#things ive learned as a type 1 diabetic | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

gtzgoblin · 1 year ago

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Oh my god YES it's RIDICULOUS

(genuinely though if i change my cannula every other day (im nhs im lucky i know) and before the cartridge gets to <45 units that has made a massive difference and I get much less since doing that)

THIS PUMP ALWAYS KEEPING ME ON MY TOES

#i call her the devils pancreas #we hate each other but were stuck together for 4 years so we're learning tolerance #are you also NEVER at 6.1? i am so above target all of the time and if i change a basal rate im constant hypos and idk how to fix this #last hba1c was 43 and predicted this time is 52???#i am happy with the hypo prevention I'm not totally shitting on it but im going back to medtronic next time #other t slim people do yall get as many occlusion warnings as i do #actually diabetic #type 1 diabetes #type 1 diabetic #t slim #i have adhd so remembering to change the damn thing is a struggle #ive been keeping a diary of how often it tries to off me and reasons i think might be why to publish at the end of the year

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fereldanwench · 3 months ago

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i'm finally starting to feel human again and i actually have the time to do an update

so um

the update:

ya girl is diabetic (idk what type yet tho bc doctors are clowns)

so this week i learned that birth control side effects and fucking diabetic keto acidosis apparently have some overlapping symptoms lmao

all the issues i was having? the leg cramps, fatigue, shortness of breath--it's because my blood was literally poisoning me! i was also peeing a lot, but this honestly didn't register with me as being that abnormal because i have always had to pee a lot because i always drink a lot of water. i was also losing weight, but i was trying to lose weight, so again, didn't register as a bad thing

diabetes was obviously not what was my first assumption was given that all this also perfectly aligned with my birth control issues (i honestly thought i was going to have a blood clot or something but everything was fine on that front, fortunately), but it was something that was kind of at the back of my mind because my brother is also diabetic. he was misdiagnosed as a type 2 at the beginning of 2019, but after he couldn't get it into remission despite losing almost half his body weight, he found out that he's actually the adult-onset type 1 or "1.5" type of diabetic

despite me telling the doctors this, i was literally told they "don't care about the type" because my blood sugar was super high and the initial treatment is going to be insulin injections regardless. i'm trying to keep my stress levels at a minimum right now so i will forgo a rant but needless to say, NO ONE LIKED THAT RESPONSE!!! (my brother was especially pissed--he could basically be a blueprint for what i went through but why listen to patients when they answer your questions about family history when you can just ignore them!)

so yeah, i'm on fast-acting insulin injections 3x/day with meals and long-acting insulin at night, and a very carefully curated diet with lots of veggies and lean protein. my glucose levels are steadily getting lower and i am feeling much, much better, but my sleep is all fucked up from the hospital visit (on top of the time change) and i'm still a little light-headed if i move too fast

my follow-up is friday so obviously i will be asking for the tests to determine type because what the actual fuck and can hopefully fine-tune my treatment

emotionally/mentally i'm... fine. ish. lmao. seeing that my brother has gone through this and seeing how well he's been able to manage it and still live a very full life (including traveling a lot) i think has done a lot to prevent this from feeling too scary and overwhelming. he and i are very close too--he actually picked me up from the hospital so he could give me some 'betes starter gear--so i have a good support system here

but the crying comes in waves, lmao. i had a nice good breakdown last night. not knowing the type is kind of delaying my ability to process it, too, because if it's type 2, i will put this bitch into remission!!! but if it's type 1, that's gonna be a lot harder to cope with, i think

i really get most emotional when i tell other people about it bc i immediately feel the need to assure them i'm fine, lmao. and for some reason other people telling me i'll be fine also makes me cry so it's just kjdfhgjdkfgdfgdfg

anyway, i wanted to give an update since i said i would and i know i certainly appreciate it when my friends who get hospitalized let me know they're okay lmao, but despite my usual oversharing tendencies, i actually don't really want to talk about this here! at least not right now. something about it feels very personal to me, idk. maybe it's because this is such a high-judgement disease and i just don't want to fucking hear shit about it!!

and for my final thought, i would just like to say that potassium IV drips fucking suck balls, and my arms are so goddamn sore and bruised from all the stabs and pokes and prods and squeezes

#t: wench.txt

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healthcarespeed · 2 years ago

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How Important Is It To Treat Wounds?

A poor wound treatment is usually the cause of the infection. Infection can cause discomfort, pain and even prolonged time to heal. Whenever you want to learn detailed information on wound infections, you have to browse around https://gliwiceonline.pl/2018072274738/zraniles-sie-brudnym-narzedziem-jak-rozpoznac-zakazenie-rany site.

The skin's primary protection is provided by a thin acidic film, known as"the acid mantle. The normal flora forms a dynamic barrier that contains the microorganisms.

Prevention

Infection can occur when microorganisms like fungi and bacteria enter the wound area. The microorganisms can come from your skin, another part of the body or even the environment. They may also be found on the objects or materials that are used for cleaning the wound.

The type of the wound it's location and how it got there can all impact the risk of infection. The results of studies have revealed that clean wounds carry a risk of between 1% and 5% of infection. Wounds that are clean have a 3%-11% risk while dirty and infected wounds carry a 27% chance of infection.

Patients with chronic health conditions which hinder the body's capability to fight infections are more susceptible to wound infections. Diabetes, poor blood circulation, and a weakened immune system are all causes that can increase the likelihood of wound infections. Wounds that are not properly cleaned and dressed, or that become irritated, have an increased risk for infection. Infection of surgical wounds is one of the main reason for nosocomial infection (acquired in hospitals) and may lead to an extended stay, increased costs, or more complications.

The signs

If you are injured what occurs is that the body attempts to stop bleeding. The term "hemostasis" refers to this. It's a good thing. This lets the blood vessels expand to allow for better circulation and deliver oxygen, vitamins, as well as other healers to the wounded area.

The skin forms a crusty dry layer called a "scab" that serves as a protective layer, stopping bacteria from getting into the wound. If the scab is not falling off or isn't forming it, the wound is probably infected.

If the infection is not addressed promptly, they could result in a recurrence of infection inside the body. If the wound is dirty or has foreign matter like rust in it, then you may need to obtain a culture and you should take either oral or IV antibiotics. It is also possible to require shots against tetanus. Medical professionals need to recognize and treat the tetanus infection as a serious problem. It can help stop the development of resistance against antibiotics.

Diagnostics

The wound infection can cause discomfort and pain, it causes slow healing, and raises the chance of issues and could result in the death of a patient. People with health illnesses that affect the immune system such as diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis are at greater risk for infections.

There are a variety of ways to identify an infected cut by using the signs and symptoms of the wound or a wound. The clinical signs and symptoms may provide clinicians little information on the specific bacteria that cause an inflammation. Since resistance to antibiotics is increasing and increasing, it is essential to determine the specific microorganisms present.

