or you wouldn't be asking for help. Now go ask the people close to you who can help. No shame in asking for help brother. You're a smart man for it.

reply to post by Binder


Thanks for your rant post. I too am a Registered Nurse (UK) and male. What you said rings also true here in the UK. I am now fortunate to not work in a general hospital setting (I was in Orthopaedics) but I now work with perhaps one of the hardest groups of patients ....... prisoners. They ALWAYS lie ...... well 99.98% do, so one always has to do some detective work to actually find out what they are after or want

If there are any UK NHS specific questions, I'll try and help out if I can.

regards
Wotan

reply to post by Wotan


Thanks Wotan, As I said before I think standards are fairly similar amongst most countries, but there are differences, and it would be great to hear the experiences, and opinions of a colleague across the pond.

Prisoners... I bet that is an "interesting" population to care for. You are a bigger man than I!!! I find it a bit intimidating when the 65 year old woman down the hall is 10 minutes late for when she can get her Vicoden screaming "I'll shank you, you @#&%$!!!!" I can only imagine working with people who have actually done it. You are truly fulfilling the call in a place where angel's fear to tread.

reply to post by Binder


Oh I get called a C**t at least twice a day . You have to be pretty thick-skinned to work with some of the scrotes ....... I mean patients I work with. Being a Prison Nurse you are not a master of any Nursing discipline but a jack-of-all nursing specialisms, from medical, post-surgical, palliative, mental health, learning disability, to detoxing alchoholics and drug addicts to self-harmers and attempted suicides. It makes the job interesting though.

The main problems are between us NHS staff and HM Prison Service staff as we work in different ways and dont always see eye to eye ......... which makes the actual nursing seem easy in comparison.

reply to post by Wotan


I work with a lot of ETOH detoxers. They make horror films look like they were all made by Disney. Then the family comes in, and acts like we are cruel, and heartless because we have them in restraints. They don't understand that without the restraints their uncle drunkles would beat us with the bloody end of his Foley, and jump out the window while running from the pink elephants in the room.

While it's on my mind I would like to speak on the subject of TV Vs. real life in a hospital.

The things 90% of medical shows show the doctors doing. All of the "caring", and listening, and spending hours of quality time with sick, sad people, etc... Nurses do that, not doctors. yes there are really cool docs out there that will do it on occasion, but they are rare diamonds indeed. Doctor do not run lab tests, they don't even collect specimens, lab techs, and nurses do. Doctors do not give medicine, nurses do. Doctors spend 10, or 15 minutes in your room talking with you, then come out of the room, and if they are smart ask our opinion, and then go write orders for the nurses, and other ancilliary staff to perform. Then they go play golf while we clean your butt, hold your hand, cry with you, and work up a hellacious sweat saving your life, when we run a code on you.

Coding someone, doing CPR, ACLS protocol etc... is not much like on TV. Chest compressions, and bag/mouth ventilating is hard work. We do it in 2 minute shifts if there is enough people. If there isn't(most of the time) we just do it 'til we nearly pass out. Chest compressions will break the patient's ribs if they are done correctly. You never hear the "snap, crackle, pop" on TV. This is why we don't really want to rescusitate your 95 year old great grandmother. We will turn her into a big pile of goo, and her quality of life will really reek for her last few days on earth, as the number of people who walk out of a hospital after a code is very low. So when the TV shows a guy being coded, and in the next scene his is just fine talking, and "all better" that's total BS. He is in pain, and probably wishing we had just let him die. CPR hurts, and it hurts a lot.

The other thing on TV is medical wards are always serious, and dramatic like a soap opera. Not so, this is our job, just like yours. We cannot get super emotionally attached to everyone that comes in. The other nurses you work with become like family. Sometimes that family is disfunctional, but we have each others backs when it gets serious. We have spats, and cliques, and office politics just like everyone else. Don't expect the nurses, and staff at a hospital to be all heroic, and super-sensitive like on TV. Yes we are supposed to be sensitive, and professional, and for the most part we are. We also have our private times, and moments together to maintain sanity. So if you are bulldogging a nurse around, and over hear something you shouldn't, don't take it personally, and don't make an issue of it. You have no perspective on the issues, and we have a right to vent, and we do it with others who understand. I have said out loud in a break room full of other nurses "I wish that mean son-of-a-b**ch would just die already!!!!" did I mean it? In the moment... of course I did. Would I actually do something to make that happen? Not in a million years. I am human, fallable, and have a bad attitude sometimes. Just like you.

Sometimes the unit is BORING. We like it that way. It means we have done our job well, and that everyone is doing OK. We even pull pranks, and get the patients involved if they want to. We had a patient hide in the bathroom, and put a skeleton in his bed this halloween, and had a new nurse go "assess" the patient. It was a riot. We love having fun with people too. As I said healing is holistic, and we do care, but we also have to maintain our sanity. We don't bring our "A" game every shift, but we really try to. It is more than a job, it is a calling, but it is still a job at times.

Originally posted by Binder
reply to post by dbloch7986

 

The first year or two I was a nurse I was sick as heck a lot of the time. It was a combination of stress, and exposure. Now after a decade in, you're right I hardly ever get sick. The immune system is an awesome thing. We also have to get all sorts of immunizations, and have titers drawn to make sure we are still immune to a lot of the real common junk.

The first couple of years of nursing really is hell on earth. you are the new guy, and the old rule "FTNG" rules in nursing too. I am a very senior member of my team now, and I watch out for the new kids. There is an old saying that nurses eat their young, and unfortunately it is all too true. I don't plan on ever having that said about me. I have a friend who was a combat marine in Vietnam, and he said there are days on the unit that he misses Saigon!

Thanks! I was only wondering because I've seen and heard people talk about "why don't doctors ever get sick, they must have a secret formula." Or some nonsense. I figured exposure was the explanation.

I have thought about becoming a nurse, but I don't know if I could handle the pressure or if I have the stomach for it. How did you pay for your schooling and how long does it take to become an RN? Is there a path i can take where I still study to become an RN but can work at the same time?

Another thing I've always wondered, people say nurses make more than doctors. Is that true?

Can you define "medical misadventure"? And have you caused one?

reply to post by Binder


Man, it is nice to read that others nurses out there are not all backstabbing freaks. (Sorry, getting off soapbox)

Anyway, you want a real "reality" medical show? Watch "Scrubs". They portray nurses like nurses and Doc's like Doc. Mean nurses, nice Doc's, crazy techs, yeah it has it all. But it also shows how we (at least I) respond truly in a lot of situations. It also goes into why we do a lot of what we do. Yes, money does come into play, but not always like you would think.

In regards to "talking" about dumb patients, you seriously think we are going to believe you when we find a 2 D -cell size Mag flashlight up your colon, we are buying your story of "I must have fallen on it"?? Heck yeah we are going to laugh in the break room. But will we take care of you as our own Dad, if the nurse is worth their salt, then damn yes. I know I would. As the other Nurse said, we ALL do dumb things, our patients are just ones that got caught doing it and need medical help to fix it.

Not to have any cross posting to any of the other threads or Topics, but I truly think Stupidity is the only way humans can control their population. I do not know of any species that begins their medical record with the words, "Hey, somebody hold my drink and watch this..."

So far, all of the Nurses' post I will agree with. Therefore, I am not going to repeat what they said about our job duties. Yeah, our jobs are hard. Very hard. But we are given the opportunity to see people at their worst (angry drunk fighting with spouse) AND at their very best (family deciding to donate the organs of their only child). The last family helped 23 people live normal lives. The family could not have any more children because of the traumatic delivery of their only child. She died when she was 14. The parents know their daughter lives through those 23 people. BTW, one of those 23 families sends a Thank You and a Condolences card every year to the girl's parents.

Now, if that doesn't put a little hope back into your hearts this holiday season, then dammit, go out and read the novel Ol Yeller and try not to cry. That book would make Clint Eastwood cry.

But back to nursing. One thing that wasn't mentioned by anybody yet. We do not hear "Thank You" very often. You want to make a nurse feel really good? Tell him or her Thanks every time you see them. You will be amazed at how much "ice is in your coke" or how warm the fresh blanket will be. The call bell (may the inventor of it burn in h*ll )will be answered much more quickly. The nightime noises will be a bit quieter. Nearly all nurses are receptive and responsive of recognition by the patients.

One more thing before bed. ALWAYS ask ANYONE who comes into your room if they have washed their hands. Hand washing has been proven to be the best way to stop/prevent/eliminate infections. Do some web searching and the data will stun you.

