Crazy week...with a cherry on top!

Lets just say this was a crazy week. We were short staffed because a co-worker was on vacation...which is not that big of a deal. But on Monday, a therapist that was scheduled to work Thursday came in with a sling....she wrecked her bike. A german shepard ran in front of her while she was riding by herself (she is an avid triathlete). This meant we would be short 2 therapists on Thursday so 3 people would carry 5 therapists case loads. We worked hard and had long days, but it worked out. Wednesday...co-worker goes to meet and help a new patient get dressed. (New patients usually come from the hospital in a gown, but are "medically stable") and her intestines are hanging out of her abdomen. Hmm...which nurse missed that??? Thursday was LOOOONG - I saw my caseload + more than half of someone elses caseload...which really isn't the difficult part. The difficult part is the paperwork. YUCK!!! Then Friday, the 4th therapist (which means we are still short a therapist) was late because she busted her eye open on the car door. Scramble and reschedule...and work late for the 5th day in a row. Then at 2:30 there was an explosion....and I mean explosion a patients ileostomy bag busted all over him and the floor. Poor guy it was everywhere...even in his shoes. We found out at 4:00 (430 is the end of the therapy day in the hospital) there will be a 2nd new patient...meaning I will definitely be work a 6th day.

Saturday AM - go for my long run with fleet feet. Shower, eat, then go to work. When I arrive I found out that the 1st new patient they brought on Friday discharge back to the hospital - ICU!!! Medically Stable for therapy??? I think not!. I meet the other new patient...who has suffered a brain injury - traumatic, but relatively mild....my grandparents age. I finished my first session with him and went to get my next 2 patients out of bed. One was angry that I was making him work on a Saturday, but got of bed and came to the gym. As I was helping him get back into his chair from the therapy table, I noticed he had a BM all over the mat. Just wait this is not quite the cherry on top of my wonderful week....After I cleaned up the mat (the nurse aid cleaned the patient). I went back to meet the new patient and finish his evaluation. I had one thing left to examine, but he told me that he couldn't do anymore because he needed to go to the bathroom. I took him to his room and helped him to the toilet. I instructed him to pull the call light when he was finished. I went to the nurses station and gave his nurse a heads up that he wanted tylenol for his headache. She came to his room to administer the meds approx 5 min later ( I have been waiting outside his door) I told her she may want to just catch him at lunch as it was now nearly noon. I knocked on the door and asked him if he was okay. He said yes. I began to hear the sound of plastic rustling around. I was puzzled because the only things in the bathroom are toilet paper, toilet, sink, and shower. Hmm....

Then it hit me...his "buddy" came by and gave him a magazine....you know...one of those that always come in plastic. Yep! you got it! Cherry on top! What a week. I notified the RN and nurse aide of the situation and decided that the one thing I had left to examine was going to be documented as "not tested". Who knows how long he was going to be in there?

Hope your week was just as fun!