Jumping feet first into the great unknown.......

I'm going to start off with band news this week: I've lost a kilo since last Saturday but it hasn't been hard. With the super hectic hours I've been working (and the huge amount of walking I do) by the time I get to lunch,  I'm actually not very hungry. I have to force myself to eat - and when I do, this band of mine is super tight. Even yoghurt is an ordeal. I've been mainly snacking on health food bars (they seem to go down really well...) and small individual packets of raw nuts, dried apricots and sultanas and stuff like that. I made the mistake of trying to put together a healthy lunch on day one - wholemeal Ryvita crackers, low-fat slices of cheese and tomato and only managed half a one before I was full - or backed up. Same the next day.  I've figured out  the softer food is working better. I'm not overfilled by any means - it's just that stress or being plain flat out brings me a tighter band. All good for the weight loss scenario though (I'm about 300 grams off losing 70 pounds!!) and I'm not suffering in any way. I drink heaps of water and I'm making sure I have my vitamins etc. 


I wanted to have a shout-out to Caroline from Lonicera's Lapband and Other Stories. She was sweet enough to include me in the seven bloggers for the Beautiful Blogger award... but I didn't see it until this morning so I was too late to include her in the last post. Thanks Caroline. I am honored. 

Me in uniform. Not a terribly flattering shirt

Now for work news. I had Monday and Tuesday up in Perth finishing off the few weeks of theory we had - no great news there... just study and more study. Wednesday I started at one of the nursing homes here where I live. Wednesday was an okay day. We started off with orientation of the home. This place is ENORMOUS!!! It has a nursing home which is basically a big square made up of long hallways with the private rooms with ensuites for the residents. This is the high-care section. Around the edges of the home is home care - people who are mostly able to look after themselves but just need a little help in some areas. Then there is another four blocks of high/low care with the dementia patients. So........Wednesday was orientation, then watching a few videos on fire hazards and what to do if a fire ever hits, another on incontinence and how to handle it - just things like that. We did a lot of observing with a little hands on work with the patients on Monday afternoon.


Then Thursday hit. HOLY MACKERAL!! Never in my life have I had a day like this. I was placed in the West wing, with Margaret - another local lady I'm doing the course with, placed in the East. We were down three staff that morning and it was a shocker. We went flat out for five straight hours without a break and talk about being thrown in the deep end. We were helping with showers, hoisting those that can't walk to the toilet, then getting them to the shower, doing 2 hourly turns for the totally incapacitated and giving them bed baths (this is actually a stomach- wrencher part of the job I must say - these people are like little sparrows - all skin and bone :( and so on and so forth. I ran out of steam about lunch time because we had started at 7am. I pushed through with the rest of the afternoon and by 3pm - home-time  - was totally trashed. Margaret and I collapsed in these chairs down the end of the hallway about five minutes before we left. It had been the first time all day we had to catch up and we looked at each other in exhaustion. I said to her...."What did we do? Have we made a mistake?" She just gave a little shrug and said, "I think maybe so... but it's still early days." I was so tired I had to have a nana nap about an hour after I got home lol. These 7am starts SUCK! I have to be up at 5.30am in order to get out of the house on time and it makes for a long day. 


Anyway, Friday was a better day. I was put into the dementia ward (by then I could have been a patient!!)... It was a calmer, more flowing kind of day. Still busy, but not as manic. I ended up doing three showers on my own and toileting several people too, getting them ready for breakfast. You have to go in and choose their clothes for them depending on the weather, but these people are fairly good. They might have an opinion on what shoes they want to wear and some even their own clothes. I must say, I love the dementia patients. They are sweet, (for the most part) and they are like children. They need guidance in every single aspect of their day. But that's ok. This is where I excel. I like helping them, putting them to bed for their naps, guiding them with food etc etc and just being around them. We have some real characters too and I would LOVE to talk about them a little more but unfortunately the confidentiality act prevents me doing so. Needless to say, I went to the admin officer straight after work at 3pm and requested I spend more time there. I feel this might be my niche - that or home care, which I'm still looking at. High care is, well, bloody hard. So much more mentally and physically demanding and while I know I will get past this certain aspect of it (I already am actually.. you have no choice) their lack of modesty is heartbreaking, They could have anything done to them and they don't even have a voice to say no. You are just pulling off their clothes and taking down their pants to attend to them. It is also rather a stinky part of the job. I was told.. if you have children... then it's just like that. Poo is poo!.  Bullcrap! This is about as different as you can get. 


One girl and I were working with a stroke victim and he had an accident. As we are cleaning him up and trying to dress him - the other girl stressed to me that it wasn't that bad... that it was just like when you clean your own children.....(she told me she hasn't had kids.. but she's around my age.. so we clicked.) I cut her off......... (I was very hot, tired and ready for home by then) and I said, rather forcibly .. 'Its NOT!! If they tell you that, don't believe it.... It's NOTHING like tending to your own children. This is an adult with adult poo. 'Nuff said!" She wisely shut up lol.  


All the girls I work with are hard-working and really care for the patients which is good, because I can see myself being an advocate for the people if I see anyone step out of line or be rough. I wouldn't be able to shut up! That and learning fast to stuff my pockets full of gloves and blue booties for your feet in case you have to shower someone unexpectedly or deal with an unexpected accident. 


So, that was my week. The early starts are hard but I'm slowly getting used to them. The trick is going to bed early enough (and I usually hate that.. going to bed early, getting up early is blahhhh...) The biggest trouble we have now is with Riley. MOTH (Man of the House) was called into work and he starts at 6am. Mitch is also gone by 6am. Mason and I disappear at 6.30am. We called on my MIL again (she's a treasure) but she is only here for a week. What happens after that with regards to getting Riley to school (and someone being around to watch him) is doing my head in. He doesn't start until 9am with Jake leaving at 8 am for his. It means before school care I guess, or maybe I can lean on a friend to do the run once Ragnhild goes. I'm just not sure yet. Another option is to just work part-time and see if I can do afternoons. That's the 3pm to 11pm shift. It might be ok that way if I can swing it. Who knows. I will worry about it more when we are finally faced with the decision. I had better make it quick though. I only have around five days before MIL takes off again. Argh!! 

Updated pic of me almost 32 kilos down - I look so serious (maybe grumpy? lol)

Guess that's it from me. Another long post (you still with me?) I've decided I will pop in a few times a week and just give a quick update (as well as reading and commenting if I possibly can.)  I love my blog time and I feel its still an important part of my life - in regards to keeping my weight on track and still connecting with you guys. Don't want to jump out of the fold completely. Have a great weekend.. see you again soon. 
Cara xxx