Anyway, goodnight all and THANK A NURSE!

John

reply to post by dbloch7986


Well... dbloch, do you like people? If not, don't become a nurse. If yes, do you want to continue liking people? don't become a nurse. (sarcasm) really it is a calling, I am not a religious person at all, but there has to be a higher power at work to keep crazy people like me going back to that hell hole, and saving people form themselves without so much as a "thank you."

Oh wait, I forgot about the 6 year old girl who hugged me, and said "Thank you for not letting G-ma go to heaven yet, she wants to see my aunt first." If the little things can keep you going you'll make it. Yes the money is decent. I made about $60K last year, and in my area the median salary for my age group is about $32K. You have to understand though a really, really nice house on an acre or two here is only $200K. It is the best paying associates degree you can get if that is as far as you want to go, but I wouldn't stop there. You have great job security, and even though some hospitals might try to push you around a bit sometimes, if enough nurses get together, and go squat on the management's desks they back off. They cannot run the place without us. They try to hide that, but they know it. Certain nurses can make as much, or maybe a little more than certain doctors. A CRNA for instance is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. They can bring down about $140K a year. A travel nurse can hit 6 digits too. The average GP in a clinic makes $90K to about $120K, but they are kind of your everyday doctor. I do not say that in a demeaning manner. They bear the brunt of the workload. Just like doctor specialists make more, so do nurse specialists.

The only way you'll know if you have the stomach for it is to do it. Yeah it's gross, yes it smells bad sometimes. Wait until you get your first GI bleed. You'll go home thinking Satan farted in your nose, and it won't go away. I knew I would make it after a guy harked his lungs out in a bucket I was holding, and he clung to me while he died. It happened so fast his family hadn't made it to the hospital yet. He had cor pulmonale, and went into pulmonary edema, and probably threw a clot, and I'm sure a bunch of other stuff lined up to take turns at him. He was a nice guy too. Our encounter started out with a nice "how's this weather..." type conversation, then it all got real ugly real fast. I almost quit. I came REAL close. I had been a nurse all of 2 and a half weeks. I was green, green, green. For some unknown reason I showed up again the next night, and I've been at it ever since. If the sadness gets to you too much you can't do your job, but if it starts to not get to you at all, you're in trouble too. The nice thing is that you can change venues nurses are needed for all kinds of things, and some settings aren't all blood, and guts, and gore. I'm just an adrenaline junky, and I'm at the top of my game in a crisis. I love it, and I like to win. I get pissed just like loosing the homecoming game in high school when I lose a patient. I don't lose often either.

As far as going to school while working. Most programs will tell you that the program is not designed for you to work, and successfully complete the program. I will also tell you that I did it. Worked full time with 2 kids, and a wife at home at the time, and went to school full time. It was 4 years of madness. But it can be done. I worked as a SNT or Student Nurse tech while in school. Monday was my only day off, and with that I slept, and said hi to the family, and ran errands. Tuesday was lecture, all day. Wednesday we picked up our patients for clinical on Thursday, and Friday, I got out of clinicals at 4 O'clock went home changed, got my candy striper uniform on, and went to work at the hospital at 7p til 7a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. Got off at 7a on Monday morning, crashed for 8 hours, and did it all again. I fell asleep at stoplights, and in parking garages all the time. It was worth it though. If you want to do it, it is very hard, but it IS worth it.

reply to post by Nursejr


Absolutely John. I stick up for my newbie nurses. When the old crows start picking on them I remind them of how green, and dumb they were when they started. It shuts em' up real quick. I have the distinct advantage of having oriented a lot of them, and they know I know how many of their screw ups I fixed, and didn't let them hang by the short and curlies. In fact I met my current wife this way. I was divorced about a year, but still wore my wedding ring, and she was always asking me about my wife while I was orienting her. I gave vague answers at first, then an old mother hen let the shoe drop that I had been divorced awhile. So I gave in, and made friends with her because she was really smart, and sweet, and funny, and HOT! Ok, I only lasted a week or two, and didn't really put up much of a fight, but can you blame me? We've been thick as thieves ever since. By the way she's still HOT!!! (and sweet, and smart, and funny) Of course we can't work the same unit anymore, but she likes where she is better now anyway. So pay attention meany nurses. You could be blowing the opportunity of a lifetime being mean to that newbie nurse. We have to hang together so as not to hang seperately.

