Yeash, how long have I been doing the oil cleansing method? I think it's been 11 days... Almost two weeks! Wow! It's going pretty good. I've learned that I started off using wash clothes that were WAY too hot for the steaming step. This created blotchy red skin, since I was burning myself without realizing it. Even though your skin won't tell you it's burning, you're still at risk for damaging it. Woopsies!
I've adjusted how I manage the cleansing method. I'll go into more details later, but I wanted to post something before I headed off to practicum just because I hadn't really mentioned anything about the OCM lately. I've had one single nodule break-out since I've started, which is pretty significant since I usually have one or two breakouts every other day. A few nodules were even surpressed and reverted back. I had one holy mother of all nodules on my chin that lasted three weeks which has finally gone into remission.
I'm not in love with my skin, but it's starting to look a lot better so I'm pretty darn happy!
I can't believe it. I only have 6 days left of practicum! I get to go to maternity tomorrow... I have my fingers crossed for seeing a vaginal delivery. A c-section would be awesome to watch, but I'd prefer to see a mom go through a delivery she has planned for. Unless it's a planned C-section... Obviously :D
I was on the pediatric floor on Sunday, but there wasn't a whole lot that happened there. I got to freak out a mom by gearing up for droplet precautions (booties, bonnet, face mask with an eye shield, gown, and gloves). Apparently, the "droplet precaution" sign at her door was there just for safety measures. The little kid actually didn't have anything that warranted droplet precautions to be taken. Sorry, mom! Didn't mean to scare you like that, haha. Luckily, the little kid didn't mind one bit.
I'm on a medical-surgical floor now, which is nice. I had a very pleasant patient today. Aside from a few organizational issues due to being on the floor for the very first time, my day went very well. I got a few new skills in and I'm pretty satisfied with the quality of work I did on and for my patient.
Alright... So tonight will be the seventh time I've cleaned my skin with oil. So far... No new nodules forming under my skin, and a few of them actually reverted. The bad side is that my skin doesn't look terribly healthy. It's not that it's greasy looking or anything, it's just missing a certain luster about it. Maybe it's just the terrible diet I've been eating lately - nothing but junk!
I have had a few small white heads pop up, likely because I'm not spending enough time steaming and removing the excess oil.
All in all... I'm not really sold on the oil cleansing method. I said I'd do it for 3 weeks, so I will continue to do it for 3 weeks. It's pretty good and it's cheap to do, but it's definitely not perfect!
So today is the third day since I've cleaned my face with anything other than soap paired with harsh chemicals. I'm really apprehensive about posting anything terribly positive... Because I don't want to jinx anything. I have 3 current nodule break-outs on my skin, which are from last week. I had two forming on Sunday when I started this and today, one is completely gone, and the other is small and not red. The pores on my nose look amazing.
I found out that oil is great at removing water-proof mascara! Fabulous :D
So far, I'm pretty content with it. I feel as though my skin is less oily during the day. Usually come afternoon, my skin is incredibly greasy and oily looking. Yesterday, it wasn't too bad at all. It was still kind of oily, but not nearly as bad as normal.
I'm trying to take daily pictures so that I can put together a neat little collage when my 3 weeks is up. I missed last night's photo because I crashed pretty hard after my daughter was in bed. I had only received 2 hours of sleep the night before and was back on my feet for most of the day in light of practicum.
I'm pretty happy with the OCM so far... I just hope that my skin continues to adjust to it like it has been.
I started a list of 101 things to do in 1001 days. A friend linked me to a website showing this off and I thought it would be a fun thing to do, so I started my own list... I barely got past 50 things before my mind went completely dry of ideas, but I will add to it whenever something new pops into my head.
Today marks the first day of the oil cleansing method. What is the Oil Cleansing Method? It's not to be confused with "Oil Pulling," which is a very strange act I've come across today while researching the OCM. The OCM is a method of cleaning your face without using harsh chemicals, soaps, or other things of such.
