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.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
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.
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.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
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!
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!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
NCLEX. . .
Took my NCLEX today.
That test was really hard.
Now I begin the 48 hour wait to see my results.
Wish me luck!
That test was really hard.
Now I begin the 48 hour wait to see my results.
Wish me luck!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Exams. . .
The Nursing program has a test all 4th semesters take called the Diagnostic (exit) Exam. This test is a Kaplan test, which is how the NCLEX is set up. The scores that are required to pass these exams are low but, if a person gets the scores he/she is competent, according to Kaplan.
The passing score for this exam was a 65%. I thought I could do that. I sat in the testing center for 2 hours and 50 minutes taking a 180 question test. I thought it was going to be the death of me. Around question 120 my brain was turning to mush. I finished the exam and saw my score. . . I was in a state of shock. . . brace yourselves . . . 64%. I was like are you kidding me. . . really? I was entirely upset. Two stinking questions separated me from a 65%.
The following week Monday-Wednesday I spent approx. 6 hours with my entire class doing Kaplan questions. Those were the longest days of my life. On Thursday morning, the entire class had to take the Readiness exam, which is another Kaplan. This test was deemed to be harder than the Diagnostic, so the passing score was only a 60%. For 2 hours and 37 minutes I sat in the testing center taking it, my score??? . . . 69% I creamed it. I got the highest score in the class! According to Kaplan I have a 98.1 % chance of passing the NCLEX. Which make me feel really good.
Now what was the point of taking these two tests. Well the Nursing program says that a student must pass one or the other in order for the school to post his/her degree. Now if a student doesn't pass it isn't the end for them, he/she just has to do lots of remediation with the department chair. Thank heavens I passed!!!
Only 6 more days!!! and four more tests!!!
The passing score for this exam was a 65%. I thought I could do that. I sat in the testing center for 2 hours and 50 minutes taking a 180 question test. I thought it was going to be the death of me. Around question 120 my brain was turning to mush. I finished the exam and saw my score. . . I was in a state of shock. . . brace yourselves . . . 64%. I was like are you kidding me. . . really? I was entirely upset. Two stinking questions separated me from a 65%.
The following week Monday-Wednesday I spent approx. 6 hours with my entire class doing Kaplan questions. Those were the longest days of my life. On Thursday morning, the entire class had to take the Readiness exam, which is another Kaplan. This test was deemed to be harder than the Diagnostic, so the passing score was only a 60%. For 2 hours and 37 minutes I sat in the testing center taking it, my score??? . . . 69% I creamed it. I got the highest score in the class! According to Kaplan I have a 98.1 % chance of passing the NCLEX. Which make me feel really good.
Now what was the point of taking these two tests. Well the Nursing program says that a student must pass one or the other in order for the school to post his/her degree. Now if a student doesn't pass it isn't the end for them, he/she just has to do lots of remediation with the department chair. Thank heavens I passed!!!
Only 6 more days!!! and four more tests!!!
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