I agree about "Scrubs" it comes the closest to capturing the "spirit" of a hospital. It is the only medical show I watch because it doesn't try to be all serious, and realistic. Yet that is what makes it realistic. Even though the docs still do a lot of nurse stuff, that docs don't really do. Funny how TV has to give doctors a mostly nursing role to make their characters interesting Hmm...

Being a nurse totally ruins medical drama on TV for me. I'm so busy yelling "Idiot!... you don't shock asystole!!! That I forget the plot.

And yes, Thank you is a nurse's currency. We don't do it for the money. We don't do it for fame, even though we all know giving colonics, and respiratory toilet is SO FABULOUS!!!. (yes I said that in a very gay voice) We do it because we want to make a difference. Even if it is just a little one in a really broken system. That thank you will get you lots of favors, warm covers, icy cokes, and maybe even some pizza, or a cheeseburger we all sent out for at 3am if your diet allows it. Yeah nurses eat like crap, and tell you not to, just deal with it.

reply to post by type0civ


To me the definition of a "medical misadventure" is donning my uniform, and going to work on a full moon.

We catch mistakes all the time. That is a big part of our job. Doctors make mistakes, pharmacy makes mistakes, and sadly(although rarely) nurses make mistakes. Yes I have made mistakes. I am so lucky in that my mistakes have caused no great, or lasting harm, but one of them years ago could have, and no I will not expound on it. It is kinda medical culture in a lot of places for docs, and interns to just flop down any old set of orders, and let the nurses, and pharmacists weed out what is appropriate or not.

Those mistakes scare the living dog crap out of you, or at least they should if you have a soul, and they make you a better nurse. I would venture a guess that I haven't made an error of any significant import in about 6 or 7 years. When I started I made a lot more, but that is why you have more experienced nurses shadowing you for a while to save you, and your patient from you. The most common mistake I make is forgetting to sign my charts off at end of shift because I'm thinking about that hot nurse waiting for me at home.

That is why it is important for you to be involved in your own care, and know what is going on. If a nurse comes in your room, and looks confused, and disorganized ask them what they are there for. If you are in for a knee replacement, and they say they are there to take you to X-ray for a head CT, somethin' ain't right. Just nicely ask what patient they are looking for. Don't get all indignant about it either. When they realize their mistake they will be mortified, and have planty of ribbing from other nurses. You don't need to add to it. But don't just let anybody do anything to you no questions asked either.

Originally posted by Wotan
reply to post by Binder

 

Thanks for your rant post. I too am a Registered Nurse (UK) and male. What you said rings also true here in the UK. I am now fortunate to not work in a general hospital setting (I was in Orthopaedics) but I now work with perhaps one of the hardest groups of patients ....... prisoners. They ALWAYS lie ...... well 99.98% do, so one always has to do some detective work to actually find out what they are after or want

If there are any UK NHS specific questions, I'll try and help out if I can.

regards
Wotan

A thousand truths live within every lie regarding where that person is in life and what their situation is. Behind every lie, there's a subjectively valid reason within the person with some very understandable reasons. I also work with marginalized populations as a nurse, and can identify with how challenging it is to simply have an open conversation with a client. There's such a distrust of healthcare in general among these populations because they're so used to being treated horribly within the system, and have been so conditioned to feeling like nobody cares (both from the system and life circumstances in general). I've heard such horrible stories from clients of how ER staff can be with them, and unfortunately I have heard this story from both sides. ER nurses usually look at these clients as self-destructive and won't even give a second look at their situation. These people usually aren't even lucky enough to see a doctor, and if they do, they're normally more judgmental than the nurses who admitted them.
It's actually amazing when you start building relationships with these people though, as you quickly come to realize the supposed 'dumb criminals and junkies' of this society are actually some of the most deep and complex people in this world. I've often thought of it in the sense that sometimes the mind can be more complex than oneself can handle.

Kudos for the thread Binder! and all other professionals offering comments as well!

reply to post by DudeCuda


You make a very good point. Care giver fatigue is very real, and it does affect care a lot of times. I think it would be interesting to study nurses, and other front line medical personel like EMTs, and see how many of us have PTSD, and other neuroses. I think the results would be scary!

