Down days
Hello everybody. I know a while back that I said I would try to update my blog every Friday. So what happens when every day, is in fact, Monday. We have a had a few hectic days this past week. I had gone through most of the deployment without having to treat anyone. The guaranteed randomness that is our local population does not count. I usually give them pain medication and some vitamins. If I know precisely what they have, and do not think they are whistlin dixie, then I do what I can to treat them. Overall though, thank God for tylenol and motrin.
It is interesting to note, that people, regardless of where they come from, will find interesting ways to hurt themselves. And this leads me to this post. I have treated five patients over the past week. The first was a young man who nearly lost his hand when his sleeve got caught in a piece of farm equipment. You would think that since he was missing fingers from said machinery he would be more careful, but nope. Seeing the inner mechanics of a hand is kinda cool if in a morbid sort a way. The next was a young guy hacking away with a axe. Problem was the axe started life as a hoe, and was not intended to cut trees. One swing, axe hit the tree, then bounced back.... you can guess what he looked like. Next was my ever popular frequent flyer: the ANA cook. I have stopped asking this guy what is wrong since he usually shows up on my doorstep bleeding profusely. I have now stitched his hand shut four times this deployment. I am wondering if Mr. Iron Chef has taken the old adage 'chicks dig scars' a wee bit too far. The last two guys I saw were combat related so cannot post info about them save to say that they are doing well and that it is generally wise to duck when stuff starts going boom. And do you know what happened today.... absolutely nothing. I slept till 0430Z, had two pop tarts for breakfast with my black coffee, then sat in the aid station for 7 hours. I was bored for a change. As my wife can attest, I do not do well with down days but on this day, I will certainly try. Tomorrow I may get a local stabbed within a inch of his life, by chickens. Ya never know.
It is interesting to note, that people, regardless of where they come from, will find interesting ways to hurt themselves. And this leads me to this post. I have treated five patients over the past week. The first was a young man who nearly lost his hand when his sleeve got caught in a piece of farm equipment. You would think that since he was missing fingers from said machinery he would be more careful, but nope. Seeing the inner mechanics of a hand is kinda cool if in a morbid sort a way. The next was a young guy hacking away with a axe. Problem was the axe started life as a hoe, and was not intended to cut trees. One swing, axe hit the tree, then bounced back.... you can guess what he looked like. Next was my ever popular frequent flyer: the ANA cook. I have stopped asking this guy what is wrong since he usually shows up on my doorstep bleeding profusely. I have now stitched his hand shut four times this deployment. I am wondering if Mr. Iron Chef has taken the old adage 'chicks dig scars' a wee bit too far. The last two guys I saw were combat related so cannot post info about them save to say that they are doing well and that it is generally wise to duck when stuff starts going boom. And do you know what happened today.... absolutely nothing. I slept till 0430Z, had two pop tarts for breakfast with my black coffee, then sat in the aid station for 7 hours. I was bored for a change. As my wife can attest, I do not do well with down days but on this day, I will certainly try. Tomorrow I may get a local stabbed within a inch of his life, by chickens. Ya never know.
posted by Big Cheeseburger | Tuesday, June 24, 2008
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