What a difference a day makes

Or rather, five days and the absence of a bitchy ward manager...



Thanks to everyone who commented on my wallowing earlier. Things have improved on the mood front. It's probably a combination of things; hormones sorting themselves out, a good week at placement, a surpise half shift off today and 4 days of doing nothing ahead.



Evil Boss is off this week and the whole atmosphere of the ward has been completely different...very relaxed. I've met my mentor, and he seems nice, so I feel like less of a spare part. Feels like I have an ally now too. And since the ward was so quiet (an acute ward running at 50% occupancy, must be some sort of record) and I had plowed through what needed doing, I got a flyer.



I do like the ward otherwise. Yesterday I was there to see a patient get discharged. Oddly - for me - I'd also been there when she was admitted. This isn't something I've ever had happen, working as I do with longer stay patients, and it was nice. She had been very ill when she came in; we'd asked her for a urine sample which she had provided...then promptly drank, before we could get hold of it. She'd been reducing the dose of her antipsychotic under her GP's supervision, but the last reduction coupled with several nights without sleep had pushed her into a major relapse. A few times we caught her standing on her bed trying to climb into the sky. Anyway, we doped her up and upped the meds and after a good nights kip she was a different person. She is a fantastic advert for the power of antipsychotics...they don't work for everyone, but when they do it's pretty impressive. So she got discharged a few days later.



So now I have 4 days off, with nothing planned. Mr Door is on days over the weekend, so will do the rounds of the family and see if work ring with any offers of shifts. Need to start working on the Bridge Replacement Fund in case the insurance company decides to stiff us on the repair...