When Nurses (Try to) Diagnose

This week, my left foot and ankle swelled up. Naturally, I took a picture with my camera phone, which I do anytime I experience any observable physical symptoms. Hey, I like to document things! Why the eff else do you think I like blogging?!

I was showing a nurse I work with a picture I took of my swollen foot with my iPhone. To the top of my foot was a noticeably large red bump, which was quite evident in the picture.

Nurse: Oh wow, that’s a DVT! (i.e. “Deep Vein Thrombosis” or a blood clot occurring in the “deep veins” of the lower extremities)

Me: It’s not a DVT…

Nurse: No, that looks like a classic DVT!

Me: It’s not a DVT. (OK, sure I have two of the classic DVT symtoms… Foot pain and edema, but those symptoms could be many, many things. NOT A DVT!)

Nurse: Well, it could be a DVT. It could be one that formed in the foot. Rare, but it could happen.

Me: It’s not a DVT. DVT is “deep vein,” not superficial. It can’t occur in the foot. Why are you trying to diagnose me?! It’s quite obviously a running injury!

Excuse me, nurse… Do you have an “MD” behind your name? No? OK, then stop trying to diagnose me via iPhone picture!

There are plenty of times I’ve seen ailments in patients and known exactly what they are. Oh ya, that’s a stroke! Definitely pulmonary embolism. Classic atelectasis!

I get texts all the time from friends listing off their symptoms. 100% of the time, I’m not sure what their deal is. Friend says she has heartburn… Well, ok, that could be a million and one things from dehydration to peptic ulcer. Or, you know, it could be a symptom of first trimester pregnancy… Just sayin’!

But you can bet your bottom dollar I don’t try to diagnose them. And most of the time I tell them to go see a physician or a nurse practitioner who can properly diagnose. Because I am neither of those things… Yet.

My scope of practice is that of a nurse. I don’t try to play doctor, and I’m certainly not amused when someone else with the same credentials as I tries to diagnose me. #GTFO!

I believe medical students are taught something along the lines of “when you hear hoofbeats, look for horses, not zebras.” Meaning, consider the most common diagnosis FIRST. (Duh.) In my case, I’m a healthy young woman who runs long distances, has no history of heart disease, and has not recently embarked on any long duration flights (which can cause blood clot formation. That’s why they encourage you to get up out of your seat on long flights, people!).

On Wednesday, I saw a doctor who, after thorough examination, diagnosed me with a running-related ankle injury.

And low-and-behold, the physiotherapy he referred me for seems to be working quite well.

So, definitely not a DVT.

End of story.

The Hotel Life

A big part of my job involves traveling out-of-town for conferences and training. Even though I’m a certified homebody, there are things I enjoy (and things I don’t enjoy so much) about being away from home and living “the hotel life.”

Things I Don’t Like About Traveling for Work:

• The Food

Conference food is the worst (next to BC Ferry food). It’s like a processed and refined heaven! Which is actually the opposite of heaven for my intestines which can barely tolerate anything I don’t carefully make myself at home. Although they (for the most part) are always very accomodating to my gluten intolerance, I almost always get served meat in place of whatever has gluten. So either I (a) starve, (b) risk some sort of a reaction to a potential gluten containing product, or (c) suck it up and eat meat. And (b) and (c) are not really options.

Actually, I haven’t starved yet… Thank goodness for Starbucks being just a minute away, and for lots of rice and potatoes! Gluten-free goodness!

•  Hotel Rooms

Are boring. I worked-out twice yesterday just because I was bored out of my mind. If it weren’t for X Factor USA being on last night and tonight, I don’t know what I would’ve done with myself!

• Sneaky Little Things in the Hotel Room

I arrive to my room. I’m parched from traveling, especially because I drank a whole tumbler of coffee on the road. Oh, but thank goodness there’s this giant bottle of water in the room!

Chug, chug, chug…

Oh. Shoot! That was a friggin’ pricey bottle of water!

Things I Like About Traveling for Work:

• Being Out-of-the-Office

Sometimes it’s just nice to break the monotony of the usual work week. (Although my job is far from what you might consider “monotomous.”)

• Ice Machine

Sure comes in handy when you’ve got a bum ankle and foot from running like I do at the moment! Why don’t I have one of these babies at home?!

• LEARNING

Ways to Make Work Travels (Just A Bit) More Tolerable:

• Take the Travel Day OFF WORK

As in, don’t go into the office. Avoid it if you can. I used to travel the morning of the conference, and well, how many people out there have driven into Vancouver from the Fraser Valley? It is a nightmare! Even when I would leave at 5:30 in the morning, I would stroll into the conference 3 hours later. Downtown Vancouver is, at the most, an hour away (in normal traffic conditions). Talk about STRESSFUL!

This was the first conference that I traveled to the day before. Let me just say, it was smooth sailing! No frantic packing (and forgetting a million things), no being stuck in heavy traffic, and no having to brave the 6 am deadlock on Highway 1. Win-win-win!

• Drink Lots of Water

It actually helps to keep you awake (even in the most dry of presentations). Oh, and if you drink enough, you’ll have to take frequent pee breaks! 🙂

• Work-Out

Walk on your nutrition breaks, hit up the hotel gym after the conference. Counteract the “culture of food” that seems to be the norm at most conferences with a lil’ bit of activity!

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Tomorrow’s my last day in the city, and I’m looking forward to getting back home and finishing my packing… NOT. But I am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed!

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Question:
If you have to travel for work, how do you tolerate being away from home?
Do you love it or loathe it?