Welcome to my blog about health, nursing, caring, kindness and positive change. Our world is full of such negative influences and bad choices, today is the day to make a positive change both physically and mentally in your life.
ERNursesCare is a blog incorporating my nearly 30 years of experience in the healthcare field with my passion for helping others, I want it to encourage others with injury prevention, healthy living, hard hitting choices, hot topics and various ramblings from my unique sense of humor. Come along and enjoy your journey......
Do you know someone that is in an abusive relationship right now, or is that person You! Here are some resources that can help. Please report abuse, who else will speak up for her?
Warning Signs if you think you or a loved one is in an unhealthy relationship
Please, Please seek help before you are just a statistic on a page or another name on a toe tag, don't fool yourself thinking it will end or he will stop................he will not! Call today and get some help, even presenting to a local Emergency room and telling the nurse you are being abused will start the process to get you the help you need. Call 911 if you are in danger now, keep yourself and your children safe, you deserve better, it is NOT your fault!!
Great information from Dr Oz.com and Donna Cardillo,RN MA, check out her blog for more fabulous info and ways to Avert the Flu this season!
So before you run to the ER with your cold and flu nasty's (and infect the ER nurses like me) try a few of these home remedies first, they do work.
Boost your immune system, stay healthy, fight the pesky flu bug (and others), and treat the symptoms if you do come down with something with these home remedies. Click here for my blog on the 11 Ways to Avert the Flu.
Green tea is known to have many properties that can help keep you in tip-top health – and therefore better prepared to ward off cold and flu bugs. The jury is out on how many cups of tea are optimal, but 2-3 per day are often recommended. If you do come down with cold or flu symptoms (or feel them coming on), consider 3-4 cups of green tea per day to expedite ridding your body of those nasty bugs and give your body’s defenses an extra jolt.
Ginger’s health benefits have long been touted. Steep several slices of fresh ginger root in hot water and sip for an extra health boost or to soothe a cough or scratchy throat.
Honey is known to bolster the immune system. A daily dose of honey can help you to feel energetic and stay healthy. It also has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties; if you do develop a sore or scratchy throat, honey will soothe and help heal. Use it in your tea, coffee, plain hot water or by itself. You can even gargle with honey (and lemon) in salt water when the mixture is at room temperature. (Do not give honey to children under 1 year of age.)
Lemons are loaded with vitamin C, which is known to support the body’s natural defenses. Lemon (and lime) juice is reported todecrease the strength of the cold and flu virus in the body and reduce phlegm. Add lemon juice to your tea or make hot or cold lemonade with honey to stay well, build resistance to cold and flu, and speed up healing if you do succumb.
Garlic may be known to ward off vampires, but it can also ward off colds and flu. Garlic contains the immune-boosting compound allicin, also know to relieve cold and flu symptoms. Chop or crush 1-2 gloves of fresh garlic and “steep” them in hot water; then, drink it like a tea. This may also help others keep their distance from you (unless they’re attracted to the smell of garlic), preventing further spread of the virus (wink, wink).
Peppermint tea is laced with nutrients that help the body fight off illness. It also can act as an expectorant, helping the body to cough up mucous.
Salt water in homemadesaline nasal sprays, nasal washes, and gargles has long been used effectively to soothe sore throats, and keep respiratory passages moist, decongested and free of invading pathogens. If you do get a sore throat, gargle with half a teaspoon of salt mixed with 1 cup of warm water, four times per day. For nasal washing, use a neti pot or bulb syringe with a quarter teaspoon salt in 1 cup of warm water. Tip head to one side over sink or basin and gently introduce solution to higher nostril. Allow solution to drain from the other nostril. Repeat procedure by then tipping head to opposite side.Note: Although many use warm tap water in their neti pots, distilled, sterile, or previously boiled water is recommended for purity/safety. Be sure to clean and dry the neti pot after each use to prevent the introduction of harmful bacteria into the nasal passages/sinuses.
