Disaster

When I came to our department on an evening shift, they told me immediately that the hospital activated THE DISASTER CODE...

I was like: Come again?

Disaster Code, they repeated. I asked why, what happened? We only activate this code during earthquakes, bombing, big fires, or anything which involves a lot of people being hurt. We already have standard plan for that, we already know what we're about to do in case of disaster like that.

But I haven't heard of anything, or news at all! that's why I'm confused.

The patients will be coming from Libya!

OMG!

It all sinked in to my tiny mind! Due to the current situation and war going on in Libya, their own hospitals cannot accommodate their own patients. They need assistance to take care of their sick and unstable patients. They don't have enough health care providers left since many of them already flew back to their own country for fear on their own lives.

They'll be bringing about 5o patients. We don't know how many are critical. So everyone must prepare everything we need to assist in the emergency room. My senior staff continued.

5o people? Oh noooooo! I cannot imagine it! that much? we could receive many patients at our ER but not this much and all together at once! This would be chaos...I mean that's crazy!

and besides I'm not in the mood to be so busy today!LOL

On the other hand, I kinda felt excited, I thought, maybe this is what I'm missing, the action, the adrenaline, the craziness of the hospital when its too busy and too crowded when everyone was pressured to save more lives as much as possible!

parang yun napapanood ko sa Greys Anatomy! you know, yun may darating na sabog ang paa, labas bituka, putol ulo or puro tama ng baril. Nakaka excite un di bah? Its like we're inside the warzone!

They even asked me to join the team who would go take a plane to Libya and help pick up patients and bring them back here!

Huwat? me???? with eyes wide open pa yun ha! haha yoko nga! ano ko tange mabomba pa ko dun hahaha! Ibang bomba ang trip ko hindi mga bazooka!LOL

So, No way. I refused. yun lang! charrr!

The whole emergency room prepared for the worst, we brought many ventilators and bag-valve mask and all respiratory aids kit. I could feel the tension in the air. We are all first timers here. We don't know what to expect. We were oriented on what to do but its still nerve wracking when you're actually on the situation!

I saw CB. That flirty straight cute nurse that I have a big crush on.

Mac, you're covering our area?

Yes, I would be responding to all critical cases.

Good, but i want you on my bed. My bed only.

I wanna burst into laughters when he said his bed. He meant, the bed he was assigned to. That I should assist only on the patient to his assigned bed. It just sounded so dirty when he said it with eyes directly looking at me. That slut!LOL

Wag ka selfish! i-share mo ko sa ibang nangangailangan sakin haha!

He even helped me assembling my machine on his bed. "My hose is not fitting on the sucket, CB, this is difficult..." I continued.

"Maybe its still a virgin Mac...you gotta put some lube..."

I threw a pen at his face! good thing he was able to dodged it.

He came near me and took the hose Im holding and tried it himself, aww and sweet naman ni CB hehehe! Its been days that I imagined him on my bed. Every part of his body screams SEXY.

Taenang CB to! ang hot ng hayop!LOL

When everything was set. The time those patients are expected to come passed by...an hour...three hours... four hours...still nothing...

They even asked all nurses to stay till 12 midnight! e hanggang 10pm lang dapat sila!

One in the morning, they arrived...I was ecstatic.. I checked the room...one...two...and three...not critical...

more came...one by one...some are comatose and burned... some are victims of gunshot but stable, some are intubated already...and that's it!!!

What?!

that's it???? where's my crazy-chaotic-warzone-scenario????LOL

Anywayz, I was so disappointed big time, as in to the highest level of disappointment haha but I still helped managing the patients though, till my 16hrs shift ends in the morning.

hay naku!

OA yun nag inform na disaster code yun! tanga siya!LOL

FYI: di po ako nurse. I'm a therapist :-)

Seriously...That's My Finger!

I was having dinner at our department on the second floor when I received a bleep...

Trauma team is activated...

Trauma team is activated...

