The world in one place

Yesterday I had an Afghan, Australian, Italian, and British patient. I feel very cultured.

Rupert

Sat with a guy for a couple hours listening to his story. The story where his buddy stepped on an IED and lost everything below his chest. They couldn't strap him to the gurney because there wasn't enough of him, he fell off the gurney even. He said he was typically the outgoing guy, telling jokes and being the center of attention but it was taking too much energy to keep up the image and pretend like nothing was wrong. He was the leader over 7 guys and just wanted to be strong for them. My heart broke for him. And his friend, Rupert, who has a one month old baby at home that will never know his dad.

Home in less than a month sounds so good.

It's March!

I can finally say that I come home next month! I'm so ready to come home and enjoy all the luxuries of American living, and bring home all I've experienced and learned.
The latest around here... I'm sure you all heard about the Koran burning. Because of that, we had to increase our security level, so we're all carrying our weapons now with a full magazine, and when we walk over to Leatherneck, we have to keep the magazine loaded. Its a scary thought knowing that I have a deadly weapon on my thigh, and that there's even a possibility that I might have to use it.
I love being a nurse.. its funny how much people assume nothing phases you... I acted like it was completely normal when she changed her tampon 2 feet from my face and as I wiped a 20 year old soldier's rectum after being incontinent of stool. But inside I'm thinking... I'm am seriously in this person's personal space. I know it sounds silly, but I feel honored to be in that kind of position, and make them feel normal about it. Speaking of normal, or not so normal... we have a patient that's having his hands sewn into his abdomen to encourage tissue growth. Bizarre right? I wish people could spend a day in my shoes sometime, the crazy stuff I see...