Class Talk Fall 2016

So I asked an actor friend of mine several questions about heart issues. Here were his responses:

• A cardiopulmonary arrest is stopping of lungs and heart.
• MI stands for Michigan.
• CPR is lifting the chin, blowing air into the mouth, 15 chest compressions and 2 breaths to force air into the lungs and blood through the heart.

I was pretty impressed with his answers to be honest, because his college career was focused mostly on languages and history, not biology. I recommended that if he ever needed to do CPR, that he do 30 compressions but maybe not do mouth-to-mouth because of the risk of inflating the stomach and potential for vomiting.

I think he was teasing me when he said MI stands for Michigan, but I let him know that it stood for myocardial infarction. Then he told me to stop being a know-it-all and reminded me that he was doing me a favor by helping me with my blog. I am choosing to believe that deep down, he was really appreciative of the information.

In evaluating my diet, I’ve learned I could most definitely adjust to a heart healthy cardiac diet of low fat and low salt. As of my current diet, I try to eliminate salt at all costs. I don’t use it for seasoning and don’t crave it. Some people will say to me, “a little salt won’t hurt you.” However, I don’t have cravings for it and feel there are other seasonings that make the food I’m eating taste great! An intervention I would encourage for those needing a cardiac diet but love salt is to try different seasonings and even condiments with lower salt content. I would also refer them to the American Heart Association website because those recipes looked very appetizing and easy to make for someone on the cardiac diet. The only concern I had for adjusting to the cardiac diet was the low fat intake. I utilize fats as fuel for my body for my workouts. However, I stay away from saturated fats as suggested but certainly utilize unsaturated fats as recommended in a low fat diet such as nuts, seeds, oils, and fatty fish. An additional benefit of the American Heart Association website is that it tells you what foods should be limited and what to replace them with.

I’m trying to watch what I eat, so I use the My-Fitness-Pal app to log my meals. I normally track calories, but for fun I looked at my fat and sodium numbers.

• AHA Ideal Sodium Intake: 1500 mg (I ate 2581 mg)
• AHA Saturated Fat Intake: 5% of total calories (I could not find that information on the app but I’m certain that I went over)

Breakfast: 16 g fat, 760 mg sodium

• Jimmy Dean Delight Turkey Sausage Breakfast Sandwich
• Half and half in my coffee

Lunch: 22 g fat, 305 mg sodium

• Smoothie with Spinach, raspberries, strawberries, protein powder, olive oil
• Ruffles plain potato chips

Dinner: 35 g fat, 1517 g sodium

• 2 Slices of Pepperoni Pizza
• Glass of milk

If I were a patient with a cardiac issue, I would have to cut the pizza and milk from my diet because those are the largest sources of saturated fat. I would also have to cut the microwave breakfast sandwich and chips because they are so high in sodium.

It can be difficult to cut sodium and fat, especially if you don’t have time to cook all of your meals from scratch. If I were going to give myself advice on what to eat instead, I would probably opt for a quick packet of oatmeal for breakfast instead of the Jimmy Dean Sandwich. And maybe a use the crock pot to make a convenient pot roast dinner instead of ordering pizza.

      OR       Fat has been demonized for years when it comes to heart health and health in general. In the medical field and in media a lot of negative attention has been put on fats, when diets high in refined sugar can lead to “higher levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, and lower levels of HDL” (Olson, 2016).

These negative attitudes towards fats seems to stem from an article by Ancel Keys, who observed those who ate diets high in saturated fats also had higher rates of heart disease, but what he didn’t include in his literature was that the individuals observed were eating high amounts of refined sugar as well.

Most recently the journal Circulation published an article that found that drinking sugary drinks daily increased dangerous fat in the body and increased the risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Another study in Heart, found that people who drank at least 2 sugary drinks a day increased their risk for heart failure by 25 percent.

I just wanted to share this information because fat being bad was something I’d always heard and it was a surprise to me when I head this.

source: http://www.medicaldaily.com/refined-sugar-vs-saturated-fat-whats-more-likely-cause-coronary-heart-disease-369530

      OR       Fat has been demonized for years when it comes to heart health and health in general. In the medical field and in media a lot of negative attention has been put on fats, when diets high in refined sugar can lead to “higher levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, and lower levels of HDL” (Olson, 2016).

