January 27th, 2009
An interesting format for testing and following patients who test positive for MRSA. All patients are either prescreened before hospital admission, or screened after admission with nasal swabs. If the results are positive, they are to follow a 5-day regime, which is to make it harder to cause infection and to spread to others. It is preferred that it start 5 days out from surgery, with the final day being the day of surgery. If surgery is delayed, they need to start over with the 5-day program.
After the treatment, another test does not need to be done unless the surgery has been delayed for more than two weeks.
They will be prescribed a 5-day course of antiseptic skincare products that can be used to tackle the MRSA organism. The products are:
A body wash/shampoo containing chlorhexadine.
An ointment to be applied into the nostrils, Bactroban.
A powder is sometimes prescribed, also containing chlorhexadine.
They may also be asked to change home bed linen and clothing, as the skin cells shed and collect in clothing, and MRSA is found on these cells.
These patients are included in the regular bay of patients, and special yellow aprons are used as well as a dynamap that is used for isolation patients. I was told that they have a very good infection control rate, and it seems like this system may be a significant contributor!!
I picked up my official hospital identification today, and have my next “rota”, or rather, schedule! It looks like I will be able to come to Portland the end of February!!!
Dow and I then spent the rest of the day being tourists, and took a transit boat up and down the Thames. It was a nice day until the sun went down, then got pretty chilly!! We ended up on the room early and making a spaghetti dinner.
One more note. The boat ride ended up at a stadium, O2. The headliners coming up are Brittany Spears and Tina Turner. Also, another big headliner at one of the theaters is one of the Osmonds in a play. He is getting a lot of media attention.
Until later!!!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
January 26, New Television Update
My television has caused me nothing but grief!!! I am on my fourth antenae, with no improvement from the first one. But in the meanwhile, it has become more complicated. Come to find out, it is required that a person have a television license to do anything regarding a television, be it download television programs on your computer, or watch four channels with very poor reception!! When I bought my fourth antenae at Argos yesterday, I asked the sales girl about the license. She said that license police drive down streets and use some type of device to determine who is receiving radio signals, and can therefore, monitor who is licensed or not. We both felt that in a dorm room the chance of being detected was minimal. But no, not the case!!! Today I received a letter stating I needed a license or face a 1,000 pound fine with legal council required!!!!! Long story short, I am now licensed!!! No worries, this girl is not going to go to jail for watching television!!
I have tomorrow off, then do a stretch of 3 days at the hospital. Tomorrow will be my self-fortification day to gear up for the following 3!! Cheers!!
I have tomorrow off, then do a stretch of 3 days at the hospital. Tomorrow will be my self-fortification day to gear up for the following 3!! Cheers!!
Sunday, January 25, 2009
January 25, 2006, A very decent day!
Greetings!!!!
Quick update. While Dow and I were at Camden Market yesterday, I got a call from the bank. I need to go in and sign more paper work related to my Barclay's card heist!!!! Confidence is shaky.
We had a rainy day. Went out and got my fourth tv antenae. No further improvements....... Stopped by Royal Mile House of Whiskey, and it was a very good experience talking to people who lived and breathed the taste and history of whiskey. Dow and I then went and had a Sunday pot roast dinner at the Fitzroy Pub. It was exceptional!!! OK, anyone out there who takes me up on my offer to come and visit me, I will treat you to a dinner at this pub!!!!! It was great!!! Again, dinner is on me!! I then used my calling card that I bought in Chinatown here in London to call my parents and my sister. I must have been on the phone 90 minutes!!!
A good day.
Quick update. While Dow and I were at Camden Market yesterday, I got a call from the bank. I need to go in and sign more paper work related to my Barclay's card heist!!!! Confidence is shaky.
We had a rainy day. Went out and got my fourth tv antenae. No further improvements....... Stopped by Royal Mile House of Whiskey, and it was a very good experience talking to people who lived and breathed the taste and history of whiskey. Dow and I then went and had a Sunday pot roast dinner at the Fitzroy Pub. It was exceptional!!! OK, anyone out there who takes me up on my offer to come and visit me, I will treat you to a dinner at this pub!!!!! It was great!!! Again, dinner is on me!! I then used my calling card that I bought in Chinatown here in London to call my parents and my sister. I must have been on the phone 90 minutes!!!
