Neuro was not one of my favorite courses in nursing school, but one lesson stayed with me throughout my approach to unresponsive patients and that was to talk with them. It didn't matter if they were comatose, obtunded, catatonic, or my favorite term, hypovigilant. If the auditory cortex found within the temporal lobe was intact patients could at least hear to some degree. Even if they could not understand the speech, a nurse's rhythm and timbre could still be detected and communicate caring and concern. There were quite a few nonresponsive patients I encountered while working at Downey V.A. h ..read more

  . . On a recent glance through some old nursing school papers a peculiar document jumped out at me. It was a signed copy of our school's uniform requirements which was aggressively enforced with weekly uniform inspections. Since I'm just going to copy the agreement, this post will have a more cohesive narrative arc than my usual foolish ramblings. I guess it's about time for a clean linear narrative that's more coherent than my dementia fueled posts! UNIFORM REQUIREMENTS The uniform of the school of nursing should be worn with dignity, respect. and in strict accordance to the follow ..read more

A few recent emails inquiring about my dearth of recent posts with concerns about my health really warmed the cockles of my arteriosclerotic laden heart. Yep...I've had a few recent issues; bilateral knee replacements with complications, cataracts, and an overwhelming (almost) klebsiella sepsis. I would have never survived as a devout weaver of more foolishness without the caring expertise of so many outstanding whippersnapperns! I was deeply touched by their caring and skill. My nursing world was so far removed from theirs that I cloaked my identity as an Oldfoolrn! I lied and told them I wo ..read more

A stomach freezing machine. That eggplant size balloon in the MDs hand was inserted transesophageally and zero Degree F. ethyl alcohol circulated via a double lumen catheter.  Whoever came up with that old medical adage stating if there are 3 or more treatments available for a single ailment, none are effective, was likely talking about duodenal ulcer treatments of the 1960s.Whacky dietary regimens featuring half and half or whole cream as the main ingredient, antacids, and of course tranquilizers because nervous folks suffered from ulcers were medical interventions of the day ..read more

 To all those amazing folks on active duty and veterans, you are deeply appreciated and there is really no way to thank-you for the sacrifices you make. I think of you folks daily ..read more

 Despite the pledge I made to myself to refrain from personal health related complaints, here I go with more foolishness about my recent hospitalization. The nurse-turned-patient phenomenon can be fertile ground for peculiar insights into the illness experience. I've had episodes of atrial fibrillation now for about 13 years. They are usually no big deal, but combined with a Klebsiella sepsis, the last one was tough to shake off and required more intensive intervention. I was minding my own foolishness in the ER holding area, awaiting an inpatient bed to avail itself when all of a sudden ..read more

 Every long time nurse is acutely aware that nursing can be a leading cause of "fun" deficit. After so many hours standing behind or in front of your Mayo Stand nothing seems to bring about that good feeling that unabated fun provides. (Maybe it's just my foolishness, but I never could deduce if I was in front of my Mayo Stand or hiding behind it.) It's sorta like that chicken and egg quandary about what came first, but when the surgeon is bellowing, I think it's best to be rearward of your Mayo Stand. Boundaries can be a real asset. It happened more often than you would think, the on cal ..read more

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  Since my native intelligence has been flumoxed by brain numbing complications from my knee replacement surgery, I've turned to artificial intelligence image generators for some foolish amusement. I typed in Old fool RN on "Stable Diffuusion," an open source image generator and my prompts produced this appropriate image. Maybe I should replace that rather dated blog profile photo of me standing under the overhead lights in the OR. Hmmm...I love how that under the overheads lingo sounds. It doesn't take much to amuse a fool. If you have an opportunity check out Stable Diffusion. It's eas ..read more

At the height of the Viet Nam War, Buddhist Monks doused themselves with gasoline and immolated themselves near U.S. facilities to protest America's involvement in the conflict. Two Army nurses rushed to the aid of a monk who set himself ablaze near a remote Army field hospital. A Viet Cong sniper fired on one nurse, killing her instantly. The second nurse, for obscure reasons, was ignored by the sniper and survived. Screaming hysterically and subsequently lapsing into a mute state, the sole survivor eventually found her way to a long-term ward at Downey VA Hospital, a warehouse for the menta ..read more