another day, another dollar
or something.
i need some help. after 5 glorious years of being almost continuously in smoke-free environments, i'm suddenly surrounded by smoke at work. or at least, by smokers. it's not just an annoying thing for me- i don't go into anaphylactic shock, but i do get sinus infections, bronchitis, and pneumonia very easily in a smoky environment.
sadly [or not] no-one actually smokes IN the gentleman's house or the young lady's room. but the smokers smoke on the way to work, come in reeking in a fresh cloud of soot or go outside to smoke and come in the same. so the residual that's all over their clothes, hair, and hands gets transferred to everything they touch, sit or lean on, or breathe on, including the patients.
i don't know why it's suddenly a problem at the young lady's- i've been there two years, & the mom & night nurse have smoked all that time but neither her room or the young lady stank of it, but starting two weeks ago it's been noticeable, and this weekend it's really just everywhere. i changed her sheets and pillowcase and t-shirt, and wiped her mattress down, but it's in her pillow, in her hair- her wheelchair stinks and i don't remember that being the case; the chair the nurses sit in stinks, the desk, even parts of the chart. i know i would have noticed this if it'd been the case earlier.
& at the gentleman's there's a new day nurse, full-time, who thinks that because she's not smoking in the house there's no smoke residue on her so how is it getting where she hasn't smoked? but the gentleman reeks of it when i get there, as does his fancy inflatable alternating pressure mattress, his electric blanket, the drapes, the furniture, his pillows, his wheelchair, and the carpet.
i've talked with the nurse at the gentleman's twice, and i have to say she's making some efforts. i'm going to talk with the young lady's mom this morning, & find out what's going on with the other nurses & with her- find out if anything's changed.
i've also spoken to the case manager [who happens to have both these cases, thank goodness] but only to register with her that this is an issue for me. she didn't really seem to understand that it's not an issue of 'oh ick' but an issue of 'oh, fuck'.
it means two showers & two shampoos before i can even go into my bedroom. it means bringing two hats- one to wear at work to cover my long curly hair [which i've always worn up, so that's not the issue] and one to wear on the way home after i've rinsed my hair with vinegar water. it means bringing two shirts- one to wear at work, and one to wear after i've washed my face, neck, shoulders, arms, & hands in soapy water with a bit of vinegar in it. & it means a cover gown for work, & another one to wear in the car on the way home. so it means a whole load of wash as soon as i get home, too. why? so that i don't take any of the smell to bed with me. if my bed gets contaminated, i'm screwed.
so. the help i need, at least what i can identify, is: i need somewhere to rant [have to ask work again if we have Employee Asssistance, because if we do, maybe i can get some 'free' counseling sessions which would help]. i need to practice talking to the office about this [which terrifies me: i'm an exceptional nurse for home care, but if i become a 'problem', they'll have no compunction about either firing me right off the bat, or just assigning me to cases where it'll be even more problematic]. & i need some help sorting what is real from what's imaginary: i have a lot of debt right now, & no savings, but i'm not going to DIE if i'm suddenly unemployed. equally i have some physical limitations, but i'm by no means unable to work. so if i'm not working these cases at this agency, what am i going to do, and where?
& i just need to hear that even if this seems overblown and crazy that it's entirely human. i had almost 20 years living with my parents [who at least quit smoking in the car and at the table, bless them, for me] and more-or-less 10 years with my husband [who wouldn't quit if i were on fire] & i think i've got pretty good experiential data for this issue. it's just one that people don't believe, like perfume and garlic- 'how can that make you sick? it can't be that bad'.
just for the record: i've thrown away all my pillows. put all the bears through the wash and the dryer [sorry about the lumpy stuffing, fellas. better than giving you up]. bought 8 hats, 4 cover gowns. using WAY more laundry stuff & causing WAY more wear and tear on my clothes. & bought quite a lot of stuff to clean with, too- 'natural' odor-clearing spray for the drapes, vinegar, etc. etc. etc.
eta "Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change."