A good day.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
January 24, 2009
Greetings to All!!
Please accept my apologies for such a late posting. Dow has been in town and my timing has somewhat changed. We have been so busy since him getting here, familiarizing him with the area, getting the room set up to occupy two, and acquiring the basics for minimal housekeeping.
In incredibly memorable moment of the week was the inauguration!! The newspapers were slathered with pictures of the Obamas and the events. I worked that day, and the swearing in was to take place at 4pm, London time. I asked in bay 1 if it was alright with them if I turned on the event, and received approval. All eyes were tuned in and the interest was intense by all. I heard it was being aired all over town, and some places were charging as much as 60 pounds to view! Everyone who we have talked to is so hopeful with the new presidency!
Another highlight of the week was Jan. 21, when we went and saw Phantom of the Opera, a Christmas present to Dow from the girls. It was a perfect day, as we both had our hair cut, Dow in the bathroom by me here in the dorm, and me at Mr. Toppers, a chain all over London. My hairdresser was a cute gal from Australia who gave me some good tips.
So after our fresh cuts, we headed out to have an Italian dinner, followed by the theater. It was a perfect evening, except for the fact that I was coming down with a dreadful cold that was hitting hard towards the end of the play. I went into work the next day, wishing that I had not. I felt so miserable, headache, sore throat, throbbing ears, cough, and partial voice. I managed to get through the shift, but regretfully, called in sick the following day, which was yesterday.
Dow and I lounged in the whole day, deciding to go to Harrods later that afternoon for an outing (this dorm room can get quite small!!). On our way back to the room, at approximately 830pm, we stopped at a Barclay’s bank machine where I checked my balance to see if I had been paid. I was ecstatic, because my account actually had money in it!!! Yeah!!!! I had been pinching pounds for so long as they were dwindling, and I finally had significant pounds to my name!! Yeah!! I got a printed receipt, and at that point, the atm said that it had gone out of order, and my card was not returned! Darn!!!!
Today, Saturday, we went back to the bank and told them my situation. They said they would send me a new card, gave me some money and a printed receipt, and off we went. I then looked at my receipt and it was 500 pounds less than what I expected!! I went back to the bank and they pulled off a record of all transactions and looked at the video. While all of this was going on, THE THIEVES WERE STILL IN ACTION, AND WERE PUTTING THROUGH 1,000 MORE POUNDS OF ACTIVITY!!!! So apparently, thieves have some sort of system where they get your pin number, jam the machine, retrieve your card, get the 300 pound limit, wait till after midnight and get another limit, go home and do some internet shopping, and shopping, and shopping!!!!!!
This was my first paycheck, my first time to use the atm!!!! So now the situation is going through the fraud department, and they tried to assure me that I will have reimbursement in 10 working days!! My confidence is shaken, but I have no choice but to go through the process. I felt like throwing a full-blown temper tantrum, but kept myself in check for Dow’s sake. I did not want to embarrass him!
To give our spirits a lift, we took the bus to Camden Market, strolled around, ate, bought some trinkets (Erin, I got a leather coat, but no tattoo or piercing!), then back to the room. My cold is winding down, but Dow is now in the middle of his!! We are looking forward to both of us feeling well, good weather, and an outing to the English countryside!!
In the meanwhile, work is going very well. I am working with a very international team. I have met nurses from India, several countries in Africa, Phillipines, Australia, and Poland. I have heard that at least 20 countries are represented. A nurse from India told me that he was recruited from his country to come to the U.K. A few incidentals: It takes 4 nurses to logroll a patient, any patient who needs log rolling, pre surgery or post surgery. When you log roll, you are not to wear gloves, as they can come off and you would lose grip. Patients may be put on an insulin drip before surgery with hourly cbg checks. A nasogastric tube may be ordered when a patient is eating well and an iv is going, as you may still need more hydration.
