Ear . .

The ear saga continues. . .

I went back to Dr. Lee the following Tuesday (October 18) for a follow-up on my ear. He looked inside and said a bunch of crap was still in there. He cleaned it out and put more cream inside and told me to keep it dry still and that he wanted to see me again next week.

I have a really great habit of going to Idaho Falls ever week.

A week went by. . .  my ear feels great! I can't seem to find anything wrong with it. However, I was WRONG!!!!!!!!!

My appointment for October 25, was right after I had a 12 hour clinical night shift. I was super super tired. I had not gotten any sleep in the last 26 hours and I looked the part. Everyone in the office knows me by name now because I have had appointments for the last month and a half. I wasn't in the mood for any bad news about my ear not being better. I never should get my hopes up because it still wasn't better.  Holy Moly! How long can a stinkin' ear infection turned fungal infection last? I mean honestly? what is the deal? Well he cleaned it out again gave me Fluconazole and said see you next week. Gah! Really?

(November 1)Thank heavens my next appointment wasn't right after a clinical. I arrived praying my ear was all better but to my disappointment. . .  it still wasn't. He said we were about 80% of the way there. Now what he put in my ear next was a great surprise to me. He put a chemical the looks a lot like the crystal violet dye in my ear. He said that it would help get rid of the moistness and kill the fungal elements. He also ordered an ear drop to clean all the fungal elements out and see you next week.

This is becoming a habit.

I went on over to Smiths to pick-up the prescription.  Guess what? Smiths did not carry the particular ear drop and said they would have it tomorrow. Now I really didn't want to drive all the way back to Idaho Falls in the morning to pick it back up so I had it transferred to Walmart in Rexburg. However, they did not have it either. Apparently this is not a very popular drug so I had to wait until Wednesday to get it but that was alright with me.

Now because of the purple dye Dr. Lee filled my entire ear canal with, my ear leaked purple everywhere! I was going insane. Purple here purple there. It was never ending!!!

(November 8) I had another all night 12 hour clinical. This clinical didn't make me as sleepy because it was in the ER and there was something to do most of the time. I had a great time listening to all the nurses, especially my preceptor Nick. He was a hoot. I never laughed to hard at clinical in my life. It was great! Sorry off track there for a second. I arrived at Dr. Lee's office 1.5 hours early. I attempted to take a cat nap but it was way to cold to sleep in a car and I even had 2 coats and a blanket and I still froze. Thankfully, Reese (office assistant) gets there about 20 minutes early to open the office. I went inside so I didn't loose any extremities. At 0900 Dr. Lee took a look in my ear and said 90% the way there. Great! I wanted it to 100% of the way there. He told me to keep putting the drops in my ear for the next three days and would like to see me next week.

I honestly don't know what the office will do without me coming every week.

The saga will continue next week . . .

Ear. . .

I have been a swimmer all my life. . . never once in my life have I got an ear infection or swimmer's ear.

My family and I went to Bear Lake the end of August for family fun before everyone went back to school and work. We had a great time. Then on Sunday after family pictures my left ear really started to hurt and I was having trouble hearing out of the left ear too.. Mom set an appointment with Dr. Dawson to get it look at.

Dr. Dawson looked at it and declared it a double ear infection. Which means I had an infection behind my ear drum and in front of it too. Fun!  He prescribed a oral antibiotic call Zithromax. Hopefully, this will fix it.

WRONG!!!

The pain started to get worse and worse. I couldn't do anything without being in pain. I stayed up most nights because my ear hurt too bad to sleep and advil wasn't helping at all. So after two days of this Mom called Dr. Dawson and I was prescribed an numbing ear drop. That was heavenly, it didn't take the pain away completely but it got ride of it enough that I could actually sleep. I slept like a rock that night until Mom woke me up when she got home from work to put more in.

After about a week my ear still didn't feel a whole lot better so off to Dr. Dawson again. He took a culture of my ear, cleaned it out, and gave my another PO antibiotic called Ciprofolaxcin. Hopefully, this will fix it. I went back up to school hoping that I wouldn't need to go see a doctor but. . .

WRONG!!!

The ear still wasn't better so Dad found me a ENT doctor in Idaho Falls that took the insurance. Dr. Lee took a look at my ear and said yep it was infected still (this was the 20th of September). Great just what I needed. So Dr. Lee prescribed me Floxcin (ear drop) for seven days and that should clear the problem up. I was also told not to get any water in my left ear, I have to cover a cotton ball with Vaseline and stick it in my ear when I wanted to shower. That was incredibly gross.

I finished the antibiotics and my ear felt great... then three days after the medication was finished my ear started to hurt again and it started to itch. So did the antibiotics work?

WRONG!!!

I called back and got another appointment for October 11. He looked right at my ear and could tell that it wasn't better. I was not surprised one bit of course it wouldn't be better just knowing my luck. He cleaned it out with suction and said that the bacterial infection in my ear has turned into a fungal infection.

Now I know what you are thinking how does a bacteria turn into a fungus? Well my friends if a bacterial infection goes on for a extended period of time it mutates into fungus. Brilliant huh?

So now I have this cream that I have to stick in my ear twice a day for three days and if it doesn't feel better by Friday I have to call back and see Dr. Lee again that day, but if it does I have a follow up on Tuesday.

That is the adventure of my left ear for the entire month of September and half of October. I just want it to be gone by my birthday. I would really like to be pain free, drainage free, and be able to hear again.

NICU. . .

Yesterday I had my first clinical for the BSN program. I went to the NICU.
I was a little nervous because I didn't think the nurses would want some student nurse following them around all day asking questions and asking to do all sorts of things, but I was wrong my nurses were wonderful and they let me do all sorts of stuff.
I fed babies both bottle and gavage style. I did assessments and I held quite a few babies. Babies are so smart. They figured out that if they cry enough a  nurse will pick them up and hold them, sure enough we do.
Mom says that after my four clinicals that I have, I should know if that is what I want to do for the rest of my life. That day went pretty well, hopefully next time there will be more babies and perhaps a couple of admits I can help with. I will just have to wait and see.

School. . .

Here I am again at school. It seems that is all I can do with my life currently. I am in the Bachelor's of Nursing program at my school. Classes officially start tomorrow. My schedule isn't too busy, like the other semesters have been.

Monday
0900-1000-- Foundations Capstone
1015-1115-- D&C

Tuesday
1515-1645--Pathophysiology

Wednesday
0900-1000-- Foundations Capstone
1015-1115-- D&C

Thursday
1130-1330-- Nursing 316
1515-1645-- Pathophysiology

Friday
1015-1315--Nursing 400

I also work Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

Hopefully this semester will go well.

Wish me luck!

Results. . .

I PASSED!

I am officially a RN!!!

NCLEX. . .

Took my NCLEX today.

That test was really hard.

Now I begin the 48 hour wait to see my results.

Wish me luck!

NCLEX. . .

I will take my NCLEX in Ogden, August 22, at 1pm

Wish me luck!