So last Wednesday I felt like I had a pill stuck in my throat. I figured I just swallowed wrong and it would eventually go away. Well, by Friday it was still there so I called and made an appointment with my family doctor which was set for Tuesday. I almost canceled it on Monday but decided to keep it anyway. I went in on Tuesday and the doctor asked me some questions and felt my throat. He gave me a referral to an ENT (Ear Nose and Throat) doctor, some neck and chest x-rays and a neck and thyroid ultrasound. He wanted me to make sure I saw the ENT within a week. Since the diagnostics place was downstairs I figured I would get the x-rays done then and schedule the US. It just so happened that the US appointment that was scheduled right then hadn't followed orders and was in the lobby drinking all her water so they took me back right away for that. I got everything taken care of and went off to work.
I should say here that whenever I have the opportunity I always have any lab results faxed to my work too since I can have my boss read them so I don't have to wait a week to hear from the ordering physician. I was very surprised to find that the results were there when I sat down at my desk. I printed them out and the x-rays came back clear aside from the problems I already knew about. The ultrasound was another story. It said that I have a 7 mm nodule on the right superior lobe on the pole side (meaning my esophagus) of my thyroid. I called and set an appointment with the ENT for the next Tuesday and talked to a couple people about it and did a little research on the internet. The long and short of it is that it could by Hashimoto's disease and/or hypothyroidism, some random growth, or cancer. Either way I'm rather calm about it. It is what it is and I just need to get it taken care of. It sounds like, from the research, since it is effecting my swallowing I will probably need to have surgery to at least remove the growth. Worst case scenario I have thyroid cancer, they take it out and I take pills for the rest of my life. It's not "no big deal" but I'm not freaking out about it. Just being diligent about getting to the bottom of it.
This morning the ENT office called me and said that the doctor's schedule had opened up for Saturday and that I could come in at 8 am. The interesting thing is that their website says that Saturday and Sunday are by appointment only. I don't know if it is special for me or if she has someone else coming in that day but either way I will know more of what is going on 3 days earlier than before. I have been thinking about the things that thyroid problems can cause. One of them is fatigue. I have been really tired but I figured that was just par for the course with working and going to school full-time. I also have had funny things with my voice and throat but I chalked that up to allergies. It's funny how much the thyroid can effect. Anyway, I will be sure to keep everyone updated on what is going on.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
I Lied...
Before I went to sleep I decided to take a look at my other blog posts. I can definitely see how beneficial it is to post frequently. I had almost forgotten about being a "hospital nurse" and a couple other things. It's a good way to remember things and let people in on what is going on. Okay, so I really will try to post daily even if it is short, not that I have any followers anyway... (hint).
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Obviously I Suck at Blogging.
For someone that wrote in a journal everyday for 4 years I sure am awful at blogging. I made my way back here after a 2 hour conversation with a friend who happens to be a dedicated blogger. It's funny how much changes in a two year time. If I spent half the time here that I do on Facebook I could blog everyday.
It's about time to get some sleep but at least I can say I blogged today! Goodnight everybody!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Feeling Smart and Stupid in the Same Day
So today after work I went to my grandpa's house to help with the "handicapping". There honestly wasn't too much for me to do, but I did help carry things out to the garage and cleaned out the nasty, smelly vacuum cleaner. Anyway, I asked my mom how grandpa was doing today. She said he was doing ok, and that he told her I came to visit last night. Then she told me that grandpa said I was a very intelligent young lady. Apparently he told Aunt Dawn the same thing. There's nothing like a compliment to boost both your day and your confidence.
When I got home I was able to look at my Calculus final exam online. I looked at it and called the professor. He confirmed my suspicion of the reasoning behind his failing policy. When I asked him to please change my grade he basically said no and if I was concerned about financial aid I would have to talk to the department chair. I called them and explained the situation. They said that there was nothing they could do about his policy. They did tell me that as long as I have a 2.0 GPA my financial aide won't be jeopardized. I 100% plan on appealing it even though the chair said they usually go by the syllabus. Even if I lose it will force them to look into his syllabus and policy and possible make some changes. I sure hope it does.