Steam can help to relieve stuffiness and congestion. Boil a pot of water on the stove and then slowly breathe in the steam. Be careful as steam can cause burns. If the steam makes your nasal passages burn, pull your head back slightly and breathe in more slowly.
The truth is many of the old standard home remedies, when used regularly and properly, can be your body’s best – and least expensive – defense against colds and the flu, also helping to minimize their impact if they do take hold.
Lets make 2012 the year that we all woke up from our slumber and got on the ball about this bullying issue!
What on earth do people think they are doing, adults, teens and children are all being bullied by people who in my honest opinion (from the movie The Water Boy) need a "can of whoop ass" opened up on them! It makes me so mad to see people treated in such a manner.
Educate yourself and know the signs, know how to respond and how to help those who are bullied. If you are the victim, know that you need help and not to suffer in silence! You are a wonderful, worthy and a much better person than your bully! God does not make junk!
Today, 160,000 kids stayed home from school. Not because they were sick or forgot to do their homework, but because they were afraid of being harassed by a bully. One in every four kids get bullied, which adds up to 13 million kids a year.
October 1st marks the beginning of Bullying Prevention Awareness Month . Each year millions of children and youth experience the humiliation and devastating effects of bullying. Bullying damages the physical, social, and emotional well-being of its victims. It also hurts the children who bully, as well as those who watch it happen. In fact, bullying creates a climate of fear, callousness, and disrespect for everyone involved. SAMHSA is committed to reducing the impact of bullying and we will take this month to share information about bullying and its impact, and how everyone can and should play a part in taking action against bullying. (Credit to the SAMSHA blog for some of the info provided here)
Bullying begins in the preschool years, peaks in early adolescence, and continues, but with less frequency, into the high school years. But bullying does NOT have to be a part of growing up.
Bullying is a form of emotional or physical abuse that has three defining characteristics:
Deliberate – the child that bullies’ intention is to hurt someone
Repeated—the child that bullies often targets the same victim again and again
Power Imbalanced—the child that bullies chooses victims he or she perceives as vulnerable
Bullying occurs in many different forms, with varying levels of severity. It may involve:
Physical Bullying—poking, pushing, hitting, kicking, beating up
Verbal Bullying—yelling, teasing, name-calling, insulting, threatening to harm
A culture of silence often surrounds bullying. Many children who are bullied never tell anyone.
Most bullying is not reported because children . . .
Don’t recognize it as bullying
Are embarrassed
Don’t want to appear weak
Believe they deserve it
Want to belong
Fear retaliation
Don’t know how to talk about it
Don’t have a trusted adult to confide in
Think adults won’t understand
Think nothing can be done about it
Just because you don't see it, and children don't talk about it, doesn't mean bullying isn't happening. Even when children fail to report bullying, they often show warning signs.
What are some warning signs of bullying?
Unexplained damage or loss of clothing and other personal items
Evidence of physical abuse, such as bruises and scratches
Loss of friends; changes in friends
Reluctance to participate in activities with peers
Loss of interest in favorite activities
Unusually sad, moody, anxious, lonely, or depressed
Problems with eating, sleeping, bed-wetting
Headaches, stomachaches, or other physical complaints
Decline in school achievement
Thoughts of suicide
Some children may withdraw, while others may get angry and seek revenge. Don’t assume the problem will go away on its own: Invite children to talk about what is bothering them. If you find out a child is being bullied, show support, help develop a response strategy, and follow up to make sure the bullying does not continue.
If you don't intervene, bullies, victims, and bystanders will continue to believe in the power of bullying, rather than the power of prevention. They will continue to let bullying happen. So, why don't adults intervene more often? Sometimes, it’s because we don't see it happen; we’re not sure what to look for. But often, it’s because we don't know what to do or we're afraid that our actions will somehow make matters worse
When adults respond quickly and consistently to bullying behavior they send the message that it is not acceptable. Research shows this can stop bullying behavior over time. There are simple steps adults can take to stop bullying on the spot and keep kids safe.
