Any other nurses care to join me with a glass of red

[Lemonblast]

Or white or whatever takes your fancy? How was your day?
Emotional, weird day today but came home, did the usual decontamination routine which allowed me to cry in the shower before seeing the kids and have now binge watched crap telly and feeling more positive with the prospect of a weekend off.

Am going to try hard to avoid the news, social media and texts from colleagues and try to pretend the C word doesn’t exist!

Cheers

A glass or two or three to you all I really feel for you. Truly incredibly all the staff on the frontline I get emotional thinking about you the compassion and dedication you show

Not a nurse I work in management for mh nhs residential unit. A few residents self isolating and shocked at what is considered mild symptoms. We just getting on with things and looking after them the best we can. Our community nurses are on the wards I worry constantly about our high risk residents

Social distancing isn’t really working and now we have relaxed into our new norm for some it’s capacity others are just forgetting - I do at times. Still it’s fairly calm at work residents have been more responsible than some people I know which makes me feel quite proud of them, boredom is setting in and that’s a concern

And we need more PPE

The realisation that this is how things will be for some time makes me want to cry

@EnthusiasmIsDisturbed some of my patients are in supported accommodation & I’m so glad they have people like you around for them. I hate not being able to do face to face appointments & like you, worry once the boredom sets in & distraction stops working.

Half the MH units in my trust have been converted into Covid wards so getting a MH bed is nigh on impossible

I'll join you if I may,a sauvignon blanc in the sunshine.
I'm an anaesthetic nurse and were split between theatres ,including obstetrics and ITU.There weren't enough of us to start with and now,with those off with vunerabilities we are stretched to the limit.
There are plenty of scrub staff and they are taking a while to realise all that we are doing and that we are stressed.I think the ODPs among them can see what's coming there way.
Anyway atm we have ppe, tommorrow might be different gown wise and nitrile gloves,I think a lot of us spent a big chunk of Friday making sure we were covered for the weekend.(wish we had a ppe coordinator)
I know that 3 of our team went off over the weekend and I don't think the amount of overtime some are putting in is sustainable.
Our managers did mumble about cancelling leave but our Chief Exec.has quashed that.
I'm loving the good weather though,even with the neighbours radio playing it's relaxing thatching the plants grow and listening to birds with no traffic hum in the background.
.Ive sorted shopping as our nearest Tesco's is empty at 9pm,I just lack eggs.
My teen is social distancing as teens do.Sadly my ex deems her nonessential travel so she won't be getting a change of scene for a while.
Is everyone else waking in the night over this, ?I'm a laid back kind of person but this makes me realise I'm more worried than I let on.
Dam it,weight is a risk factor and I'm munching crisps with my wine.(lovely).

You're all making this hard hearted old cow cry. Thanks for all you do
and

Slides in with a southern Comfort. I'm newly qualified and in a covid ward.

Hells bells it's a bit of a learning curve 💪

Hagis my sleep is totally farked. I fall asleep easily enough but never sleep past 3 or 4am. Nightmares at times as well which I’ve never, ever had before.
And have had to totally ban the kids from jumping in beside me at night and we ALL miss that!

Community MH Nurse here- a large G&T plus crisps. Awaiting redeployment to the wards if required otherwise trying to support people at home and the staff at the coal face in nursing homes. I take my hat off to you all.

Thank you Zebramumma

Yes beds are even more scarce we are a forensic unit so quite sure a bed would be found if needed. The residents really are dealing with this well and we acknowledge that.

I’m waking up in the night often adding to my list of things to do.

Going to take advantage of 25% off just eat this week. I’m very happy with that

Piginaslanket I do kind of know the feeling that the Thursday clapping and all the praise and offers nurses are getting are not really for me and I don't deserve them, because I am not working at the frontline of adult ITU/ COVID wards (I am a paediatric nurse and, right now, my ward is quieter than usual), but I definitely think that we are all part of this. Even just going to work and doing our job in very close contact with patients, who we have no idea in many cases if they are asymptomatic cases, but we cannot be socially distant from them but we are there for them, leaving our homes and putting ourselves at some degree of risk in the process even if it isn't to the same extent as other nurses. Also, for you in mental health, your COVID time will come later, I think. The physical impact of this will probably die down quicker than the impact on mental health which is going to be huge. So, thank you too for being there for your patients now and in the future.

lemonblast I have never heard of those face masks so people can see you smile at them. I want some. It makes me sad that my patients and their relatives can't see me smile at them. I tried drawing a smile on the front of my face mask once. It really didn't work, but it made my colleagues laugh. As a fairly miserable person, who sometimes struggled to keep smiling when I felt like crying, I am surprised how much I miss that people can see me smiling, I thought I would be glad that I didn't have to try!

Happypotamus that is a lovely idea and I agree with your sentiments. I'm a clinical site manager and work is so bizarre as I'm not allowed to venture to Covid areas can only communicate by phone, but at present non covid areas outnumber covid ones as we are less affected than many, for which I am everlastingly grateful. So I only have contact with non covid patients and staff. I worry about all the patients who can't have their treatment or who are too scared to come in. We could treat them too. That is what I wake at night worrying about, how we can get back to any kind of normal service for our patients. I never thought I would miss worrying about not having enough beds......
Hats off to you all on the front line

Anyone one else's trust reusing masks and gowns,ours is going to HPV them..Will have to revise the doffing process as gloves and gowns will need separating.Im not sure how I feel about this.

Happy I think they’re routinely used in the states and sometimes in paeds but can’t seem to source any here.

Bryanadams I haven’t had a southern comfort in YEARS!

Dementia home RGN here, just finished a long weekend. I don't drink but have downed a magnum since I got in.
I'm now off till friday It'll be PJ's till noon and watching home under the hammer for me tomorrow. Takes my mind of it all.

I'm stuck at home atm as I have confirmed COVID-19.

I feel alright though considering. Looking forward to getting back to work, I hate the thought that my team are having to work without me.

(They are probably pleased that I am not there bothering them!)

Wowzel how much linger do you have to stay off? I’ve lost track of the guidance! Will you be retested?

@PigInASlanket, re your: I know the current campaigns/claps are for those truly at the coalface right now. And well deserved they are too. But like a PP, I struggle to connect with it, as I know it's not aimed at us.
3 people at least - DH, DD, and me - are aiming it at all of you in our hospital, front line or not. I live on the road leading to the hospital, a mile away, and have a fanciful hope that if everyone along the mile were to clap loudly enough, you may possibly just hear it.
DD has had need of the children's ward for ear problems and for a burn - her experiences have always been positive and she feels very at home there, in a strange way. DH recovered there from a shocking pneumonia bout aged 21. I have had to use MH services, thankfully not in hospital but feel fortunate for that. We are deeply grateful for everyone in that building. If thanks could translate to strength (or more practical things, I wish you could have as much as you need.

Physio here with a glass of rose! Have worked with some brilliant nurses these past few weeks! Loads of changes, different areas and skills but still always supporting the patients with masked smiles.
Take care of yourselves everyone!

Signing off now with that nervous Sunday night feeling! Weekend has flown by. Here’s hoping the week ahead is when we start to see things turn a corner! Stay safe everyone

Hope everyone's Monday has been ok. I've enjoyed a much needed day off and am currently enjoying some left over cider from summer that I found in the depths of a cupboard this morning. Cheers 🍻

RMN here working as a clinical nurse specialist for a company that provides therapeutic residential care for young people with complex mental health needs as an alternative to hospital. Trying to do all my meetings and assessments via Microsoft teams...with a focus countrywide on trying to get long stay patients out of hospital. On call tonight so no wine...just a herbal brew!!

Hi 👋 therapist (RMN) redeployed to eating disorders ward,
Best wishes to you all 😊

Today not so good a day. Covid specific palliative care. I’m not sure how much more days like this we can cope with Sorry to be a downer. I think I’ll just stick to tea tonight.
And I’ve got a bloody pressure sore behind my ear

@Lemonblast sorry you're having a tough time, this whole situation sucks.

We've been using crocheted bands to help with the mask / ear issue, if you know any crafty people I definitely recommend them. I Kirby grip it into my hair so it stays put.
Obvs depends on what type of masks you are wearing!

(Poking nose in as not a nurse)
Here, have a drink on me 🥂🍷🍾🥃🍸🍹🍻🍺🍩🍮🧁🍰🍫🍪 the bloody wonderful lot of you.
Thank you SO much.