When I got home I was able to look at my Calculus final exam online. I looked at it and called the professor. He confirmed my suspicion of the reasoning behind his failing policy. When I asked him to please change my grade he basically said no and if I was concerned about financial aid I would have to talk to the department chair. I called them and explained the situation. They said that there was nothing they could do about his policy. They did tell me that as long as I have a 2.0 GPA my financial aide won't be jeopardized. I 100% plan on appealing it even though the chair said they usually go by the syllabus. Even if I lose it will force them to look into his syllabus and policy and possible make some changes. I sure hope it does.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
The Day in the Life of a Hospital Nurse
I visited my grandpa in the hospital today after work. He's scheduled to go home Friday, but a lot of things have to be done to make it safe for him before then. I'll be spending the majority of tomorrow at his house with a lot of the family to get it all done. Grandpa and I talked a lot. I meddled a little because I am trying to end the 30 year issues in the family. I'm trying to be as neutral as possible. Grandpa was surprisingly open to my meddling. I'm going to think things over for a couple days and see what I can come up with to do about it. I just want peace in the family for once...
Something very funny happened while I was at the hospital. I had been there awhile and was getting ready to leave, but I wanted to make sure he was set before I did. He had just emptied out the last of the water from the pitcher so I was trying to figure out where to go to get it filled up again. I walked up to the only nurse at the station and asked where to go to get it filled. She told me the to go to the kitchen and gave me a number. I thought it was a room number, but after walking the hall for a bit I saw the kitchen with a keypad lock on it. I thought there was no way she gave me the code, but punched it in anyway. It opened right up and I filled it up. I walked back in and told Grandpa that I thought I just got in somewhere I wasn't supposed to be due to the fact that I was wearing scrubs. I said I was going to ask my mom how they usually fill it so I would know for sure. He had a good laugh. When I talked to my mom I found out that one of the nurses usual gets some ice and a bag of water and gives it to them to put in the pitcher. Hahaha... I guess wearing scrubs makes me special. LOL!
Something very funny happened while I was at the hospital. I had been there awhile and was getting ready to leave, but I wanted to make sure he was set before I did. He had just emptied out the last of the water from the pitcher so I was trying to figure out where to go to get it filled up again. I walked up to the only nurse at the station and asked where to go to get it filled. She told me the to go to the kitchen and gave me a number. I thought it was a room number, but after walking the hall for a bit I saw the kitchen with a keypad lock on it. I thought there was no way she gave me the code, but punched it in anyway. It opened right up and I filled it up. I walked back in and told Grandpa that I thought I just got in somewhere I wasn't supposed to be due to the fact that I was wearing scrubs. I said I was going to ask my mom how they usually fill it so I would know for sure. He had a good laugh. When I talked to my mom I found out that one of the nurses usual gets some ice and a bag of water and gives it to them to put in the pitcher. Hahaha... I guess wearing scrubs makes me special. LOL!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Is it okay to hate a professor you are going to have again in the future???
I got an email today from my professor letting me know how I did. Here is what it said:
"Your score on the original final exam was 116 out of 270. Your score on the second final exam was 110 out of 270. I'm assigning a grade of 'F' -- you'll need to retake the class. Sorry it didn't work out."
Sorry my @$$!!! I had a 565/730 (a B- according to his grading system) before I took the final. When you add in the 110 that gives you 675/1000, a 67.5%. According to his grading system that is a C-. Here's the catch. Right in the syllabus it says that you have to get a 50% on the final exam to pass the class. That's right... I earned a C- but he is assigning me an F. Since it had been so long since I took Calculus I I was very concerned about my grade and how I was doing in the class. After the mid-term I was very upset and asked him if I should just retake the class. He told me retaking it would be a waste of time and that he suspected I would be getting a B in the class. What a bunch of bull. I have many problems with this whole thing AND him too.
1. How can any teacher make the final worth 27% of the grade?
2. How can you justify giving a student an F when the points say otherwise (even if he had a "normal" grading system it would still be a D+)?
3. Getting an F jeopardizes my future student loans, AND they may require me to pay back the money they gave me for that class.
4. Having to retake this class sets me back an entire year at least. I have to wait until Spring 2010 to take it again and cannot take the math classes I was signed up for. The rest of the upper level classes are only offered every 4 semesters!
5. The professor does not grade homework. He collects it for completion only and does not see if you are even on the right track. The few times I asked for help on homework in class he either brushed past it, said we were covering it in class, or told me to see him.
6. The only time he was available M-Th was when I was working or had doctor's appointments or was so tired from staying up until 4 am DOING my homework that I slept in.
