Night 3 and 4

[whitewriter]

Night 3

I had no one to talk to.

And I wasn't in a private room.

I had a brand spanking just from theatres post-operative pelvic exenteration completed on a former fish and chip shop owner who must have migrated from Vietnam in the 80s or 90s

He was only 53 and he had a sweet wife that visited shortly at the start of my shift just to see him as he'd just come back.

The rest of the night I stared at the monitor, conscious of not using my phone at the bedside but having no one to talk to because my swap buddy was a relative newbie and her HDU patients were scattered at opposite ends of the unit. She was doing overtime overnight too, so was due to leave at 0700.

She wasn't terribly good at getting her ducks in a row so I was late to break both times and I reduced the time to compensate. Being late to break means being late to the team room to bags a spot to nap. Never mind I though, I'll do the senior thing and open the conference room and use the floor in there. Course the key was missing and by the time I tried going to neuro to find another key - I'd lost 20 mins and never found the key. At least I had a sandwich during that time.

The rest of the night was spent staring blankly at the monitors. Adjusting the noradrenaline when I bolused the propofol. And badgering the doctors to chart the stuff they verbally ordered.

I washed him at 3am for fear no one would help me if I had left it to 4 or 5 and it turned out to be lucky that I did it because... everyone was busy at 5.

Highlight of the night: one of the 3rd rotation IP nurses bought a few pizza's unexpectedly to share with us (for no reason).

On nightshift you just need that one buddy to chat to. Or the freedom of a private room so you can be naughty (use your phone).

Otherwise, just give me a HDU double so at least I'm moving and busy. Endless staring at monitors is pretty cruel. Can't even play music (pts are trying to sleep). I almost missed being a midwifery student because then I'd have the drive to complete my assignment.

But to be honest at 0300 there isn't much drive for anything at all.



Night 4

It's a single room due to VRE so I can be naughty. I already played Korn whilst I did a line change. It was awesome.

Then sat there (being naughty reading junk) until I realised there was a large puddle of water on the floor and the room stank like ammonia and bleach (honestly, I barely smelt it) -- turns out the auto effluent which was meant to be going down the drain : the drain had blocked (we're meant to flush it with boiling water every shift) which I must admit, I have not ever done. Well. I did it immediately and unblocked it (admittedly too late). There was effluent everywhere. I used (mildly dirty) blankets and sheets to dry the floor because when I went to the linen trolley (literally had to abandon my pt for the 1 min that it took to walk there and back) - note he wasn't the type to go for the tube (those you can't leave) - it was bloody empty so I had no choice.

Lesson learned. The hard way.



They asked me if I would like to come back for overtime... They must be dreaming. They always ask.