It’s been a crazy few weeks in my house. Mother’s Day, working and other family obligations have kept me from writing. For that I apologize to you, my readers.
As I end this series, I would like to know if anything I’ve written has been of a benefit to you?
I’ve searched the world wide web for ideas to help you keep up with taking care of yourself, your family and even your pets too.
I hope you all had a happy and healthy Easter Sunday last week.
Healthy Lungs
Since I am a Respiratory Therapist; I decided to write today’s article about keeping your lungs healthy. Especially due to the COVID 19 Coronavirus and the complications that can arise from this nasty respiratory virus.
As you know, breathing is a necessary function of life. What you may not be aware of are the differences between having healthy lungs and lung diseases.
A Healthy Lung vs A Diseased Lung
Your lungs provide the oxygen that your body needs for survival. Pushing oxygen through the blood stream and assisting with filtering out carbon dioxide from your body. Damage to the lungs can occur from genetics, the environment and smoking. All these things can cause damage to your lungs.
2. Exercising frequently increases your lung function.
3. Improve indoor air quality with changing your furnance filter every thirty days, using an air purifier to help filter out pollutants, molds and dust.
4. If you smoke, stop smoking. Talk with your physician or call your local Quitline.
5. Get vaccinations like the flu vaccine and pneumonia vaccines to help prevent lung infections and promote lung health.
The Mechanics of Breathing
Take a deep breath and inhale, hold it for ten seconds and then exhale letting all the air out of your lungs.
Could you feel the air moving in and out of your lungs? This motion is known as The Mechanics of Breathing. As you breathe in and out the lungs exchange air flow throughout your lungs.
I’m not going to spend too much time talking about COVID 19 because it is my observation that we are inundatted with news updates every day.
Know the signs of COVID19 – Coronavirus
Watch for symptoms
People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness.
These symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus:
Fever
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Chills
Repeated shaking with chills
Muscle pain
Headache
Sore throat
New loss of taste or smell
CT Scan of Lungs infected with COVID 19 – Coronavirus
When to Seek Medical Attention
If you develop emergency warning signs for COVID-19 get medical attention immediately. Emergency warning signs include*:
Trouble breathing
Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
New confusion or inability to arouse
Bluish lips or face
*This list is not all inclusive. Please consult your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning.
Call 911 if you have a medical emergency: Notify the operator that you have, or think you might have, COVID-19. If possible, put on a cloth face covering before medical help arrives.
My wish for you is to be happy and healthy. I hope you enjoyed today’s blog post and that you will leave a comment.
I found an opportunity that fit’s my personality and my niche. Intellifluence is an easy way to build relationships, increase your blog or companies awareness and also sales.
A few months ago I was web surfing for “work from home” opportunities and came across Intellifluence. After much research I signed up. Companies are always looking for people to review their products and share with the masses. The internet has changed the way businesses market their products.
How Does Intellifluence Work?
Using Intellifluence allows your company to communicate directly with interested consumers, acting as the influencer. Most of the companies using this website are small businesses. Bottom lines are tight and marketing products are a challenge. There pricing is reasonable with many options. One can cancel at any time without a penalty.
What Companies Work With Intellifluence?
All kinds of companies from Newair, Reedsy, Simply Earth and companies in need of review bloggers.
BecomingAn Influencer
Once the decision is made to become an influencer click the join button and get started. I’ve made it easy for you by clicking my intellifluence link.
Getting Free Stuff and Getting Paid
What? Did I really just read that? Yes, yes you did. The beauty of this website are some of the free sample items, some items the collaborator needs to pay for; however they get to keep it after doing a review.
As a blogger certain companies pitch there ideas along with the payment amount. Should you choose to accept my advise it to set up a Paypal account for receiving payments. It’s better to be secured when it comes to money.
Yes I have made a few dollars and will continue my journey as an influencer. Whatever your decision I wish you all the success.
After reading this article published by Now The End Begins, I just knew I had to share it with my readers.