Do:
Intervene immediately. It is ok to get another adult to help.
Separate the kids involved.
Make sure everyone is safe.
Meet any immediate medical or mental health needs.
Stay calm. Reassure the kids involved, including bystanders.
Model respectful behavior when you intervene.
Avoid these common mistakes:
Don’t ignore it. Don’t think kids can work it out without adult help.
Don’t immediately try to sort out the facts.
Don’t force other kids to say publicly what they saw.
Don’t question the children involved in front of other kids.
Don’t talk to the kids involved together, only separately.
Don’t make the kids involved apologize or patch up relations on the spot.
Faces that were once flawless, full of life, smiling and happy. Faces that now tell stories of heartache, lost lives and lost dreams. We all seem to know someone that has been affected by a drunk driver. Behind those faces still lives a real person with a real heart! Think twice about driving anything after drinking alcohol or taking any type of mind altering substance, in a split second you can change the face of someone else forever! I continue to share stories of victims so that one day at least one person will think and not get into that car drunk and at least one live may be saved, one of those lives could have been one of these sweet people's lives and dreams!
Credit to www.FacesofDrunkDriving for some of this information
Natalia Bennett and four others were headed home from a birthday party in Austin. Her front seat passenger was Jacqui Saburido. It was a little past 4:00 in the morning on Sunday, September 19, 1999.
Reggie Stephey, 18, was also on his way home. He had been drinking. Less than a mile from his driveway, Reggie drifted across the center stripe and hit Natalia’s car head on. Natalia Bennett and Laura Guerrero died at the scene.
Jacqui suffered third-degree burns over 60 percent of her body after the car caught fire.
The only thing Jacqui remembers about the crash is the whir of the blades on the helicopter that came to rush her to the hospital. Extensive third-degree burns scorched her eyes and left her blind; melted off her hair; took her ears, lips, nose, and eyelids; and robbed her of the use of her hands. Doctors did not expect her to survive.
But she did. Jacqui has had well over 100 operations since the crash. When her medical bills topped $5 million several years ago, she lost count of the total expenses. She has no health insurance.
The carefree, fun-filled life Jacqui once knew as a teenager in Caracas is gone forever. Her appearance and her ability to live independently went up in flames over a decade ago, along with her plans for a career and a family. She continues to be unsure of what her future holds.
A Dallas native, Sean was a business major at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls. He loved sports and girls, a good combination for a guy who was an athlete and who already had modeling agents in Dallas and New York City.
Sean’s mother, Jenny, had her hands full with Sean; his identical twin brother, Todd; and his older brother Ben.
The night before Easter Sunday in 2005 changed everything for all of them.
The vehicle spun to the left and
the right passenger door of the
pickup struck a tree in the median.”
Sean still can’t remember that Saturday night. Like many times before, he had been out drinking. When he was ready to call it a night, he simply got a ride with a friend. Unfortunately, his friend had been drinking too.
Just five minutes from the safety of Sean’s apartment, the driver lost control of his truck and slammed into a tree – on the passenger side where Sean was sitting.
No one ever discussed being a designated driver.
Ryan McDaniel was once a college athlete enjoying the benefits of a full football scholarship at a major university. When his grades fell, he transferred to play at Midwestern State. That’s where he met Sean Carter.
After they’d been drinking for several hours, Ryan was driving Sean home when his truck hydroplaned and crashed into a tree. He pleaded guilty to a charge of intoxication assault and was placed on probation for 10 years. His goal to be a football coach vanished. When Ryan was again arrested for drinking and driving, his probation violation landed him in prison and county jails for 26 months. Released in 2011, he now works in his family’s fishing business.
Ryan and Sean met up seven years after the crash. They agreed their roles could have been reversed. Now both men are focused on hope, healing, and a restoration of their friendship.
Since the crash, Sean and Jenny have embraced their new mission in life – to tell everyone they can about choices, consequences, and the preventable dangers of drinking and driving.
WhenSeanSpeaks, Inc is Sean’s and Jenny’s nonprofit organization that raises money for traumatic brain injury research. Through it, they are sharing their story nationwide to help others with traumatic brain injuries like Sean’s.
This commitment to their new mission to help others led them to join the Texas Department of Transportation’s drunk driving prevention, awareness, and education campaign.
Save a Life isn't just the name of the Texas Department of Transportation's DWI-prevention and public education program – it's a call to action for everyone using Texas roads and freeways.
Texas drivers look out for others. They help each other. They don't let others drive drunk, they don't tolerate those who do, or ride with them.
Drinking and driving injures or kills Texas drivers every day. This is why the Save a Life program wants these stories to be heard. They do it for the same reason Sean and Jacqui tell us their stories – to save lives.
Save A Life should be a nationwide campaign, why should just Texas be using it, think about a nationwide educational program that all states were taught, all kids knew and all people could share! Dreams, why should they be! Drunk Driving has got to stop, it is a no brainer people!!
The following video makes you think also in our social media world now, just what happens when you do tweet a little #happyhour tweet.... what might follow
This video made me cry as I sit here late at night unable to sleep once again, tired from another long weekend working my 12 hours shifts in the ED. Somedays I just don't know if I can keep going, I am exhausted and get so tired of the constant complaining of patients that come into the ED for stupid crap that they should have gone to their primary care doctors for. They whine and fuss about the wait, the doctor, the staff blah blah blah, but then I have the pleasure of taking care of some absolutely fabulous people that are so nice. They can be so sick but still say thank you for the care I gave them, they can still smile at me and make my day, they can still make me feel like I do make a difference in somebody's life. Emergency medicine is a hard and fast environment, changing all the time, being prepared with your adrenaline in standby mode continuously takes it's toll on a body, I can feel my heart racing up and down pumping excitement and energy to keep my brain cells clicking and my feet moving. My blood pressure I am sure does the same.
Yes I am an adrenaline Type A junkie I guess, I thrive on that excitement or even just the thoughts of a potential excitement.
Why do I do what I do? simply because I like it, love it! I like going the extra mile to just be the nurse that cares. The nurse that makes sure you have that warm blanket, socks on your feet, ice chips, ginger ale or crackers if you want them, makes sure your kids have that coloring book, stickers ,stuffed animal or some distraction to make their visit to the ER a positive one too. I am that nurse that focus's on care as a whole, you and your family/visitors, they are an important link in the chain of your survival when you leave, whether it is going home or being transferred out.
Nursing is not glamorous and the smells are not happy ones, if you know what I mean. The pay is good, but not nearly enough for the battle you will fight and the war wounds you will display. So nurses that stay in nursing for a number of years are usually in it for their undying love for the profession, not the cute shoes, uniforms or certainly not the hot doctors (they are all married or assholes).
Enough of my disertation....... time to watch this video that actually made me cry....enjoy! #Nurse On and #NurseUp your fellow nurses, they are all here with you for the long run! Show them some love too!
Watch this video and you will see why I have totally loved being in the nursing field since I started out as a junior volunteer(candy striper) at age 15.
The standard American diet is filled with sugar, we all know that sugar is sweet, but this will leave a bad taste in your mouth! Sugar is addictive and releases an opiate- like substance that activates the brain's reward system and thus we want more and more! So think about all those sodas you drink everyday when you read what the consumption of excessive sugar is linked to, I know I am in shock now. Gotta cut back myself.
Next time I ,as a nurse in America, complain about my job, I will remember some of my nursing sisters around the world. We are blessed to have so many resources available to us, supplies, technology, shifts of our choice, gloves.......we are spoiled compared to nurses in Mexico and Vietnam etc.
There is an alarming wave of deaths among our country’s youth; a wave
that continues to go unnoticed by mainstream media. Adolescents across
the nation are victims of unintentional fatalities caused by their
participation in the “choking game” and though known by many names, the
intent is to pass out purposely for amusement or for a “buzz”. This
silent epidemic that focuses the most brutal results on our very young
middle schoolers, remains hidden from public attention because currently
there is no way to accurately track and report the number of cases.
This lack of statistical proof also limits prevention efforts promoted
by the grass-roots organization of the thousands of grieving families
who have lost a child to this insidious “game”.
As your constituent, I have signed my name below to ask that you help us help our children by doing the following:
1. Call the CDC and request to be briefed on the issue of the “choking game”.
2. Support the CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services by
requesting that the World Health Organization add a sub code that
includes the “choking game” as a cause of death.
3. Include the “choking game” among the health-risk behaviors that
contribute to the leading causes of death and disability among youth in
the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), and make the YRBS
affordable and accessible for all states.
4. Support the CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH)
model of education as the means to disseminate information regarding the
“choking game”.
Enduring the death of a child is heartbreaking. As my representative to
Congress, I ask that you help me prevent other families from this
heartache by showing your support in establishing statistical evidence
of the “choking game,” Your efforts will assist us in heightening
awareness among teens and their parents, teachers, and health care
providers.
Thank you,
My addition to the letter as a nurse and Injury Prevention Specialist~~
As a Registered Nurse for over 24 years most of my years have been spent
in Emergency Nursing and the countless deaths of children and teens
that are called "suicides" may possibly actually be cause from this
youth risk behavior named TCG or the choking game. We at Ed4Ed4all.com
have devoted our lives to helping STOP this behavior and other risky
behaviors like it that are taking our loved and cherished children away.
Our Education for educators and parents is available free. Please help
us to stop the choking game so more parents can actually see their kids
graduate high school, walk down the aisle at their weddings and raise
grandchildren that are our future.
Thank you for signing this petition!! http://www.petition2congress.com/5809/stop-choking-game/
I sign it for your kids! my kids, grand kids and the future of our country.
Leslie Block RN
Ed4Ed4all Injury Prevention
Specialist.
National Social Media Manager for The Mommies Network
Please take the time to sign the petition, email it to your Congressmen, pay the extra mere $9.00 to also have the letters printed and hand delivered to their offices on Capital Hill. We can make an impact, we are the voters!
Kids have various levels of fear when it comes to fireworks.
Some children’s fears are so extreme that they look like they’re going to have an anxiety attack! Then again, some fireworks are so loud that it really is uncomfortable.
If you have a child that is more on the extreme end, you may want to avoid being outside while you watch fireworks. You can generally find a place close to where the fireworks are and sit in your car to watch. You may have children that want to be outside and some that want to stay in the car. It’s great to take turns with your partner for this. It will show the child inside the car that a lot of people like them.
This may sound a bit extreme but you can use earmuffs! OK, it’s summer and it’s July! But you can go to a sporting goods store and get the earmuffs that are used for rifle practice.
One thing that’s very important is to not belittle your child for being afraid. Just tell them, “Some kids don’t like fireworks and some do.” This doesn’t make them feel bad about themselves or feel different. Don’t try to talk them into it. When they see so many people enjoying them, they eventually come around. It may not be this year but it does happen!
If you have a child with a milder fear but really wants to watch, you could give them some tips ahead of time of what they can do. You could say:
“Some people like to cover their ears with their hands.”
“You could tuck your face into mommy or daddy’s neck and just peek at the fireworks or you could close your eyes too.”
“You could shout, “bang” if it makes a loud sound.”
When children know things that they can do, it gives them some control. Practice some of these things before the fireworks. Make it fun!
One thing that you don’t want to do is go “overboard” in comforting your child. What I mean is don’t draw so much attention to a child with milder fears. Don’t tell everyone that “he’s afraid.” You don’t need to be reinforcing that! Of course you can hold them and provide physical comfort but the less you say the better. Make your own comments out loud about the beautiful colors and wondering what color will come next. Eventually the child that is covering their ears and hiding finally stops! Give it time and have fun!
