Strength in Coffee

Care packages

2009-11-24T18:48:40Z

Are definitely morale boosters... and weight boosters as well.

In all seriousness though, I have received two care packages from my dad. Good guy, gotta love him. Because of this I now have an assortment of magazines, pounds of junk food, coffee, sheets, and a pillow. Now for the average take-everything-for-granted American, it sounds unappealing and worthless. I'll tell you what, it makes a world of a difference when you are away in a country you know nothing about, let alone deal with mortar fire, death and dying patients, chalky air environments, massive amounts of dust, dryness, cracking fingers, knuckles, toes, and skin, long working shifts, co-workers' moods, job knowledge, walking half a mile to work/home, etc...

Now, by all means, I am not complaining; just putting it into perspective that aside for all the shit a normal person thinks they deal with, all of what we deal with changes person forever. I don't care who you are. There is no coming back from this place with the same mentality as you came in with.

How do care packages play a part in this? Aside from all the crap we have to deal with (refer to the short list above) care packages just make it all better. To know you have family, friends, and loved ones thinking about you and spending time and effort into packing junk into a box and going out of their way to develop a more comfortable environment that they won't be a part of is completely selfless and totally appreciated.

So dad, and Debbie. Thank you so much for what has been sent thus far. I love you both and am very happy to have you as a father and step mother.

Oh and just one more thing... cookies... good but next time make sure a piece of bread or slice of an apple accompanies the cookies to retain moisture. For the most part the integrity is worth salivating over but the wrong amount of pressure to the touch will crumble the amazingness. Not that I don't scramble to pick up the scraps, along with licking my fingers. It's just that I know the intentions of a good cookie is that of softness and that fresh-out-of-the oven feeling/look to it.

Very well done and put together though, I must say.

So yea, care packages... they rock!

Give me a break...

2009-11-24T01:04:15Z

Our job here is for one reason, and one reason only; Enduring the utmost amount of persistance into maintaining a better state of health, and if that is not possible then to offer information and or direction, for our patients. I can understand feeling like you are out of the loop when tons of activity and movement clouds your workspace but sometimes observation entails expectation.

What am I talking about? Since both of my Shift IC's are off today (tonight) that made me in charge, next highest rank always gets tagged, so upon my arrival to work I get handed a plethora of pass-down information... okay, nothing surprising about that. Anyway, one of the information consisted of a landing time of when a patient was arriving, which no one knew the ETA of, by the way, and the others were about patient transfers that were to happen at a later time, cool, I got this. So upon me settling into work another colleague walks in and I begin to explain to her the plans for the patient transfers and ask her if she will be okay staying behind. Communication was straight forward, to me at least. Soon after the agreeance was in place there is a call at the front desk and it just so happened to be the information on when the patient was arriving... 10 minutes, shit! That means we need to be out on the flight line... now!

The Doc wanted to join so she asked: "Is is here now?"

"Yes ma'am. Let's get going."

It seemed clear what we were doing as everyone else was hustling around getting gear ready and flying out the door to the flight line. Proper protocol is to grab a radio, huge indication that something is happening... huge.... maybe because we never grab radios and do radio checks just for the hell of it.

Anyway, we pick up the patient and continue with our night. Eventually the time came to pick up the transfer patients and we end up equipping the ambulances with the proper gear when I decide to go in for the radio. This colleague of mine approaches me, all serious and quite emotional: "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure," we walk outside.

Her complaint consisted of how she didn't know anything that was happening and that, me as the Shift IC, 'well not really the Shift IC but, whatever,' failed to sit her down in a breifing room with a projected map and a laser pointer guide to go over the executive plans for the night... monotone voice, excessive slapping of the paper map, that underminding look while pulling down the glasses to emphasize my point, and all. She also brought up that I should have asked her if everything was fine at the front desk and if she could man it while we do our jobs. Sarcasm aside, me being the nice guy I am, I side with her just for the mere sake of peace in the workspace, plus arguing with her is like arguing with a brick wall. The things I did agree with is that I should have told her about what we were doing when picking up the patient, the first one that we only had 10 minutes to prepare for, but, then again common sense would have alleviated her worries about where her crew was. The fact that I picked up a radio and did radio checks, alone, should have proved everything that was going on. Well looks like I need to start breaking everything down to this girl. My thoughts: How is it that YOU are the ONLY one who doesn't know what's going on?

