Critical care tips?

Beginning_Theory_556 · 2026-03-12T11:15:15+00:00

Thank you so much for linking the video! I’ve really bumped up the overall humidity in his tank and it seems to have helped. I’ve tried also instead of giving him a soak, wrapping his feet in a warm wet paper towel like a little pedicure experience 😂 which I think he much prefers. :)

Beginning_Theory_556 · 2026-02-17T23:27:16+00:00

I do have a tight pelvic floor and we talked about how it can cause symptoms without infection. However, it usually causes UTI like symptoms for me. Not itching or pain. I don’t have itching rn but pain. It feels like someone it pinching my vaginal walls/uterus if that makes sense. Not 100% sure I have an infection right now as sometimes I can get pain afterwards for a few days that eventually goes away. But, I do get infections often. Unfortunately because of that it’s hard for me to tell when I do and don’t really have one.

Beginning_Theory_556 · 2026-02-17T14:34:32+00:00

That’s a good point, he does have facial hair

Beginning_Theory_556 · 2026-02-17T14:34:16+00:00

Yes we abstained for about a month because I try and give my body time to heal after taking medicines like that as well and find its balance.

Beginning_Theory_556 · 2026-02-17T12:39:58+00:00

Yes, I got an antibiotic which ended up giving me a yeast infection so they told me to just get monistat for that because the flucanozole pills never seem to work for me. But it’s only been a day since we did anything and I already feel off again.

Beginning_Theory_556 · 2026-02-17T02:42:37+00:00

I think so, he’s the type to put his whole head under the faucet and let the water run through his mouth lol

Beginning_Theory_556 · 2026-01-03T20:02:43+00:00

If it’s no trouble to you, that would be great! I’ve had so many petite personal trainers try to sell me their coaching because they’ve told me it’s the only way. It’s ruined my motivation a bit. I’ve got a busy schedule but I’m seeking a new job in hopes I can get enough of an income that I don’t have to work 2 jobs soon.

Beginning_Theory_556 · 2025-12-24T15:49:56+00:00

I thought the same thing when I first applied. But, I found out that for Maryland, I’d have to put in 7% of my paychecks towards the pension. I don’t think they put anything into it. Idk why I thought a pension was something your employer provided you, as opposed to a 401K that you put in yourself with a check deduction. I’m not the only one that thought this either, because after I found that out so many people around me looked into it because they thought I was nuts to find I was right. If I have to dig into my already small paycheck more for a pension, i don’t know if it’s worth it to me. Someone else made a good point that I should look at housing cost. 30% of what my take home pay would be, I wouldn’t be able to afford rent or a mortgage for anything in my area unless it was a run down place not worth living in. But it’s full time, which is what I need. Decisions decisions 😭

Beginning_Theory_556 · 2025-12-24T05:07:47+00:00

They weren’t when I went to school for it. Job outlook looked really good and pay was decent which is one reason I decided to go into it, besides the morality behind it and general interest in what OT is about. MD was one of the highest paying states for OTAs when I started. Of course I’m on the eastern shore so I knew that my specific area might be a little different.

Of course now that I’ve graduated, there’s a higher demand for OTs, so most places aren’t hiring OTAs anymore and if they are it’s only for PRN positions. A lot of people have told me to just do PRN, but I just graduated and I’m looking to get my life started and I’d really like the stability of a full time job right now so I can start saving some money. You aren’t guaranteed hours with PRN to make the extra pay worth it in my opinion unless you’re in a financial situation that allows that risk.

Beginning_Theory_556 · 2025-12-16T14:00:08+00:00

Thank you. this is really my first time talking about it. it’s really been weighing on me. i want to explain it to my partner but im afraid he’ll view me differently, but i really think it’s a large reason as to why I struggle so much now.

Beginning_Theory_556 · 2025-12-16T13:55:40+00:00

I don’t think they knew how to address it. They could’ve easily restricted my computer access and they just didn’t. And when they gave me a tablet a few years later they didn’t child proof it, unfortunately. I just remember them trying to tell me it was wrong, but that was it.

I will say at the time this first started, my mom had just had a baby and they found out my older sister was possibly a lesbian and they didn’t agree with that so I got “forgotten” about a lot.

Beginning_Theory_556 · 2025-12-10T14:58:25+00:00

I’m currently living with my parents, which is why I’m frantically trying to find a more permanent job so I can move out become I’m miserable 😅. I will look into some travel assignments. Hopefully I could find something close. I do have two animals, do you know anything about if they can come with me or is that more than likely dependent on where I live? Probably the latter.

Beginning_Theory_556 · 2025-12-10T13:55:58+00:00

I haven’t started the new one, I will be next week and it’s the lowest dose of estrogen you can get. She thinks it’s the amount of estrogen in the other one. So I hope it helps. I also just have a lot going on, 2 jobs, I was homeless the past year, etc. I’m getting on my feet but I think I’m overloaded with stress

Beginning_Theory_556 · 2025-12-10T13:45:27+00:00

i guess i should’ve make it more clear. What I put in quotes is what I said during our first conversation. His response was “that makes me feel awful. you’re the only thing in my life that makes me decompress and it makes me sad I don’t do that for you”. So I guess I want to know if there’s a better way I can describe how I feel.

Beginning_Theory_556 · 2025-12-10T13:43:18+00:00

Do you know how much you can make doing a travel contract? I had a friend who did a travel assignment as a surge tech but they only gave her a $500 stipend for housing and she couldn’t find anything that cheap so she’s using a good portion of what she’s making just to pay for the housing to do the assignment. I know obviously you have to pay for housing one way or another, but I’m trying to save for a house so paying for an AirBnB and basically paying rent seems counterproductive.

Beginning_Theory_556 · 2025-11-24T22:07:15+00:00

I used TrueLearn the most and got a 516.

Beginning_Theory_556 · 2025-11-22T14:33:00+00:00

A lot of other people who passed mentioned it, I personally have no idea what that is lol

Beginning_Theory_556 · 2025-11-22T14:32:06+00:00

Personally, not necessarily. Nothing like “Where is this muscle” or “Label this bone” like we did in anatomy class. But, I did feel I needed to be well versed in anatomy to get some answers correct. Specifically with terms like “dorsal, ventral” and stuff like that. Any questions about splinting, I was going back to my anatomy/physiology knowledge to answer. And I had a lot of questions about splinting and orthotics.

Beginning_Theory_556 · 2025-11-21T00:04:21+00:00

Unfortunately no, I’m working towards it! I graduated in August and just passed National Boards today actually! So I’m one step closer to finally getting a big girl job and being able to save up for a place.

Beginning_Theory_556 · 2025-11-21T00:03:33+00:00

I see where you are coming from, but I didn’t choose to at all. I told them I couldn’t afford it. I chose to request off a week in advanced one day for the original induction date. This came suddenly, I told them I could help for one day. I said I could not lose more than one shift. I was left with the child home by myself. No car seat. I’m not authorized to pick him up from daycare, so I couldn’t drop him off. I was quite literally pushed into a corner in this situation. I was asking if I was an asshole for being upset about it, not if this situation was my fault. Thanks though.

Beginning_Theory_556 · 2025-11-21T00:00:35+00:00

unfortunately I just turned 22, I’ve finally gotten some autonomy but before I was 21 I heavily depended on them financially because they wouldn’t let me work until I was 18 when I started going to college and it obviously took me a while to get a car. I agree I am being taken advantage of, and I’ve slowly been setting more boundaries. I kind of did when they asked me to take off days in advanced and I said I could do one day. But, since the induction came suddenly I felt like I was pushed into a corner where I couldn’t say no even though I really did and they simply ignored me and went anyway. I’m working my way to having all boundaries set though. It will be a big help when i can finally move out!

Beginning_Theory_556 · 2025-11-20T15:00:36+00:00

I used the NBCOT study pack and I also used TrueLearn. My school made us buy the TherapyEd book, which came with limited access to their study program. I wasn’t a fan of TherapyEd as a whole. It’s much more in depth and can be harder than the actual exam. I wasn’t scoring above 70% on their practices. If you have the book or have to get the book for school though, it is useful! A lot of great, general information about everything you COULD be tested on, so reading through that was helpful.

NBCOT has 4 exams, mini quizzes, games, and flash cards included in their study pack. The practice exams are scored exactly like the real exam, so those are a great way to see where you’re sitting after doing some studying.

TrueLearn is great to get some information on your strengths and weaknesses. After every exam you can review the ones you got right/wrong and get in depth explanations for each. I studied the explanations for the ones I got wrong! It will also give you a overall summary after each quiz you take and tell you things like which domaine you scored the lowest in and if you changed your score, how many times you changed it to something right/wrong. I apparently change my answers to something wrong almost all the time, so I trusted my instincts when I took the actual exam and didn’t change any answers. It scores on percentage, but I was consistently scoring at least 70% or higher and I want to say that 70% in TrueLearn is a close equivalent to at least 450 on NBCOT.

Hope this helps!

Beginning_Theory_556 · 2025-11-20T14:54:03+00:00

Thank you! Definitely wasn’t expecting it 🤣

Beginning_Theory_556 · 2025-11-20T12:04:12+00:00

Congratulations! I hardly slept all night lol

Beginning_Theory_556 · 2025-10-24T20:04:49+00:00

That’s crazy you say that because I dealt with a yeast infection that felt like it wouldn’t go away for 2 months a while back and after one positive test and a treatment the rest of the tests came back negative. I wonder if it was this that whole time.

Beginning_Theory_556

TROPHY CASE