Can only get better

20 Feb 2013 Leave a comment

by Carole Gardiner in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

I’ve nearly finished my first 2 weeks in my new job on my old unit and I must say I’ve coped really well. Although after each 12 hour shift I’ve felt very tired, once I’d had a good nights sleep I felt refreshed. I was worried that I would feel dreadful the following day but so far that’s not been the case.

I have however been finding my first few weeks very frustrating. I finished the Return to Nurse Practice course in November but our results have only just gone to the external awards board and we don’t get our registration numbers, (PIN), until sometime in March. This means that at the moment I am not allowed to check and give any medicines and be responsible for all my patients’ care until I receive my PIN. Before I became ill I worked on this unit as a senior staff nurse and I just want to be a fully functioning member of staff as I used to be.

I’m hoping that any day now my letter from the Nursing and Midwifery Council, (NMC), will drop on my doormat with all the paperwork I need to complete to get my PIN.  I don’t like doing anything half-baked, but I know there’s nothing I can do at the moment but wait…….that’s another thing I don’t like.

 

nurse

Getting close now

07 Feb 2013 Leave a comment

by Carole Gardiner in Uncategorized Tags: , , , ,

At last I have a start date for my job. I am starting this coming Monday on a day shift.

I am experiencing a multitude of feelings ranging from excitement to fear, from happiness to apprehension.  In my head I know I can do the job and that I’m fit enough to fulfill the role, but that doesn’t stop the nagging doubt I have inside me.

I’ve decided to go with the flow and do the best I can and if I find the hours too much then that’s what occupational health is for.

I’m really looking forward to being part of a team and to have a focus for my life again, (apart from my hubby and family). Not being able to work and giving up my career was the most devastating part of my illness, I’m delighted that I’ve come through it and have managed to get back to nursing.

The things I’ve learnt from being ill is to not take on too much and spread myself too thinly, to take of myself and my health, and accept help when offered instead of struggling on alone.

I hope that I remember these lessons when I go back into the world of work.

 

a nurse

 

Into the frying pan

09 Jan 2013 Leave a comment

by Carole Gardiner in Uncategorized Tags: , , , ,

Today I went into university to talk to the new cohort on the Return to Nurse Practice course. On our first day 3 nurses from the previous group came to talk to us. I couldn’t tell tell you exactly what they told us and what questions were asked and answered, but I do remember that I felt much better about the course after that session.

So when our tutor asked if any of us were willing to come and talk to the newbies I didn’t hesitate to volunteer,  because I knew how invaluable it was for me to hear about other people’s experience of the course and returning to practice.

There were 33 in the group and they all resembled scared rabbits in headlights! I couldn’t help but wonder if our cohort looked that petrified and whether we fired questions at the panel as quickly as they did.

Hopefully we managed to help calm their nerves about the coming months and that they all went home feeling a little more confident that they had made the right decision about starting the course.

 

 

nurses classroom

 

New Year New Life

02 Jan 2013 Leave a comment

by Carole Gardiner in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , ,

I had a job interview today at Bristol Children’s Hospital on the Bone Marrow Transplant unit.

This is where I worked for many years before I became ill and where I did my practice hours for the Return to Nurse practice course. Consequently I know a lot of the staff on the unit and I was interviewed by 2 managers that I have worked with for at least 15 years. I have to say that was really strange because they know me so well, but obviously had to ask me the same questions as the rest of the candidates.

Less than 2 hours after the interview I had a very pleasing phone call……I got the job!,(subject to references), I am so chuffed and excited about getting back to work again, doing the job I love.

When I first applied for the job I did worry that I was taking a step backwards, the job is a band lower than I was working at before I got ill, also it’s on the same unit. I did wonder whether I should have gone for somewhere new, a new speciality… a new challenge after completing the Return to Nursing course.

But my aim is to get back to work so that I can help Hasan get a visa to come and live in the UK. As I haven’t worked for a number of years I figured it was better to stick to what I know for now. The job is a fixed term for one year so who knows where I will go after that and what new challenges I can take on.

 

Go with the Flo

Down by 10%

10 Nov 2012 4 Comments

by Carole Gardiner in Uncategorized Tags: , , , ,

At last I’m happy to report that I have finally achieved my 10% weight loss at fat club.

So far I have lost a total of 19 pounds and I’m extremely proud of myself.

As I will be off on a journey to Turkey next week to see Hasan, I have cancelled my membership to Weight Watchers. It runs out on the 24th November and I won’t be around for the weekly weigh-in.

But I’ll still be tracking my points in my usual anal way while I’m away. Although I am stressing a bit about what I’m going to eat while over there. When I was last there I couldn’t find any fat free yogurt and I practically live on that! Turks use a lot of oil when cooking so I think I’ll be choosing salad a lot if we eat out.

