Pass me a Rockstar

When energy drinks and teens collide: Energy drinks linked to risky behavior among teenagers

The trend has been the source of growing concern among health researchers and school officials. Around the country, the drinks have been linked with reports of nausea, abnormal heart rhythms and emergency room visits.

I think I too would have heart palpitations with 250+mg of caffeine.  What’s that?  A 12oz. cup of Starbuck’s coffee has the same?  Oh, never mind then.

I’m sorry, as a dedicated caffeine consumer (albeit on the road to recovery), I’m not sure what the deal is.  The article goes on the talk about risky behavior, like substance abuse and unprotected sex.  And you’re trying to tell me this is new?  Get a grip folks.

I’m not a fan of these, but I do enjoy my coffee.  I can’t see someone going to the ER for nausea or palpitations after 5 cups of coffee (which used to be my morning wake-up).   Just more scare tactics.  Funny though how they don’t mention anything about the tweens walking around the mall with grandé Frappuccinos in hand.

The best quote though comes from a company spokesman:

“We expect consumers to enjoy our products responsibly.”

Isn’t that the mantra of every company selling something that can effect your mind and body.  I think the chairmen of Anheuser-Busch and Phillip Morris console themselves with it every night before bed.

Funny Band Name…theoretical

Inspired by a comment on a post over at Ten out of Ten, and along with musings earlier in the week I came upon a great band name with a great title for their first album.

General Edema and Anasarca: Onward to the 3rd Space

Catchy right? The cover picture could be cankles from a decompenstated CHFer. Too much?

Maybe songs like “Asystole Sounds Good to Me” and my current favorite, “Noncompliance (I ain’t takin’ my meds no more)”. Or the ETOH centered theme, “Ativanapenic.” Or a cover of “DNR” to the tune of “Rockstar” (oh, wait, already been done…)

Somehow I doubt widespread mainstream acceptance… fun vids after the jump.

Reflection on Memorial Day

Since I’m not nearly as eloquent as AD, here’s his Memorial Day reflection. Strong work, sir. Strong work.

Yikes!

On the way home I saw the price for gas at the local Arco (which also has the cheapest gas around) and it said $3.81.  That was for regular.  Premium was $3.99.

Now I realize that folks in Cali, and elsewhere are paying upwards of $4.25, but man, today was a day I’m really glad I rode the bus.

On another “yikes!” moment, I was charge and there were no codes, no RRTs and we didn’t ship a single one off the floor.  I’m learning quickly not to say things like, “Hope we don’t have a code tonight.”  Or the popular, “I hope it’s a quiet night”  Or, “It can’t get any worse.”  Both of which were said out loud last week, but not by me.  If I had, sure enough, something would have gone down.  In light of this, I have been dubbed with a new nickname at work, “Blackcloud Stinkyfinger”.

I hope it doesn’t stink stick.

Go, enjoy what’s left of the weekend!

Now that’s patient advovacy

shrimplate has a great post up about advocating for your patient in spite of what the docs may think is right.  Way to stand your ground!

Fun with Electronic Charting

We all love electronic charting.  It is so convenient, simple, easy to enter and surely cuts down on the amount of time necessary to document our patient care.  Right, if you didn’t notice the sarcasm dripping, you need a head exam.  But it does lend itself to rather interesting typos.  It’s hard to have typos when you’re writing out on a paper chart, although technically possible.  Here’s some recent gems from charts I’ve been in:

Patient’s father had dimension

I hope so, a 2D person would be a bit strange.  Could it be dementia?

Patient turding Q2 hours

That’s a lot of poop, although not unheard of.  May I suggest, turning Q2 hours?

Patient has TED hoes on.

Why they have Ted’s hoes on is beyond me.  My imagination is fertile though…

Anyone else have good ones?  I’m needing laughs!

Your Money, Well Spent

Yes, it is cliché to blame high drug prices on all of the marketing materials that the pharmaceuticals hand out.  But it is so easy.  Observe my haul from the conference I went to over the weekend.

The watch is mine.

Just the pens:

Sell out?  Corporate whore?  Money-grubbing swag monger?  Naw, the wife bitched at me the last time I went to a conference about the relative dearth of pens I had snatched, so I tried to make up this time.

As for educational content the conference was great.  Somethings were way over my head, others I could actually follow and possibly even incorporate into my practice.  Plus I snagged some cool imaging stuff that I haven’t had a chance to dig into.  Hopefully soon.

Answers to the Game

I’ve been at work all last week, so I haven’t had much of a chance to post.

Here’s the denouement to “Let’s Play A Game…”

According to the labs drawn at the beginning of the code, her potassium was 7.7mEq/L.  Yes, a lady with hypokalemia, had a K of 7.7.    I came to understand her renal function was (is) incredibly screwed up and since they had been fighting hypokalemia, she got a large dose of KCl before bed.  Hence the PEA episode and subsequent transfer to the Unit.

Here’s the cool part:  by the end of my shift she was awake and following commands.  Two days after the code (my back still hurting) she came back to the floor with zero(!!!) neuro deficits.  She complained her head, neck, chest and back hurt, but other than that, fine. She walked out (well, was wheeled out) 2 days later.

Now she’s coming back twice a week to get puffed (pure ultrafiltration dialysis) for both fluid and from what I heard, for even worsening renal function.  And she’s doing well.

Two Years Down

Many more to go.  I realized that as of May 12th it had been 2 years since I graduated from nursing school.  Hmmm…it feels like more, and less.

No pithy observations or soul-searching, ’cause it’s my birthday tomorrow and I’m not even thinking about anything work-related right now!  Frosty adult beverages ahoy!

Soon?

Maybe…

Rivercity Bicycles here in Portland was sponsoring a contest to win a bike for correctly guessing when gas will hit $4/gallon.  More people on bikes soon?