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Instagram post 2185954718529320955_6816277 And as you become more successful,⠀
The amount of haters will grow. ⠀
There is a direct correlation⠀
As you check off more boxes⠀
Smiling as you go⠀
They are watching⠀
But do not forget⠀
You were not born to please other people. ⠀
Getting their approval ⠀
Was not part of your bucket list.⠀
Keep your head up 
And
Eyes fixed on your daydreams⠀
Because soon⠀
They will no longer be daydreams⠀
It will be your reality⠀
If you keep this mentality. ⠀
So⠀
Envision your future self often. ⠀
Set your intention daily.⠀
And get to work.⠀
-⠀
Sincerely,⠀
My exhausted jotted-down thoughts post nightshift 3 in a row. 😂 .
💾 Save this post for motivation 👍🏼
Instagram post 2184325088189709002_6816277 Y’all asked for ECMO education...I’m gonna break it down real simple. 👌🏼 ECMO stands for ExtraCorporeal Membrane Oxygenation. “Extra” = outside, “corporeal” = body so, outside of the body. Membrane oxygenation = oxygenation by a membrane. Outside of the body. Ya?

There are two types of ECMO. VA or VV ECMO. Veno-arterial or Veno-venous. First letter is where you’re pulling from and the second is where you’re returning blood. VA ECMO provides heart and lung support. VV is solely lung support. Blood is pulled from the body via cannulas and travels through an oxygenator to be oxygenated and for CO2 to be removed. We control the amount of CO2 removed via something called “sweep.” Then it is returned back to the body. ⠀
⠀
This treatment is a last resort for patients when other conventional therapies don’t work (max ventilator support, max pressors/inotropes, end stage heart failure etc) and there are contraindications of course. But it does work and use of ECMO is growing. ⠀
⠀
Examples of patients who may require ECMO include but are not limited to: septic shock, aspiration pneumonia, ARDS, pulmonary embolism, cardiomyopathies, myocarditis, cardiac arrest. The list goes on.⠀
⠀
These patients are SICKY SICK. K like not well. The ECMO specialist cannot leave the bedside, we are constantly monitoring these patient’s vitals, intake & output/fluid balance and also typically manage the CRRT machine along with it. We are responsible for maintaining therapeutic anticoagulation to maintain circuit integrity, checking pre and post oxygenator ABGs as well as patient ABGs, serial electrolytes, hourly pulse checks to make sure the big cannula doesn’t occlude perfusion to the lower extremities..managing sedation for patient and circuit safety, and sometimes paralytics for ventilator compliance or to decrease oxygen demand. ⠀
⠀
There is also another nurse doing patient cares, medications, possibly managing another device in addition. Who here does ECMO and who wants to?! Doesn’t want to? 😂😝 .

Save this for reference later 📋
Instagram post 2182341693549085563_6816277 TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT. ⠀
⠀
Wow. If you would have told me a year ago that I would be designing and opening an online shop I would have laughed 😂. I have been working very hard over months and months to design some #nursemerch with a sassy and trendy flair to it. Over the years I’ve had numerous situations where I wanted to buy a nurse a graduation gift, thank you gift, etc, and I was so disappointed in the tacky stuff that’s out there today! (ive seen enough incorrect EKG clip art designs, thanks) Next thing you know I’m designing my own products... that I’m actually excited to gift to my friends and family that are nurses or in school! 🏩📝⠀
⠀
I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing combined with excitement combined with extreme gratitude FOR YOU. You guys that have followed along my nursing journey... YOU have made an amateur blog that was created to get through personal trauma, into a community that gets me excited to keep going, move past my struggles, and continue to spread positivity in nursing. So thank you, THANK YOU 💖⠀
⠀
Shop link will be posted tonight at midnight MST in stories. 💋
@lipstickandlifesaving
Instagram post 2180256768918308180_6816277 Rest In Peace Nonna ❤️
.
My sweet grandmother passed away this weekend surrounded by family. It was very unexpected and sudden, and I am so fortunate to have gotten to Canada in time to be with her when she passed. Also feeling so grateful she was able to make it to my wedding in Arizona just last month.

This was my first family member being cared for in the ICU. I always wondered over the years how this would go for me, and I am so wowed by the hospital staff who were so accommodating to me and my giant loud Italian family that took over the entire waiting room with people, pizza, and biscotti 😂
.
Not only that, our family included 5 nurses, 2 RTs, 1 medical student, and a million questions. You can only imagine how annoying we would be for that night nurse...but wow. She pulled up every CT, ABG, CBC we asked for, without a single roll of the eyes. This was closure for us. She also made EACH of us one of these EKG strips that she hand cut, and placed a heart bead with her favorite color. THIS is nursing. Don’t ever forget the little things you can do as a nurse in these situations. This meant the world to us.

