Award

I found out today that I'm receiving an award for helping to save that man's life. I guess I didn't realize that people knew what I did. Several of the surgeons in the hospital made a point to tell me I saved his life by rushing him to surgery. I'm thrilled and humbled to be recognized for this. How cool that I was even in a position to help someone in that way. Right time, right place.

IDF

Crazy night. IDF alarm went off, had to put on the patients and ourselves on the ground for an hour bracing for the worst. We've really gotten a taste of everything out here. My adrenaline keeps kicking in, and then I crash, I'm exhausted. My brain lobectomy patient tried to run off the ward and punched a staff member. And somewhere in the middle of all of this, another patient of mine vomited almost 2,000ml of bile- not pleasant.
The transition is here for the British and we are going to a new schedule. I'm looking forward to it. Its called LENO, Late, Early, Night, Off. I think we'll like it more than Night, Day, Night, Day.
Last thing I want to mention... I feel so encouraged right now. More than one person, including a surgeon personally thanked me for helping save that mans life. I feel like a made a REAL difference. I do have to say that I like the medical profession in the way than no one person can take all the credit, it truly takes a team to do it.

Mass Cal

Dreams of what could happen on this deployment came to fruition last night. What I have been trained over and over to do became necessary yesterday. Thinking about it all night... there are things I wish I had done differently, done better, and there were things I rocked. What I can proudly say is that I was loud enough for the doctor to hear me in his haze "I'm calling a surgeon, this patient needs to go to surgery NOW". I knew he was bleeding into his abdomen and we didn't have much time. He finally looked up and heard me, and it turned out he was minutes from death. I followed the patient into surgery and gave him over 10,000 mls of blood, and he lived.

I will never forget today.

Teaching the locals

Today I got to travel to the local hospital and teach the Afghans basic body systems of a human. This was the first of hopefully many classes that I will get to teach. Our mission is to "aid in the discharge process" so that we can transfer our patients to them more smoothly. This project excites me to no end.  

Raw bone, and a foot in a bag

Worked in the Emergency Department today, it was an incredible experience. I got a pretty good picture of what comes into the ED every day, and it was nice that they actually used me. I've seen and learned so much in one day. Wow.

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr