No it's not because I got called in Monday night when I was on call - THANKFULLY I was NOT called in. Monday night I went to bed feeling fine but in the middle of the night I started feeling queasy & getting the chills - I was hot then cold. By the morning my stomach was rumbling but I was determined to push thru it cause after all there are only 3 of us in the recovery room. On the bus to the hospital I got a little worse not better & wondered if I was to get sick how exactly that would work sitting on a bus with about 30 other people...when I go the the hospital I told Gayle my symptoms (aside from being my roommate & the Dr in the recovery room she is also the "Team Dr") She gave me some meds & they offered for me to go back to the hotel - I said I'd see how it went as I thought I could work in the busy spurts we get and it sort of worked. I kept myself on clear liquids all day to rest my gut & also stay hydrated. A few times I got chilled & wrapped up in blankets but it passed. All day they told me I looked terrible but I said no I only feel a little bad...denial...yep I was in it...
The 1st patient of the day was Damian & once again I helped carry him (actually his stuff - IV & Chart) out to his mom & once again she cried & then Gayle & I cried...something about the 1st patient of the day???? so emotional....
As if being sick wasn't bad enough (If you have a queasy stomach move to the next paragraph) Craig one of the anesthesiologists came in to share with us in great detail how he went to intubate a patient (put the breathing tube in) & pulled out a worm!!! I left the room for that conversation - but it got worse...when "worm boy" came to recovery I told Erika there was no way I was helping w/ him & good thing cause as she was caring for him she kept seeing something in & then not in his throat & it was another worm that they took out - I seriously had to leave the recovery room....we did get meds to treat him for that but definitely not what my stomach needed on Tues!!!
Linda who is also in the recovery room said she knew I was sick cause I wasn't "dressing the patients" (with the dresses, hats & shirts I had!) But when I was in the hallway 2 little girls - siblings to a little boy having surgery were so stinking cute & so I called them to the wall between recovery & the "transfer hall" & gave them dresses - they were so excited. I also sent about a dozen dresses with the 2 students on this trip to take to a small orphanage for girls run by a sweet nun Sister Corazon (Sister Heart) - they said she was so appreciative & was going to save them & give them to girls on their birthdays as their "birthday outfit" (Cheri Spjute you are making a difference here in Bolivia!)
I have found it refreshing that it seems the very well to do (the Op Smile Board members with all the $$ & ranches & restaurants etc) are here with us at the hospital doing absolutely whatever is needed - mopping a floor, holding a baby, running to get me or anyone else something we need, etc) They definitely are not just for show - they may be very important people by day usually or off playing tennis etc but for these 2 weeks they put their time where their hearts really are & that is with the children & families of Bolivia most of whom are from very desperate circumstances. The entire "local team" has been amazing!!! Mercedes (the owner of the ranch we went to & her friends Villa & Sabe plan to be with us in the recovery room all week.
Another funny thing - I understand alot more Spanish that I speak but I know some Spanish & a few of the other nurses here are so impressed that I can ask a taxi driver to take us somewhere or tell him we will call him to pick up up or when I talk to some of the Bolivian nurses - they have no idea I am really talking Spanglish or Spanish at about a kindergarten level!!! I really wish I had spent more time on Spanish now!!!
Today was the day of "bleeders" & I had 2 of them - we had to call the surgeons in the re evaluate & do some other treatments & one actually went back into the OR (not mine)
I kept taking medicine & drinking water but by 8 pm when the final 2 cases were coming off their OR tables I was "done" & all was well so they sent me home - by the time I arrived my head was killing me so I took more Tylenol, emailed my family to say I wouldn't be calling, skyping or on Facebook then went to bed...fortunately you will see in my next post I woke up feeling much better - it was just a 24 hour thing...but it was a pretty miserable one!
No comments:
Post a Comment