San Diego RNR 1/2 Marathon report

My finish line flowers & lei! Totally deserved after navigating 30,000 other competitors, 13.1 miles and 2 blisters!

First of all, thank you to every single person who donated money to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I raised $2,484 - yeah! Overall, TNT raised over 9 million dollars to benefit LLS. Utterly amazing!

OK, on to the race report.

1. Getting up at 3:45 am was so NOT fun. I was meeting a group for the shuttle at 4:15. We didn't end up leaving until 5:15. Granted I hardly slept the night before but an extra hour of trying wouldn't have hurt!

2. The porta-potty lines were amazing! 30,000 people all needing to pee at the same time was a sight to behold. Sadly, I didn't have my camera along for the race so no photo documentation. I think we were in line for at least 30 minutes and were definitely there when the race actually started.

3. The race began at 6:15. We crossed the start line at 7:18. Note to self - sleep in even more next time! I like the corral start but man my legs & knees were starting to hurt from an hour plus of just standing around.

4. Finally, corral #42 (the last!) was off like a herd of turtles! I started in with my 5/2 run/walk intervals. I tried not to waste energy by dodging around people but sometimes it couldn't be helped. Thankfully, my years of dodging the little old Russian and Asian ladies on Clement and Geary proved helpful in this regard.

5. I settled into my rhythm and it was going well. My 5K split time was 40:48 - not shabby but not great however I was feeling pretty good. All of the bands and cheerleaders along the route really made me smile! I made sure I hit every water station along the route and drank the cytomax when it was offered. I know how important it was to stay hydrated but I found it really hard to start running again after the hydration stations. I was also using my FRS energy chews at regular intervals.

6. My 10K split time was 1:25:03 and I was super stoked because I felt good and seemed to be on target for my estimated 3 hour finish time. But around mile 7 things really started to hurt, hurt, hurt. I could tell I was getting blisters on the inside of both heels and my legs were so tight. I think I ended up walking the entire time from miles 7 -10. But I did get to see a moving truck (rental from Budget) hit a tree and have the back half of the roof opened up like a sardine can. That was entertaining! I sure hope that guy bought the optional insurance or that's going to be one really expensive move!

7. My 10 mile split was 2:23:59 and I knew I was slowing down. I was so grateful for the woman with the hose at mile 10.5. That was the most refreshing shower ever! The morning was really sunny and great weather but man I was hot! I kept stopping to stretch but things weren't loosening up much. At that point I figured that everything was going to hurt no matter what, so I may as well run because I would at least be done faster! So I started back on my 5/2 intervals. Yes it hurt but I could tell I was picking up the pace.

8. When I passed mile 12 I knew I was in the home stretch. I think there was a point where I really debated if I could finish. I was mentally kicking myself for being lax in my training. I had to give myself a mental shaking and remember that "no" and "quit" were not an option! I kept going and saw that I was closing in on the final chute. Then, low & behold, I saw my cheering squad off to the right. Matty jumped on the course and gave me a little pep talk. I don't remember much other than telling him "I think I hate myself right now"! :)

9. Into the chute I kicked it up a notch, only to find out that the cute was longer than I thought. Argh! But I turned the corner and saw the glorious sign for Mile 13! Hallelujah! One of the TNT coaches was there, cheering people on and I really needed it. (As a side note, I loved how nicely the coaches lied when they kept yelling "looking good"!). I finally had the finish line in my sights and really did kick it in gear. It felt so damn good to cross that finish line! And even better to wear that heavy medal around my neck! Final finish time was 3:13:02. A little longer than I thought but glad I was close to being on target.

10. I wandered aimlessly for a bit until some nice volunteer pointed me in the direction of water and the exit. Stopped to pose for my picture and then hit the "grocery store". Man was there a ton of food for us! I loaded up on fruit, chips, bars, cytomax and who knows what else. My arms were full of good stuff, my brain was a fog and the lower half of my body was in pain. All in all, a pretty good day!

Things I learned and will think about:
- Best idea ever was to put my flip flops in my gear bag. It felt awesome to pull off those tennis shoes!
- Training is not over-rated. I should have done more before this race and will know better next time. Gasp! Did I just say next time?!?
- Doing it with a friend was the best thing ever!
- I need to figure out how to avoid such horrid heartburn. I know it was important to refuel and rehydrate but I think it really gave me heartburn. I felt like there was a rock in my chest from about mile 7 on which made it hard to take deep breaths and keep in a good breathing pattern. Not sure if it's just drinking while run/walking or if it was the energy chews or the cytomax but something will need to change. It was so bad that I couldn't even think about a post race beer or margarita! :(

Some pictures for your viewing pleasure!

