I also got my comp for a Frog Hip and a Barium Enema, the B-E is a fluoroscopic procedure. Most second years don't get their B-E Comp until the very end of the year. This is how I felt earlier today:
Take Care and Keep Right On Prepping - K
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Finally, It All Evens Out
Today at summer clinicals, I assessed my second lower extremity, a knee. It officially gives me an A for the Summer semester, and they can't kick me out this semester for not meeting the minimum. :-)
I also got my comp for a Frog Hip and a Barium Enema, the B-E is a fluoroscopic procedure. Most second years don't get their B-E Comp until the very end of the year. This is how I felt earlier today:
Take Care and Keep Right On Prepping - K
I also got my comp for a Frog Hip and a Barium Enema, the B-E is a fluoroscopic procedure. Most second years don't get their B-E Comp until the very end of the year. This is how I felt earlier today:
Take Care and Keep Right On Prepping - K
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
My Kind Of Day
I did my clinical rotations today, and it was one of those days. I've been trying all week to get the "perfect" lateral knee radiograph. It boils down to getting the perfect patient, the perfect tech, and the perfect schedule, or as the students at school call it: Winning the trifecta.
FYI, this isn't any of my knee x-rays today. The first knee that I got today belonged to an older gentleman, and his knee had swollen to the size of a grapefruit, and very sensitive to the touch. Needless to say, that touching the epicondyles on the femur was a big no-go. The image was rotated, ergo unacceptable for my last lower assessment.
I did a few more x-ray routines, and had the opportunity to get a pre-comp for a cervical spine. It takes two pre-comps then the next one is considered a comp that you take to your advisor to validate the x-ray. Anyways, the poor guy comes in and is unable to lift his chin even a few inches, and he is standing all lopsided as a bonus. I try to angle the x-ray to compensate for the limited range of motion of the top of the spine, but was unable to get the Odontiod through the open mouth. I had to call in a registered tech to show me another way of capturing the image. Fail number two, for those keeping score.
After a few more routines, I notice that there is another knee in the line up for x-rays. I asked around to see if anyone else needed a knee, and it was all mine. I went to one of the four x-ray rooms, and got it ready for the patient. The Ortho clinical wanted a weight-bearing bilateral knee.No problem. I head to the waiting room, and call the name of the patient. Guess what? A 70+ year old sits up and hits the knob on his wheelchair and speeds towards me. Great! We chitchat a little bit on the way to the examine room, and find out he is able to stand for a few minutes at a time. "Well, at least I've got a chance", and it's a bilateral, so I have two chances!
We get to the room, and he drops the bomb on me that he has had a stroke, and when he stands he has a constant case of vertigo. He is deaf in the right ear and has 70% hearing loss in his left ear. To recap, the Doctor wants a standing x-ray on an elderly man, in a wheelchair, that is mostly deaf, and has the same balance as a drunken sailor.
I drop the bucky board, the image receptor, down to knee level and get him into a standing position. On his right is a staircase that we use for weight-bearing feet x-rays, so he is able to hold onto the railing to steady himself. The tube is close enough in front of him, in case he leans too far forward. On his left, he has the hand rails, that is attached to the bucky board for chest x-rays, all within a cozy 40" radius. One problem solved!
Now keep in mind that I have to crawl through the handrail fortress to get him into position, and correctly mark each image. I hurriedly take the two front shots of the right and left knee before he has to "take a rest." No problem, I've got all day, and I need him fresh and steady for the harder lateral images. I get him back to the chair, and we take about a ten minute break.
I get him back onto his feet, and one leg in front of the other. At this point, he is swaying around like he is being repeatedly being punched by Mike Tyson. He's holding on fast, while I rotor up the x-ray tube, and try to time the x-ray when he is in the correct position.
I came pretty darn close! There is a little rotation, but I should get extra bonus points for this one. I'll run it by my advisor tomorrow, and see if I get the green light. Everyone keep their fingers crossed for me.
Oh!, and as an added bonus the next guy that I had was a foot x-ray. I sail through the first two x-rays and I get him in the next position, and he farts in my general direction! Simply Wonderful and all before lunch.
The rest of my day pretty much played out the same, and by 3:00pm, I'm sure that it is 5 o'clock somewhere!
Josh, my friend and classmate, is taking Advanced Patient Care with me and we had our last test today. I scored 28/30 while he scored 30/30 - both A's. This Saturday, we are taking Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification. When we pass the certification, it will count as a 100% for the final exam and we will both finish the course with A's.
K: 319.00/338
Josh: 323.00/338
Josh won the friendly competition this semester by 4 points, and I'll buy him a beer at the next opportunity as a congratulations.
We walked out of the library, and the Express shuttle bus was just pulling up to take us to the student parking lot. How perfect was that? We talked about how the day had gone, and that we would take many more bad days at clinical to have it end so well.
Keep Right On Prepping - K
(All images were taken from Google Images with no HIPAA violations)
 |
| The "perfect" lateral knee x-ray |
FYI, this isn't any of my knee x-rays today. The first knee that I got today belonged to an older gentleman, and his knee had swollen to the size of a grapefruit, and very sensitive to the touch. Needless to say, that touching the epicondyles on the femur was a big no-go. The image was rotated, ergo unacceptable for my last lower assessment.
I did a few more x-ray routines, and had the opportunity to get a pre-comp for a cervical spine. It takes two pre-comps then the next one is considered a comp that you take to your advisor to validate the x-ray. Anyways, the poor guy comes in and is unable to lift his chin even a few inches, and he is standing all lopsided as a bonus. I try to angle the x-ray to compensate for the limited range of motion of the top of the spine, but was unable to get the Odontiod through the open mouth. I had to call in a registered tech to show me another way of capturing the image. Fail number two, for those keeping score.
After a few more routines, I notice that there is another knee in the line up for x-rays. I asked around to see if anyone else needed a knee, and it was all mine. I went to one of the four x-ray rooms, and got it ready for the patient. The Ortho clinical wanted a weight-bearing bilateral knee.No problem. I head to the waiting room, and call the name of the patient. Guess what? A 70+ year old sits up and hits the knob on his wheelchair and speeds towards me. Great! We chitchat a little bit on the way to the examine room, and find out he is able to stand for a few minutes at a time. "Well, at least I've got a chance", and it's a bilateral, so I have two chances!
We get to the room, and he drops the bomb on me that he has had a stroke, and when he stands he has a constant case of vertigo. He is deaf in the right ear and has 70% hearing loss in his left ear. To recap, the Doctor wants a standing x-ray on an elderly man, in a wheelchair, that is mostly deaf, and has the same balance as a drunken sailor.
I drop the bucky board, the image receptor, down to knee level and get him into a standing position. On his right is a staircase that we use for weight-bearing feet x-rays, so he is able to hold onto the railing to steady himself. The tube is close enough in front of him, in case he leans too far forward. On his left, he has the hand rails, that is attached to the bucky board for chest x-rays, all within a cozy 40" radius. One problem solved!
Now keep in mind that I have to crawl through the handrail fortress to get him into position, and correctly mark each image. I hurriedly take the two front shots of the right and left knee before he has to "take a rest." No problem, I've got all day, and I need him fresh and steady for the harder lateral images. I get him back to the chair, and we take about a ten minute break.
I get him back onto his feet, and one leg in front of the other. At this point, he is swaying around like he is being repeatedly being punched by Mike Tyson. He's holding on fast, while I rotor up the x-ray tube, and try to time the x-ray when he is in the correct position.
I came pretty darn close! There is a little rotation, but I should get extra bonus points for this one. I'll run it by my advisor tomorrow, and see if I get the green light. Everyone keep their fingers crossed for me.
Oh!, and as an added bonus the next guy that I had was a foot x-ray. I sail through the first two x-rays and I get him in the next position, and he farts in my general direction! Simply Wonderful and all before lunch.
The rest of my day pretty much played out the same, and by 3:00pm, I'm sure that it is 5 o'clock somewhere!
Josh, my friend and classmate, is taking Advanced Patient Care with me and we had our last test today. I scored 28/30 while he scored 30/30 - both A's. This Saturday, we are taking Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification. When we pass the certification, it will count as a 100% for the final exam and we will both finish the course with A's.
K: 319.00/338
Josh: 323.00/338
Josh won the friendly competition this semester by 4 points, and I'll buy him a beer at the next opportunity as a congratulations.
We walked out of the library, and the Express shuttle bus was just pulling up to take us to the student parking lot. How perfect was that? We talked about how the day had gone, and that we would take many more bad days at clinical to have it end so well.
Keep Right On Prepping - K
(All images were taken from Google Images with no HIPAA violations)
Monday, July 15, 2013
MRE Monday - Refried Beans and Tortillas
We actually did three MREs this weekend, but I'm gonna sandbag the Chicken Fajitas for next week.
.JPG)
Nutritional Information for Refried Beans:
Serving Size: 5.0 oz.
Calories: 160
Calories from fat: 25
Total Fat: 3g or 5% DV
Cholesterol: 0mg or 0% DV
Sodium: 460mg or 19% DV
Total Carbohydrates: 25g or 8% DV
Dietary Fiber: 8g or 32% DV
Sugars: 1g
Protein: 8g
Vitamin A: 0% DV
Vitamin C: 0% DV
Calcium: 8% DV
Iron: 15% DV
Nutritional Information for Tortillas:
Serving Size: 2.12 oz. for 2 tortillas
Calories: 220
Calories from fat: 70
Total Fat: 8g or 12% DV
Cholesterol: 0mg or 0% DV
Sodium: 320mg or 13% DV
Total Carbohydrates: 34g or 11% DV
Dietary Fiber: 0g or 0% DV
Sugars: 0g
Protein: 4g
Vitamin A: 0% DV
Vitamin C: 0% DV
Calcium: 15% DV
Iron: 8% DV
Expectations:
Any canned variety would be nice, and any Tex-Mex variety from the many Mexican restaurants in our area.
.JPG)
Realities:
Row, the resident seven year old, thought that the tortillas were as good as the store bought. The refried beans were the big surprise of the night though: "Ding,Ding" was the answer when I asked him what he thought of them. He also described them as "excellent." We were both surprised by this review from Row.
Red Ant, the four year old,also enjoyed the tortillas but not the refried beans. Truth be told, the refried beans did have a spicy kick to them and Ant isn't our spicy eater. Score one for the tortillas, and zero for the beans.
MIL loved the refried beans, and wanted to know were she could get some more. She also said that they were "the best tasting beans ever!"
Sweetheart, who could eat Mexican everyday, is my expert in this food category. The beans had random bits of spice that she thought were a nice touch. The MRE refried beans "were kinda thick, and would make an excellent bean dip." The tortillas were also a clear winner tonight too. The tortillas were moist, and pliable straight out of the package. Most tortillas have to be heated before being used as soft tacos, otherwise they tend to tear and break apart.
I thought that the tortillas were excellent, but once again I was concerned about the cost per tortilla. The tortillas were excellent and among the best that I've had in a while. I had mixed emotions about the refried beans. They were too thick, and could have used a little liquid after being heated up.
Final Thoughts:
The MRE refried beans and the MRE tortillas were $1.39 each. For me, the cost would only be acceptable for a cache or an extended backpacking trip.
For home storage, I would choose canned pinto beans (at half the price) and make them into refried beans with a little butter, fajita seasoning, and an electric mixer. The tortillas can be made with Masa mix , water, and a little shortening for a long term food storage solution.
Stars:
Tortillas * * * * (4)
Refried Beans * * (2)
.JPG)
Nutritional Information for Refried Beans:
Serving Size: 5.0 oz.
Calories: 160
Calories from fat: 25
Total Fat: 3g or 5% DV
Cholesterol: 0mg or 0% DV
Sodium: 460mg or 19% DV
Total Carbohydrates: 25g or 8% DV
Dietary Fiber: 8g or 32% DV
Sugars: 1g
Protein: 8g
Vitamin A: 0% DV
Vitamin C: 0% DV
Calcium: 8% DV
Iron: 15% DV
Nutritional Information for Tortillas:
Serving Size: 2.12 oz. for 2 tortillas
Calories: 220
Calories from fat: 70
Total Fat: 8g or 12% DV
Cholesterol: 0mg or 0% DV
Sodium: 320mg or 13% DV
Total Carbohydrates: 34g or 11% DV
Dietary Fiber: 0g or 0% DV
Sugars: 0g
Protein: 4g
Vitamin A: 0% DV
Vitamin C: 0% DV
Calcium: 15% DV
Iron: 8% DV
Expectations:
Any canned variety would be nice, and any Tex-Mex variety from the many Mexican restaurants in our area.
.JPG)
Realities:
Row, the resident seven year old, thought that the tortillas were as good as the store bought. The refried beans were the big surprise of the night though: "Ding,Ding" was the answer when I asked him what he thought of them. He also described them as "excellent." We were both surprised by this review from Row.
Red Ant, the four year old,also enjoyed the tortillas but not the refried beans. Truth be told, the refried beans did have a spicy kick to them and Ant isn't our spicy eater. Score one for the tortillas, and zero for the beans.
MIL loved the refried beans, and wanted to know were she could get some more. She also said that they were "the best tasting beans ever!"
Sweetheart, who could eat Mexican everyday, is my expert in this food category. The beans had random bits of spice that she thought were a nice touch. The MRE refried beans "were kinda thick, and would make an excellent bean dip." The tortillas were also a clear winner tonight too. The tortillas were moist, and pliable straight out of the package. Most tortillas have to be heated before being used as soft tacos, otherwise they tend to tear and break apart.
I thought that the tortillas were excellent, but once again I was concerned about the cost per tortilla. The tortillas were excellent and among the best that I've had in a while. I had mixed emotions about the refried beans. They were too thick, and could have used a little liquid after being heated up.
Final Thoughts:
The MRE refried beans and the MRE tortillas were $1.39 each. For me, the cost would only be acceptable for a cache or an extended backpacking trip.
For home storage, I would choose canned pinto beans (at half the price) and make them into refried beans with a little butter, fajita seasoning, and an electric mixer. The tortillas can be made with Masa mix , water, and a little shortening for a long term food storage solution.
Stars:
Tortillas * * * * (4)
Refried Beans * * (2)
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Just a Quick Note
I'm still alive, just hunkering down for school. It also seems that my writing muse has taken a short vacation without me. Perhaps she got tired of all the prepping talk, and needed a little beach time. Speaking of which, we will be headed back to the beach in early August between semesters.
Take Care, and Keep Right On Prepping - K
Saturday, July 6, 2013
This Weekend In Review
The Fourth of July was another great event at our house. We had another couple over with kids and hung out in the carport just like last year's celebration. Teriyaki wings and Sriracha wings were appetizers and the orange soda, cokes, and beer were iced down the night before.
We celebrated old style with a blow up pool, two sprinklers, water guns, and water balloons for the kids. They got the biggest kick out of the shaving cream and water balloons though.
I took a lot of my music and put about 300-400 songs from the 80's onto the computer and we played name that tune. You got half a point for the artist and half a point for the name of the song, if either one is incorrect, then points double for the next person that can correctly identify it. I also added a twist with the option of double or nothing with 80's TV trivia as the theme. The early questions involved a lot of Three's company, and it quickly became a running joke when the bonus phase started. Last year's champion kept her title. She was naming songs with only a few notes, and her husband was saying " How do you compete against that?" (She won both rounds)
The afternoon meal included grilled chicken, corn on the cob, salad, mac and cheese, and a fruit and fresh cream dessert. The kids had hotdogs and chips in addition to anything that they wanted from the adult menu. Row wassneaky lucky and had about four small orange sodas before any parental units figured it out...but it was a "special occasion." We try to limit the soda intake for the kids to only special occasions, and for myself, I try to limit one per day.
The rest of our weekend will include church, painting, and cleaning. Oh, and we are going to see Despicable Me 2 on Sunday as a treat for the boys. This is Ant's third time to go to the movie theater, but Row has been quite a bit.
While we aren't putting away food, practicing our outdoor skills, or prepping. We are building something more important - memories.
Keep Right On Prepping - K
We celebrated old style with a blow up pool, two sprinklers, water guns, and water balloons for the kids. They got the biggest kick out of the shaving cream and water balloons though.
I took a lot of my music and put about 300-400 songs from the 80's onto the computer and we played name that tune. You got half a point for the artist and half a point for the name of the song, if either one is incorrect, then points double for the next person that can correctly identify it. I also added a twist with the option of double or nothing with 80's TV trivia as the theme. The early questions involved a lot of Three's company, and it quickly became a running joke when the bonus phase started. Last year's champion kept her title. She was naming songs with only a few notes, and her husband was saying " How do you compete against that?" (She won both rounds)
The afternoon meal included grilled chicken, corn on the cob, salad, mac and cheese, and a fruit and fresh cream dessert. The kids had hotdogs and chips in addition to anything that they wanted from the adult menu. Row was
The rest of our weekend will include church, painting, and cleaning. Oh, and we are going to see Despicable Me 2 on Sunday as a treat for the boys. This is Ant's third time to go to the movie theater, but Row has been quite a bit.
While we aren't putting away food, practicing our outdoor skills, or prepping. We are building something more important - memories.
Keep Right On Prepping - K
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
A Ton Of Free Downloads
Here is a ton of FREE downloads for the prepper that I ran across, and I had to share.
SOURCE: http://www.preppers.info/Free_Downloads.html
Keep Right On Prepping - K
SOURCE: http://www.preppers.info/Free_Downloads.html
Keep Right On Prepping - K
Monday, July 1, 2013
Big Brother In Your Pocket
Okay, everyone informed people know that the government (NSA) is recording your calls and collecting a lot of information about it's citizens. It is safe to assume that anything ever Googled, clicked on, emailed, or looked at on the internet is also being recorded and archived. Credit card purchases too.
German Green party politician Malte Spitz, who is against internet censorship, sued to have his information released by Deutsche Telekom . His phone acted as a location device for his movements by triangulation of the cell towers. The data was made into a map with his actual movements over a course of six months.
Chilling...click to see what your government admits to collecting and think of what they can collect.
Keep Right On Prepping and think OPSEC - K
German Green party politician Malte Spitz, who is against internet censorship, sued to have his information released by Deutsche Telekom . His phone acted as a location device for his movements by triangulation of the cell towers. The data was made into a map with his actual movements over a course of six months.
Chilling...click to see what your government admits to collecting and think of what they can collect.
Keep Right On Prepping and think OPSEC - K
2013 Challenge Update - June Accountability
We rotated a few pantry items: First In, First Out. Same as last month. We had a major score of over 60+ packages of Mac and Cheese this month for .49/each.
*Get into better physical shape - diet and exercise.
Jan 1st : 182.2 lbs.
Feb 1st: 179.4 lbs
Mar 1st: 184.2 (Too much birthday cake!)
Apr 1st: 186.2 (Okay, wrong direction!)
May 1st: 184.6
Jun 1st: 186.0
Jul 1st: 184.5
Aug 1st:
Sep 1st:
Oct 1st:
Nov 1st:
Dec 1st:
*Get better organized in the home.
We have been trying to maintain at least some level of neatness. It's a constant battle!
*Complete some long standing projects - Kitchen and downstairs bathroom.
The hallway has been stripped of wallpaper, paint colors selected, and the ceiling painted this month. The progress always seems to go slow, but the weekend should prove some major progress. After this semester, the living room will be getting a much needed facelift. I'll be posting pictures of the progress as it develops.
*Reorganize our food storage into a better logical format.
Still in good shape - need to bring canned goods back up to par level.
*Get better grades in school ( 3 A's 3 B's last semester ).
*Clinicals -
*Online Classwork -
Doing two online classes and clinicals Monday through Friday has been quite the challenge this semester.
*Go to the range more often with Sweetheart.
Nothing this month due to busy schedule and lack of time to hunt for replacement ammo.
*Teach the kids new practical survival skills : outdoors skills, common sense camping
I'm working on plant identification with the boys, poison ivy and dandelions have been identified, and we will continue to build on these basic plants. It will be good to be able to id them during all seasons, when possible.
*Learn to bake better bread.
I think that I've baked maybe two loaves this month.
*Pick three skills to work on with wife.
*Be more consistent with the MRE Monday reviews.
We missed one review, so 19 out of 23. I'll be missing one today as well.
*Improve our family's water plan.
I bought another bottle of bleach, and used part of the old one to rotate out stock.
*Do a monthly review of each for the blog to hold myself accountable.
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