Random Thoughts

Nursing Purple Heart

This entry is going to be somewhat random.  I haven't written anything for a while so I just thought I'd jot some stuff down.  To start, I came up with a "Nursing Purple Heart" because we have been dealing with some very combative patients.  Some of us have been injured by our patients and the only recourse we have is to grin and bear it.  Sometimes we can't medicate them or restrain them because they become more dangerous.  So, in order to deal with it, I had some Velcro purple hearts with a band aid sash made up and we made certificates and our wonderful flight commander awards them.  I posted this on Facebook and my "friend" (using the term loosely)decided he was offended.  This person hasn't asked me how I am or if I need anything since I've been deployed for the last four months, and the only comment he has made is his opinion.  Tom and I have done a lot for this couple but they are very selfish.  I guess we've run out of things we can do for them.  He's getting deployed soon, maybe he'll get it then.

Yesterday I had a patient in bed 13 who was a bilateral amputee, Tony.  I mention the names of these people because they are important to me.  Tony had his legs amputated on the same day his first child was born.  I can only imagine the thoughts going through his mind..."will I be able to be a normal father to him?"  I tried keeping a positive attitude for Tony's sake but inside my heart was breaking.  His wife sent me a picture of the baby so I could print it and give it to him, but thanks to the wonderful Internet connectivity, I didn't get it in time.  I will have it forwarded to Germany so he can get it there.  I don't want him to think I let him down.

The next rambling is about today's patient in bed 13, Brandon.  Brandon has a catastrophic brain injury meaning we are keeping his body alive until he can get to Germany for his family to take him off life support.  This poor kid is only 21.  I held it together most of the day until one of his fellow soldiers showed up and he started to cry.  I held him too.  We're supposed to be there for the families as well as the patient, and this guy may not have been blood but he was family.  I was good again until the patient started crashing and we were doing treatments just to keep his body functioning.  When I gave report, I cracked when I made the comment how his mother's heart must be broken and it made me think of P.J. and Alex.  This boy is my children's age.

I did get a wonderful letter from my niece, Madison, yesterday.  It was so cute, but it means so much.  I rewrote it in it's entirety, misspellings and all:

Dear Aunt Keirry,

                          I miss yo so much.  Are you okay because I heard you where in the war? How many rommates do you have? I hope you don't have a lot. I hope you can call me some more before you go in the real war. When is the war going to begin? I heard you got in trouble because you woke up one of your roommates. Did you see your children open their Christmas presents? Did you get them something for Christmas? If you did I hope it was something nice. Like legos or a D.S. game. Are you going to do a real war? I sure hope you don't because I don't want you to get hurt. Are your children being good with their dad? Do they miss you a lot? If they do I have the same feeling. Do you have a mean boss? Is your boss like my sister? I hope not because my sister is very mean. When are you going to call me again? When are you going back home?

                                                                                                                Your love
                                                                                                                Madison

The perspective of an eight year old is amazing.  How do you explain the war was happening before she was even thought of?  What is her thoughts of a "real" war?  This letter brought several smiles to all of us today when I read it aloud to my co-workers.

Speaking of my co-workers, we were amazing today.  Seventy-percent of our patients were Americans and that is a complete turn around from what it has been.  It seems this afternoon we put all the petty crap aside and focused on what was important.  As emotionally sad as today was, it was just as gratifying to see how we came together for a common cause.