Saturday 30 October 2010

Talking Animals

A series l have discovered on ytube a whole raft of short very funny clips BBC Walk on the Wild Side

**** **** **** **** ****

Another short clip l have seen this a a plain video. Some one has added voice and now it's hysterical.
Don't have a mouthful of coffee before you look at the clips & be warned there is a lot of cussing in the cat one:


Friday 29 October 2010

Attacked by Staffies

It is not just people that get badly hurt when they are attacked. This dog was attacked by 3 Staffordshire bull terriers. They were off a lead he was on it. The neck was badly torn and an initial wet to dry dressing applied.

The swabs are soaked in sterile saline and placed into the wound, as they dry they they pull debris into the swab and clean it out. In this patients case the swabs were placed deep into the wound and held in place with "stay sutures" to help keep the wound slightly closed. The dressing was applied for 2 days running. A penrose drain was also placed to allow fluid and blood to exit the body.


On the 3rd day the wound was clean enough to use other dressings for the next stage of healing. A honey dressing was then applied and changed every couple of days. He also had some limited surgery to close part of it but it was mostly allowed to heal slowly on it's own. There was so much missing it was not going to be easy to do a full surgical repair.

Unfortunately l never got end photos but it was not a smooth repair. He had a wound breakdown and ended up being readmitted for some time while it was sorted. I understand that it was finally closed and he has resumed his old life.

Wednesday 27 October 2010

Broke

Where l have been working used to be an old bank. When the bank moved out the left a 6foot high safe which would take a tank to move in the back so the vets took it over.

Was great to keep the till in and all went well until yesterday. Guess who tried to open it first thing to get the till out and couldn't get the bottom key in. The bend down flap part of the key was on a loose hinge thing and this had broken inside the lock.

The locksmith was able to get it open, it took him a few hours but all ended well. I felt really guilty but the other 2 nurses assured me the key had been dodgy for some time and they were waiting to see who it broke on because they knew it would break.

Monday 25 October 2010

Out & About

Well it has been a very novel month or so for me. All l have done is day shifts pretty much the whole time. All round the country from Cambridgeshire to Surrey or Sussex to my favourite practice in Kenilworth Martin Heart Referrals.
Vets are in general quite quiet at the moment but often have seasonal lulls so not sure if this is one of those or as a result of the recession.

Mike has done out op theatre WOW mind blowing. All panelled in plastic, dead easy to clean, every thing in new cupboards and draws, new flooring. Has been threatening to do something with the "old" for years but finally took the plunge, and wishes he had done it years ago.
Had a case of extreme shock as Mike J swore he just doesn't swear. Of course l got the blame from the others they said l was the bad influence..l told them to bog off!.
My reading of ultra sound has improved since l started to locum there but l still find it heard to equate a flat picture of the heart with the different colours put on to what l am looking at on the screen. They have colour and when that section is switched on confuses me even more due to movement but it is still fascinating.
It was thanks to the 2 Mikes that Wibble had her treatment and it allowed her a few more months of happy life until she had another sever thrombus towards the end of last year.

One place l locumed at l can see why they have a permanent advert in the vn press for nurses. It was not friendly, l chatted to one person in 2 days other than professional questions.. where is.. have you got a ...
The other practices were all pleasant enough though and it is nice to get out and about and see how the other half lives.

My present locum means l am finally sleeping in my own bed but rotas have become a joke there. So far have had 6 rota changes in a week of shifts has become a rather hysterical joke and HN struggled to keep a straight face when she asked me to swap my monday shift with her. Just as well l am flexible with things. Actually l didn't mind this last swap for today as l am on the shift l like.

Still doing the emergency practice but been there quite a bit on days and usually short notice call in for the weekend. But l did get a text at 22:30 couple of weeks ago asking ifd l could do the 22:00-08:00 shift there had been some swaps and due to an almighty mess up there was no nurse. As l was down at Mikes l couldn't help out.

I have become involved in trying to arrange a mass tandem jump. It started off as for veterinary staff but we have widened it out to friends, family and anyone we can drag it.
The idea was as a thank you to the owner of the vetnurse site l belong to and raise some money for charity. He chose Muir Maxwell Trust as his little daughter has uncontrolled epilepsy and the trust has helped them.
The other plan is to raise awareness about protecting the title veterinary nurse. At the moment anyone can call themselves a vn.
The reason l agreed to help is that it will be done at Langar Parachute Centre It is where Brian passed and spent all his time. They have been fantastic and l couldn't have got by without the people from there and have become my friends as well now. l look at Langar as a second home.
So if you want to do a jump then let me know l will add you onto the list and get forms to you. We have people from all round the country. So place you are coming from is not a hindrance. (shameless plug)
And before you ask no l am not jumping this is not about me it is about others.

The financial ombudsman has the paperwork for the camper, barclays has refused to reply to my last letter, they won't speak to me on the phone so the only way round it is to get a mediator. I just hope they come down on my side and get clydesdale (barclays) to take the motorhome.

My sleep pattern is still up the creek.I fell asleep on the settee in the evening, woke up at midnight and not been able to sleep since, it is going to be a long day. as now 6am. Think l will go get a bath and have a nice hot soak.

Tuesday 5 October 2010

Whats in Your Bag?

I decided my bag was to heavy so cleaned it out to see what l had in it.



Apart from brochures from yesterday a bottle of brown sauce now in the kitchen and a spare glasses case there was nothing extra. My bag has been called a "swiss army bag" and the pockets of my uniform are also referred to a "Swiss army pockets"

So l now have:
2 glasses cases and glasses
1 sat nav in case
Earphone for music on phone and mains battery charge
BP cuffs
Pill popper
Fork
Swiss army knife
Purse
Torch
Pens
Tipex pen
Comb
Tissues
Notepad
Thermometer (digital)
Thermomodoms (condoms for thermometers)
Dog leads x2
Scissors
Artery forceps
Key clip for necks
Stethoscope Littmanns Cardiac master 2)
Ibuprophen
Zantac (indigestion tablets)
Lemsip
Strepsil & cough sweet
Tyrozets (throat lozenges)
Paracetomol
Nose drops & vicks nose thing
Deodorant
Ibuprophen cream (aches and pains)
Loads eye lube for ops keep putting them in my pocket and forgetting them
Emla cream
Potato peeler
Pooper scoop bags (roll)
Batteries shoved there when l was asked to look after them from July braai forgot l had them
Cap for soft drinks so l dont have to punch a hole in the cap with my knife. I never take the caps off just drink through the cap.

Not in but usually in:
A book to read
Key ring
Snack of some sort
Soft drinks bottle/s (500ml usually Dr Pepper)
Sat nav screen holder still in the car