Summer’s end in September

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I can’t believe summer has come to a close already. Just starting out in September and the first weekend is spent relaxing, looking at fall decorations and putting away those summer ones. Time can not be flying by any faster!

Some news from me: I am now set up in Arizona at my condo. I am still adjusting to just how HOT it is here! Every day is over 100 degrees! It’s wild to say the least. I’m also having a lot of fun trying to find what my style is for decorating the house. Sometimes I want a dark/rustic farmhouse look and sometimes I want to go full on industrial! So it’s been fun adventuring around the city checking into all the craft, furniture and design stores. I brought along my cat Solo and needless to say he cozied right on in. Loves to bathe in the sun, attack all the cat toys and basically made himself right at home.

I started my third semester and half of the classes are in person at the school. It was weird going back to in-person classes again. However, it was nice because I met some people who are equally confused and stressed out about school and even wore my scrubs! So exciting…and nerve-wracking.

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Goals:

Some goals that I have for September is to get all my nursing school notes organized. Come up with a better financial plan for saving. Study and get the highest possible grades on my assignments and to adventure around Arizona a little more. Maybe find a nice local coffee shops and some hiking trails.

What are some goals that you have for September?

“A goal without a plan is only a dream.”

-Brian Tracy

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Word(s) of the Day

Nursing School Edition #6

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I just started my 3rd semester of nursing school and do you know what that means? More info about nursing school and the classes I’m in. It also means more “Word of the Day,” POP Quizzes and other beneficial educational and fun information. I hope you’re excited to learn new things or maybe just to refresh your memory. I know I am more than ready for this semester and couldn’t be more excited to bring you along. I would say, sit back and relax but instead: Let’s open our mind and learn!

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Pathophysiology

1. Pathology is:

a. a disease

b. the bacteria that causes the disease

c. the study of disease

d. the complication of diseases

2. Etiology of a disease means the:

a. study of cause

b. predicted outcome of the disease or condition

c. cause is unknown

d. disease was caused by a hospital environment

3. A chronic disease usually has which of the following elements?

a. It is related to the respiratory system.

b. It happens suddenly but lasts only a short while.

c. It persists for a long period of time, often for the individual’s entire lifetime.

d. It has a sudden onset.

4. Diseases caused by an abnormality of an individual’s genetic makeup can be classified in which of the following categories?

a. Trauma

b. Hereditary

c. Nutritional imbalance

d. Inflammation

5. Adenomas, carcinomas, and sarcomas are examples of:

a. malnutrition

b. hyperplasia and neoplasms

c. trauma

d. impaired immunity

6. When a cell adapts to irritants or damage by changing to another type of cell, it is called:

a. hypertrophy

b. hyperplasia

c. metaplasia

d. Dysplasia

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These were questions I picked out of study material that we learned in WEEK 1 for my Pathophysiology class. The correct answers are displayed in bold green text. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. Happy Studying!

Word of the Day

Nursing School Edition #4

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Abdomen:

The abdomen contains many of our vital organs. The stomach, small intestine, large intestine, the liver, spleen, gallbladder, he pancreas, the uterus, the fallopian tubes, the ovaries, the kidneys, the ureters, the bladder, and many blood vessels.

Hello and goodbye July

July has been a CRAZY month filled with school, military training and partially moving! It always seems like my summers are extra busy. This time though, it really was. 

What did I do?

At the beginning of the month I had extra training for the military. This involved a nice trip to San Diego and training on TCCC (tactical combat casualty course). I absolutely loved this recertification process. After my military trip I came back home, packed up my storage the next day and then got my tattoo the day after. I have been itching for a new tattoo for almost a year now and finally was able to do it. I got the rooster and pig tattoo on my feet! It is an old Navy tradition story and I love it. After my tattoo, the next day I packed up some things around the house, loaded the trailer onto my truck and headed towards ARIZONA! In a few weeks I will be moving to Arizona to attend my nursing school in person now. Since I am finished with the online pre-requisite portion it is now time for the in-person lab portions. I am both excited and stressed, to say the least. Once we got to Arizona, we unloaded the trailer and started to slowly clean, decorate and upgrade the house. With July coming to a close I find myself catching up on a lot of paperwork and errands. Can’t wait to see what is in store for me in the next couple weeks.

“You can get excited and feel unstoppable, but every week presents a new challenge. Each week, you have to work and get better.”

-Antonio Brown

Word of the Day –

Nursing School Edition #2

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Hypercarbia

Hypercarbia is defined as the increase of carbon dioxide within the bloodstream. Another name that might be used instead is Hypercapnia. This can be caused due to hyperventilation or not being able to breathe properly.

Some of the symptoms that might be seen are:

• Drowsiness or the inability to focus
• Flushed looking skin
• Headaches and feeling disoriented
• Feeling short of breath or fatigued

If feeling abnormal seek medical treatment or consult your physician.

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Reference

• Abdo, W. F., & Heunks, L. M. A. (2012). Oxygen-induced hypercapnia in COPD: myths and facts. Critical Care, 16(5), 323
  ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3682248/

School Update:

Semester 1 Complete!

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Semester one of nursing school was completed. It was a nice and tough semester, especially with my math class. I managed to struggle through and pass with all A’s and a B in math. I surprised myself, to say the least and I’m glad I pushed myself. Thinking back to how my learning styles have changed, I definitely see a pattern on some things. I definitely am a crash course student. What that means to me is that if I cram semi last minute I tend to retain information more and score higher on tests. I think that is a TERRIBLE habit to have, but for some reason it works for me. These last couple months I have tried to curb that habit and I actually did a little better with it. These classes were asynchronous which worked out great with my work schedules. My next semester (which starts in a week) is also asynchronous, so that kind of eases some stress. Are you wondering what asynchronous means, just like I was before taking these? Asynchronous basically means that students are given a time frame, usually a one-week window. During that time frame  they need to connect to their class at least once or twice a day. Doing it on your own with a timeline guidance is great for non hands-on classes. 

I wanted to keep tabs on how my classes are going and what grades I earn because this is a big journey for me. This also keeps me motivated in a sense to share how nursing school is and what happens throughout it. I’m excited to start my next set of classes and a little nervous as well. I’m taking a full semester with not four, but five classes! So this should be interesting. 

“Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.”

—Mother Teresa

Three Big Things I Did In March

March Madness is over

March is officially over and we are now into April. It was a busy, stressful and healthy month for myself. I started eating avocado toast more regularly due to its health benefits. I’ve been going back to the gym during the week more and also staying busy with school. The three big things were: eating more home made meals, staying within 90% for my grades and working out more…again.

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Avocado Toast: Homemade

Homemade avocado toast and vanilla cold brew with foam.

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I’ll usually have this as an after work snack before I start my studies for the day. I was able to make it in less than 10 minutes and go about homework that needed to be completed.

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Staying Within 90% for Grades:

With my first semester of nursing school almost complete, I have been striving to stay within 90% or higher with my grades. I’m taking 4 classes and staying above the 90% percentile except for one. My math class grade is a little lower than I wanted, but I’m happy where it’s at because I am not the greatest at math. All I can do is keep doing my best and putting all I have into class.

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Working Out More…Again:

I had a little break from working out, which always turns into a longer break and this is what exactly happened. I would work out sporadically or do the bare minimum knowing well that I needed to do more. So far for the month of March I used all my allotted days from Orange Theory Fitness and walked more than I have consistently. It also made me feel better as well.

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”

– Hippocrates

New Things in Store for Me…

Nursing School

I have some big and exciting news to start off 2022. I was accepted into Nursing School and am starting my first semester. This has been a long time coming and it has definitely been a journey along the way. I first started looking into Nursing programs when I graduated high school in 2011. Due to the budget crisis in California way back in the day, the program I was looking at was cut and almost all nursing programs were turned into lottery based systems. So now fast forward about 10 years and I am officially in Nursing school. I am beyond excited, nervous and definitely stressed. Sometimes I think that it isn’t real, but it is. There is so much to learn and I am excited to learn and soak in all this knowledge.

Goals:

Some goals that I will be continuing to work on are my studying techniques and organizational skills. This semester I am doing a big personal change with how I organize. When I was going to school for my Associates in Fire Technology I wrote EVERY single down in a notebook or a planner. I also had assignments and due dates randomly tacked up to my board or laying on a counter top. I decided this time I can’t do that because that was so hectic, even though it worked. I bought a few new items for studying and organizing, one of them being the new Ipad Pro. This thing is amazing so far, I’m still learning as I go because it is a steep learning curve for me. One of the things that I love about it is the Digital Planner aspect. Instead of carrying around a paper planner (which I kind of miss because I love them), the digital planner is much more efficient and accessible. When I go to work I only have to carry around a small notebook, my Ipad and my Apple Pencil. It’s convenient, not bulky and works great off of wifi.

Another goal that I gave myself is: not to set myself up with too many goals. Everybody is different and I know how I work. If I give myself too many goals I will stress myself out and over worry. That is something I don’t want. Lastly my end goal is I want to pass school. Easier said than done.

“You treat a disease: you win, you lose. You treat a person, I guarantee you win—no matter the outcome.”

—Robin Williams in Patch Adams

More Tea for Me!

This is the perfect time for a cup of tea. It’s cold and raining and this perks you right up.

• Day 10 – Elderberry & Echinacea – A blend to keep winter at bay. Feel your power with every sip.
• Day 11 – Revitalize – Herbs together that smell of Christmas. Warming, uplifting- a cup to make your spirits festive.
• Day 12 – Ginseng Matcha Green – When your morning needs an extra skip. These are the herbs to light up your cup.

Tea of the Day

Days of Tea

Days of Tea

More teas I was able to try!

• Day 5 Supreme Matcha Green Tea – Here is the cup to make you feel supreme. Organic Matcha and tea- the purest green.
• Day 6 Three Ginger – Three wise herbal kings are here. Majestic heat to feel the cheer.
• Day 7 Three Fennel – Leaves and seeds of a powerful plant. Gentle but essential to help food go down.
• Day 8 Turmeric Gold – This is the queen of all herbs. Each sip a draught of golden power.
• Day 9 Blackcurrant Beauty – Nature’s berries bold and deep. A cup of purple fruit and dark delight.

The little sayings behind each packet of tea are cute and they give a little insight on that specific tea.

“Some people will tell you there is a great deal of poetry and fine sentiment in a chest of tea.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson