or i guess me coming to terms with "giving everything you've got" to help another.
before giving was a requirement
its what i did cause thats what we do
its what i did cause thats what we do
and then when i had the patient on my floor
and rewoke at 3 am to take out the IV
i kinda got it.
what up friends. my blog should just hang out with my mind and my dreams, but due to its gran flojeracidad (laziness) i'll recount the headlines, you ask the details
1. Sloths. super cool. hung out with Monti in Montero while eating a Picole. At that time i was feeling pretty good because the day before i had slept from 3pm to 7am and pretty sad because i had just said goodbye to my last 7 months. not bad. also the Sloth... it seemed to really be living it up. it was chillin on corner end plaza chewing away at branch ends... every once in a while it took a break to take a wide sweeping view of its background surroundings.. then chomping resumed.
2. the saga of dialysis. i may have mentioned our renal failure patient and how my bro treated her for 3 weeks with diuretics (fluid removal) and how i am quite sensitive and have a heart that beats really fast (i have a pulse 30x that of all my friends) and a feeling in my heart that sometimes hurts. i think of things like families, and histories and economic situations and comfort and choices. docs think of the balance of water and minerals and a body's assisted drive to stay alive.
on tuesday i got back the lab results. one hour later i had a doc read them and knew we were in "ohhh shiittt" mode. i called the patient and the first call was unsuccessful. sometimes patients forget that spending 20Bs and stopping whatever they are doing to travel from campo (jungle) to city (bolivian miami) might be worth the bother. the second call i whipped out my newly perfected directness, alluded to untimely and uncomfortable death akin to that experienced by lethal injection, and the next thing i received was a prompt destination and ETA.
6:30 pm bundled (scarf and hat) swollen yet lucid patient arrives. By 7 Doogs had broken out the "look lady this happened to me. it's not all over. i had your disease and i am 15 years of health and counting. you are in bad shape now but if we devote the time and you commit to your future, we can get you through." we drew blood for Sodium and Potassium (to find out really how sick she was) and Doogs was done.
8 pm. this was the first patient i had brought back to the house. i forgot it's the Scruz mansion for a reason. it felt strange... Nico and I ran upstairs. We threw down some mattresses, some sheets, some comforters, some pillows. we set up patient camp planta baja (ground floor). we bundled the patient once again, this time in a more comfortable resting position. The ISI gringos, who had just sat down to a royal meal, asked Liliana the daughter if she wanted some pasta. Lilana asked me, as I was waiting the half hour for the lab results to come back, for some panuelas (adult diapers).
9:45pm lab results arrive. I call Doogs with the number 7.4 and hear Potassium is sky high. This is the point at which a heart can stop... a physical reaction mimicking lethal injection. Doogs response elevated "ohhh shhiit" mode. But he was good... he called his nurse and guided her to the cure.
11pm. Liceth the best licenciada (nurse practitioner) ever arrives at the Mansion. Ibyana and I assist in the creation of IV Souvenir Lamp Pole Fluid holder numero uno. 2 IV bags run, gluconato de sodio injected and the directions for Raquelita to close IV bags (so her blood didnt run up the IV?) and remove IV line in approximately 3 hours were given. ISI Americans think this is "really cool."Resident American Nephorologist with 30 years of experience in this type of care went to bed three hours ago.
2 am. What up IV that's still drippin and earnest Lilana that is still holding strong.
3 am. IV removal successful. Theoretically, Potassium burst averted. Heart noted to be functioning.
Wednesday
9:30am. At Institute of the Kidney we arrive. Dialysis begun. Repeat peritonitis discovered. Really cloudy dark diffusion (waste removal) observed. A few mean looks from the Peritoneal Dialysis nurse wondering "what have we done with this patient!"
3pm. I have returned home. Liliana daughter has my number. I fall asleep at my computer. 4:30 pm I awake to 4 missed dialysis calls and think "Man, if i was sleeping and Dialy patient died..."
5pm. Institute of Kidney, everything ok... meds bought, bills canceled.
6:30 pm. Despedida goodbye with Maggie American volunteer (1st at the clinic, on her 6th return). I think i wrote a text msg that said "Man,I feel like a wreck."
9:30pm. Patient released from Dialysis and directed to come back tomorrow. Peritonitis treated but repeat dialysis needed. Patient goes to Tia's home, I to mine.
Thurs. 7:30 am. Dialysis. Lilana looking good. She changed her purse. The new one was cute. I needed to head to Palacios for my last two days as jungle clinic Coordinator. Daughter tells me all cool, she and nurse give me release.
11:00 am. What up Palacios. Me, feeling good but tired, a lil sick.
2:30 pm. Lavitusmanos (the new coordinator) manual driving lesson.
3:00 pm. I'm a little warm and flushed and I get the "uh you're more than a lil sick" eyes from Sharon (she nursed me through Dengue).
3:15pm. Slumber, minor night sweats, not too shabby rest until Friday 7am.
Friday was great. That lots of sleep really helped. I said goodbye to the clinic. I waved to the trees where the monkeys reside. Kinda crazy, I know. And now i'm lightheaded. There's more... I'll revisit soon.
i kinda got it.
what up friends. my blog should just hang out with my mind and my dreams, but due to its gran flojeracidad (laziness) i'll recount the headlines, you ask the details
1. Sloths. super cool. hung out with Monti in Montero while eating a Picole. At that time i was feeling pretty good because the day before i had slept from 3pm to 7am and pretty sad because i had just said goodbye to my last 7 months. not bad. also the Sloth... it seemed to really be living it up. it was chillin on corner end plaza chewing away at branch ends... every once in a while it took a break to take a wide sweeping view of its background surroundings.. then chomping resumed.
2. the saga of dialysis. i may have mentioned our renal failure patient and how my bro treated her for 3 weeks with diuretics (fluid removal) and how i am quite sensitive and have a heart that beats really fast (i have a pulse 30x that of all my friends) and a feeling in my heart that sometimes hurts. i think of things like families, and histories and economic situations and comfort and choices. docs think of the balance of water and minerals and a body's assisted drive to stay alive.
on tuesday i got back the lab results. one hour later i had a doc read them and knew we were in "ohhh shiittt" mode. i called the patient and the first call was unsuccessful. sometimes patients forget that spending 20Bs and stopping whatever they are doing to travel from campo (jungle) to city (bolivian miami) might be worth the bother. the second call i whipped out my newly perfected directness, alluded to untimely and uncomfortable death akin to that experienced by lethal injection, and the next thing i received was a prompt destination and ETA.
6:30 pm bundled (scarf and hat) swollen yet lucid patient arrives. By 7 Doogs had broken out the "look lady this happened to me. it's not all over. i had your disease and i am 15 years of health and counting. you are in bad shape now but if we devote the time and you commit to your future, we can get you through." we drew blood for Sodium and Potassium (to find out really how sick she was) and Doogs was done.
8 pm. this was the first patient i had brought back to the house. i forgot it's the Scruz mansion for a reason. it felt strange... Nico and I ran upstairs. We threw down some mattresses, some sheets, some comforters, some pillows. we set up patient camp planta baja (ground floor). we bundled the patient once again, this time in a more comfortable resting position. The ISI gringos, who had just sat down to a royal meal, asked Liliana the daughter if she wanted some pasta. Lilana asked me, as I was waiting the half hour for the lab results to come back, for some panuelas (adult diapers).
9:45pm lab results arrive. I call Doogs with the number 7.4 and hear Potassium is sky high. This is the point at which a heart can stop... a physical reaction mimicking lethal injection. Doogs response elevated "ohhh shhiit" mode. But he was good... he called his nurse and guided her to the cure.
11pm. Liceth the best licenciada (nurse practitioner) ever arrives at the Mansion. Ibyana and I assist in the creation of IV Souvenir Lamp Pole Fluid holder numero uno. 2 IV bags run, gluconato de sodio injected and the directions for Raquelita to close IV bags (so her blood didnt run up the IV?) and remove IV line in approximately 3 hours were given. ISI Americans think this is "really cool."Resident American Nephorologist with 30 years of experience in this type of care went to bed three hours ago.
2 am. What up IV that's still drippin and earnest Lilana that is still holding strong.
3 am. IV removal successful. Theoretically, Potassium burst averted. Heart noted to be functioning.
Wednesday
9:30am. At Institute of the Kidney we arrive. Dialysis begun. Repeat peritonitis discovered. Really cloudy dark diffusion (waste removal) observed. A few mean looks from the Peritoneal Dialysis nurse wondering "what have we done with this patient!"
3pm. I have returned home. Liliana daughter has my number. I fall asleep at my computer. 4:30 pm I awake to 4 missed dialysis calls and think "Man, if i was sleeping and Dialy patient died..."
5pm. Institute of Kidney, everything ok... meds bought, bills canceled.
6:30 pm. Despedida goodbye with Maggie American volunteer (1st at the clinic, on her 6th return). I think i wrote a text msg that said "Man,I feel like a wreck."
9:30pm. Patient released from Dialysis and directed to come back tomorrow. Peritonitis treated but repeat dialysis needed. Patient goes to Tia's home, I to mine.
Thurs. 7:30 am. Dialysis. Lilana looking good. She changed her purse. The new one was cute. I needed to head to Palacios for my last two days as jungle clinic Coordinator. Daughter tells me all cool, she and nurse give me release.
11:00 am. What up Palacios. Me, feeling good but tired, a lil sick.
2:30 pm. Lavitusmanos (the new coordinator) manual driving lesson.
3:00 pm. I'm a little warm and flushed and I get the "uh you're more than a lil sick" eyes from Sharon (she nursed me through Dengue).
3:15pm. Slumber, minor night sweats, not too shabby rest until Friday 7am.
Friday was great. That lots of sleep really helped. I said goodbye to the clinic. I waved to the trees where the monkeys reside. Kinda crazy, I know. And now i'm lightheaded. There's more... I'll revisit soon.
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