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As I settle into California, things are so very different. The climate, the culture, the people, the number of people, the language, ( everyone said I had an accent and pronounced words weird) and of course the traffic, which I mentioned earlier.
My first job I got in California was a CNA in a very large nursing home, I only stayed their about a month and then started as a CNA on night shift for a LA county hospital, which by the way was another shock to my very naive country girl heart.I saw so many things and different types of patients. Many of those patients still stick in hard and heart. There was a 24 year old that had dived head first into an empty swimming pool while high on drugs. It left her an incomplete quadraplegic. She also had these wounds on bilateral hips where you could see the femoral head. At this time the wounds were packed with a mixture of betadine and sugar that was mixed by the pharmacy. Now we know betadine should not be used on open wounds and that sugar breeds bacteria but for that time it was very innovative treatment. This patient used to call me Jan Brady, not sure why but she would scream Jan Brady where are you. I will also tell a terrible story on my self and how terrible I felt for what I did. The CNA’s asked to come in her room because she was being belligerent. She had a trapeze on her bed and she kept swinging it at the CNA’s trying to hit them. I bent over her to try to make comfortable and she swung the trapeze and hit me in the face and knocked my glasses off and across the room. Needless to say that did not tickle. Me, without even thinking picked up her pitcher of ice water and threw it on her. I was absolutely mortified that I had done that. I was sure I was going to be fired, I went straight to charge nurse and reported my self. Thank goodness she said she understood but not to ever do anything like again, and I didn’t.
Another treatment we did that was a hyperbaric chamber, not like the ones today. This particular patient had a foot wound, we took a plastic bag and placed her foot in it and then secured it with tape so there was no leaking. The next step was to cut a very small hole in bag, insert an oxygen tubing secure it with tape so there was no leaks and then turn the oxygen all the way up. The bag would inflate and like magic a hyperbaric chamber was made.
This time in nursing is when we used such things as Posey beds, vest restraints, chest/waist restraints, wrist and leg restraints. (Sometimes they were leather restraints). These things were all done to keep patients safe and not pulling out lines or tubes. Times have certainly changed, we found out much better ways of keeping people safe.
I feel so blessed for the experiences I had and what part they played in making me the kind of nurse I became and also what kind of nurse I never wanted to be. I will share more stories next time. I have alot.
Thanks for reading
Ann