To mark my weight-loss achievement I received a key ring from my group leader.

One more pound along the road I go

15 Oct 2012 Leave a comment

by Carole Gardiner in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , ,

I have been so engrossed in my studies that I haven’t kept my loyal readers up to date with my adventures in fat club land.

In the last 2 weeks I have lost another 3 and a half pounds, I only need to lose another pound and I will have reached my 10% weight loss target.

I think doing my nurse practice hours have really helped me to shift the extra pounds, it’s been quite busy on all the days I’ve worked so far and I’ve walked miles on the unit.

Over the last 7 years during my illness I haven’t been able to do any exercise and didn’t really move around a great deal as it was exhausting. That’s why the pounds piled on and I got lardy!

So not only is the course shaping my nursing career, it’s also helping me to regain my body and once the course is over I’m going to make an effort to get back to exercise. I just haven’t had the energy to do anything else after finishing my shifts.

It’s been a hard slog so far both for the course and the weight loss, but both have been worth it.

Light at the end of the tunnel

10 Oct 2012 Leave a comment

by Carole Gardiner in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , ,

I’m ashamed to say I haven’t written in this blog since the end of September. I have been so consumed by the Return to Nurse Practice course, that I haven’t been able to think about anything else. I often read the paper or see something on TV that I could write about and never get round to doing anything about it.

On a positive note though… I have written my assignment and am ready to submit it online, I really need to do that soon to avoid obsessional tweaking. Also I am over half way through my practice hours and will be finished by the end of October.

The course will be officially over 15th November and then I can take a well needed break. I have really enjoyed working back on the unit, many of the staff I worked with before are still there and some days it’s like I’d never left.

Although it has been exhausting going back to nursing, I’m glad that I made the decision to do it.

All good so far

05 Sep 2012 Leave a comment

by Carole Gardiner in Uncategorized Tags: , , ,

Today I finished my 3rd day of an induction week for my honorary contract and my new job at South Bristol Community Hospital.

As you would probably expect the day’s programmes have been quite hard going and full on. Some of the sessions have been mind-numbingly boring, but that has been a small minority. On the whole it hasn’t been a complete waste of energy and I have found myself engaged for the majority of the time.

The highlight of the week so far has been the Violence and Aggression session this morning. It’s hard to get excited about a session that will run into a 3 hour duration, so I must admit I thought it would be a hard slog and a struggle to stay awake.

But the trainer was excellent, he was a cross between Chris Rock and Lenny Henry and was extremely funny. He managed to get all the information across while keeping us entertained for the whole 3 hours.

So far this week, although I have felt very tired, I haven’t felt fatigued or ill. This is very encouraging, this hopefully means I will cope reasonably well with work when I start.

Back on track

03 Sep 2012 Leave a comment

by Carole Gardiner in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , ,

This week I went back to Weight Watchers after a week off for the bank holiday.

I’ve lost another 2 pounds, which totals 13 pounds so far. I wish I’d lost 1 more pound then I’d have reached my 1 stone target.

I also worked out my body mass index, (BMI) since I’ve started at fat club it’s gone from 29 to 26.9, which is really good so far.

When I’ve lost 5 more pounds I’d have lost 10% of my starting body weight, then I can set my goal weight that’s between BMI 20 and 25.

I must say I’ve started noticing a difference now in my clothes and my body shape. My love handles, muffin top and bingo wings are all disappearing  nicely and it’s really encouraging.

Also well done to my friend Deb who lost another 2 pounds.

Don’t want to play anymore

22 Aug 2012 6 Comments

by Carole Gardiner in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , ,

I must admit I’m getting a little despondent about fat club. Last week at weigh-in I gained 1 pound, that doesn’t probably doesn’t sound like much but Weight Watchers state in their bumph that if you follow the eating plan you are guaranteed to steadily lose weight.

I discussed this weight gain with our group leader and she went through all the usual suspects like; is my period due, (I had a total hysterectomy in 1997..so no), I’ve gone over my extra pro points, I’ve not tracked my food properly or miscalculated the point value of my food.

I informed her that none of the above applied and I’d done nothing differently than the weeks I’d lost weight. I am extremely anal about weighing and measuring my food, I write down everything I eat and track my pro points to within an inch of their lives!

Our leader then said to go home and go over what I’d written for the week and maybe something will jump out at me where I  might have gone wrong, needless to say I didn’t find anything.

This week, after a week similar to all the others I’ve had since starting Weight Watchers, I lost 1 and a half pounds.

I felt so demoralised last week I couldn’t even write a post about the weigh-in like I normally do. I am encouraged by this weeks weight loss, but really it is only half a pound because I needed to lose the pound I gained last week.

Next week is Bank holiday so there is no fat club, maybe that’s a good thing, I think I need a break from the weigh-in.

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