Friday, December 14, 2007

Change of Venue

Today I got on my blog to change some things up when I decided that there was so much I wanted to change that maybe I would just try switching blog providers entirely. I have a couple of friends who use Wordpress and they really like it, so I decided to make the switch. It also let me import all of my old blogs from here, so that was an added bonus. The only problem that I have found is that the posting times are not correct for these old posts. But I will work on fixing that.

Anyway, you can now find me here. I will go ahead and leave this blog up for awhile, but I won't be posting to it anymore. Thus, if you want to read what is happening, or change your RSS feed in bloglines or something, link to my new blog. Happy reading!

Nausea heartburn indigestion upset stomach diarrhea

Diaphoresis. Syncope. APAP. Ataxia. Bruxism. DIC. Coryza. Epistaxis. Alopecia. ARDS. Entropion. Extropion. Egophony. Tactile fremitus.

The list goes on and on. What does the list consist of? Words and conditions that I had NO idea existed before I started nursing school. Would you like a translation? Okay, in order...:

Sweating. Fainting. Acetaminophen (Advil). Uncoordinated gait. Grinding teeth. Dissemenated Intravascular Coagulation. A runny nose. A bloody nose. Balding. Acute Respiratory distress syndrome. The last four I won't bother to translate cause they can't really be done in only one or two words. You could look them up here if you really wanted to: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mplusdictionary.html. It has been my lifesaver this semester!

As I was driving home yesterday I was thinking about the sheer amount of knowledge that I have acquired in the last semester. Four months... that's it. But I learned soooooooooooooooo much. And the scariest thing -- yet terribly exciting at the same time -- is that I am 1/4 of the way to being a real life RN! At first that seemed daunting, but the fact that I have already learned so much makes me feel confident that I will be more than adequately prepared by the time I graduate. As evidenced by the above example and the fact that I have EASILY learned upwards of 250 new words this semester. On that note, it really is like learning a new language. We have lots of fun quizzing each other with the most random words we can think of. We also have lots of fun being hypochondriacal and diagnosing ourselves with every new disease, condition, or syndrome that we come across in class. And the most fun (for me) is when I use one of these words in normal conversation with normal people. So consider yourself warned!

And just as a side note, I went to the store the other night to buy a first aid/emergency kit for my car since I do a lot more driving than in the past and through more treacherous conditions. I knew instantly that I was going into the correct profession when I went into raptures at the sight of the first aid kits and the extensive selection of first aid related products. I'm an idiot, I know. But I'm happy, and that's all that matters, right?

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Something to Remember

As I was driving through the mountains today on my way from Spokane to Seattle, this song came up on my iPod playlist:

Blessed be Your name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

And blessed be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed be your name

CHORUS: Every blessing You pour out I'll
Turn back to praise
And when the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's "all as it should be"
Blessed be Your name

And blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name
I will bless Your name

Admittedly, I have been having a bit of a problem lately with blessing the Lord. He is being so faithful to show me that no matter what is going on in my life, I can rejoice in the fact of knowing Him. Still, it is hard. I was so convicted by the line that said, "Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise." Wow. Do I do that? Do I really remember to praise the Lord for everything good? Do I look for blessings in the hard times? Am I willing to stop my complaining and belly aching to see the many ways in which the Lord has blessed me? It gave me something to think about for a good long while.