If itās yellow, let it mellow. If itās brown, you might have liver disease
Transparent – may indicate over-hydration, can dilute essential salts, such as electrolytes, creating a problematic chemical imbalance in the blood (fine if not all the time). Ā
Pale straw – colour – normal, healthy, well-hydrated.
Transparent yellow – Normal.
Dark yellow – mild dehydration.
Amber or honey – Possibly dehydrated
Light orange – Possibly dehydrated, may also be caused by liver or bile duct problems, consumed food dyes or the excretion of excess B vitamins from bloodstream.
Orange – Some medications, such as rifampin or phenazopyridine
Dark orange or brown – A possible symptom of jaundice, rhabdomyolysis or Gilbertās syndrome . Also caused by severe dehydration.
Pink – eating beets, blueberries or rhubarb can do this. A pinkish hue might be a first indicator of blood
Red – Blood in the urine, haematuria , can be benign, idiopathic or a sign of a kidney stone, infection or tumour in the urinary tract, or many other pathologies – immediately consult a physician.
Green– Eating asparagus does this for some people, some medications and food too, but it can also signal a bacterial infection in the urinary tract.
Dark brown or black – Potential causes like copper or phenol poisoning or melanoma, which can result in blackish urine called melanuria.
White or milky – This may be caused by an overabundance of certain minerals, such as calcium or phosphate, a urinary tract infection or excessive proteins.
Note: cloudy urine in women can just be vaginal mucus
Maternity and paternity leave is really important, paternity leave is, I think, a really important part of equality. Normalise the idea that men will raise children, be these men hetero or gay.
All parents need time to bond with a new baby, and time to acclimate themselves to all thatās required to care for one.Ā
On top of forming a connection with their child, this can help to simplify distribution of labor when it comes to childcare. This way, there isnāt just one parent doing everything most of the time and then one confused parent in over their head anytime the other hands the baby off so they can go shower, get some food in them, go shopping/to a meeting, etc.
ALSO a woman will need weeks and months to heal from the birth. My husband always felt so guilty about leaving back to work just two weeks after the baby was born with BOTH our kids, because he knew I was still figuring out breastfeeding, getting used to the new baby, far too tired to clean/cook, etc. He obviously helped out outside of work, but that is so much to ask of anyone to work 9-5 and then play homemaker on top of that. Fathers need rest and time to enjoy the baby too.
Itās honestly ridiculous that fathers are expected to only spare a few weeks (at most) post-labor. The mother just went through one of the most physically traumatic episodes the human body is capable of, sheās not going to be bouncing back to normal after a few weeks. Itās a critical time when the father is needed more than ever to ease the adjustment period.
Iāve seen people complain that paternal leave is a āscamā. Certainly a lot of companies seem to think so. But the truth is that our culture is so consumer/work based, that career and money is everything, that we (a) assume that any attempt at paid leave is gimmicking the system, and (b) that parenthood is not a reasonable thing to prioritize over making income
Fathers are often portrayed in media as helpless with children or unable to empathize as well as mothers. And you know what? Thereās some truth to that because of how society depicts menās roles in parenthood since the early 20th century. Their job is to make a living and discipline. Not spend time connecting to their offspring.
Let fathers bond with their kids. It starts at the beginning. Spare them at least a month to get to know their son or daughter. Let them enjoy getting to know each babiesā unique personality outside of late-night wake-ups. Without paternity leave, they must choose between being a good husband and father, or putting bread on the table.
Let mothers and fathers have time to bond with EACH OTHER, too – they have a new dynamic every time a new little person shows up in their family.Ā They need time to be together as well as time to be with their kids.
The biggest thing I have is that Iāve been told maternity and paternity leave is a privilege you get from having a good job. Well why canāt you get these in lower income jobs??? If youāre working minimum wage why should you have to worry about having a job or else spending time with your kid/recovering from pregnancy?? And also why is pregnancy usually solely what paternal/maternal leave are for? What about adoption?? The bonding aspects matter there too! If not even more!!! Iām sorry Iām just so opinionated on this and itās one thing I can talk about without being nervous
i love cherokee hair tampons so much but there is an exceptionally untapped well of stankyle angst surrounding it considering kyle could very well die before heās even thirty
thirty honestly was a tad bit premature for the sake of being dramatic but not that crazy
so kyle gets a kidney transplant at eight years old. transplants donāt last forever; the average lifespan for a kidney depends on the donor ā if theyāre a living relative itās about fifteen years, twelve for a deceased donor, and an unrelated but living donor is somewhere between the two. be generous and say kyleās kidney lasts him fourteen for an even number. that would mean sometime in kyleās early twenties his transplanted kidney would begin to fail
now, in the episode, the doctor tells stan that he wouldnāt be able to give kyle his kidney b/c they donāt share the same blood type, and the only person who shares kyleās blood type (ab negative) is cartman, which is why they need one of his kidneys. when i was thinking about this like a year ago i was under the impression that this was true, but it actually isnāt; not only does the rh factor (the presence/lack thereof of an antigen that designates someoneās blood positive or negative) not matter in transplants, ab blood is actually a universal recipient. they can receive an organ from anyone. so stan very well could donate one of his kidneys to kyle (as could ike, theoretically, or any member of kyleās family as an immediate consideration) though this doesnāt necessarily mean heās a very compatible match
but! letās follow the showās logic to make this even more difficult. say that stan is an incompatible donor and that a kidney donor needs to be an exact match in blood type save for universal donors ā that would mean kyle could only receive a kidney from other ab negative donors or an o negative one. less than one percent of the population has ab negative blood, and about 6.6 percent of people have o negative. that is not a large margin of compatibility
thereās a lot of factors that go into someoneās priority for organ donation. kidneys are by far in the highest demand and in low supply relative to this. at any given time there are over 100,000 people in the u.s. alone on the kidney transplant wait list. the average wait time is somewhere between 3-10 years depending on the region and people die every day waiting; some people become too sick to be eligible for donation during the wait. children obviously get first priority. thereās also the matter of if someone has previously received a donation and antibodies present in your body ā these make it much more difficult to match w a donor; immunocompromised people also have a much harder time since their bodies have increased difficulty fighting infections and are more likely to suffer complications transplant rejections. the physical matching ā meaning, how closely the donorās organ would fit in the recipients considering their body size ā is another issue. thereās a lot more that goes into it but these are some major ones
so given how these apply to kyle, he could have a pretty difficult time finding a second kidney. and he could become too sick to receive one during the wait should he even be matched w a potential donor
the average span of time someone can live on dialysis is 5-10 yrs. dialysis doesnāt not work, but some people can become unable to tolerate the treatment depending on the severity of their condition. a lot of people decide to stop their dialysis treatment as they feel it does more to denigrate their quality of life than improve it, and go on to choose palliative care instead in anticipation for the end of their livesĀ
tl;dr kyle might not have such a long and fruitful life
Nooo…. This is not the kind of content I want on my dash. THS IS NOT OKAY.
LET MY BOY LIVE AND BE HAPPY DAMMIT šššššššššš
You with the cane and arthritic hands, who has to ask for non-childlock caps on their medications lest they are unable to open them. Who has banged too many jars against counter tops trying to pop the seal to count. Who uses scissors to open everything possible, and rubs their knees when it rains. I see you.
You who has to wear diapers at night to keep their sheets dry, or during the day for incontinence. You who knows the best brands, which show through clothing the least, what stores have the best deals. I see you.
You with the cannula, wheeling your oxygen around, sitting on benches and leaning against walls, trying to catch your breath. I see you.
You with the catheter, who knows exactly how large your bladder is and how much you can drink, and has cathed themselves too many times to count.
You with the ostomy pouch, who knows just how to hide it but might be shy to wear a bathing suit. Who has become a pro at cleaning their skin and stoma. Who knows exactly what sorts of foods your body has trouble digesting. I see you.
You with the discolored or missing teeth, who is afraid to smile big. Who is terrified of judging by dentists, or expensive bills. Who winces when they see their mouth in photos, or has been ridiculed to have their mouth. I see you.
If you have memory problems, if you have rashes, if you have too many pills to count up without paper, if your hands shake, if your knees are weak, if youāve been told youāreĀ āToo youngā to live with your illness or symptoms: I see you.
You are not too young. You are not gross. I see you, and you are valid.Ā
Hey folks just a fun reminder that you have a legal right to read your entire medical record, including your entire psychiatric record, including everything theyāve observed during an appointment and every test theyāve ever ordered and every note they have written to another person on your care team.
Everything that any medical practitioner has ever committed to paper about you, you have a legal right to hold in your hand.
Itās a mysterious, newly discovered disease that strikes mainly young women, and itās often misdiagnosed. Doctors who discovered it, here in Philadelphia, say itās like your brain is on fire. 3 On Your Side Health Reporter Stephanie Stahl says it starts with personality changes.
Young women dazed, restrained in hospital beds, acting possessed and then becoming catatonic. Theyād been so normal, when suddenly their lives went haywire.
āOne minute Iād be sobbing, crying hysterically, and the next minute Iād be laughing, said Susannah Cahalan, of New Jersey.
āI was very paranoid and manic. There was something wrong. I thought trucks were following me,ā said Emily Gavigan, of Pennsylvania.
And it got worse for Emily Gavigan, who was a sophomore at the University of Scranton. Hospitalized, and out of it, she couldnāt control her arm movements. Then there were seizures, and she needed a ventilator. Her parents were watching their only child slip away.
āIt was life and death for weeks,ā said Grace Gavigan, Emilyās mom.
āWe were losing her. This is something that I couldnāt control,ā said Bill Gavigan, Emilyās dad.
Doctors also couldnāt figure out what was wrong with Susannah.
āI had bizarre abnormal movements, would leave my arms out extended, you know, in front of me. I was a relatively normal person, then the next minute Iām hallucinating and insisting that my father had kidnapped me,ā said Susannah.
Turns out, Susannah and Emily werenāt mentally ill. They both had an auto immune disease called Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis, when antibodies attack the brain, causing swelling.
Susannah says this is how doctors explained it to her parents, āHe told them her brain is on fire. He used those words: āHer brain is on fire.āā
An ostomy is a surgical creation of an opening in the intestinal wall to the outside of the body. There are a few different types of ostomies and their names depend on the anatomical placement.Ā
Photo cred to Intermountain Healthcare
Usually, the name coincides with the part of the intestine being surgically placed. For example, and ileostomy is created in the ileum part of the intestine.
Who needs an ostomy?
Different types of disorders may call for the placement of an ostomy. Some ostomies are going to be permanent, others may only be temporary. This is usually determined by the provider and severity of the cause. Obstructive disorders such as intestinal tumors may require an ostomy. Diverticulitis, Ulcerative Colitis, and intestinal perforations may also require an ostomy. MostĀ Ā are elective, however in some emergencies, an ostomy may be required.Ā
Pre/Post-Op Nursing
-Obviously for an ostomy procedure, we are going to need informed consent. It is the surgeonās duty to explain thoroughly to the patient what the procedure is, including risks and benefits. The nurseās position is to clarify only. The nurse also will help with a bowel prep, if needed, before surgery. So why are we doing a bowel prep?Ā Before most procedures, the patient is given an enema or laxative to clear the bowels. This is to help decrease intestinal bacteria and therefore decreasing the risk of post-op infection. The patient will likely be NPO the night before surgery. Also, they most likely will have IV or oral antibiotics prescribed. If the patient is scheduled to have an NGT insertion, they need to be educated that after the surgery, a tube will be in their nose!!! They WILL try to pull it out if not!
-The patient may have an IV patient-controlled analgesia pump for 24-36 hours after the surgery. Their diet is going to be liquid to solid and advance as tolerated BY the patient. You need to make sure that before they are given ANYTHING, the gag reflex needs to be present. You need to monitor the stoma to make sure it is function and place a pouch as soon as possible.
Stoma Care
So what does a stoma look like?Ā Stomas typically are going to be reddish-pink and moist. If they are dark red, purple, or black, this indicates ischemia and needs to be reported to the provider.Ā
The stoma should start working 2-4 days post-operatively. First there will be a passage of flatus, usually.Ā Ā Depending on the placement of the stoma will also depend on the type of stool youāll typically see.Ā
Ascending Colon- liquid stools
Transverse Colon- pasty stools
Descending Colon- solid stools
If patients have a stoma in the lower vicinity, they should be informed that some sexual dysfunction may occur.
They should use mild soap to clean the stoma.Ā
Nutrition
Okay, guys! Just a couple notes on nutrition then ostomy care is finito!
So stomas can be stinky. š No big deal, as a nurse you can tell your patient a couple tips! For example, buttermilk, cranberry juice, and yogurt can reduce odor in a stoma.Ā If the patients are having a lot of gas, you can recommend crackers, toast, and yogurt!!!
š„ There is beauty in destructionš„ 