2005/04/15

Extravasation and Vasospasm

DaGoddess @ 21:27

Good news on my dad. He came through the surgery without a hitch. He’s in very little pain and has been up and walking since yesterday. He seems to be in really good spirits, which makes me feel pretty damn good. My dad should be heading off to the skill nursing facility tomorrow morning. We may go see him, if he’s up to it.

I had injection #2 yesterday. I wasn’t as sedated as the previous epidural and I recall yelling, “HEY! I can feel that! That’s not what I would call GOOD, you know?” Considering that I had meds on board, I think that was rather restrained. Of course, the worst part was after the procedure when the headache and the nausea kicked in. They gave me some Percocet. Good, good. But the nausea grew. They gave me some phenergan I.V. – except that they did it as a push med, undiluted. Now, there’s something you never want to experience. Imagine having battery acid shoved into your blood vessels at a high rate of speed. That would pretty much describe the sensation that improperly diluted and administered phenergan brings. The vasospasm was instantaneous. The extravasation comes a little later. Today, my hand and arm are sore, swollen, and discolored. I’ve tried just about everything to reduce all the above.

Paying taxes is a rather similar experience. Not so much when they come out of your paycheck, but when you discover at the end of the year that you owe money that you don’t have….that’s kind of the same feeling as a harsh substance coursing through your veins.

One simple rule all nurses should follow – at all times – ALWAYS check a drug book for the appropriate dosing and administration guidelines. I am very aware of what phenergan (and many other medications) can do if not given correctly. It doesn’t matter how many times I give the med, I still double check the guidelines. It may seem like overkill to you, but when you have the responsibility of administering medications that can harm someone (and every medication has that potential), you are the only thing that stands between the med drawer and the patient. It’s your job to check. (Hey! I’m the #2, 6, and 7 search result on for phenergan extravasation! Exciting, eh?)

I won’t even bother to finish the tax analogy here. It’s too painful.

Other news

Proof that I have the strangest children –

Exhibit A: My daughter is currently in 7th grade, right? She’s already working on plans for 9th grade. She wants to go to a different high school than the one she’s supposed to attend. Why? Because she wants to take Auto Shop. There’s only one school in the district that offers it. Auto Shop. My daughter. Go figure. And right after she announced that, she was showing me a pair of high heels she wanted.

Exhibit B: My son spent part of this evening voluntarily doing multiplication and division problems. He’s done 10 pages and just started working on more. I have offered him a reward for every 5 pages that he completes. Nothing big, just a piece of candy and a sticker. After the second set of 5 was done he told me he didn’t want candy, he wanted something healthier, like carrots. Carrots it is.

Not child-related, but since it’s Tax Day, it falls under the category of Dependent, but not Deductible: I need to go get my dad’s bird ready for bed. He’s been quiet this evening and I’m beginning to think he’s settling in nicely. I’d like that. He’s normally a free range cockatiel, if you can believe that. My dad lets him roam his house at will. The bird’s favorite place is the bathroom, where he can admire himself in the mirror all day long. He’s currently unpinioned so, come next week, we go see Auntie for a wing clipping and allow him to return to a life of vain preening. Whatever keeps the little feather-head happy.

Have a good weekend! And, birthday wishes to Tommy Castro! 50 years old? WOW!

Thanks to Georgia, Acidman, Velociman, and Parkway Rest Stop Jim for the call from the blogmeet! No shots had been fired and everyone was having fun….so all’s well in bloggerville.

5 Comments

  1. Your kids are wonderfully gorgeous. Singly independant!
    PS Phee loves her carrot sticks too, but I know she’d opt for a lolly if given the option most days.

    Comment by Rae — 2005/04/16 @ 15:37

  2. Your kids rock! But, you knew that. ;)

    Thanks for the nursing advice…since I will be attending nursing school, I absorb the advice given by those currently in the field.

    I, too, have experienced the pain of improperly diluted and administered phenergan I.V.. Yup, I wanted to die. But, at least I didn’t vomit!!

    Comment by Dana — 2005/04/21 @ 05:50

  3. Glad your dad’s doing well after surgery!

    Man, that description of your phenergan IV made my toes curl. Really did. Yuck!

    Comment by Gardenwife — 2005/04/25 @ 21:46

  4. How’s your hand after the Phenergan? I had a Phenergan extravasation and almost lost my hand. I’m looking to see if this happens often and what was done about it.

    Comment by Ande — 2005/04/26 @ 20:21

  5. awesome about the daughter who wants auto tech. The boys will be confused. hehe. My experience is that, when i was younger and enamored by cars, the boys were slightly afraid. hah!

    Comment by pril — 2005/05/09 @ 08:52

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