long week done, long week ahead

in the last week, i have worked five 12 hour shifts. that's more than 60 hours. and although they weren't that challenging of days, it still feels like too much.

i do a very poor job of leaving my home life and dilemmas at home, so often times, i use work as a processing plant. i work with supportive friends and colleagues. and it just so happens that sometimes, work is my therapy. our 60 year old male secretary doesn't hesitate to give me boy advice. and my girlfriends and i spent the last several days hiding in the hallways, avoiding patient rooms and actual nursing work, to whisper about naughty things and funny experiences. dare i say that work (or therapy - whatever you choose to call it) this week was almost fun! and it's cheaper than my real sessions; in fact, i actually get paid to work on myself and spend time with friends!

i did do some real nursing this week. in fact, for the last two days, i cared for a young gentleman who is VERY sick. he is 25 years old. of course, he has cancer. and he is surrounded by loved ones - a super attentive girlfriend, two loving parents, and aunts and uncles, nephews and nieces. unfortunately, he's only at the very beginning of transplant and is already suffering pretty intensely. i only mention this guy because i actually enjoyed caring for him. is that bad? i don't always enjoy caring for my patients. this guy though, he's motivated. he listens well. he wants to work hard to get better, despite feeling like you-know-what. and at the end of the day, he asked if i would be caring for him every time that i worked. sometimes, when people say that, for a split second, i fear they are going to say, "because i don't want you to be my nurse again, not tomorrow when you're back, not ever." but this little guy (i say "little" because 25 year old men are so vulnerable and needy), he said, "you do a really good job!" and his dad chimed in and said, "i don't think you should be allowed to have the next 9 days off. we like you too much!"

that is a nice way to end a 60 hour work week.

tomorrow begins another tough week - a 120 hour work week. i head to camp parkview on vashon island. once again, for the 5th year in a row, i will be one of the camp nurses at a camp for 60 developmentally disabled adults. it's actually my 16 year (i did miss a year or two during college summers and travels) volunteering. and as fun as camp is, it is work. with it's own challenges and drama...

here's to camp nursing!