Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Something new...

I've been having a hard time coming up with ideas for blogging. I've done some serious research and really there isn't much to blogging. It's all about expressing yourself. I have been struggling with myself. I'm trying to find my way now that I am not busy with school. Summer time means more work for Lane because of all the crops they grow. Meaning, I need to make use of all my free time. I've also been struggling with my weight and exercise. I hate hate hate that this is an uphill battle for me. I have been thinking about this idea for a couple of days now, I think it's a good way for me to keep up with blogging and to air any dirty laundry or share random stories. The best part, you all get to know me even better! Yay?! So my idea isn't anything new, in fact I have friends who do this and yep I'm copying them. Each day, I hope to take a picture of something that happens. Then I'll post the story and it may be dumb or it may be funny. We will have to see what happens....
Here's my first photo:
This happened this weekend. Sissy-poo had hip surgery in Vail, CO and had to fly back with Mamma bear. I pick them up at the airport and then headed back to the parentals home to get all of sissy-poos machines hooked up. After getting her settled in and having one of her ice treatments, she needed to flip over. In the process of flipping her over, the bed broke. That's nice right? So...because Papa bear was driving back from Vail, I went to the lumber yard and got more boards so we could fix the bed. After it was all said and done, I volunteered to take the night shift to take care of sissy-poo. We went to bed about 11 then she woke up at 3:30am and needed to stretch out her hip. So about 4:30 we went back to sleep. My parents had been doing that for an entire week! I know sissy-poo is super appreciative to mamma and papa bear but I even am so wowed by the fact they have done all this for her and still are functioning. Sissy-poo has a long road of recovery, as of now, she can't lift her own leg but she's pressing on! Here's to the next few months of learning how to dance again.

I hope you all had a great Memorial Day.

Enjoy your Tuesday!

Friday, May 25, 2012

Still catching up...

Did you all know that I work for a company contracted by the government? Probably not but now you know. Here's a little tidbit about working for "the man." The Man is in charge, so if then man says stop working you stop working. That happened last year when everyone was freaking out about the national budget. Mind you, I don't stop stop working we just have to stop training and doing anything that requires spending money. Now that budgets have be resolved we're catching up on all the training we missed last year. Needless to say, it's been crazy busy around here. I keep saying I'm going to get my desk cleared off but the pile is growing. Here's a picture of desk so you can get an idea of what needs to be done ASAP! Then another picture of my OTHER desk...that is always messy (with my girls as the picture as my computer desktop background.)

I'd like to stay organized but I have to re-prioritize often. I have a goal to get that huge pile cleared off today! I'm going to be successful...I will get caught up!

Happy Friday all! Have a FANTASTIC Memorial Day!

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Saving lives

Two weeks ago, Search And Rescue (SAR) volunteered to be medics during a poker run up in the foothills of IF. If you don't know what a poker run is, lots of people jump on motorized vehicles like ATV's and motorcycles, drink and drive around to various stations to gather poker chips. It's a drunken game where most people make really bad choices. Anyways we were just there to help out. When I drove by the starting point I saw lots of people without helmets...it was going to be a good day! After being assigned to our stations with our partner for the day, 815 and I headed out. Within 5 miles I got a call about the first accident, I turned the truck around radioed if they needed additional help. Nope, so I turned back around then another accident happened and all I heard was white Chevy. Then a white Chevy pulled up next to me and said "are you a medic?" YES! YES! Instantly my training was tested. I had one patient who cut her head open and another boy with a dislocated shoulder and bad road rash. Guess who wasn't wearing helmets? Both of them. Dummies. I did a quick triage and knew the girl was higher priority and had the boy take off his shirt so I could look for any bruising in chest and assigned him to 815. The back country deputies arrived and provided additional help. Understandably the girl was freaking out and so were her friends. I actually had to have the deputy escort one away and tell her to calm down. I bandaged up her head, put her in a c-collar, treated for shock and kept a good eye on her. She was in the truck and I didn't want to move her. The ambulance was on the way. When the ambulance arrived I was happy to see the unit I had been doing my patient contacts with. The paramedic just stepped to the side made the decision to life-flight the girl out then allowed me to continue until the other members of the crew moved her onto a backboard then waiting for Air Idaho to arrive. The boy was transported by ambulance and was mostly upset because he had to put a c-collar on. Anyways, it was so much fun and it was great to be able to confidently treat those patients. We forgot to get pictures but 815 did get this picture right as the helicopter was leaving.
Here's the article in the paper:
http://www.am-news.com/content/blackfoot-teens-survive-4-wheeler-wreck

Yahoo for SAR and my partner in crime 815!


Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Locker Room Conversations

I have a crazy mind sometimes. I find simple things make me laugh and it's not always funny to everyone around. I just have to tell you this though: Every day when I go to the gym around noon, I just love hearing the conversations between the women in the locker room. The first thing that always makes me giggle is the shows that they have on the TV. Usually when I get to the gym "The Chew" is on. Seriously, why play a show about food when people are working off the cupcakes they ate the night before. (Okay not everyone had a cupcake, but I know my eating habits are encouraged by the Food Network.) Now onto the juicy stuff...locker room conversations. Here are some brief conversations I have heard while changing:
Most conversations are between the older ladies who just finished their water aerobics class
*Conversations about how so-and-so has a daughter dating a black man. "Back in my day, if I dated someone LIKE THAT I would be in trouble." (Get over it ladies, people can date/marry whoever they want. This is 2012 not 1920)
*A conversation between a Mexican and an Asian. Both do not speak good English. It was something about how doing something at home always makes the one sweat more than she does at the gym. Then she pulls out her camera and talks about her family going to kill a snake and when they took the picture there was a ghost that appeared in the picture as well. (Nothing much to say about this...it was so funny hearing them try to understand each other.)
*Lots of stories about gardening
*"How's your family?" "Great, how's yours?" "Great, how's your dogs?" "Oh, they are funny. I love that Casper likes to go outside and run around" (That's not the true conversation but it was mainly talking more about their dogs rather than their families.)
*Lots of conversations about the weather and the wind
*Lots of staring at the women who have younger bodies and fake breasts while "quietly" judging them. One lady I know has to change quickly because the other women are talking about her body. Super cool ladies...

I know that I judge and the best part is I judge those who are judging me. It's a vicious cycle but yet it's so entertaining. It's been quieter now that gardening is in full swing. I'm sure the women are out tending to their flowers. I'm missing the drama but yet my workout schedule is less interrupted by the woman who gets mad if I take the locker she has every time she comes to the gym. She smokes so she's stinky and always talks about knitting. Ugh!

Anything exciting ever happen to you at the gym?

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

I just want to celebrate!

I'm not celebrating because it's Tuesday or that the wind is blowing (AGAIN) or that Lane and I started thinking about a garden. I'm celebrating because I have now completed 2 of my 3 EMT exams. WOO! This past Saturday I woke up before the sun and prepared myself for a long day of hands-on testing. Thinking I'd be slightly professional I decided to wear a red polo shirt. Another kid in my class wore red and said "it's a power color, so we'll rock this!" HA! This red shirt was a very very bad decision and you will find out why shortly. Our test was in Poky-tello and that's almost an hour a way so we left at 6:30. I wasn't driving but next thing I knew, we were there...it was 7:10...The schedule for the day was to rotate through six stations that would test our skills then at the end we would find out if we had passed. It's based on points but also there are critical fails. I'll never get to see how many points I earned. It's one of those super secret medical things. I believe there was 30 of us and so the rotations needed to stay on track. Only 7 of the 11 people in my class were there to test and the rest were from ISU. When testing you are not allowed to have your instructors be your prompters so we had it made because there were more ISU instructors there. When the test began I was number three on the list...and the race was on. Here are the stations that we were tested on
1. Air way management. Suction and inserting an oropharyngeal  airway device and using a bag valve mask
2. Putting together an oxygen tank that delivering oxygen via a nonrebreather mask
3. Supine spinal immobilization (that's lying on your back)
4. CPR/AED
5. Trauma- (my patient had a venus bleed on her cheek, a pneumothorax and a fractured femur)
5. Medical- (my patient was having a heart attack with a history of angina)
6. Joint immobilization

By the time I left my table and walked into the testing room, I had already started sweating. Epic failure with the red shirt. Pit stains all day long. Sigh...good thing it wasn't a fashion show. Before I even started my first station I could feel my pulse beating through my neck. Can you say nervous? Thankfully my fist two stations were the ones that I was most worried about. It was nice to get those out of the way. As the day progressed I became very tired and I still had my medical left. With that station you have to remember all the questions and how to administer drugs and what drug is appropriate. After that I waited to go into the room and get my results.

 "Congratulations, you've passed!"

WOOP! WOOP! I didn't fail any of the stations...not one...I still wish that I could have looked at my scores but that will remain a mystery.

Now I've signed up for my last test. It's a computer based competency test and it will complete my national license. I don't know when I'll take that, hopefully sooner than later I'm just waiting to be released by the state. This has been a long process but I've really enjoyed learning about emergency medicine. I look forward to using my skills.

Have a fantastic day!


Friday, May 18, 2012

Hello?!

Yep, I'm alive and I'm not even lying. Sorry folks for the hiatus that has lasted more than a month. Sigh...no big excuse just life. I've completed my classroom EMT work and tomorrow is my NATIONAL practical exam. Gulp. I need to catch you all up on a few things. I PINKY promise next week to post about sissy-poo's graduation and our trip to Moab. Until then, stay cool but don't freeze.