I'll give you a little background on myself. I had relatively clear skin all through high school. I'd have a single break-out each month for obvious reasons (hi. I'm a woman, have you met my endocrine system?) But other than that, flawless skin. Fast forward to my 22nd birthday, I'm greeted with a nodule. The next day, two more nodules. The next day, a few more. It got to the point where my entire jaw line and down my neck were filled with incredibly painful nodules.
Nodules are kind of like pimples/white-heads, but they never make it to the surface. They stay under the surface and are very painful. If you accidentally bump one, it will continue to give you a sharp, stabbing pain for a few minutes after the impact. This kind of acne is either rare or is understood. It took me a while to find the name nodular acne on Google. It is ranked underneath cystic acne and is considered mild-moderate acne. Some websites show it as a mild cystic acne form.
This is a self diagnosis, if you couldn't tell.
I ended up getting a prescription for Clindoxyl gel, which dried the heck out of my face and made me break out intensely for the first few weeks, but I stuck with it. I told my doctor I would use it for the full 3 months before I gave it up. As luck would have it, I started seeing noticeable improvement 2.5 months into it. I weaned myself off of that prescription and started using Benzoyl Peroxide from Acne.org. I should mention that I use Cetaphil cleansing face bars with this.
A year or so later, after enjoying clear skin, my face slowly started breaking out again. For the past 4 months, I've been using Clearasil's pads with salicylic acid in them. This didn't seem to improve my skin at all. I'm fed up with harsh chemicals that bleach my EYEBROWS and my pillow cases. Enough is enough.
I've spent the past week research the Oil Cleansing Method and today... Today we dine in glory *evil cackle* Not really. Today, I start the "OCM". Here's what I do:
Have a blend of 30% castor oil, 70% olive oil (or any other oil you may want to try... Google it first!)
Massage the oil into your dry skin for a few minutes
Take a STEAMING hot cloth (don't burn yourself) and place it on your face.
Relax. Let it sit there for a while. Let the cloth cool down to room temperature.
Rinse the cloth like heck, massage your face again.
Make the cloth hot again and put it back onto your face and relax.
Gently wipe the oils off of your face with the cloth.
Repeat steps 6 and 7.
Splash your face with cool water.
Pat dry
Tada! I'll post before and after pictures in about 3 weeks... If the results are positive. Ha!
I had the worst sleep I've had in a long time last night. My nose woke me up quite a bit - sneezing, sniffling, one heck of a sore throat, and the inability to breathe through my nostrils. I'd like to send out a thank you to my baby sister for this cold. I'm honored. Actually, it's my daughter's inexperienced hand washing while she and I were at my mom's house on Monday.
I hope this cold does not last very long... Not only is it incredibly uncomfortable and sore (ow! I can't eat!) I have practicum on Sunday again. I actually ended up missing practicum yesterday because my daughter was so sick and half-way through the day is when I got slammed with the illness. My daughter seems to be doing better than me, thank goodness! Poor girl.
On the brighter side, I was able to work on that fish hat a bunch yesterday. I'm at least 80% done now. I'm just doing the tail, then have to work on the details such as the fins and the eyes. I'm quite pleased with how it's coming along. I can't wait to be done it so that I can move on to making hats for my two nephews... Their hats will be a bit of a challenge, since I'll be creating a pattern just for them. I have to incorporate mighty machines into their hats, otherwise they simply won't wear them (of course!) They truly are their father's sons hehe
What is the weirdest food item you've come across? One that's packaged and sold in North America, I should say!
Here's my contribution: Weasel Puke Coffee. Yes. Weasel Puke. What happens is these little guys run around eating the coffee beans and they eventually throw up the coffee beans, slightly digested. Digested to the point of the acidic qualities of the beans being lowered drastically. This creates a smoother coffee taste!
I'm not going to lie, I would probably try this if I were given the opportunity.
My 3-year-old had her very first ye doctor appointment today. She was very good for the doctor. I was quite surprised and very pleased! Her eyesight seems to be very good. Score!
I'm going to take down the rest of the wallpaper in the living room today then slap up some paint samples on the already prepared wall. Meanwhile, you all can check this website out: http://awkwardworkouts.com/ I found it hilarious, though it might only be funny to us gym regulars.
I am a fan of running. That's no secret. I haven't been running as much as I should be lately, though. I'm getting back into running and I have to hit it full force. I have a measly 5 Km run on October 4th - the CIBC Run for the Cure, which you can find a link to on the right.
I am going to start slow as I ease back into running... Assess where my level is at and go from there. From here on out, I'll be doing interval running, starting off as such: Run for 3, walk for 2.5, run for 5, walk for 2.5, run for 3, walk for 1.5, run for 5, walk for 5 (cool-down). I always start off with a 5 minute walk to warm my muscles and joints up.
Although my morning practicum shifts don't start until 7:15 AM, I am up and out of bed at 5:00 AM. This gives me enough time to shower, do my hair, get ready, pack two lunches, and enjoy at least one mug of delicious coffee... Right now, I'm drinking Karma Sutra, which is made by a Vancouver Island company.
I have been drinking Karma brand coffee on and off for a few years now... This is not a paid blog post, if you are wondering :P I believe Lefty's restaurant uses Karma brand as well: "Karma Kazee". I used to drink that, but I really enjoy Karma Sutra. If you haven't tried it yet, it's in most local grocery stores and they sell some online as well at their website: Karma Coffee.
Anyway... I started this blog to complain about how tired I am, which naturally lead to a discussion about coffee.
I am on the floor working by 7:15 AM and I am to be off by 1:00 PM. I'm out of the house by 6:10 AM and got home at 3:00 PM. Debriefing + Ferry traffic + long drive home = 3 hours apparently.
Nurses in BC get a lot of great education before they go out into practicum, especially into the hospital. If you are in school, pay special attention to the CVA and dementia classes. You will come into a lot of it in practice.
From my practicum experience today, all I can say is it's very important to try and understand the underlying cause of certain actions. A post-CVA patient may have inappropriate behaviors, even compative behaviors. These are not always because of the patienthaving a mean spirit. They could very well be sweethearts. They could also be watching themselves exhibiting these behaviors without knowing how to stop themselves. They have actual damage to their brain that can cause them to lose their self control... These may or may not be temporary.
Sometimes, their verbal communication is much different from their physical. For example, they might be yelling or cursing at you, but they're being gentle and listening to you when you ask them to do things. They may be perectly fine and cracking jokes while at the same time muttering disturbing words.
That's the basic theme that I had for today: Reasonings behind certain behaviors.
I dumbly realized that I was using a bulky weight yarn for my older sister's hat rather than a chunky weight. Essentially, I'm knitting a hat fit for a giant. I'm frogging that project and starting over once I pick up some better yarn.
In the meantime, I've started working on a new project for my little sister: A Fish Hat. I saw this design way back in December and knew I absolutely had to make it for my little sister. She's 7 and would very much enjoy it. I finally picked up some yarn for it - purples, grays, and pinks. It will be really interesting, but I think this project will start off super slow. I'm still some-what of a newbie to knitting in the round.
I picked up my yarns at Walmart (hurray... ) For under 10 bucks for 4 skeins. They are Bernat brand, which is a favorite of mine.
Orientation went well. There isn't really a lot to say about it. We toured a few floors and went over some ground rules. My group was fortunate enough to be assigned our own patients for tomorrow. Some groups are just shadowing staff this week.
I'm excited to see how it all goes tomorrow! I'm not too sure what to expect... Our last practicum was quite different from this one! Our instructor is split across two floors, so she won't always be there for us and there is a high expectation that we work with the staff. That means that a good deal of our experience will depend on the staff actually wanting us there. We better make ourselves super useful tomorrow!
I hope this cold does not last very long... Not only is it incredibly uncomfortable and sore (ow! I can't eat!) I have practicum on Sunday again. I actually ended up missing practicum yesterday because my daughter was so sick and half-way through the day is when I got slammed with the illness. My daughter seems to be doing better than me, thank goodness! Poor girl. 
In the meantime, I've started working on a new project for my little sister: