Thanks for all you do! The long days and nights, sore bodies, and wearing multiple hats when caring for patients does not go unnoticed. You are very much appreciated!
Category: nurse
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Mental Health Help
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Mental Health Check In
Spring has sprung and most of us have completed our spring cleaning. May is here and it’s mental health awareness month. Let’s take a time out and make sure that we are OK. Check in with that one person you know who is the “strong one.” Call your family and friends to make sure they are doing alright mentally. Yes, even children should have mental health checkups! There is no shame in seeking help for our mental health. If we don’t care for ourselves we can not be available physically or mentally for others that we love ❤️.
Please contact your primary care provider or specialist if you are in need of help. There are also crisis hotlines available via text or phone. Please don’t suffer in silence. #mentalhealthmatters
-Love Nurse Neesy
September is Suicide Prevention Month. Have you taken a moment to check on your family and friends? How about checking on the “strongest person that you know?” They need to be checked on as well. We have all been trying to get through this pandemic while still going to school, working, and taking care of home. Stress, anxiety, and depression levels have skyrocketed! Take time out each day for a “mental moment.” Meditate, go for a walk, listen to music, paint, etc. Engaging in these types of positive coping skills can help improve your mental health. If you find yourself participating in negative coping behaviors, please seek help from a mental health professional. There is no shame in doing so!
#InThisTogether
#endthestigma
Well y’all I did it! I got my first Covid-19 vaccine! One more to go.
I will admit that the quick development of the vaccine was the main reason why I did not want to get it. However, pandemic anxiety and my children wanting to return to in person class instruction were my determining factors for getting the vaccine.
I have never been a person to get anxious, but ever since the pandemic started I have experienced the worst anxiety ever in my life! I mean, I was terrified to leave the house and be around other people. I am hoping that two weeks after receiving my second dose when I am considered “fully vaccinated” that this will change. We should not live in fear, but we should also be cautious and careful.
I have not experienced any serious side effects after receiving my first vaccine. I only had soreness at the injection site for a day or two. I will keep you all updated on my second 💉 dose. Have you gotten yours? Let me know your experience below.
Love 💕 Nurse Neesy
Happy New Year! I can’t believe that we are at the end of the first month of 2021 already! How many of you have already broken your resolutions by now LOL? Instead of making a New Year’s resolution this year I decided to start a new venture in my nursing career.
For those of you who do not know my story, I started working with patients at the bedside as a teenager. I worked as a patient transporter and a dietary aide in the hospital. I then became a patient care tech and a home health/hospice aide. I love caring for others and truly believe that nursing is my calling!
As a nurse, I am a true advocate for my patients. I stand up for them when they are not able or afraid to do so. I help them access the healthcare resources that they need when they don’t know how. I am their shoulder to cry on, and their available ear to listen when they are lonely.
I have worked in a wide arena of nursing including correctional facilities, assisted living, inpatient and home hospice, OB/GYN and adult medicine medical offices and most recently tele-health due to the pandemic. Through tele-health visits I was able to touch bases with my elderly, immuno-compromised, or chronic condition patients who were instructed not to come into the office unless absolutely necessary.
I was able to coordinate their care from a distance. Let me tell you, getting my patient’s the resources that they needed to withstand this pandemic felt amazing! I fell in love with care coordination so much that I’ve moved into this as my new nursing position. Being able to follow my patients after they have had a doctor’s appointment, hospital or rehab stay and giving them the tools that they need to prevent being readmitted feels so fulfilling! This is where I need to be. Helping my patients take better care of themselves! I am doing what I was born to do!❤️
-Nurse Neesy
Well, it’s finally here, now what? There are currently two COVID-19 vaccines available to us, but will you be getting one? There are people on both sides of the fence. Some people are ecstatic to get the vaccine while others are very skeptical of it. There are currently several conspiracy theories surrounding the vaccine ranging from biblical references to the “mark of the beast” and the government tracking us via microchips in the vaccine.
After speaking with other nurses, physicians, allied health workers, and family members, I have found that there is a major concern about how quickly the vaccine was developed. Recent reports about anaphylactic allergic response and Bell’s Palsy as possible adverse effects of the vaccine have also deterred individuals from wanting to have it administered.
Some people are unsure about which vaccine will be more beneficial and produce fewer side effects. Moderna or Pfizer? Many frontline workers are having conflicted emotions about getting the vaccine altogether. While they want to be brave and show the public that the vaccine is safe and effective, they are also unsure about the short term and long term effects of getting the rapidly developed vaccine.
Next, there is the medical mistrust amongst minority populations due to past malfeasance in healthcare. Unfortunately, there is a strong history of underserved populations being used as guinea pigs or test subjects without their informed consent. The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment and John’s Hopkins use of Henrietta Lacks cancer cells for research are just a few examples of this. How will the medical community regain their trust enough to ensure that they will get the COVID-19 vaccine?
Ultimately, it is your body and your choice! Just remember that getting the vaccine does not give you immediate immunity. So whether you choose to vaccinate or not, please remember to social distance from others, avoid large crowds, quarantine if exposed to COVID-19, wear a mask in public, and wash your hands. If we work together we can end this pandemic!
If you need more information about the available COVID-19 vaccines, please visit the CDC website at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/faq.html
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Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Wishing everyone a safe and Happy Thanksgiving holiday. I know it has been a rough year dealing with politics and the pandemic, but find time to enjoy your family and give thanks! Please remember to keep the well-being of your elderly and ill family members in mind as you celebrate. Spread love, not germs.
Ok ladies, it’s time to grab your mothers, aunts, sisters, daughters, or friends, and make sure that they are up to date on their breast cancer screenings. Heck, go with them to their appointments for support if you have to!
Make sure that you and your loved ones are also performing your self-breast exams monthly. If you are unsure of how to perform this please see the link below.
https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/breast-self-exam
Contact your physician or other advanced practiced providers immediately if you notice any irregularities or have any of the following symptoms:- lump or swelling in the breast or axilla area
- change in color, shape, or texture of the breast or nipple
- discharge from the nipple (that is not breast milk)
- peeling/flaking of the nipple skin
- breast/nipple pain
- nipple retraction (turning inward of the breast)
Remember early detection saves lives! We take care of everyone else, so let’s make sure that we take care of ourselves as well!
The Nurse Niche 