Anyway. Come see me!!! Sue, come over!!
Greetings to All!!
Please accept my apologies for such a late posting. Dow has been in town and my timing has somewhat changed. We have been so busy since him getting here, familiarizing him with the area, getting the room set up to occupy two, and acquiring the basics for minimal housekeeping.
In incredibly memorable moment of the week was the inauguration!! The newspapers were slathered with pictures of the Obamas and the events. I worked that day, and the swearing in was to take place at 4pm, London time. I asked in bay 1 if it was alright with them if I turned on the event, and received approval. All eyes were tuned in and the interest was intense by all. I heard it was being aired all over town, and some places were charging as much as 60 pounds to view! Everyone who we have talked to is so hopeful with the new presidency!
Another highlight of the week was Jan. 21, when we went and saw Phantom of the Opera, a Christmas present to Dow from the girls. It was a perfect day, as we both had our hair cut, Dow in the bathroom by me here in the dorm, and me at Mr. Toppers, a chain all over London. My hairdresser was a cute gal from Australia who gave me some good tips.
So after our fresh cuts, we headed out to have an Italian dinner, followed by the theater. It was a perfect evening, except for the fact that I was coming down with a dreadful cold that was hitting hard towards the end of the play. I went into work the next day, wishing that I had not. I felt so miserable, headache, sore throat, throbbing ears, cough, and partial voice. I managed to get through the shift, but regretfully, called in sick the following day, which was yesterday.
Dow and I lounged in the whole day, deciding to go to Harrods later that afternoon for an outing (this dorm room can get quite small!!). On our way back to the room, at approximately 830pm, we stopped at a Barclay’s bank machine where I checked my balance to see if I had been paid. I was ecstatic, because my account actually had money in it!!! Yeah!!!! I had been pinching pounds for so long as they were dwindling, and I finally had significant pounds to my name!! Yeah!! I got a printed receipt, and at that point, the atm said that it had gone out of order, and my card was not returned! Darn!!!!
Today, Saturday, we went back to the bank and told them my situation. They said they would send me a new card, gave me some money and a printed receipt, and off we went. I then looked at my receipt and it was 500 pounds less than what I expected!! I went back to the bank and they pulled off a record of all transactions and looked at the video. While all of this was going on, THE THIEVES WERE STILL IN ACTION, AND WERE PUTTING THROUGH 1,000 MORE POUNDS OF ACTIVITY!!!! So apparently, thieves have some sort of system where they get your pin number, jam the machine, retrieve your card, get the 300 pound limit, wait till after midnight and get another limit, go home and do some internet shopping, and shopping, and shopping!!!!!!
This was my first paycheck, my first time to use the atm!!!! So now the situation is going through the fraud department, and they tried to assure me that I will have reimbursement in 10 working days!! My confidence is shaken, but I have no choice but to go through the process. I felt like throwing a full-blown temper tantrum, but kept myself in check for Dow’s sake. I did not want to embarrass him!
To give our spirits a lift, we took the bus to Camden Market, strolled around, ate, bought some trinkets (Erin, I got a leather coat, but no tattoo or piercing!), then back to the room. My cold is winding down, but Dow is now in the middle of his!! We are looking forward to both of us feeling well, good weather, and an outing to the English countryside!!
In the meanwhile, work is going very well. I am working with a very international team. I have met nurses from India, several countries in Africa, Phillipines, Australia, and Poland. I have heard that at least 20 countries are represented. A nurse from India told me that he was recruited from his country to come to the U.K. A few incidentals: It takes 4 nurses to logroll a patient, any patient who needs log rolling, pre surgery or post surgery. When you log roll, you are not to wear gloves, as they can come off and you would lose grip. Patients may be put on an insulin drip before surgery with hourly cbg checks. A nasogastric tube may be ordered when a patient is eating well and an iv is going, as you may still need more hydration.
Anyway. Come see me!!! Sue, come over!!
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