My medal

















The horrid ice bath. This is by far the worst thing I've ever done in my life. My toes were burning and I thought they were going to fall off! They say this makes you feel better. I don't have anything to compare it to so I sure hope it was worth it!


















Schwag from the race! Tech t-shirt, free t-shirt I won at the expo, TNT 13.1 pin, cute silver 13.1 mile charm, magnet/beer opener, my lei, bib that looks like it went through hell and of course, the awesome medal!

Pinning Ceremony

On Friday I participated in the time honored tradition of the nursing school pinning ceremony. It was wonderful to see our class together one last time before we fly off in our individual directions. Even though I was sick it was still a wonderful day! I had the honor of being voted as our class speaker and even though public speaking is not my strong suit, I have to say I did a fantastic job and feel like I was able to speak honestly and with conviction.

Below are a couple of photos & a link to the full album. Also, if you want you can watch the speech I delivered as my momma captured it on her camera. You may need to crank up the sound to hear it but I promise it's well worth it! :)

My fellow students & most awesome support crew!
I could not have done it without these ladies:
Lisa, Stacey & Laura

The man who made it all possible and without whom there are many things in my life that would not have been possible, ever. I love you baby!

Another one of the crew - just because we're so cute!

Getting antsy to get the show on the road!

You can view my speech here:



And you can see Matt pinning me here


And click here to find all the photos from the pinning ceremony.


At our school, the faculty have not always been that supportive of the pinning ceremony. Since it is linked back to diploma programs they feel that graduation is a more important event since we are a bachelor's program. I agree that the bachelor's degree is of the utmost importance however having graduation 3 months after you've finished the program is anticlimatic, to say the least. Every year though we seem to gather a little bit more support and I'm grateful for that! I am thankful to the faculty who came and participated in our ceremony and hope that the tradition grows and continues for those who come after us!

In sickness for health

So my wonderful hubby gave me his wonderful cold. I can get myself revved up for about 2 hours and then I crash. Today I'm a sad lump sitting on the sofa, trying to get myself motivated to clean the house as my mom is arriving in two days!

As far as my training goes, I made it as far as driving to the gym to do my cross training yesterday. I figured I could sit on a bike for a while at least. But alas, the parking was full and I was not motivated enough to look (and pay) for street parking. So that was a bust. And today, while I'm not feeling much better I know I need to get out there. So I will, even though the weather is wet & cold & rainy. It's only 35 minutes. I can do 35 minutes.

Training & Fundraising update!

Thanks to all of you so far for your generous donations. To date I'm 30% of the way toward my personal goal. Yeehaw!

I've set a new deadline for myself - I want to be at 75% of my fund raising goal by Thursday, March 24th. And with your help, I know it can be done! Here is how the math breaks down:

• 75% of $3000 = $2250
• $2250 - $895 = $1355
• $1355/$25 = 54.2

If I can get 55 people to click HERE and donate $25 to my fund right now, I'll be sitting pretty!

So to entice you to donate I've got a special deal - hand knitted goods! I'll be giving away three knitted dishcloths between now and St. Patty's day. You can win in one of three categories:

• First person to donate after I post this update
• Person to donate the highest dollar amount between now and March 17th
• Person who makes the wittiest and/or most supportive comment when making their online donation

Just think, one of those winners could be you! I hope it will be!

Training has been going well. There have been some "challenges" (runner lingo for HILLS) and I've been learning a lot about shin splints (unfortunately the hard way) but I am so honored to be a part of this group. I had the privilege of meeting some of our team honorees last weekend at a brunch and they are amazing an inspirational. Some are in remission from Leukemia or Lymphoma and some are currently undergoing treatment. I think that the magnitude of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society really hit home for me when I learned that two of the honorees are taking a medication developed by the money raised by the LLS. Talk about a direct effect of effort and fund raising for the cause - it blows my mind!

So please take a moment to donate now so that we can continue to help the LLS develop new treatments and save lives!

And for your viewing pleasure, a couple of pictures from last weekend's run!

Love - Myla

Here you can see me on the left trudging up yet another hill!

And this is the glorious rest/refuel station. I was so glad to see it!

I couldn't ask for a better setting to wheeze and trudge my way through. This kind of view makes up for most/all the pain!

Good night caregiver

It's been a long time since I've blogged. Last quarter was much more stressful than I had anticipated and hit me in an emotional center that I wasn't prepared to defend.

Today was the first day of clinical for our new rotation. It was a good orientation and I'm excited to get started, however I've been sick for a couple days and am just drooping at this point. We got out a little early (shhhhh!) and I got a ride to the BART station. As I passed through the turnstile and rounded the attendant booth to head down to the train platform I heard a voice call out "Good night, caregiver". I stopped in my tracks.

Paused.

Realized that the attendant was talking to me! In all of my student nurse white scrubs glory, I am a caregiver.

Whaddya know about that?

Stroke of Insight - Jill Bolte Taylor

It's been a while since I've posted - my apologies. However right now I'm in the throes of winding up my quarter. I can't believe that finals are two weeks away! ACK!

I'm up to my eyeballs in studying but wanted to bring you this powerful video. I was doing some research on neurological stuff, partly because that's our next area of coverage in patho class and partly because I had the opportunity to spend time with a young woman who recently suffered a stroke. Her progress has been amazing and I am honored to have spent time with her, laughing, joking and talking.

Anyway, a nursing forum I frequent led me to a site called TED: Ideas Worth Spreading. There is a video of a talk given by a neurological researcher who suffered a stroke in her late 30s. She recounts her experience and really details the loss of function in her brain and her levels of awareness through the entire ordeal.

It's worth eating your lunch at the computer to watch this one!

Validation

The other day I was at Panera enjoying some chicken noodle soup and working on my preschool paper for nursing. I was stopped by two women who noticed that I was wearing my nursing sweatshirt.

They proceeded to congratulate me on getting into school and for choosing nursing as my profession. It was a mother (probably in her 70s) and a daughter (probably in her 50s) and they had nothing but praise for nurses. The daughter is trying to convince her two children to go into nursing as well

They wanted to know where I went to school, what specialty area I was interested in, what I thought about the process of getting into school. It was so validating to have two complete strangers sing your praises and tell you that you were doing something noble. Talk about an ego boost! I thanked them both sincerely and wished them luck on convincing the next generation to move into this field as well.

Odds-n-Ends

First off - phew! I had my very first nursing school exam last week. It was in Pathophysiology (the study of diseases) and covered cardiac and respiratory diseases. I was terribly anxious going into the exam. I had no idea what to expect because everyone has been talking about how to answer "nursing questions". The idea that more than one answer may be right but you have to pick the option that is the MOST right or the BEST answer.

I'm very happy to report that I scored an 89.23%! Woo hoo! I am also happy to report that is only 0.77% away from being an A grade. What that means is that I can easily boost myself up to an A for the next exam. I found a great study method that really seemed to work for me. I use concept maps to outline each disease separately. It covers their eitology, pathology, signs & symptoms, dangers, diagnostic tests and treatments in a visual manner. Here is a sample of one that I did:
It's a bit hard to see the specifics but you can get the general drift. Pretty neat, huh? Thanks to Miss Emilie for linking me to this great free software!

Now my only problem will be to keep up with doing this on a weekly basis instead of waiting for the two days before the next exam. I know with this method of focusing on the diseases I will be able to do great in this class, as long as I don't procrastinate and wait until the last minute. Uh oh! That's going to be a big challenge for me!

In other news, I played Rock Band for the first time this weekend and it totally kicked ass! I love it. It's my new favorite game! I'm going to have to scheme a way for us to get a playstation 3 and Rock Band soon! Maybe prices will drop after Christmas?

I also got to do some knitting this weekend (thanks wildtomato!) and finally got started on my socks. Yes, the socks I was going to learn to knit over the summer. Since the weather has been so nice here lately (until today) does it count that I'm learning during an indian summer?!? It will be so nice to have a small project to take with me during my l-o-n-g commute to school and a great way to decompress on demand.

Lastly, here is a picture of me from my first day of school. Matty had some issues with getting a picture but this is what we've got! I messed around with the color and jacked up the picture because my face was completely washed out by the flash.