Nonna you were a light in all of our lives. Always so happy, and had a social life I could only dream about. Heaven gained a beautiful angel this week 💖
Instagram post 2175612208598498198_6816277 This guy here is a Total Artificial Heart (TAH). 🖤⠀
⠀
It is implanted as a last resort for biventricular failure either as a bridge to heart transplant or as destination therapy (this stays in forever). The patient’s ventricles and valves of the heart are completely removed and this goes in their place. Crazy right? 🤯⠀
⠀
In this picture you can see the mechanical metal valves and if you look closely in the middle you can see yes, that is VELCRO that attaches the two plastic ventricles together. The flappy suction cup looking parts around the valves are sutured to the patient’s atria. ⠀
⠀
These patients are usually in the ICU for months...but once they become stable, they are able to go home attached to a 13.5 pound portable pump that runs on battery, and worn as a backpack or shoulder bag. This becomes their new way of life. 🎒⠀
⠀
Who’s taken care of a TAH patient before? Opinions on this therapy? Would you say yes to this if it was your last option to live⁉️
Instagram post 2171229601102553105_6816277 One of my posts from a few years back but still a good reminder to my fellow nurses as winter rolls around 🏥⠀
⠀
“Patients do not put their trust in machines or devices. They put their trust in you. You have already spent years studying, training, doing research & seeing patients. And you likely have many years of education before you. ⠀
⠀
But please remember the more skilled you become, the more specialized you become, and the more dependent on technology you become — the easier it becomes to lose your humanity, forget your compassion, and ignore your instincts. ⠀
⠀
I have one last piece of advice: Never ever lose your moral compass.” 🖤 Margaret Hamburg, MD⠀
⠀
In this photo the patient is on ECMO, Impella, CRRT, and a ventilator.
Instagram post 2167776739236018984_6816277 Back to reality, but forever in the honeymoon phase with you 🥰💕
Instagram post 2166988458923700901_6816277 No costume necessary for this little boo 😻⠀
Happy Halloween!! 🖤🎃👻
Instagram post 2164105909876567483_6816277 and then i realized⠀
that to be more alive⠀
i had to be⠀
less afraid⠀
so i did it⠀
i lost my fear⠀
and gained my⠀
whole life 🌿
Instagram post 2163375963684331623_6816277 Behind every successful woman,
is a tribe of other successful women who have her back 💕
.
Nursing is too stressful of a profession to tear each other down. We all need to support one another, & nurture each other’s growth - whether you have days, months, or years experience. We all have something to share and contribute. YES YOU. Girls compete with one another. But women empower each other.
.
Tag some of your work bffs that build you up 🙌🏼 or laugh WITH YOU when 💩 hits the fan 😂
.
Mine are @em_bracken @brianabuenoo @jusi_j @elyshabeth @_thatsamoangirl @beebreezy @maryykaii and of course @themaddiward if we worked together haha maybe one day 😜🤷🏻‍♀️

Lipstick & Lifesaving

Tag:

Makeup

Beauty / Nursing

Makeup that LASTS through a 12 hour shift

December 14, 2017January 17, 2018
You all know the feeling. When you finally get a chance to go to the bathroom at 4am and look at yourself in the mirror in horror. ... Continue reading →
Leave a Comment on Makeup that LASTS through a 12 hour shift
Beauty

Summer Beauty Trends for 2017

June 5, 2017June 5, 2017
So who else did a massive haul at Sephora for their VIB Rouge sale?! I finally bought some items that have been on my list for awhile and ... Continue reading →
1 Comment on Summer Beauty Trends for 2017
Beauty

My Top 5 Beauty Picks for March

March 24, 2017April 4, 2017
I can’t believe it’s already April. 2017 is flying by and it’s definitely springtime in San Diego. Here are my top 5 beauty products from the month ... Continue reading →
3 Comments on My Top 5 Beauty Picks for March
Beauty

My Top 5 Beauty Picks for February

March 5, 2017April 4, 2017
Hey guys! February has been a good month so far, and there’s been lots of new beauty products I’ve been giving a try. Here’s what I’ve been ... Continue reading →
11 Comments on My Top 5 Beauty Picks for February
Beauty

Must Haves: Mascara

February 13, 2017April 4, 2017
I thought I’d start off my beauty section of the blog with one of my favorite makeup products: mascara! Mascara is something most girls don’t leave the ... Continue reading →
6 Comments on Must Haves: Mascara
author

Hi, I'm Marissa.

I'm an ICU Nurse on the nightshift. Here you can find some education & motivation, along with a touch of sarcasm to keep you sane in a difficult but rewarding career. Thank you for stopping by!
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Instagram post 2185954718529320955_6816277
And as you become more successful,⠀
The amount of haters will grow. ⠀
There is a direct correlation⠀
As you check off more boxes⠀
Smiling as you go⠀
They are watching⠀
But do not forget⠀
You were not born to please other people. ⠀
Getting their approval ⠀
Was not part of your bucket list.⠀
Keep your head up 
And
Eyes fixed on your daydreams⠀
Because soon⠀
They will no longer be daydreams⠀
It will be your reality⠀
If you keep this mentality. ⠀
So⠀
Envision your future self often. ⠀
Set your intention daily.⠀
And get to work.⠀
-⠀
Sincerely,⠀
My exhausted jotted-down thoughts post nightshift 3 in a row. 😂 .
💾 Save this post for motivation 👍🏼

Instagram post 2184325088189709002_6816277
Y’all asked for ECMO education...I’m gonna break it down real simple. 👌🏼 ECMO stands for ExtraCorporeal Membrane Oxygenation. “Extra” = outside, “corporeal” = body so, outside of the body. Membrane oxygenation = oxygenation by a membrane. Outside of the body. Ya?

There are two types of ECMO. VA or VV ECMO. Veno-arterial or Veno-venous. First letter is where you’re pulling from and the second is where you’re returning blood. VA ECMO provides heart and lung support. VV is solely lung support. Blood is pulled from the body via cannulas and travels through an oxygenator to be oxygenated and for CO2 to be removed. We control the amount of CO2 removed via something called “sweep.” Then it is returned back to the body. ⠀
⠀
This treatment is a last resort for patients when other conventional therapies don’t work (max ventilator support, max pressors/inotropes, end stage heart failure etc) and there are contraindications of course. But it does work and use of ECMO is growing. ⠀
⠀
Examples of patients who may require ECMO include but are not limited to: septic shock, aspiration pneumonia, ARDS, pulmonary embolism, cardiomyopathies, myocarditis, cardiac arrest. The list goes on.⠀
⠀
These patients are SICKY SICK. K like not well. The ECMO specialist cannot leave the bedside, we are constantly monitoring these patient’s vitals, intake & output/fluid balance and also typically manage the CRRT machine along with it. We are responsible for maintaining therapeutic anticoagulation to maintain circuit integrity, checking pre and post oxygenator ABGs as well as patient ABGs, serial electrolytes, hourly pulse checks to make sure the big cannula doesn’t occlude perfusion to the lower extremities..managing sedation for patient and circuit safety, and sometimes paralytics for ventilator compliance or to decrease oxygen demand. ⠀
⠀
There is also another nurse doing patient cares, medications, possibly managing another device in addition. Who here does ECMO and who wants to?! Doesn’t want to? 😂😝 .

Save this for reference later 📋

Instagram post 2182341693549085563_6816277
TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT. ⠀
⠀
Wow. If you would have told me a year ago that I would be designing and opening an online shop I would have laughed 😂. I have been working very hard over months and months to design some #nursemerch with a sassy and trendy flair to it. Over the years I’ve had numerous situations where I wanted to buy a nurse a graduation gift, thank you gift, etc, and I was so disappointed in the tacky stuff that’s out there today! (ive seen enough incorrect EKG clip art designs, thanks) Next thing you know I’m designing my own products... that I’m actually excited to gift to my friends and family that are nurses or in school! 🏩📝⠀
⠀
I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing combined with excitement combined with extreme gratitude FOR YOU. You guys that have followed along my nursing journey... YOU have made an amateur blog that was created to get through personal trauma, into a community that gets me excited to keep going, move past my struggles, and continue to spread positivity in nursing. So thank you, THANK YOU 💖⠀
⠀
Shop link will be posted tonight at midnight MST in stories. 💋
@lipstickandlifesaving

Instagram post 2180256768918308180_6816277
Rest In Peace Nonna ❤️
.
My sweet grandmother passed away this weekend surrounded by family. It was very unexpected and sudden, and I am so fortunate to have gotten to Canada in time to be with her when she passed. Also feeling so grateful she was able to make it to my wedding in Arizona just last month.

This was my first family member being cared for in the ICU. I always wondered over the years how this would go for me, and I am so wowed by the hospital staff who were so accommodating to me and my giant loud Italian family that took over the entire waiting room with people, pizza, and biscotti 😂
.
Not only that, our family included 5 nurses, 2 RTs, 1 medical student, and a million questions. You can only imagine how annoying we would be for that night nurse...but wow. She pulled up every CT, ABG, CBC we asked for, without a single roll of the eyes. This was closure for us. She also made EACH of us one of these EKG strips that she hand cut, and placed a heart bead with her favorite color. THIS is nursing. Don’t ever forget the little things you can do as a nurse in these situations. This meant the world to us.

Nonna you were a light in all of our lives. Always so happy, and had a social life I could only dream about. Heaven gained a beautiful angel this week 💖


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