Trauma team is activated...

Shit! that's all I could say and stopped eating and run...literally!!! I have to, last time the doctor was mad at me for being late haha. But what to do, the Accident and Emergency room (ER) is at the ground floor and so far away from our department. But I do have the options to eat at the ER pantry but I chose not to. I'm happy dining with my colleague. I just need to run as fast as I could like tonight! Toinks!

After more than a month of being assigned there, I can say, I like it. Unlike before that I could curse my boss for putting me there. I'm happy with the Pediatric ICU and he will just decide to assign me at the ER! WTF!

There are many rooms at the emergency room, there's the cardiac room, where I should stay all the time unless needed somewhere. But I am covering the whole Accident and Emergency room, on call basis.

(CARDIAC ROOM: all chest pain patients. This is the busiest room, and the most toxic place ever! any minute there will be cardiac arrest, and if there's cardiac arrest,only means one thing: I will be tired!)

Like this call, at the Trauma room, where the ambulance brings all accidents and trauma related incidents. This area is usually the bloodiest! the goriest ever! But this room is my favorite. A lot of action going on, its fast and unpredictable. But this is also a place where everyone need to be serious and focused.

(But sometimes how can I focus if someone's tut-tut were in front of you! ang laki kaya shit! kidding!)

Finally, I reached the Trauma room number 4. Every one was there. All in their personal protective gear! Its like inside the wet market. All the trauma code team was there.

"Brother, come! Hurry!" I heard my anesthesiologist referring to me. He is my partner on all procedure, its like a loveteam Toinks! All five doctors are there. I'm the only one late! As usual hahaha! The nurse handed me the gown, gloves and face mask. Good thing he is not the other one who scolded me before.

I looked at the patient, a female, around 30 yrs. old. You could barely recognize here. Her face are all sore. A hit and run victim. Most probably its a head injury... I noticed there's too much blood coming out on her mouth, her jaw was broken...She is also not breathing.

A big problem for my anesthesiologist and me...since our role is the airway (since I'm the RT). I need to make sure there will be air coming in her lungs.

Get ready for intubation, I heared him said. I prepared all the stuffs needed. I put them all on the side of the bed and assisted him for the procedure. While the other four doctors are busy with their own respective specialty.

(Basta ako, sa airway lang la ako paki sa kanila LOL!)

After the endotracheal tube was inserted, I needed to fix it right away with the ET tie, so that no matter what happened it wont be dislocated or accidentally pulled out. I have to lean towards the patients face to do it right, I wasn't able to stick it properly because the blood orally are endless. I even have blood all over me and my hands.

Endotracheal tube insertion (Intubation)

"Hurry up brother, we need to position her on her side. We will do the log roll right away!" I heard the surgeon told me. Damn! How can I do it right away! You do it! but its only on my mind LOL!

I was able to fix it and connected her to the portable mechanical ventilator ( a breathing machine where I'm the only who supposed to set and manipulate) and as are we doing the log roll on the patient, the anesthesiologist whose holding her head and neck noticed something:

Portable mechanical ventilator

"Please remove her I.D lace on the neck". The nurse quickly get the scissor but she wasn't able to reach, since my hands are free at the time I volunteered to do it.

I took it, and started to cut, but the scissor were sooooo useless. Its not cutting! Ang talas bongga! LOL.

I tried to cut again but then we heard a loud voice:

"awww--awwww! that's my finger! seriously, brother...that's my finger!" it was my anesthesiologist! I didn't feel that I'm not cutting the lace anymore but his finger hahahaha. Its sooo embarrassing...

shit!

Everyone almost burst into laughters! But tried to contain it. We are not allowed to laugh inside. He forgave me after the patient was transferred to the operating theater.

Whew!!!!

P.S
I attached an intubation video here so that you guys will have an idea of one of my job here in the hospital. In this video, I'm supposed to be the guy assisting the doctor. The first scene was funny. Watch it.