Basically I think this guy is the crappiest teacher I have EVER had. I have never had anything less than an A in a math class. Sure I struggled some, but this has got to be a reflection on him too. I am so frustrated and furious about this situation. There is a voice in the back of my head that says "he's a small dude; you could take him". LOL! Even Joe told me I should kick him in the nuts. Oh, and here is the unfortunate part. I didn't devote as much time as I should have in my other two classes because I was spending soooo much time on this class. I kept telling people I was treading water in those classes. Anyway, I ended up with a B in my Education class and a B- in my Meteorology class because of it. I know those are still good grades, but I know I would've gotten A's or at least A-'s if I had done more.
After talking to two of my brothers-in-law and a couple other friends I have decided that I am going to question him on the reasoning of this "less than 50% on the final = F" policy. If he says it is because he feels like someone that cannot pass the final shouldn't be moving on I am going to beg him to give me a grade that will at least give me credit for the class and promise to take it again next Spring. He'll know if I go back on my word because the two math classes I was going to take next semester are taught by him (hence the title of the blog). If he does not agree to this or if he does it for some other stupid reason I will officially appeal the grade. There is a part of me that hopes that if it comes to that they not only side with me, but fire his butt too. That might be mean, but seriously, this guy is an awful teacher. There's still the possibility that everybody failed again since mine was the only test he graded since I took it a whole day earlier than everyone else. Part of me hopes for that because there is no way he can fail an entire class, but I don't wish bad things upon my classmates.
Anyway, I am still super mad about this whole thing even though I have a plan A and plan B. My aunt told me today that this kind of thing was one of the reasons she took karate while she was in school. She could go to her lessons and legal beat up on men and get out her frustrations. Maybe she's on to something...
"Your score on the original final exam was 116 out of 270. Your score on the second final exam was 110 out of 270. I'm assigning a grade of 'F' -- you'll need to retake the class. Sorry it didn't work out."
Sorry my @$$!!! I had a 565/730 (a B- according to his grading system) before I took the final. When you add in the 110 that gives you 675/1000, a 67.5%. According to his grading system that is a C-. Here's the catch. Right in the syllabus it says that you have to get a 50% on the final exam to pass the class. That's right... I earned a C- but he is assigning me an F. Since it had been so long since I took Calculus I I was very concerned about my grade and how I was doing in the class. After the mid-term I was very upset and asked him if I should just retake the class. He told me retaking it would be a waste of time and that he suspected I would be getting a B in the class. What a bunch of bull. I have many problems with this whole thing AND him too.
1. How can any teacher make the final worth 27% of the grade?
2. How can you justify giving a student an F when the points say otherwise (even if he had a "normal" grading system it would still be a D+)?
3. Getting an F jeopardizes my future student loans, AND they may require me to pay back the money they gave me for that class.
4. Having to retake this class sets me back an entire year at least. I have to wait until Spring 2010 to take it again and cannot take the math classes I was signed up for. The rest of the upper level classes are only offered every 4 semesters!
5. The professor does not grade homework. He collects it for completion only and does not see if you are even on the right track. The few times I asked for help on homework in class he either brushed past it, said we were covering it in class, or told me to see him.
6. The only time he was available M-Th was when I was working or had doctor's appointments or was so tired from staying up until 4 am DOING my homework that I slept in.
Basically I think this guy is the crappiest teacher I have EVER had. I have never had anything less than an A in a math class. Sure I struggled some, but this has got to be a reflection on him too. I am so frustrated and furious about this situation. There is a voice in the back of my head that says "he's a small dude; you could take him". LOL! Even Joe told me I should kick him in the nuts. Oh, and here is the unfortunate part. I didn't devote as much time as I should have in my other two classes because I was spending soooo much time on this class. I kept telling people I was treading water in those classes. Anyway, I ended up with a B in my Education class and a B- in my Meteorology class because of it. I know those are still good grades, but I know I would've gotten A's or at least A-'s if I had done more.