There are times that you have to fight through the persons past bad experiences within the heathcare system to connect with them. The only thing you can do is do your best, and listen. The environment I work in can make that very challenging at times. When I have a patient in crisis I usually don't have the time or luxury of getting to know the patient very well before it's go time. When things settle down I do however try to let my patient have as much control, and information about their plan of care as I can, and make them a part of the team. I usually have a pretty good success rate getting challenging patients to comply. It starts with some mutual respect, and that goes a long way. Just like we would like all patients to realize that what we do is really hard at times. Nurses also need to realize that their patients have probably gone through hell, and back at some point too. Plus we may have done what we are doing a thousand times before, but to that patient it is probably the very first time, and they are scared as heck. I don't ever tell a patient "Don't be scared." or anything else that minimizes their feeling or concerns. I do say "I'm right here, and I'll do my best, and make sure everyone else does too."

Yes the lies, and half truths are defense mechanisms, and a lot of times the heathcare system has earned it, but there are also really good doctors, and nurses out there that those mechanisms can be counter-productive with. Humans are emotional beings with the capacity to process logic, not the other way around. Unfortunately hospitals are staffed with humans just like police departments, and everything else. You have good ones, and bad ones.

Do you know what you call a medical student that graduated last in his class? - Doctor. When you find the good ones hang on to them, and insist on seeing them, and staying with them. When you find a bad one move on, and find a good one.

Hey Binder, I think we have spoken before on another forum. I am in nursing school (2 semesters left) and I would love to know your opinion of what is taught in school vs. what I will really be doing as a nurse. My instructors have said a few times that our curriculum is based on passing the NCLEX but what we do in the hospital will be different. Why the discrepancy? is it due to differing hospital policies over patient care? Also, would you say grades or interest determine which area of patient care I will be best at? Right now I am leaning towards ICU or L&D. Thanks for your input!

reply to post by justsaying


HI justsaying,

Basically nursing school is designed to get you through the N-CLEX, and the N-CLEX is designed to determine that you are safe enough to practice. So what you learn in school is enough to not kill someone until you can figure it all out. It's just like drivers ed. They didn't teach you all the ins, and outs of handling a vehicle in every situation, that only comes with experience. Nursing is just the same. I can give you a piece of curriculum that has all the signs, and symptoms of hypoglycemia written on it, and you can memorize it, and regurgitate it on a test, but the first time you take care of someone in severe hypoglycemia, and react correctly, and see them recover you will never forget it, and the next time it happens you will react faster, and better.

Your interests should definitely guide you in what you pursue. I'm great at math, but I hate doing it. Also there is so many different things to do as a nurse if you get into a specialty, and do not like it don't get upset at all, just do something else. You will definitely find your niche, and when you do you will love it!!!

Have any of you noticed any increase in any kind of health problem since 3/11 (Fukushima)?

I'm not thinking of the acute radiation poisoning symptoms (we are not right next door), or cancers necessarily (I know they generally take years to develop, except for some few types) but anything more subtle that may (or may not) be related, anything from more heart problems, increased flu susceptibility, thyroid issues, miscarriages, premature births, unusual births, anemia, fatigue with no determinable cause, GI problems with no determinable cause, or odd reports of metallic taste or skin allergy to rain or....who knows? Have you noticed an increased incidence of anything at all? It didn't have to necessarily start 9 months ago either...maybe you noticed an increase in something since August, November, or whatever?

If you've noticed anything different now than 2010, please let me know. I know it's not definitive, but I'm curious. Also, if you feel comfortable, please let me know what state you're in. I don't think there is any reason to believe that just because you are on the east coast or even florida that you definitely wouldn't see any effects. Because most people probably won't be affected most of us wouldn't be able to tell but you as nurses really have access to this data, I imagine you'd sense an increase going on...

Any information to the contrary such as "I work with premies and special needs births and they have actually declined this year - what's more, I'm in Seattle!" would be appreciated too. And if you think about what you've seen so far but it's just not clear one way or the other yet, I'd appreciate hearing that too.

To the nurses here, thanks for starting (and joining) this thread and giving us the opportunity to ask you. Ever since Fukushima happened, I've really, really wanted to pick the brain of a nurse, but I don't have the fortune of knowing one personally, and this is the kind of thing you can usually only ask a friend - a stranger would never tell you "you know, it's funny that you mention that, but..."