Info on Foley Catheters

I am still recovering from this weekend, which was my 2nd one on-call since I started with Home Health/Hospice. I had serious thoughts about HATING my very part-time job and many reasons why I should quit, especially when I had to go to an unfamiliar region, known only by a less-than-glowing reputation and it was a little after midnight. However, once I got there and waited for the mortuary staff to arrive, I realized again that there were people having a much worse night than I was. After returning home around 1:30, I was awakened AGAIN at 6 :30 am. I have decided that Foley catheters are a tool of the devil. Not only then, but again Saturday night was I summoned for misbehaving plumbing. I'll spare all of you non-medical personnel the details. Overall......2 hospice deaths and 7 catheter incidences. Must have been a full moon. Sheesh. It seems like only yesterday, and it's been about a week already. PLUS when I was on call on Wednesday I had to go out for ANOTHER catheter mishap. Good NIGHT. Let me do some teaching to these folks about how to MAINTAIN these things and to their PHYSICIANS about appropriate use! They should be used for genuine problems, like retention or temporarily for skin breakdown, not for convenience or incontinence, unless they are a hospice patient. There is my rant for the day.

Tavin had an art project/science type thingy at her school last week, sponsored by the parent club. They were given 3 weeks to complete a project of their choosing, and Tavin had hers done the day after coming home with the information. We tried to get her to take her time and put some thought into it, but she was afraid of waiting until the last minute like she did with the hat contest. So, she took a cereal box, empty paper towel roll and a paper place setting with the Chinese Zodiac (of all things) from our neighbor's restaurant and fashioned a "telescope". It was the first one finished and sat in the school library for 3 weeks, waiting for everyone else. We didn't want to discourage her, but knew there were kids working on elaborate things, likely with parental input and guidance. I wish I had a picture so show you the project, and the 2nd place ribbon it won.