After talking to two of my brothers-in-law and a couple other friends I have decided that I am going to question him on the reasoning of this "less than 50% on the final = F" policy. If he says it is because he feels like someone that cannot pass the final shouldn't be moving on I am going to beg him to give me a grade that will at least give me credit for the class and promise to take it again next Spring. He'll know if I go back on my word because the two math classes I was going to take next semester are taught by him (hence the title of the blog). If he does not agree to this or if he does it for some other stupid reason I will officially appeal the grade. There is a part of me that hopes that if it comes to that they not only side with me, but fire his butt too. That might be mean, but seriously, this guy is an awful teacher. There's still the possibility that everybody failed again since mine was the only test he graded since I took it a whole day earlier than everyone else. Part of me hopes for that because there is no way he can fail an entire class, but I don't wish bad things upon my classmates.
Anyway, I am still super mad about this whole thing even though I have a plan A and plan B. My aunt told me today that this kind of thing was one of the reasons she took karate while she was in school. She could go to her lessons and legal beat up on men and get out her frustrations. Maybe she's on to something...
Monday, June 1, 2009
Summer...Finally
Well, at least it hasn't been a quite a month since my last blog. :D A month ago I only THOUGHT I was 4 days from finishing up the semester, but it turns out I only finished last Thursday. Apparently the professor made up a bomb of a test since the highest grade was a 54%. YIKES! I got a 43% which would've been a 80% if he had curved it. Unfortunately he decided that all that wanted to could take a make-up exam instead. I was grateful to have the second chance, but bummed because this would delay my "real" summer break. I didn't feel like I could dive into the growing stack of books I want to read (or re-read) until after I had taken the re-do. I spent a lot of time studying and only got 2 hours of sleep the night before. The was 17 problems and it took me 5 hours. I know that seems long, but on homework I could spend as much as 20 minutes on one problem. I'm just glad he doesn't give us a time limit. Anyway, I left the test feeling much better about it than the last one. He said we would have our grades today, but I'm not expecting a email from him this late so I guess I will just have to wait until tomorrow.
Work was crazy busy last week with us being closed on Monday for the holiday. We saw 139 patients in 2 full and 2 half days we were open. I always prefer to be busy because it makes the day go by faster. Unfortunately, we were not near as busy today and the day drug on forever! I sure hope it's better the rest the week, though tomorrow doesn't look very promising from what I saw of the schedule.
My grandpa is still in the hospital. He's in the rehab part now but he had a lot more problems than they first suspected. It will be 4 weeks Thursday since he was admitted. He is doing so much better. He actually is himself and can carry on normal conversation. He still has pneumonia and they are doing weekly scans to monitor the hematoma, but once those things clear up he will be transferred to a long-term care facility until he gets his strength back up.
Two weeks ago I had to go to the ER myself because I took a chunk out of my left ring finger with a pair of scissors when I was opening a package. I had to get a stitch. It's healed up real nicely. That is only the second time I have ever had stitches (besides my 2 ankle surgeries) and the first time was when I was 3 years old. I had fall back off of a stool and cracked my head open on the toilet. Ironically it was in the very same hospital that I went to this time. Man, I've lived here forever!
Over the weekend I spent WAY too much time on Facebook but found a whole bunch of friends from high school all the way back to before elementary school. It's been fun catching up and looking at their pictures. The only down side is that it has more than double the amount of blogs I need to keep track of. Oh well...
Work was crazy busy last week with us being closed on Monday for the holiday. We saw 139 patients in 2 full and 2 half days we were open. I always prefer to be busy because it makes the day go by faster. Unfortunately, we were not near as busy today and the day drug on forever! I sure hope it's better the rest the week, though tomorrow doesn't look very promising from what I saw of the schedule.
My grandpa is still in the hospital. He's in the rehab part now but he had a lot more problems than they first suspected. It will be 4 weeks Thursday since he was admitted. He is doing so much better. He actually is himself and can carry on normal conversation. He still has pneumonia and they are doing weekly scans to monitor the hematoma, but once those things clear up he will be transferred to a long-term care facility until he gets his strength back up.
Two weeks ago I had to go to the ER myself because I took a chunk out of my left ring finger with a pair of scissors when I was opening a package. I had to get a stitch. It's healed up real nicely. That is only the second time I have ever had stitches (besides my 2 ankle surgeries) and the first time was when I was 3 years old. I had fall back off of a stool and cracked my head open on the toilet. Ironically it was in the very same hospital that I went to this time. Man, I've lived here forever!
Over the weekend I spent WAY too much time on Facebook but found a whole bunch of friends from high school all the way back to before elementary school. It's been fun catching up and looking at their pictures. The only down side is that it has more than double the amount of blogs I need to keep track of. Oh well...
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