These negative attitudes towards fats seems to stem from an article by Ancel Keys, who observed those who ate diets high in saturated fats also had higher rates of heart disease, but what he didn’t include in his literature was that the individuals observed were eating high amounts of refined sugar as well.

Most recently the journal Circulation published an article that found that drinking sugary drinks daily increased dangerous fat in the body and increased the risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Another study in Heart, found that people who drank at least 2 sugary drinks a day increased their risk for heart failure by 25 percent.

I just wanted to share this information because fat being bad was something I’d always heard and it was a surprise to me when I head this.

source: http://www.medicaldaily.com/refined-sugar-vs-saturated-fat-whats-more-likely-cause-coronary-heart-disease-369530

      OR       Fat has been demonized for years when it comes to heart health and health in general. In the medical field and in media a lot of negative attention has been put on fats, when diets high in refined sugar can lead to “higher levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, and lower levels of HDL” (Olson, 2016).

These negative attitudes towards fats seems to stem from an article by Ancel Keys, who observed those who ate diets high in saturated fats also had higher rates of heart disease, but what he didn’t include in his literature was that the individuals observed were eating high amounts of refined sugar as well.

Most recently the journal Circulation published an article that found that drinking sugary drinks daily increased dangerous fat in the body and increased the risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Another study in Heart, found that people who drank at least 2 sugary drinks a day increased their risk for heart failure by 25 percent.

I just wanted to share this information because fat being bad was something I’d always heard and it was a surprise to me when I head this.

source: http://www.medicaldaily.com/refined-sugar-vs-saturated-fat-whats-more-likely-cause-coronary-heart-disease-369530

      OR       Fat has been demonized for years when it comes to heart health and health in general. In the medical field and in media a lot of negative attention has been put on fats, when diets high in refined sugar can lead to “higher levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, and lower levels of HDL” (Olson, 2016).

These negative attitudes towards fats seems to stem from an article by Ancel Keys, who observed those who ate diets high in saturated fats also had higher rates of heart disease, but what he didn’t include in his literature was that the individuals observed were eating high amounts of refined sugar as well.

Most recently the journal Circulation published an article that found that drinking sugary drinks daily increased dangerous fat in the body and increased the risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Another study in Heart, found that people who drank at least 2 sugary drinks a day increased their risk for heart failure by 25 percent.

I just wanted to share this information because fat being bad was something I’d always heard and it was a surprise to me when I head this.

source: http://www.medicaldaily.com/refined-sugar-vs-saturated-fat-whats-more-likely-cause-coronary-heart-disease-369530

Before diving into this great big sea of nursing, knowing how to handle your emotions is key. You’re of little use if you are too emotional and are unable to focus and provide care but then you don’t want to cut yourself off completely like many of us see in caregiver burnout. Where’s the happy medium? Notice I said happy. 

 

 

This is a picture my brother took on the night of December 4th, 2017. It’s a picture of us and all of our neighbors evacuating from our homes in the path of the Thomas Fire in the pitch blackness.

In the dark we gathered up everything valuable to us. Our cats, dogs, birth certificates. And then we waited in the road for the traffic to start moving.

We watched in the side view mirror as the fire climbed over the back of the ridge and down into our neighborhood. It took over an hour to drive half a mile.

But we were ready. We had flashlights and headlamps to see in spite of the power outage. We had cat carriers and dog leashes ready to go. We had gallons of water to drink in spite of the boil-water advisory.

I guess where I am going with this is that we have always had a disaster plan, and it saved us. And I think its a lesson that I can take with me into critical care nursing. Yes its stressful, but I plan on being prepared.

And for the record my family and I are all fine. We were allowed back into our house 2 weeks later.

I can’t believe we are in our final semester of nursing school! I didn’t believe it during my first semester when I was told that nursing school goes by fast, but it really does! I had a very restful winter break and spent lots of time with my family, my boyfriend, and friends (taking advantage of having plenty of time to do so!). Below is a picture of me, my boyfriend Sean, and our dog Leroy on Christmas day! After a nice 6 week break, I definitely felt well rested and ready to come back for my last semester. I am determined to finish out the program strong and do work hard this semester! I have mixed feelings about these rotations (transitions to practice and critical care). I have heard from previous cohorts that this is such a great semester; some even said that it was their favorite! However, I am nervous because of the difficult content in the course, and because of the intense environment of the ER/ICU in clinical. That being said, these are also great opportunities to learn and to be the best nurse possible!