So, me being the independent leader that I am (is it so bad that I assume that you know your job well enough to do it?) I now understand that some people may need to be told what to do and or explained everything whether or not it effects the given circumstances (like, to me, patients are what really matters, and they were taken care of without problems occuring).

Like the title says...

Remind me to never do it again.

2009-11-23T15:28:01Z

Work my quadriceps the way I did three days ago, that is. Limping around everywhere isn't quite covering it. Of course, during my excercise I felt fine, just a little bit of stiffness but that is of the norm most of the time, just a little sore the next day. I guess since I don't really work out my legs it sent the muscles into shock creating a slow recovery process. This is what I get for being motivated, no pain no gain, right Navy?

Friends? Only for $1,000 though. Cool?

2009-11-21T19:18:31Z

What kind of friend gathers the fucking gall to ask a deployed friend, which by the way sleeps in cold weather in nothing than a sleeping bag, gets shot at, sees comrades die, eats MRE's for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and deals with all the surreal realities of war, for a $1,000 so that the friend can purchase a car in the states? Are you kidding me asshole?

Sure mother fucker, take my money to endorse your needs. I am a good friend but there is a line and it doesn't start with your needs but, don't worry, I will stay over here, in Satan's playground, defending you and earn my money that apparently means as little as shit to you. Just because you want to ride to your girlfriends house with a fucking sun roof and power windows I will totally let you borrow my blood soaked money. Just make sure you ring it out before you hand it over to the liar who just wants your signature. "Sure, I'll pay you back bro...." eventually.... Fuck off.

Take cover!

2009-11-21T12:08:26Z

Okay nothing can ruin a good relaxing state of mind, body, and soul and what I mean by that is laying down in my bivvie sac playing my PSP in a quiet room with no worries in the world, just midless button mashing and bright color observations to keep me temporarily entertained. Let's call this a state: volunteer de comotose. Anyway, lovely day right? Sounds good, looks good, even feels good.

Not a worry in the world until a peircing siren pisses in your cheerios followed by a muffled thud and explosives in the near distance. I am talking about mortar fire and yes it fucked my volunteered de comotose up. I will not use this bombing in vain as it did rough some people up but they are okay. How about you show your fucking face Mr. Muhammad Bearded Ballsac? Then see what happens.

Regardless, it is a time of war, this stuff happens, luckily we have good systems in place. Just lets the new guys know that this shit's real.

Never forget the first...

2009-11-20T01:33:47Z

Eventhough my first experience with death was of a local national Afghani it still hit me harder than I expected but it wasn't until afterwards when I felt it. We got the call that a bird was coming in with casualties and I jumped on the opportunity first chance I got. I assembled my team, hopped into the back of the ambulance and drove out to the flight line, at this moment the bird flew in and quickly came down to a landing, the force wind from the rotor blades and all. We then ran out, ducking, thinking we are dodging the spinning blades, and I notice our helocopter crew hopping out and sliding the side door open. The flight medic had our guy on a stretcher performing CPR chest compressions. We quickly ran up, grabbed a handle and got him over to the ambulance, continued CPR compressions, got to the hospital and followed him inside. After brief observation of the patient the nurses quickly scrambled around while others performed chest compressions. There was no pulse left and after and ultrasonic scan of his chest the local national was pronounced dead. At this moment I felt a little weak, to my surprise actually.

On my way back to the clinic I couldn't find a single body, turns out there was a secondary patient in the helo that needed to be transported to a different hospital so I geared up and hopped in the second ambulance with a nurse. The second local national was dead but the nurse and I started chest compressions and breathes. There was no pulse. Great, two in one night. That's what I was thinking until we got a small pulse, irregular but, there, none-the-less. We ended up saving this guys life. Eventually we were able to remove the oxygen and he began breathing on his own so to balance moods out -- lose a life, save a life.

I am still a little shooken up but need to get back to work.

Uncomfortable

2009-11-19T20:05:45Z

I don't think you have been uncomfortable until you have to transport a Afghanistan National Army soldier to the entry control point and wait right next to the wire in a spot light with a little to no armored jerryrigged truck with red crosses all over it. Then having the drivers of the other transport vehicle approaching you, local nationals, asking you why you don't have the magazine loaded in your weapon, then talking in Dari about it, looking at the weapon then straight into your eyes smiling.

My thoughts -- It aint fucking loaded but give me a reason and it will be.

I wonder why...

2009-11-19T15:16:58Z

So the other night we get a patient who has chest pain, which is a major concern for us. He is a pretty built and healthly looking young guy so there was a tiny bit of concern and confusion associated with this issue. We do the normal, hooking up IV's, EKG's, drawing blood, the works... His EKG's came out with some irregularities that the nurse was a bit concerned with.

What's the deal? Turns out this dude endures a pretty intense workout schedule with a high demanding crossfit routine, which is all fine and dandy, but let me ask you this and if you can get it through the meat that intertwines in your brain cells then answer me back. Why on gods earth would you drink two cans of Dr. Pepper, two scoops of N.O.-Xplode, maintain a healthy diet of 1 1/2 cans of dip daily, AND then try to work out with outstanding levels of tachycardiac properties floating around in that beefy system of yours?

All I can say is... Caffeine, Caffeine, CAFFEINE!!! Then a heart enduring workout.... You my friend are dancing with the devil. Please learn something from this experience unless you want a heart attack before you turn 30.

Let the thunderbolts reign.

2009-11-19T14:47:07Z

A10 Thunderbolts, first off, are the shit... just beautiful aircrafts. They are classified as a Close Air Support fighter jet. What's amazing is how they fuck people's days up as well. They come equipped with a Gatling gun, 3,900 rounds a minute firing 30mm rounds, among other things, that fill the night with orchestral beauty.

A10's fly around this hell hole spreading democracy to the landlovers of this warfilled country. What's tight is listening to the muffled trigger squeezes in the near distance. One trigger squeeze amounts to 65 rounds, which amounts to one second of firepower output, 1/60 sec or 65/3900 rounds. Good to know that these beautiful crafts are protecting us while we work.

More information at : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-10_Thunderbolt_II

Hurry! Rush the patient!

2009-11-16T18:44:25Z

So it was a slow night last night... by slow night I mean during the 12 hours I was on shift we had one patient come in. This patient came in because of chest problems, problems breathing so he was sent to our little crash room. I was minding my own business in the back room as one of my co-workers informed me that three corpsman and a doctor were in the room assisting in the patient's set up. I was told that no help was needed.

Later on that night my supervisor tells me she needs to talk to everyone as a whole, all seriousness promoted, so I quickly hung up with my wife, after informing her that I would call her back, of course. I squeezed myself into the huddle and stood awaiting whatever rant was about to be distributed, reason why I put it like that is because she had a look on her face like we killed someone.

How do I put this? Dumb? Nitpicky? Bored? Reprising?

Regardless, the feelings portrayed were that me and the other coworker didn't jump to tend to that patient. We were also in the wrong for not knowing why the patient came in to see us. First off, do we really want to crowd patients? Well apparently we have to now... if we have 6 staff members and 1 patient all 6 of us need to go into the patient room, EVEN IF THERE IS NOTHING FOR THE EXCESS WORKERS TO DO. Now tell me something, if you are a patient laying on a cold examination bed, already nervous about what a provider is going to say, in pain, and enduring a negative state of health would you really want 6 people in the room with at least 2 hovering over you? It's already overwhelming enough to be in a combat zone with injuries and 3 people doing 3 seperate things to you with one provider asking a plethora of questions. You then feel the uncomfortable factor of having to remove your shirt, possibly your pants, the cold sensation of EKG leads being placed around your chest, wires dangling, pressure cuffs squeezing your arm, lights, temprature apperatures in your mouth, and IV cathers being placed into your veins. With all the violating, yet health promoting, procedures would you really want a pair of 4 more eyes glaring into your deficient state of well-being? It's unecessary and, quite frankly, is the outcome of someone who is angry that a little bit of workload shattered the thought process of what letter to type next on the keyboard of boredom. Yes it may be sarcasm but this is the result of my frustration when trying to understand the demands of incompetant must-do's that only came into effect due to the fact that nothing had to be done until Jesus walked through the door with chest pain. Because the leader hopped into action, the followers stoot observations were of no match to anywhere near the common sense that had been brought to the table of reason and just.

Sure leader, next time Joe Smith walks into the doorway of Unecessary but Intentful Clinic due to a headache, have no fear -- we will have all our staff members scurrying around the room, dodging the working provider and intently staring into the uncomfortable eyes of the victim, reassuring him that he is hurt with every second hand the ticks into place during his stay in wonderful Afghanistan. Oh, and we shall ready the trauma teams and inform the intensive care unit of our findings.