To say 'overwhelmed' is an understatement.

So our first med surg lecture was today and it went well. I like the professor so far... she seems nice and has my same sense of humor so hopefully we'll get along just smashingly.

I had my meeting with my clinical instructor for Psych which did not turn out as well as I had hoped. :( Strive for excellence, right? Wrong. Strive to pass? Correct. 

I also wrote out my calendar for the next 8 weeks in my planner. Yowza is all I have to say. I feel like I'm literally going to have absolutely no life. Between lab from 0800-1300 on Thursdays and Fridays to clinical on some Thursdays and Fridays from 7a-1400pm plus work at 3pm plus lecture Monday's from 0800-11:50am to Physical Assessment on Tuesdays from 5-1940pm then simulations, skills testing etc. Not to mention the reading for the class, which is a bajillion pages per class, the online quizzes and the case studies that have to be completed every week. Obviously there's the clinical evaluation due each week as well which takes me hours because we must answer 500 repetitive questions, learning IV drop rate calculations and getting 100% on that exam when the time comes. Physical Assessment and that test which is coming up in 2 weeks (same week as a med surg test) and then preparing for simulations as well as the physical assessment final. Who has the time?! Clinical and then going to work is going to kill me. I usually like to take each week one step at a time; one day at a time but this just seems impossible. 2 months... 2 months... 2 months... 

I also feel absolutely helpless because my grandma is going to need help getting to her chemo treatments. They live 4 hours away so it's difficult to get up there, for me, during the week with school and with work. Her treatments are 5 days/week. My grandpa works nights during the week at WalMart (don't even get me started on this topic again :( ) and my uncle that lives across the street will be able to do some but he also travels for his job. My other uncle that lives down here is starting to work midnights (he's a police officer) so his time is limited as he'll be working all night. Driving 4 hours to Wisconsin is not going to be all that smart after working all night with no sleep. My aunt is apparently not coming to terms with the fact that her mother is sick and needs help because her offer was 'well, she can come here and live in one of our houses on the golf course. The hospitals here are awesome and she'll get what she needs'. She wants to be home. Who doesn't want to be home when they're sick? I have my own opinions about this whole ordeal but I keep my mouth shut. I just wish I was able to help. Maybe on my Wednesdays off... her treatments start at 10:45am and they're an hour away... so if I left at 5am, that would get me there around 9am, turn around and go an hour away would get us there on time... then drive her home and get back on the road by around 2pm, would get me home by 6 or 7pm. It's an option.... I mean, my uncle's old friend from high school visited my grandma this weekend and offered to fly in whenever, from California, to be able to take my grandma to chemo. But my aunt can't hop in her private jet to visit her mother. Seriously. It makes me sick. You're not going to get this time back. She's got cancer, you imbecile. Stop running to your husband to ask him what his plans are... it's time YOU made the plans. These are your PARENTS. ARGH. :-\ For gosh sakes, my grandpa is duct taping his shoes together because he doesn't have the money to buy new ones. :-( It's unreal.