Stephen Hawking
Daily Chinese Horoscope for Tuesday, January 8
Take a trip to the pharmacy today and stock up on vitamin supplements. You may be slightly more prone to illness these days, and making a preemptive strike on those germs is a good idea. It may be worth your while to look into some holistic healing as well.
alrighty then!
http://slashfairy.dreamwidth.org/601239.html |
comments | Comment at Dreamwidth
i need some help. after 5 glorious years of being almost continuously in smoke-free environments, i'm suddenly surrounded by smoke at work. or at least, by smokers. it's not just an annoying thing for me- i don't go into anaphylactic shock, but i do get sinus infections, bronchitis, and pneumonia very easily in a smoky environment.
sadly [or not] no-one actually smokes IN the gentleman's house or the young lady's room. but the smokers smoke on the way to work, come in reeking in a fresh cloud of soot or go outside to smoke and come in the same. so the residual that's all over their clothes, hair, and hands gets transferred to everything they touch, sit or lean on, or breathe on, including the patients.
i don't know why it's suddenly a problem at the young lady's- i've been there two years, & the mom & night nurse have smoked all that time but neither her room or the young lady stank of it, but starting two weeks ago it's been noticeable, and this weekend it's really just everywhere. i changed her sheets and pillowcase and t-shirt, and wiped her mattress down, but it's in her pillow, in her hair- her wheelchair stinks and i don't remember that being the case; the chair the nurses sit in stinks, the desk, even parts of the chart. i know i would have noticed this if it'd been the case earlier.
& at the gentleman's there's a new day nurse, full-time, who thinks that because she's not smoking in the house there's no smoke residue on her so how is it getting where she hasn't smoked? but the gentleman reeks of it when i get there, as does his fancy inflatable alternating pressure mattress, his electric blanket, the drapes, the furniture, his pillows, his wheelchair, and the carpet.
i've talked with the nurse at the gentleman's twice, and i have to say she's making some efforts. i'm going to talk with the young lady's mom this morning, & find out what's going on with the other nurses & with her- find out if anything's changed.
i've also spoken to the case manager [who happens to have both these cases, thank goodness] but only to register with her that this is an issue for me. she didn't really seem to understand that it's not an issue of 'oh ick' but an issue of 'oh, fuck'.
it means two showers & two shampoos before i can even go into my bedroom. it means bringing two hats- one to wear at work to cover my long curly hair [which i've always worn up, so that's not the issue] and one to wear on the way home after i've rinsed my hair with vinegar water. it means bringing two shirts- one to wear at work, and one to wear after i've washed my face, neck, shoulders, arms, & hands in soapy water with a bit of vinegar in it. & it means a cover gown for work, & another one to wear in the car on the way home. so it means a whole load of wash as soon as i get home, too. why? so that i don't take any of the smell to bed with me. if my bed gets contaminated, i'm screwed.
so. the help i need, at least what i can identify, is: i need somewhere to rant [have to ask work again if we have Employee Asssistance, because if we do, maybe i can get some 'free' counseling sessions which would help]. i need to practice talking to the office about this [which terrifies me: i'm an exceptional nurse for home care, but if i become a 'problem', they'll have no compunction about either firing me right off the bat, or just assigning me to cases where it'll be even more problematic]. & i need some help sorting what is real from what's imaginary: i have a lot of debt right now, & no savings, but i'm not going to DIE if i'm suddenly unemployed. equally i have some physical limitations, but i'm by no means unable to work. so if i'm not working these cases at this agency, what am i going to do, and where?
& i just need to hear that even if this seems overblown and crazy that it's entirely human. i had almost 20 years living with my parents [who at least quit smoking in the car and at the table, bless them, for me] and more-or-less 10 years with my husband [who wouldn't quit if i were on fire] & i think i've got pretty good experiential data for this issue. it's just one that people don't believe, like perfume and garlic- 'how can that make you sick? it can't be that bad'.
just for the record: i've thrown away all my pillows. put all the bears through the wash and the dryer [sorry about the lumpy stuffing, fellas. better than giving you up]. bought 8 hats, 4 cover gowns. using WAY more laundry stuff & causing WAY more wear and tear on my clothes. & bought quite a lot of stuff to clean with, too- 'natural' odor-clearing spray for the drapes, vinegar, etc. etc. etc.
eta "Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change."
Stephen Hawking
Daily Chinese Horoscope for Tuesday, January 8
Take a trip to the pharmacy today and stock up on vitamin supplements. You may be slightly more prone to illness these days, and making a preemptive strike on those germs is a good idea. It may be worth your while to look into some holistic healing as well.
alrighty then!
http://slashfairy.dreamwidth.org/601239.html |
comments | Comment at Dreamwidth