"You are my strength, strength like no other. Reaches to me"

Was supposed to be in charge of a cubicle of isolated patients today, but because Jaya wanted her student to do in-charge, i became a floater instead. What a floater usually do is just to help whenever help is needed. So i busied myself by topping up our ward supplies, handing out clothes and towels to patients and such. Ward was free up till 1pm, when C.E. sent us 4 admissions one after the other.


Came back to a very full ward (post night shift, BCLS day (think, CPR for adult, child, infant), and then two days off). Imagine, one cubicle just for a family of HFMD patients. All four siblings kena together.
And i noticed that we have been getting alot of young cerebral palsy patients. One thing about work, i see all kinds of patients, we have those who come in for the slightest of illnesses, like fever, or headache, up till very ill patients.

Like this young teenager we're looking after, i'll call her Lily.
Lily has been with us for a really long time now, admitted early November. I saw her change, her condition worsen, from her being able to walk, talk, sit up, sometimes we had to run after her when she leaves the ward without us knowing, once i literally had to pull her back to her bed. To a point where she couldn't rationalize anymore, she'd scream and shout, sometimes needing 4 people , one time 8 people, to hold her down, 'cos she was just too strong for us.
She had to be transferred to intensive care. When her condition improved, she came back to my ward, by then all she could do was just too lay on her bed, slipping in and out of semi-conciousness.
She'd shiver, barely could move her legs, her arms were stronger and we could only feed her via a tube.
She could only mutter, words were all a slur. She no longer screamed but she was just lying there, on her bed all day long.
She's better now, though our nursing care for her is still pretty intense. We have got to do all her ADLs, which is abbreviation for activities of daily living, simple acts we can do on our own such as bathing, toileting. She's still bed bound for now, the therapist are doing it step by step, trying to slowly let her start eating, or rather start swallowing water (all her nutrition comes from milk feeds tru the tube for the past 1 and a half mth maybe?), her left hand's so weak.
Today while we were changing her diaper, i told her to help me pull up her pants, i took her hand and placed in on the pants, she struggled but she tried.
Talked to her today, when i saw that she was uncomfortable, went up to her and asked why, she pointed to the leg splints she had (which we put on and off every 3hours), and i told her to look at the clock, which she did, and to tell me the time, she couldn't but still explained that i could only take it off at 3pm, and it's still 215pm. She understood me.
She is getting better, slowly but surely.


Sister L. has been promoted to A.D.N. (Assistant Director of Nursing), all of us were sad 'cos that would mean she's no longer gonan be the sister for our ward. Sister L. was a good ward sister. She saw past our mistakes, sure got scolding la. But Sister L. was such that if she scolds you, it was only 'cos it's needed and she corrects in love. We learnt so much under her.
Hahaha, we all cried during our ward party when she talked about her time being our Sister, more so, when she teared while saying that she's gonna be missing us.
To replace her, now there's Sister K. She joined us 2nd week of December and i would say that some of us have not been very fair to her.
Sister K. has only been recently promoted to a ward sister early last year. And because we were under the guidance of a strong leader, who had very good knowledge, we compare her to Sister L.

Sister K's a comical person. Haha, more like an auntie la! I thnk i would be comfortable calling her "Auntie K!".
She talks like one, acts like one, nags like one too. HAHA. they say she nags like a mother-in-law.

Once during her 2nd week with us, the moment she came into the wardm she started nagging and raising her voice "MADINA. clear this" "MADINA. put this back to the nursery room" "MADINA. put the Bp cuffs properly", to which either Siew Hui or Jaya told Madina, "eh, you quickly go back home la, wait she ask you to mop the floor next"

Haha, Sister K. says the funniest things, funny 'cos she's sooooo blur and all over the place. That's why some of my seniors doesn't really like her much.
Oh well. It is a huge change. Sister L. and Sister K. are extremely different. One's so prim and proper and wise, the other's so. HAHA. auntie.
(: but i kinda like her. She is a nice person.
Sometimes she'll walk towards me, stare at me for a long time with a blank look on her face and then go "ahhhh, yaaaa, sheelaaaaa, come, i got something to tell you"
hahaha.

Anyway, Dr. D. C. , our ward consultant and the team of doctors praised us, saying that they are impressed and happy with our nursing care and the teamwork. He said it was better than the high dependancy ward. Whoopee! (:
We were talking over milkshake at the staff lounge after our shift and Sangeetha said we should keep that standard if not, then better.