Revelation 13:16-18 says “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”
The ID2020 is known to all believers of Jesus Christ as the mark of beast. This technology has been developing for years. More and more information comes to the forefront everyday. We are in the last days before the second coming of Jesus Christ.
It’s worth the read. Click the link below 👎👎👎👎👎👎👎✔✔✔
I just finished the Self Made Women 10 Day Challenge.
What an incredible ten days.
Self Made Women was started by it’s founder Cynthia Delaney. She has a passion and a heart full of love to help others succeed in life.
I met both Cynthia and her husband Bill Delaney about three years ago while I was involved with a network marketing company. They were active and one of the top leaders in this company.
After talking with her she said something to me that made the ” lightbulb” flash inside my head. She said; “Alicia I’ve watched you struggle with network marketing, mlm and daily money issues for awhile now. Take the SMW 10 Day Challenge and ignite your destiny”!
At first I was apprehensive about it because my excuse to be honest had always been “my husband does not support me and holds me back”.
During this journey I have discovered it’s not him, it’s me. What have I been afraid of? I’ve been afraid of being uncomfortable, letting go of the life we know right now for a better one.
Well No More!
It stops today!
I have found a tribe of women that will encourage and help hold me accountable for making the necessary changes to gain the advantages and success I seek.
Yes I have written articles about mlm and gaining success, however if I am not practicing what I want to help others achieve then what good are my words?
To be an example, one must pay forward abundance, success and blessings to others.
The time is here and now!
I am a Self Made Women and I challenge you to ignite your destiny.
Being a preteen or a teenager is awkward for most young people.
Getting braces on their teeth. Girls and boys are starting changes with their bodies. Kids in school start making fun of others because they are different from them.
As a person grows into adulthood, they may be biologically an adult, and have adult behaviors but still be treated as a children because of their maturity level.
Workplace Awkwardness
Starting a new career can make anyone feel weird. The clumsiness comes out due to being nervous. How can one overcome this feeling of being awkward?
Everyone’s had a socially awkward experience or two.
You go to hug someone, but they’re trying to shake your hand, so you end up backslapping them from a foot away.
We all have experiences good or bad! Leering how to overcome the bad ones takes time and practice.
What’s your best weird moment?
The one date I had with my husband I was wearing high heels and a sexy little dress. I got out of the car and was walking into the gas station I tripped over the hose and fell flat on my face. Awkward and embarrassing to say the least.
Since that day we laugh at almost anything.
Well time to wrap this up. Share your thoughts below.
Welcome to my first in a series called “Respiratory Round Up.
Twenty seven years ago I became a Respiratory Therapist. When I was a child I can remember my own hospital stays with asthma. The ones who seemed to take the most time with me were the respiratory therapist.
I thought it would be unique to ask a group of Respiratory Therapist some questions and publish a round up.
Your probably scratching your head wondering, “What does a Respiratory Therapist do?” The best way for me to describe what an RT does is by an article I found at Respiratory Therapist License. com titled “What Is A Respiratory Therapist”?
Respiratory therapy is best described as the assessment and treatment of patients with both acute and chronic dysfunction of the cardiopulmonary system. Today’s respiratory therapists have demanding responsibilities related to patient care and serve as vital members of the healthcare team.
Everyone who participated were asked the same three questions.
1. What made you decide to become a Respiratory Therapist?
2. How has your experience as an RT helped you in your personal and professional life?
3. What advice would you offer to someone looking at Respiratory Therapy as a career path?
First Up
Scott Dykes RRT
1. I saw that I could make a difference, using my personal experience. I wanted to pay it forward….
2. Helped me by day to day care of patients, and saving lives. Personally, I was my sister’s medical advocate when she was comatose after an MI, with anoxic brain injury.
3. See picture
Second Up
Hayfa Perez, BS, RRT-NPS, SDS
1. The Respiratory field caught my attention when I witnessed a friend on life support. Initially intubated, then trached and unable to be weaned off life support. It was a struggle for all involved in his care- Family, friends, Clinicians and the RRT’s. They struggled with him step by step and always initiated trials with positive reinforcement. At that time, I was not in the medical field and found it overwhelming, yet fascinating. I had the opportunity to speak with some of the RTs there and realized instantly that I wanted to help people live and breathe. I wanted to be able to make a difference. Respiratory Care is a growing field that is blossoming. Many avenues to venture and I ventured happily. Years later, I still love the field and feel passionately about what I do.
2. My experience as an RT has helped me grow as a person- professionally and personally. It’s made me appreciate life and to always remember there are those who have far more struggles than I do. The simple things taken for granted such as breathing, talking, and eating can be the unobtainable dreams for others. I think about that and remind myself how harsh life can be to have such simple pleasures taken away. After so many years the field still amazes me. I still encounter cases that humble me. There is always a case that presents unlike another and reminds me that I have so much more to learn. It also reminds me to have compassion and empathy in my heart.
3. The advice I would give someone looking at Respiratory therapy as a career path is to review first what Respiratory Care is and make sure the field attracts attention. Choosing this career path, one must be focused, study and understand that the decisions made will affect lives. It is not a field to be taken lightly. It is intense, but rewarding. Always be ready, ask questions, follow instructions and directions. Be respectful to patients, preceptors and colleagues. A strong Therapist is built on values and always remember that patient care is priority.
Thirdly
Sheila Hensler, RRT, BS
1. I wanted the excitement of medicine without the nursing responsibility. But I wanted to work directly with patients. Being an RT has given me that.
2. I have had many experiences as an RT, some good, and some not so good. But the one thing that has changed is that I am more confident in both my professional and personal life. A lot of times as an RT, the information I give and the decisions made for a patient require some risk. Being willing to take those risks has created my confidence.
3. There are so many more options now than when I became an RT. It used to be that RT’s worked in hospitals, LTAC’s, PFT’s or home care. Now, there are APRT options, RT’s work with ECMO, and can even be found in physician offices. Aim high. Don’t settle for “just an RT”.
Next
Karrie Mitchell, CRT (No picture was given given to include)
1. Right out of high school in 1995 I was making $10 an hour working for an alarm company, and back then that was good money. I felt like I wasn’t ready for college at that point. I was making more money than a lot of my friends and just didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up. After a couple of years, I switched to banking and then I became a Phlebotomist. My mom is a nurse and was always trying to talk me into becoming one and I just didn’t want to. After seven years as a phlebotomist I was told I had topped out my pay scale and wouldn’t make any more money. I was making $12.75 an hour. I went to see my mom at work and she was stressing about not having enough nurses for the weekend. I looked at it and said, screw it I will go to nursing school. I considered several schools and after finding out there was a minimum 2 years wait to get in I got discouraged. I was sitting in the ICU talking to one of the pulmonologists about wanting to go to school and being discouraged and he told me that I should be an RT and not a nurse, because as he put it I wouldn’t have to wipe grown up butts. I still chuckle about that. This conversation took place in May and I started RT school in August, I was 29 at the time. When I graduated and went home to Wyoming I started working at a small mom and pop DME and realized I liked the consistent patient interaction. I moved to a national company with more opportunities about a year later. 10 years later I am a General Manager of a branch and I am the RT.
2. When I was in school everyone would say don’t go into home care you won’t ever gain any skills. I’ve been in home care 10 years and I have gained many skills that I wouldn’t have working in a hospital. I was incredibly lucky to have had a manager for 6 years that let me run the RT department (ok I was the only RT) my way. She let me push for better therapies for my patients and encouraged me to push my own boundaries and learn every aspect of the business. She taught me how to manage a budget and staff and supported me when I didn’t think I was smart enough to do things that were new. When an office within our company needed a manager, she pushed senior management to choose me for the position. Along with the management and RT component of my job I am also the sales person, and because I speak from a clinical background I have found it easy to get doctors to talk to me and work with me and sales was not something I ever thought I would be good at it. But my tiny branch in a tiny town is doing amazing things. I took over a branch that was in the hole and they were talking about closing it and I made it better. I think the thing that I have learned is to never take no for an answer and keep pushing for more.
3. I think the one thing I would say to someone in RT school or considering it is to never discount homecare and think that home care RT’s aren’t real RT’s. Also consider what is important to you, do you want to just treat patients and often not know what happens once they leave the hospital, or do you want to work with them for a long time? I get updates from families about their family member I have taken care of, I get pictures of babies I took care of. It’s a different animal, but it’s not less in any way.
Lastly
Michael W. Hess, BS, RRT, RPFT
1. I had been fascinated by medicine for a while, but didn’t really feel that medical school would be practical at that point in my life (almost 30 with 2 kids). My wife was a nurse, and I thought that might be a good way to go, and then I discovered the waiting list in our area was about 2 years long. I wanted a career a little more urgently than that, so I looked into respiratory care. The director of our local program was willing to bring me in even though I was missing one pre-req at the time, and I was very grateful for that. I had a vague sense of what RTs did, because one of my kids was a preemie and I had worked at DME office for a year or so doing customer service, but I didn’t really “get” much of it. However, after only a few weeks of the program, I fell in love with the profession, and I never looked back.
2. The journey has been incredibly fulfilling in so many ways. I’ve been fortunate to have various opportunities to see how the healthcare system works from several angles, in both inpatient and outpatient settings. I’ve been able to touch lives and share experiences with people from an incredibly broad cross-section of life, and I’ve learned something from every interaction. In my current role, I’ve seen that every person has a story, and the assumptions we can be quick to make as clinicians are wrong more often than we’d care to admit. Learning to look past preconceptions has, in turn, made me a better parent, a better spouse, and a better advocate for both my profession and the people we care for. Being a respiratory therapist has empowered me to increase both my knowledge (through academics) and wisdom (through experience).
3. What advice would you offer to someone looking at Respiratory Therapy as a career path?
You will get out of this profession almost exactly what you put into it. If you go in with the belief that there are certain limits to our skills or practice, you will never learn to exceed those limits. But the truth is, our field is virtually limitless. More and more RTs are breaking out of the traditional bedside mold, and becoming entrepreneurs, consultants, clinical educators, even CEOs. We are poised to take on an even bigger role in healthcare, but we must be ready to accept the responsibilities that go with that larger profile. That means being ready to take on more education, and to be creative in demonstrating our value. Be ready to probe your own limits, and you’ll learn that they aren’t barriers, but rather mileposts on your journey.
Lastly ME
Alicia Osmera, CRT, RTL
1. As a kid with childhood asthma I watched many RT’s take their time administering my breathing treatments. Also my mother was in and out of the hospital with lung issues when I was younger. One therapist was very rude and in a hurry. He made my mother feel like crap. Like she didn’t even matter. I decided I could make a difference to those in need.
2. Respiratory therapy has given me many experiences. Taught me to be empathetic, courteous, and caring towards others. Professionally I have done many things from trauma, flight transports, pediatrics and more.
3. To those whom maybe considering a career change, I will just say follow your heart, fund a program where you can shadow someone to make sure this homeless profession is for you.
I’d like to thank all of my fellow Respiratory Therapists for participating in my round up.
Searching for opportunities to make our lives better seems to be an ongoing thing.
Improving one’s health and wealth are the two biggest ones I see people searching the world wide web for.
Ideas happen everyday. Benjamin Franklin invented many useful tools we use today. How did those opportunities start? A vision for a brighter future lead to the inventions we all use today.
Has someone approached you about having a home business and you pop pooed the idea?
Opportunity just knocked at your door! It was screaming at you “Let me in!”
Was this your last chance to change the world? Make your finances better, improve your health, spend more time with your family, finally get free from having a traditional job?
Which by the way stands for “Just Over Broke”.
I can’t answer those questions for you. Only Youcan.
Go out and sieze the day. Make a difference in your life and someone else’s.
If and when a next opportunity knocks at your door take a serious look and listen to your intuition. It may just be what you’ve been looking for.