It is crucial to address wound infections as soon as it is suspected in order to avoid grave local and systemic issues including sepsis (a dangerous condition that causes shock and coma). The infected wound must be cleaned, all foreign substance removed, and the pus should be drained. In order to treat the wound and prevent growth of the disease, antibiotics are prescribed.

Treatment

It is possible to treat wound infections, which can cause discomfort and slow healing of wounds. The wound must be cleaned with soap and warm water. Use antibiotic ointment it is obtainable without a prescription. Wrap it in clean bandsages. It is also important to keep the dressing clean and changed regularly. If a swollen pocket forms, it should be opened, and the fluid removed. The use of oral antibiotics is often recommended by your healthcare provider for treating infection. It is possible that you require IV antibiotics in case you're ill.

Conclusion:

The bacterial colonies that form upon wounds typically create biofilms, which are dense and dense. These bacteria are held together with a system composed of sugars and proteins that looks like glue. It prevents the immune system from killing them. It also boosts the bacterial burden on the site of injury, hindering the healing process.

#Treat Wounds

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type1diabetesinfandom · 3 years ago

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Femslash in Diabetes Fic List

T1D in Star Wars | T1D in Marvel | T1D in Supernatural | T1D in My Hero Academia

All right, people; this isn’t a fandom rec list like my others so far, this is instead a rec list by topic. Specifically femslash. I’ve found only eight t1d fics with femslash front and center so far, but there’s a pretty good variety among them, and I’m sure there will be more to add in the future.

(The gif is misleading btw, I couldn’t find any Korrasami fics with t1d. Lmk if anyone writes some, because I want it. but that gif is gorgeous and i could not resist)

The fics are posted in alphabetical order. All links lead to AO3, unless otherwise specified.

If you like the fics, please remember to kudos and comment to let the author know you liked it. That’s the best way to support these fics and see more of them in the future. :)

blood sugar by sailorvtm

Fandom: The Last of Us (Video Games)

Rating: Gen

Warning: None Chosen

Relationship: Dina/Ellie

Wordcount: 523, complete

Summary:

hi! sailor here, basically the summary is that ellie has type one diabetes and experiences hypoglycemia (aka low blood sugar / low glucose ). This fic also includes general type one diabetes rep since I see nothing with this shit. Before some people are like “why are you writing this?” Why not! Plus I have type one diabetes and all the fics ive seen so far are all literal stereotypes and im tired of seeing it

Gimme Some Sugar by lologoblens

Fandom: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)

Rating: Explicit

Warning: None Apply

Relationship: Adora/Catra

Wordcount: 9,311, complete

Summary:

When Catra takes Adora home after meeting her at the club she expects to be in for a good night. What she does not expect is to wake up in the middle of the night to a near stranger rooting through her refrigerator...loudly.

Just My Thing by GleekOut91

Fandom: Glee

Hosted On: Fanfiction.net

Rating: Teen and Up

Warning: None Apply

Relationship: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray

Wordcount: 5k+, incomplete

Summary:

Quinn discovers that her girlfriend has Type 1 diabetes. A series of one shots following Quinn and Rachel’s lives together as they learn to cope with the condition as a couple, and the challenges they face along the way.

A Little Bit Longer, And I'll Be Fine. by kxteflxming

Fandom: Line of Duty (TV 2012)

Rating: Gen

Warning: None Apply

Relationship: Joanne Davidson/Kate Fleming

Wordcount: 8,869, complete

Summary:

She was knackered today, but she knew she had no choice but to go to work anyway. After all, what excuse did she have?

‘Oh yeah, hi, I can’t come to work because of my diabetes fucking me over that I never told any of you about’?

She had a feeling that one wouldn’t go down too well.

___________________

AKA Jo is a type one diabetic, and through all the highs and lows, Kate is always there.

A Little Tipsy on Your Love by Macremae

Fandom: Pacific Rim

Rating: Explicit

Warning: None Apply

Relationship: Karla Gottlieb/Vanessa Gottlieb

Wordcount: 5,353, complete

Summary:

“Yeah,” Newt says, nodding like this is some kind of fascinating scientific discussion and not the worst day of Vanessa’s entire life, maybe. “You definitely have a lot of adrenaline right now, and probably increased estradiol levels, too. It’s likely affecting your entire endocrine system in an attempt to stimulate reproduction.”

There’s a brief, tense beat of silence as Vanessa registers this statement, then Karla and Hermann, and then Vanessa is shooting out her hand for Karla to yank her phone out of her trouser pocket and shove it towards her, frantically unlocking it and swiping to her Dexcom app. The little number on the screen says one hundred eighty three, with two side by side arrows pointing straight up.

“Bitch,” she tells it in a quiet, disappointed little voice, which of course is the exact moment her high alarm begins screaming at the top of its lungs.

In which our heroines fuck around, find out, and then just fuck.

Lift You Up When You’re Low by @kitkat404

Fandom: The Prom Musical

Rating: Gen

Warning: None Apply

Relationship: Alyssa Greene/Emma Nolan

Wordcount: 1,433

Summary:

Emma’s blood sugar drops during a debate match, her teammates are to the rescue.

Through The Lows and The Highs by MissKateBishop (agathaharknness) @misskatebishop

Fandom: Black Widow (Movie 2021), MCU, Avengers

Rating: Gen

Warning: None Apply

Relationship: Natasha Romonanov/Reader

Rating: Gen

Wordcount: 800, complete

Summary:

Natasha gets home and finds out her girlfriend is not well. Nothing better than cuddling and waiting until the insulin kicks in.

Tryanophobia by frederick_hohenstaufen

Fandom: Cobra Kai (Web Series)

Rating: Teen and Up

Warning: None Chosen

Relationship: Samantha LaRusso/Tory Nichols

Wordcount: 979, complete

Summary:

Sam has a hard time injecting herself with her insulin. Fortunately, she has Tory for moral support.

#t1d #t1diabetes #fanfiction recs #diabetic fics #diabetic fic recs #diabetic fanfiction #t1d fanfic rec list #type 1 diabetes in fandom

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t0sshii · 5 years ago

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ginhiji hospital au??

I needed to get this off of my brain and I can’t draw or write so here it goes... Ginhiji but Hijikata is a nurse working in a hospital and Gintoki is the new resident who comes off as lazy but is actually a really good doctor (which surprises our boy Toushi)

More thoughts under the cut? (I have more thoughts about hijikata because.... i have more experience there LOL)

I’ve been a working nurse for more than half a year now so I kind of know what I’m talking about? (but not really because i’m definitely still a baby nurse that’s still learning OTL) but really im a baby don’t ask me specifics

I got into Gintama super late and I have so many regrets because it’s taken over my life.

hijikata working in either medsurg, ICU, or emergency because it’s not slow, needs great time management skills and working under pressure /but i have a bias for medsurg because that’s where i am right now... but i feel like he would definitely be the same kind of intense that some ICU nurses i know are...

he’s definitely the type to not take a proper break at work... would probably eat saltines from the nutrition room

reason 1: he’s too busy

reason 2: hates to go on break if he has to leave hella shit for the person covering him (so he give all his meds, clean his patients, give pain meds...make sure they NEVER call the person covering him on break) but that also means when things don’t calm down he feels like there’s never an opening for one

meanwhile he will give meds, clean patients, and do everything for whoever he covers for break

when this happens kondo sends yamazaki to cover him for breaks because you can’t tell patients to eat their food when you haven’t eaten toushi

is really good at putting in IVs, nobody on the unit even tries to put them in when he’s working they’ll just ask him to do it for them

a charting superuser lol

his brain... impeccable. a work of art. a pinnacle of organization. made his own because the hospital issued one doesn’t work for him

probably looks something like this

note: allows you do just quickly circle things during shift change instead of writing it all down...i would probably make past medical history section bigger though (do i use a sheet like this? no because i am... organized chaos and writing it down helps ME--but toushi probably wants to take as little time possible writing shit down)

reads his work e-mail, even the newsletters from the hospital

kondo is nurse manager and is a very supportive one (the potlucks!!! tries his best to make sure everyone feels supported at work ; w ;) hired hijikata..

when hijikata is charge, the work is distributed evenly thank god

also “it’s an hour until shift change and if this patient doesn’t come up in 10 minutes they’re not coming until after shift change”

everyone asks him for help because he knows all the hospital policies

what nurse isn’t frustrated with doctors lets be real

exhibit A: “my patient is in TEARS with 10/10 pain and the doctors have the audacity to ask if THEY TRIED TO DISTRACT THEMSELVES WITH ART?” (this is a literal conversation I’ve had with a resident before)

hates talking to interns because he ends up having to teach them how to do their job

hates talking to jaded attendings

only attending he likes is shouyo

used to have long hair in nursing school but cut it after his ponytail got into some shit during a bed bath

still smokes.. kondo hates it because we’ve all seen what it’s done to our patients and you still smoke?

has tried to quit but never works out

gintoki also gets on his case about it

just imagine hijikata in those black figs joggers scrubs UGH

in this universe they’re called digs because copyright and this is still gintama we’re talking about

these scrubs are unnecessarily expensive so he didn’t actually buy them himself ( “why the fuck would i buy expensive scrubs if i am going to get literal shit on it”).. if left to his own devices he will wear those ugly ass hospital issued scrubs

Kondo and his other friends split the price for the black joggers and a 3 pocket scrub top -- because we all know hijikata puts ALL his supplies in his pockets. he NEEDS pockets

Gintoki thinks his ass looks good in those joggers UGH

Hijikata won’t admit it but the digs are his favorite pair they are so comfortable. still won’t buy them with his own money though

student nurses are scared of him because he’s intense and asks hard questions, really strict... doesn’t bully but pushes students and orientees really hard

but also any one who can survive being trained by him becomes an excellent nurse

that nurse that’s on top of their shit and THINKS instead of just following orders

“saw his potassium is high. can we do something about that?”

“there wasn’t continuous oxygen monitoring ordered but i put them on because it doesn’t look good. can we get an order for that”

all the doctors trust him because he’s just so goOD

gets on gintoki’s case about looking like a bum at the hospital all the time

if he EVER catches wind of doctors talking down to his nurses or older nurses bullying the newer ones (which never really happens because kondo is a great manager who fosters a very nontoxic work culture) they will...FEEL. HIS. WRATH.

also will not tolerate patients treating him (or his coworkers) like shit. will be more professional dealing with patients tho than with the MDs. but if it’s an MD berating a nurse, they better be ready to get their ass KICKED

Gintoki is the new resident along with katsura and takasugi in.... internal medicine? surgery? idk?

i mostly just wanted write this one: hijikata has a patient in a pain crisis 10/10 pain, given all available pain meds, tried everything possible but still no relief. paged the new resident working with this patient

hijikata fully expects either a call saying “sorry i can’t order any more pain medicine for this patient” or just another IV medicine ordered with no communication at all

but gintoki comes into the patient’s room (first thing hijikata notices is unprofessional hair, wrinkled jacket, mismatching socks and thinks this doctor is going to be lazy AF), speaks to the patient with great bedside manner, talks to the patient about pain management strategies and WORKS WITH THEM for a better plan for medication. walks with the patient in the hall and even takes them to the bathroom

hijikata is FLOORED. because this never happens with MDs.

(this has actually happened and me and all my coworkers were SO PLEASANTLY SURPRISED)

hijikata once sent gintoki a message asking if he wanted to lower the dose for a medication because the lab for it was high

gintoki thought he was the pharmacist because hijikata is just that good

likes the sound of hijikata’s voice on the phone so he always returns his pages even if it’s just to say “ok i’ll put the order in”

secretly gets excited when he sees hijikata’s name on the chart under the care team

one because he’s hot

two because he’s a good nurse

actually learns a lot from hijikata

gets to know hijikata’s bad break habits and gives him a coffee whenever he notices he’s working (but is absolutely disgusted when he brings out the mayonnaise)

“how can you tell your patients to be healthy when you put that shit in everything you eat?”

hijikata counters with “you can’t tell me what to eat when you’re on your way to diabetes asshole”

tries to be the kind of MD shouyo is

being in healthcare is hard so the two of them do drink together if their days off line up to vent....

hijikata complains about dumb MDs (gintoki makes mental notes on how to not be an annoying MD), how busy his days are, and why are we always understaffed... how can we run out of IVs?

gintoki complains about all the calls he gets, how stressful residency is, why are rounds so early, that midget takasugi, the long ass working hours, being on call fuckin sucks

both bond over sharing crazy stories about patients or how their day went....also hospital complaints because what healthcare worker doesn’t complain about their hospital

get into “who’s job is more stressful” arguments a lot

on particularly hard (emotionally, physically, mentally) days the other would show up with a bag of food and drinks?

when the two start dating, it’s usually just... hanging out at work?

if somehow by some miracle, they get their breaks together (if at all) they eat together

if they do have days off together they usually spend it sleeping (literally you guys) or relaxing at one of their apartments

sleep deprived healthcare workers lead to many....petty...arguments but they make up by the end

it’s late and i have more thoughts? but i have work tomorrow. but i needed to get this OUT OF MY BRAIN.

also feel free to message me about any of this!! :) asks are always open hehe

#smh anjo #i never see anything about nurses in fandom and i get sad #gintama #ginhiji #headcanons #hospital au #i wish i had talent AHAAHAHA #mostly because i want to see hiji in THOSE BLACK FIGS JOGGERS #anime #Hijikata Toushirou #sakata gintoki #hijigin #ginhijigin

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skybound2 · 5 years ago

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Hi, I really don’t mean to bother you and I apologize for the intrusion. I was just recently diagnosed with ms and don’t know what the best treatment options are. I’m honestly scared of all of them and was wondering if you have a preference or any advice

Oh my word, it is absolutely NOT a bother or an intrusion!! I’m out here on the internet telling the world at large about my issues, and knowing that someone is listening is so very far from a bother or an intrusion. It honestly helps. I’m just sorry it’s taken me so long to respond.

I completely understand how you are feeling, it’s a scary time, and it can be daunting trying to figure out what to do and where to start and just remembering how to BREATHE under the weight of all of it can be overwhelming. I’m sorry that you are going through this, but there are some really good resources out there, depending on what your situation is, and where you are located. (I think I about lived on the National MS Society webpage when I was first diagnosed. And I watched SO. MANY. YouTube videos. So many.)

I am happy to give you my experience with the disease modifying therapy that I’m on, but I want to just make sure that I’m clear that 1. I’m not a medical professional, and also, 2. I’ve only ever actually been on ONE therapy, so my experiences are limited in that regard. Okay, now that we’ve got the (probably completely unnecessary disclaimers out of the way), onto the actual response. (It’s LONG so it’s under a cut.)

I have relapse-remitting MS, and the therapy that I am on is Avonex, which is an Interferon beta-1a treatment. I use the auto-injection pen, as opposed to a pre-filled syringe. It’s a once a week intramuscular (IM) injection that I can do at home. This is something that fits my lifestyle better than:

Going to an out-patient center for a once-a month IV infusion

Conducting a Subcutaneous injection three times a week

Taking a daily oral pill

I’ve learned that I can trust myself to do a weekly injection by setting a weekly timer for it, and working it into my routine. I schedule my injections for Saturday nights right before bed, and clear my morning on Sundays to deal with side-effects that pop up. I have a pretty packed/sporadic schedule, and I don’t think that I would have much luck keeping to a 3x a week injection routine, or taking a daily pill. And I FOR SURE don’t want to be locked into having to go to a center to get an infusion, even if it’s only once a month.

The actual injection process is pretty easy. You just have to prep your injection site (I use my thighs, alternating legs/locations every week), put the needle on the pen (which is pretty foolproof), place the pen against the injection site location, then depress the button on the pen to insert the needle into the injection site, and wait while the medicine injects itself (I count to 20 to wait it out). The medicine pack comes with everything you need for the injection: alcohol wipes, gauze pads, and bandaids, so you have those at the ready every time.

I’ve been on it for 3.5 years, and during that time I’ve had one pseudo-exacerbation (caused by my exposing myself to high temps when I knew better) and am now in the middle of my first genuine flare since I started the medicine. To me this SEEMS like a good amount of time to have gone without a full flare, but as I mentioned, I haven’t ever been on any other therapy, so I have no idea if another one would have kept the flares at bay for even longer.

Another “pro” that I would list for this medicine, probably shouldn’t even NEED to be listed as a pro, but seeing as how I live in the healthcare dystopia that is America, it IS for me, is that while my insurance carrier FOR SOME REASON thinks that I should pay $1000/month for this medicine, the manufacturer of the medicine itself WAIVES that fee for me every month, so I actually don’t have to pay anything for my treatment (beyond my insurance premiums of course).

Now THAT all said, there are some cons and some caveats.

So my caveat is that when I started treatment, there weren’t any daily oral pills approved for use. I may have opted to try that FIRST if that had been available at the time, but since they weren’t, I didn’t. And since I had been doing well on my injection treatment when the oral pills became available, neither my doctor nor I thought that it was advisable to switch just because. This is something that could change in short order, as I am currently in the middle of a flare, and while I don’t suspect that my doctor is going to recommend a change of treatment when it’s over, it is possible that he COULD.

Now onto the cons:

The medicine needs to be kept refrigerated, so you need to plan for that if you travel. Luckily, it’s only a once a week treatment, so unless you are away from home for long periods of time, it’s not too difficult to address. (I own a couple of the same medicine travel coolers that diabetics use for insulin transport, as they work well for this purpose.)

Injection site pain is a thing. It’s not a constant thing, but it DOES crop up every so often. For me it’s typically just a sore muscle in the area of the injection, sometimes with mild bruising. (I’ve always bruised easily, and that’s only gotten worse in recent years.) Sometimes this lingers for long enough that I have to skip injecting one leg for a couple of weeks until it clears up. (Again, I bruise easy, and it's not comfortable injecting into a bruise, so I just don’t.)

What I call “morning after” side effects. The medicine lists “flu-like” symptoms as being possible for ~6 months after starting the treatment while your body adapts. That was 100% a thing for me. I was able to mitigate that a bit by taking ibuprofen (and sometimes benadryl) immediately after giving myself the injection before going to sleep. But the thing that DIDN’T get mentioned a lot was that even after that 6 months is over and the majority of “flu-like” symptoms cleared up, you might still have morning after issues in the form of much milder “flu-like” symptoms. For me, this translates into whole-body aches. TYPICALLY, they are cleared up by around 10 or 11 am the morning after. BUT, sometimes they linger all day as just a general dull-ache feeling. My doctor explained that this is because the weekly injection is a concentrated dose of medicine, and it takes the body some time to process it. And beyond taking pain relievers (which I do) there’s not much to be done. It can be exhausting, and so I TRY to avoid scheduling things on Sunday when possible. I’d say that I deal with all-day lingering aches/fatigue following injection about once a month. Though I’m slow to get going EVERY week following injection. (So 10 am start to my day instead of 8 am.)

Because I haven’t been on any of the other therapies out there, I don’t know how these side-effects compare, so I don’t know if these are better or worse. My doctor seems to think that my reported side-effects are pretty typical for this type of treatment though, and doesn’t think it’s cause to change treatments unless I feel like they are interfering with my life. I’ve adapted well enough to them (and honestly, it’s not a hardship to tell EVERYONE that I can’t commit to doing things at least one day a week :-P)

So that’s my response on my treatment experience. I’d say that the best thing you can do is to find a Neurologist that you trust and that you have a good rapport with, so that they can help guide you through the process and assist you in making changes as necessary.

I wish you all the luck in the world, and please feel free to come chat whenever. I may be slow to respond, but I will RESPOND at some point!! *HUGS*

#replies #afronerdism #multiple sclerosis #RRMS #MS #chronic illness

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aawbunny · 5 years ago

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i know there’s a diabetic community on tumblr and i don’t know who else would understand this so i’m gonna tell my story and present my problem here, and maybe someone could give me some advice:

i don’t know if i’m type 1 or type 2 diabetic

it sounds simple to people that have either disease, right? but let me explain.

when i was 16, i started having symptoms my mom recognized as high blood sugar one night. she’s not a nurse or anything, but type 2 diabetes runs in my family (and there’s a case or two of type 1, as well) so she keeps a glucometer in her room, just in case. i was shaking, felt nauseous, had a headache, etc and my blood sugar was rising extremely fast. in less than an hour i went from 300 to 400, and having not been diagnosed, she rushed me to the ER.

I’ve always been overweight/obese. it’s also something that runs in my family. however, i had been losing weight recently and didn’t know why. at the ER, they put me on an IV and took some tests, diagnosing me as a type 2 diabetic, but it didn’t stop there. i was put on metphormin and had a follow up with my doctor that morning, and after going home that afternoon, my blood sugar skyrocketed to over 400 again. i called my mom crying, having a panic attack and terrified that something bad was going to happen because i received no education on what to do when my sugar was high or how high was too high, etc. she called the doctor i met with that morning and he told her to take me to the children’s hospital ER, so we did.

from there, i stayed 2-3 nights in the children’s hospital, getting educated on insulin therapy and etc, learning how to give myself shots, you know the drill. the metphormin wasn’t working. i had to live off insulin, and i did. i managed my diabetes really well, i lost weight, and i came off insulin after about a year. when i was in the hospital however, they never ruled out that i had type 1, they just said i probably didn’t because one of the tests came back with no antibodies or something, which meant i probably didn’t have it. so treatment wise, i’ve been treated as a type 2.

here’s the thing, metphormin isn’t regulating my blood sugar. it’s still spiking, it never gets low because i’m not on insulin, etc. i also had symptoms of both type 1 and type 2, but a lot of it was type 1 symptoms. weight loss, frequent urination, extreme thirst, my a1c was over 10 and i had ketones, etc. i have this feeling that i’m going be put back on insulin and that i just had a honeymoon phase, because i really don’t have the type 2 symptoms besides being overweight. i want more tests done to see if i’m type 1 or type 2 because they only did one and didn’t give me a definitive answer, and i want that validation but i’m too scared to ask my doctor because i’m scared she’ll think i’m crazy or something. i’m 18, so i’m in charge of my own health but i don’t have an endocrinologist anymore because i don’t go to the children’s hospital anymore. i’m not sure what to do or if anyone else has a similar experience but yeah, here’s my rant

#actually diabetic #t2d #t1d #type 2 diabetic #type 2 diabetes #type 1 diabetic #type 1 diabetes #diabetic #type 1 life #type 1 problems #type 2 #type 1

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bilesandthesourwolf · 6 years ago

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alright everyone. i want to lay a life lesson down today. i know i’ve seen similar posts like this, but since this has now personally happened to me, i feel like it needs to be reiterated.

your mental and physical health is in your own hands. it’s gonna be up to you to make sure things get done and you get the information you need because, most of the time, stuff gets overlooked.

story time. let’s go back to 2012 when i started feeling awful. i was constantly fatigued and in pain. i was seeing a nurse practitioner at the time (i live in a small town and it sucks). she ran some blood work and found out that i have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, which is an autoimmune disease. if you don’t know what an autoimmune disease is, here you go: an autoimmune disease is a condition in which your immune system mistakenly attacks your body. some of these diseases include: rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, celiac, type 1 diabetes, and fibromyalgia. now, once you have 1 autoimmune disease, you are prone to eventually get another one. so, hashimoto’s is a disease in which the white blood cells attack the thyroid, explaining all the symptoms i’d been feeling. the nurse practitioner couldn't prescribe the meds i needed, so i went to the only medical clinic we have in town and saw a doctor who prescribed me some thyroid meds. thyroid issues are tricky because it takes time to adjust the meds to what your body needs. so, it took a long time to get my meds right and i never actually felt 100% better, i just learned to live with it.

fast forward to 2014. i’m exhausted all the time. i’m in pain. my joints and muscles hurt. i can’t stand it anymore. i go see my primary care physician (pcp) Dr. A. she runs some blood work, including an autoimmune panel. i go to her for my follow up appointment and she says everything came back fine. i’m too young to have rheumatoid arthritis (i’m 28 at the time). regardless, she refers me to a rheumatologist. the rheumatologist tells me i’m fine. i now feel like i’m going crazy because none of this makes sense.

fast forward to 2015. i start seeing a new pcp, Dr Singh, at the same clinic. he’s awesome. he listens to me. he asks for my medical history. i tell him i have hashimoto’s. he helps regulate my meds, he finds i have serious vitamin and iron deficiencies. he gives me iron iv infusions. i feel a bit better, but i’m still tired and i still ache. Dr Singh runs another autoimmune panel for me. everything comes back as normal, but my sed rate (sedimentation rate) comes back high. a high sed rate means there is inflammation in your body. we chalk it up to my hashimoto’s. we move on. i learn to live with the pain in my joints and muscles and my bone wary fatigue.

at this point, i start getting copies of my blood work results, because i want to check them for myself. i highly recommend you do this and you’ll see why in a few minutes.

fast forward to december of 2017. i start getting really bad pain in my right hand (my dominant hand), mainly the knuckles. it’s worth noting that i’m a habitual knuckle cracker, this is a bad habit, i know. the pain lasts for a few weeks and then goes away. over the next year, i notice the pain in those knuckles comes and goes. i’m still exhausted and i still hurt in other areas of my body. Dr Singh still monitors my vitamin deficiencies and i get iron infusions when needed.

fast forward to 3 weeks ago. the pain in my hand comes back. it’s the worst it’s ever been. i can’t grip anything. i can’t put pressure on it. several of my knuckles are swollen. it sucks. i call the doctor’s office and of course i can’t get in to see my doctor until today, january 28th (i repeat, this is a small town and there’s only the one clinic). but my doctor is awesome and he orders me an autoimmune panel again so i can get that blood work done while my hand is still hurting. i get the blood work done. i wait.

today, i finally go in for my results. my hand is finally starting to feel better. Dr Singh looks at the lab work and says everything is normal, but my sed rate is the highest he’s seen it. i’m upset cause once again, a non answer. but, Dr Singh says “give me a minute”. i give him a minute. eventually he makes a noise of surprise. he says, “back in 2014, Dr A did an autoimmune panel on you, right?” i have to think back, it’s been a long 5 years of a lot of blood work and different specialist. “yes,” i say, “i think so”. Dr Singh says, “yes, she did and guess what? you tested positive for rheumatoid arthritis.” i’m absolutely floored. Dr A neglected to tell me i had a positive rheumatoid arthritis test 5 years ago.

see, the thing about autoimmune diseases are this: they are hard to diagnose. you can have 3 blood tests done over the course of 3 months and only 1 of those test could show positive results. it took my mother 7 years to get a diagnosis of fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis. to this day, she tests positive for lupus on and off. i’ve seen 3 different rheumotologists over the years, including one of America’s leading rheumotologists. they all say i’m fine, i just have an elevated sed rate. autoimmune diseases are tricky little shits, is what i’m getting at here.

Dr Singh is astounded. i should have been officially diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis 5 years ago. that one positive test result was it. just because i have had a few negative results over the years doesn’t matter. that was the defining test. he says this basically explains everything, my pain, my exhaustion and fatigue, my brain fog. it’s contributed to my anxiety and depression. i break down and cry. this is the answer i’ve been looking for over the last 5 years. i’m not crazy. i cry because that was 5 yeas of pain and fatigue and feeling like no one is listening and no one understands. i cry because that is 5 years of my life i am never getting back. 5 years i should have been on meds to stop the progression of joint deterioration. who knows how much damage has been done to my joints at this point. Dr Singh prescribed me a steroid to help with the inflammation but i need to see a rheumatologist (luckily a new one he recommended that i haven’t seen before) to get on meds to help stop this disease from progressing more than it already has.

i’m only 32 and i can already see some disfiguration in one of my fingers. i’m still young and i’ve got the rest of my life with this disease that ruins your joints. my mom is 60, she has rheumatoid arthrisits and she can’t move half her fingers and she needs a new knee. this is what i have to look forward to. i’m in shock. i’m devistated. i’m worried. i wish i had gotten a copy of those lab results back in 2014. i feel like suing Dr A for malpractice, because honestly, what the fuck.

my point of this very long post is that you need to be persistent. you know your body. you know when something is wrong. find a doctor who listens to you. get copies of your blood work and review it for yourself. take your health into your own hands and make shit happen.

#health #mine #long post

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jillallsop80109-blog · 6 years ago

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The Ketogenic Diet - Ultimate fat Reducing Diet

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flyonthewallmedstudent · 6 years ago

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Black Cloud...

I wondered what I would end up as a med reg.

It’s less fun to be a black cloud when you’re the reg versus when you’re very junior and the excitement is fantastic.

It’s a new year, on a new rotation. I’m on secondment to an external site. Like a terrifying breath of fresh air, I’ve have no idea how this hospital works or where anything is, or how to request anything.

Day 1. Carrying the MET/Code pager. 45 mins in there’s a code blue in ICU. Fortunately it’s day time, there’s a CCU reg and ICU reg. they lead and resolve without me. Home team arrives with their consultant in tow. Patient doesn’t recover. I try to round. There’s another just outside ED.. just as I step out to grab a coffee. i manage to see one patient. MET for a patient at an adjacent psychogeri ward. It ends up being 4 hrs long as the nursing staff in the unit don’t know how to take bloods. Are too anxious if a patient needs IV antibiotics or serial tropoinins over night. It descends into negotiations between director of psychogeri land, icu and ED. ED loses. My consultant and I elect to stay out of it, going whatever you guys feel, we have no beds anyway.

Day 2. We’re on take. So I end up living in ED with admissions. Actually this is not so bad, just busy. Everyone comments about how there were no METS or Code blues this entire day. Probably because I’m no longer on the wards.

Day 3. Initially stoked to be back on wards, post-take to follow up on my admissions. A code stroke just before handover dashes any hopes. 3 hours are gone, including the family meeting which I would never want to cut short. I return, having missed pretty much all of the consultant round. It ends in me going back to both round and look over the notes of my very junior coreg. So junior the notes typically go, “patient talking, looks well, obs normal. plan: aim discharge planning.” I could practically copy and paste them, or buy them a CCMX stamp (continue current medical management). I don’t want to clip their wings, but I also don’t know what to do. So i’m now supervising my interns, and secretively supervising my more junior coreg.

Day 4. I get referred two train wreck consults for perioperative management/medical review. They’re so complex, we have now 3 other subspecialty medical teams consulting. i wonder whether to spread the joy to all the other subspecialties missing out. With a type 1 diabetic, I’m learning how to insulin infuse all by meself for a BKA. Cause it’s country. I’m terrified. By the time I wrap my head around, my co-reg is stuck on a consults round. i take their place in clinic, instead of ward rounding. I go back to ward rounding after 5. Also after getting screamed at by a patient who wants me to fix things, but at the same time, rejects conventional medicine in favour of complementary medicine. I tried calling the patient liaison team but their day ended at 4 pm. I’m never really sure what to do when patients want a diagnosis or come to see a doctor but either reject recommendations or are not motivated. I mean, practicing ‘medicine’ means I’m going to prescribe “medicines”. You can choose not to take them, which also begs the question of.. why see me anyway.

Day 5. TBA. I have yet to actually round with my interns. With everything going on, we all end up splitting patients and jobs.

[NB I queue my posts]

#medblrs #medblr #registrar #residency

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gtzgoblin · 2 years ago

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Things I've learned as a 20.8year diabetic #2 (pregnancy/postpartum life)

So, I had a baby. Like, nearly 4 years ago now. Go me. I know. I am a real life old person 😂

I didn't really know much about being diabetic and pregnant at the time, other than my hba1c needed to be good and the baby might be big. I didn't have access to a CGM at the time but I self-funded the libre til I had 3 dud sensors in a row so stopped. I think I was 52mmol/mol when we got preggo and it went down to 34mmol/mol.

I don't think I struggled much with general pregnancy if I'm honest, other than becoming vaguely fixated on not going hyper. I had a lot of hypos but that was about it. I wasn't sick very often and it was really frustrating but the diet change to go low carb wasn't massively difficult for me, and because of it I barely gained any weight. The baby didn't have any issues and she came out like 6lb5oz so yeah, not bad at all.

I had this dumb idea in my head though that when the baby was out I'd be able to work out and walk with her and cook and all the things you think you should do on mat leave. Which is hilarious in hindsight coz I ended up stuck to the couch treating constant hypos like a zombie. Being pregnant and diabetic is hard but for me breastfeeding was even harder, but because I knew that it reduces the risk of type 1 in kids I kept going with it even though I didn't produce enough milk anyway and the hypos were never ending. The amount of sugar I consumed combined with the tiredness from not sleeping combined with not wanting to cook because I'm tired and also generally rubbish and don't have the attention span to actually learn anything meant we ate a lot of takeaway food, and a lot of fast crap when I remembered to eat through the day (which wasn't very often coz I was constantly having sugar for the hypos so wasn't ever really hungry - (wow, so you think that made the hypos worse??? 🙄)). So anyway. I put on a silly amount of weight.

Then I thought when I stop breastfeeding and go back to work that it'd be easier. But actually I was more tired because then I was working on top and I had less time again because when I get home I have the whole night routine to do, but also, I want to see my kid. And the dreaded mum guilt is real, too. Past me is an idiot who needed someone to sit down with her and tell her that she was allowed time away from her child now and again, and that she was allowed to stop things that were hurting her. But you know. My husband did try. And apparently past me doesn't have ears because she also didn't listen.

So, that's taken me up to around now.

Thing is, going off my sugars I think my body has only just got back to normal. I started metformin to see if I could reduce my overall insulin amount recently and that's worked really well. I had my annual review recently and my hba1c is 47mmol/mol with like 74% in target (4% hypo!) over 90 days. My little one is now kinda old enough that we can figure out how to fit in some time on the cross trainer while she's having tea or one of us is chilling with her but it's much harder than I ever expected it to be and I've beaten myself up over and over again because I'm too big, or too tired or just not able to focus.

I've always had a rubbish attention span, I don't really like exercise, I don't really have the best relationship with food. I can't learn things that I'm not interested in very well and if I don't see quick wins I just stop. I also fade in and out of stuff really fast. And on the contrary, if I want to do something I'm obsessed with it. Meaning that spending 30mins on the cross trainer or running is not going to appeal to me when I could be on WoW or reading or whatever.

But, I'm trying to start a habit. I've already succeeded with the food in a way. I'm definitely eating less, I'm needing less sweet stuff too because I'm not low as much, and I'm making better choices. That's led to some weight loss, so I'm continuing. Quick wins. I'm hopeful if I can keep up the inside exercise until spring that I can transfer to outside exercise more, because I do actually enjoy the time alone and I do feel better when I'm active.

I guess my point here is that: mothers are allowed to have time and space, and it's really important as a diabetic that you get the right support and have a network that understands your struggles. You are allowed and should be able to keep yourself healthy. But if you've just had a baby and you're struggling with all of this, it's normal, it's crazy and can be for a while, and you're good to close your shutters and wait it out for a while. Please don't feel guilty. Your baby needs you good as much as they need you generally, if not more.

You're doing great.

#type 1 diabetes #diabetes #type 1 problems #type 1 diabetic #type 1 pregnancy #type 1 postpartum #type 1 looks like me #things ive learned as a type 1 diabetic

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meowingatthesea · 7 years ago

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All the questions!!!

all of them? Oh geeze okay! 1. Would you have sex with the last person you text messaged?nope sorry Charlie2. You talked to an ex today, correct?how do you define ex? cause ive talked to someone I broke up with and then got back together with 3. Have you taken someones virginity?nope4. Is trust a big issue for you?yeah trust is very important and hard to earn for me 5. Did you hang out with the person you like recently?Saw them last Sunday!6. What are you excited for?uh Deutschlager should be fun hopefully maybe I’m also hella stressed about it though 7. What happened tonight?answered already 8. Do you think it’s disgusting when girls get really wasted?No? I mean I get concerned for their health but its not disgusting and its their choice 9. Is confidence cute?yes10. What is the last beverage you had?a warm juice box 11. How many people of the opposite sex do you fully trust?nah I don’t feel like defining my friends by sexual organs rn 12. Do you own a pair of skinny jeans?no way13. What are you gonna do Saturday night?zone out as I scroll on Tumblr as I try and forget the SAT I just took and the evening I spent with extended family 14. What are you going to spend money on next?already answered 15. Are you going out with the last person you kissed?yup! 16. Do you think you’ll change in the next 3 months?clothing? Yes. Dramatic personality shift? No. Minor changes? Oh for sure 17. Who do you feel most comfortable talking to about anything?A few of my friends 18. The last time you felt broken?last tuesday night 19. Have you had sex today?nah dude 20. Are you starting to realize anything?that even the most well intentioned teachers suck and I shouldn’t have done the IB program. Also that talking about the holocaust in German class is AWKWARD 21. Are you in a good mood?already answered 22. Would you ever want to swim with sharks?yeah I don’t know the meaning of fear or stupidity23. Are your eyes the same color as your dad’s?I think?24. What do you want right this second?im in a library and perfectly content to say nothing 25. What would you say if the person you like kissed another girl/boy?a) I’d be surprised theyre not that type of person b) I’d shrug and say “yeah that’s fair I’ve done it enough”26. Is your current hair color your natural hair color?yup 27. Would you be able to date someone who doesn’t make you laugh?not at all 28. What was the last thing that made you laugh?already answered 29. Do you really, truly miss someone right now?see that’s the issue with having friends all across the country you’re always missing someone 30. Does everyone deserve a second chance?no 31. Honestly, do you hate the last boy you were talking to?no. He’s not my favorite and he needs to learn that poking me is not an appropriate greeting but nah he’s chill. 32. Does the person you have feelings for right now, know you do?we’re dating I sure hope so 33. Are you one of those people who never drinks soda?I don’t drink regular but that’s cause diabetes. I drink diet though 34. Listening to?@allhailthejellybeanmonarch’s spotify playlist 35. Do you ever write in pencil anymore?already answered 36. Do you know where the last person you kissed is?probably chilling with their dog at their house? 37. Do you believe in love at first sight?no 38. Who did you last call?my grandparents to see if I could get a ride home from school 39. Who was the last person you danced with?My mom, at my cousin’s bar mitzvah 40. Why did you kiss the last person you kissed?I’m dating them and they’re cute?41. When was the last time you ate a cupcake?Valentine’s day my school gives out free cupcakes then42. Did you hug/kiss one of your parents today?already answered 43. Ever embarrass yourself in front of a crush?okay buddy so my datemate and I met in kindergarten, and I promptly made them hate me from 2nd-8th grade, so yeah you could say that. 44. Do you tan in the nude?No 45. If you could, would you take back your last kiss?nope 46. Did you talk to someone until you fell asleep last night?not last night 47. Who was the last person to call you?some random ass number that I don’t know and ignored 48. Do you sing in the shower?YES49. Do you dance in the car?already answered 50. Ever used a bow and arrow?a life goal for a solid 6 years was to be Artemis so yes 51. Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer?2 weeks ago at my cousin’s bar mitzvah 52. Do you think musicals are cheesy?BUDDY HAVE YOU LOOKED AT MY BLOG 53. Is Christmas stressful?any season dedicated to goysiche nonsense is 54. Ever eat a pierogi?yeah they’re okay55. Favorite type of fruit pie?pecan isn’t a fruit but pecan 56. Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid?already answered 57. Do you believe in ghosts?depends on the day 58. Ever have a Deja-vu feeling?yup. 59. Take a vitamin daily?yup. 60. Wear slippers?nope. 61. Wear a bath robe?some times. 62. What do you wear to bed?NFTY NW sweats and a leopard print button down 63. First concert?already answered64. Wal-Mart, Target or Kmart?Target 65. Nike or Adidas?Neither 66. Cheetos Or Fritos?Cheetos are the only chips I eat 67. Peanuts or Sunflower seeds?Neither 68. Favorite Taylor Swift song?no clue 69. Ever take dance lessons?do forced square dance lessons through the public school system count?70. Is there a profession you picture your future spouse doing?already answered71. Can you curl your tongue?yes72. Ever won a spelling bee?no 73. Have you ever cried because you were so happy?I don’t think so74. What is your favorite book?you can’t make me choose75. Do you study better with or without music?with 76. Regularly burn incense?no 77. Ever been in love?already answered78. Who would you like to see in concert?so many people!!! Mostly Broadway people 79. What was the last concert you saw?N/A 80. Hot tea or cold tea?hot always 81. Tea or coffee?tea always I hate coffee 82. Favorite type of cookie?any cookie I don’t care83. Can you swim well?Well enough to not drown 84. Can you hold your breath without holding your nose?already answered85. Are you patient?not at all 86. DJ or band, at a wedding?band 87. Ever won a contest?not that I recall 88. Ever have plastic surgery?No 89. Which are better black or green olives?BLACK 90. Opinions on sex before marriage?its fine dude 91. Best room for a fireplace?already answered92. Do you want to get marriedAt somepoint in the unseen undefined future

Thanks for the ask anon!!!! @ everyone else in sorry for such a long post

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gordonwilliamsweb · 4 years ago

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‘I Wanted to Go in There and Help’: Nursing Schools See Enrollment Bump Amid Pandemic

This story also ran on USA Today. It can be republished for free.

Last December, Mirande Gross graduated from Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky, with a bachelor’s degree in communications. But Gross has changed her mind and is heading back to school in May for a one-year accelerated nursing degree program. The pandemic that has sickened more than 27 million people in the United States and killed nearly 500,000 helped convince her she wanted to become a nurse.

“I was excited about working during the pandemic,” Gross, 22, said. “It didn’t scare me away.”

Enrollment in baccalaureate nursing programs increased nearly 6% in 2020, to 250,856, according to preliminary results from an annual survey of 900 nursing schools by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

“In the pandemic we saw an increased visibility of nurses, and I think that’s been inspirational to many people,” said Deb Trautman, president and CEO of the association, whose members represent nursing programs at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels. “It’s a profession where you can make a difference.”

Two-year associate nursing degree programs seem to be experiencing a similar bump, though hard numbers are unavailable, said Laura Schmidt, president of the Organization for Associate Degree Nursing.

There’s no way to know exactly what is propelling the new applications. But medical schools also saw an 18% boost in applications last year, a jump partly attributed to the pandemic and high profile of key doctors, such as Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, during the crisis.

It’s possible that the media stories, social media accounts and front-line medical workers’ personal accounts of battling the novel coronavirus have played a role. “Nurse” was the No. 1 term that people queried “how to become” on Google in 2020, according to Google trends data.

For Gross, it was a turn back to an initial career choice. When she started college, nursing was her chosen path. But after fainting twice while shadowing a nurse at the hospital, she switched to a major that didn’t involve needles or blood. For the past two years, she’s worked as a newborn photographer at a hospital near her Louisville home, and she no longer gets squeamish at the sight of IVs or injuries.

“When I saw on the news nurses being so overworked, I thought, ‘Gosh, I wish I could be in there helping,’” said Gross.

Demand for nurses was strong even before the pandemic hit. There are about 3 million registered nurses in the United States, but employment is expected to grow 7% between 2019 and 2029, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, faster than the 4% average for all occupations. Many hospital medical staffs are stretched to the breaking point as they deal with a surge of covid-19 patients and at the same time cope with staff shortages as medical personnel have become ill with covid or had to quarantine.

Meeting the demand for nurses is hampered by long-standing capacity issues at nursing schools. According to a report by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, programs at the bachelor’s and graduate degree levels turned away more than 80,000 qualified applicants in 2019. The reasons included not having enough faculty, clinical training sites and supervisors or classroom space, as well as budget constraints, the report found.

“The people who are prepared to teach are at least master’s degree level and frequently have doctorate degrees,” said Beverly Malone, president and CEO of the National League for Nursing. “They can work at hospitals or community care centers for [significantly] more money.”

Malone and others also noted that it can be difficult to ensure access to the clinical training slots that nursing students need. This problem was exacerbated during the pandemic when many hospitals sent nursing students home to avoid their getting sick and to conserve scarce personal protective equipment for staffers treating covid patients.

For some nursing students, the pandemic has opened their eyes to new possibilities for patient care. David Namnath is finishing a two-year associate nursing degree at the College of Marin in Kentfield, California. He learned last spring that his clinical rotation at the local hospital would be canceled because of covid.

Instead, he and other students took on a telenursing project, in which he made regular wellness check-ins and provided health education related to chronic conditions such as diabetes and back pain with eight patients over video and phone.

“It was really helpful for me,” said Namnath, 29, who has a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and worked in a lab before starting nursing school. “It’s not something you normally learn. I think we became more three-dimensional because of it.”

Some people who got nursing degrees in years past but didn’t practice also may be taking a fresh look at the profession, said David Benton, CEO of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. More than 222,000 nurses who were educated in the U.S. took the National Council Licensure Examination last year, a figure that was 5% higher than the year before, he said.

The economic downturn that has shuttered thousands of businesses may have made nursing more attractive, he said.

“We know that, nationally, services like the restaurant industry have shut down,” Benton said. “But one thing that hasn’t shut down is demand for health care.”

Nurses who worked in hospitals made $79,400 a year on average in 2019, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But as the covid crisis hit and hospitals scrambled to find staff last year, nurses who were willing to travel to covid hot spots could make many times that amount, in some cases up to $10,000 a week.

There are many paths to becoming a nurse. A growing proportion of nurses get a bachelor of science degree in nursing at four-year colleges. But many still go to community colleges for two-year associate degrees in nursing. These programs are more affordable and may appeal to older students who are parents or going back for a second degree, said Schmidt.

Both types of graduates can take the nurse licensing exam and become registered nurses. But nurses with bachelor’s degrees may be better positioned for higher-level jobs or supervisory roles. They may also earn more money. According to the association of nursing colleges’ annual survey, 41% of hospitals and other health care facilities require new nursing hires to have a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

Many nursing schools have “RN to BSN” programs that enable registered nurses with associate degrees to get the additional training they need for their bachelor of nursing degrees. And numerous accelerated programs, like the one Mirande Gross will start in May, allow people to fill in their nursing education gaps in a compressed time frame.

Not every nursing student sees the pandemic as an opportunity, however. Steven Bemben worked as a paramedic in Uvalde County, Texas, west of San Antonio, during the first frightening months of the pandemic last year. Personal protective equipment was hard to come by, and sometimes the calls to transport very sick covid patients came nonstop.

“It was extremely stressful, and people were getting fatigued and burned out,” said Bemben, 33, who had been on the job for nine years.

Last October, he quit his paramedic job, and in January he started a two-year bachelor’s nursing program at the University of Texas-San Antonio. (He already has an associate degree, although not in nursing.)

When Bemben finishes school, he hopes, the pandemic will be in our collective rearview mirror.

“By the time I graduate, I’m trying to stay optimistic that we’ll be past all this stuff,” he said.

Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

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stephenmccull · 4 years ago

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‘I Wanted to Go in There and Help’: Nursing Schools See Enrollment Bump Amid Pandemic