Oh, truly lastly, we joined the local climbing gym Planet Granite in the Presidio. They have workout machines, yoga classes and of course, climbing walls. I'm going to take the belay class in the next few days (Matty already took it) so we can have some fun together!

Blerk!

Wow! This nursing school stuff is pretty intense. I'm loving it. I'm frustrated. I'm overwhelmed. I'm excited. It's a whole new world out there. And I'm part of it!

First Hypochondrical Moment

For years I've read about nursing students and their tendecies to come down with every disease they happen to be studying at the time. It's only my second week of school and I've already been down that path!

In my pathophysiology class we're studying the cardiovascular system. In reading about blood and circulation and heart disease, it is enevitable that cholesterol and lipids (fats) gets drawn into the mix. Once of the signs and symptoms for coronary artery diesease (CAD) is dyslipidemia. Dyslipidemia is an abnormally (high) concentration of lipoproteins. A high concentration of lipoproteins is a modifiable risk factor for atherosclerosis (clogged arteries). One of the signs of dyslipidemia is the presence of xanthelasma, especially on the eyelids.

That got me worrying. See, I have this weird little growth on my lower eyelid. It doesn't affect my sight and the eye doctor told me it's nothing, not even a blocked tear duct. So as I'm reading about CAD and about the risk factors I come across genetic predisposition (paternal grandfather died of stroke, paternal uncle had a quadruple bypass at age 55, father had a quintuple bypass at age 53), diabetes (paternal uncle and father both diabetic) and the presence of dyslipidemia and xanthelasma. Ding ding ding!!! I figured we had a winner. I know I'm a woman, and in my early 30's but I was pretty convinced that I was going to keel over from a myocardial infarction (that's heart attack to you non-medical type) walking from the library to the classroom.

So I did a quick google image search on xanthelasma. Turns out I was jumping the gun. Here is what xanthelasma looks like:

Pretty nasty if you ask me. And fortunately nothing like what I've got on the rim of my lower eyelid.

Phew! That's one major disease down. Only 48,200,357 more to slog through!

School Daze

So today is my very first day of school, real school. Not the school I've been doing for the past 3 years. That school was evening school, squeezed around my work schedule and plodded through one course at a time.

This is different. It's all school, all the time. I'm sitting in the library on campus right now trying to absorb the culture. It's been a long time since I've really been on campus, using the library, checking out the student union (hey- they have 2!), reading all of the posted fliers announcing this or that activity.

But I'm a commuter. No living on campus, rolling out of bed 5 minutes before class and dashing to my seat in my sweats. No hopping in the car with all my gear and driving 5 (maybe 10 in traffic) minutes to work, parking for free in the Fort Mason lot and skipping over to Safeway or Chestnut street for work. This morning I packed my bag with my computer and power cord (I'm going to try taking notes with it), a book I need to do some reading in, a pleasure reading book, lunch fixings (student budget you know!), personal gear and some extra bags. I waited for the bus, smashed in the aisle with my 20 lb. bag and careened down to the BART station. There I just missed the train I was shooting for. Had I realized that I didn't need to walk all the way across the station to go downstairs I would have made it just fine. But I took the next train and headed to the east bay. Got off the BART and got in line for the free shuttle to campus.

Totally different world for me. I've made a pretty conscious habit of not commuting for the past 8 or 9 years. I've typically lived within 5 miles of my work. And I so love my car that even on days when I could have take the bus, I still drove. A 10 minute car ride was a much better option that a 40 minute bus trip! Now I'm reversing that. I could drive to school in less time than it takes to use public transit. But even with all the standing, swaying and missing trains by "that much" I think I can get used to this.

If it's going to be a whole new world I may as well embrace it fully, with open arms, a giant school bag and a smile on my face to mask the sheer terror!

First day of school picture will follow soon!

Kitty Drive-by

Just a couple of pics I snapped yesterday while taking a break from a monster cleaning/organization task. Phew!

Sleeping Oscar

Long arm of the paw

Snoozing Goblin (a rarity)

Extreme close-up!

Tired of the paprazza!

She's outta here!

That's it; I'm done!

I haven't posted in ages but today was my last day of work at PMA. Had a lovely little send off by my co-workers. The bestest CFO ever, Carolyn, made me my favorite cake - Pineapple Upside Down Cake. It was AWESOME! I got a giant flower balloon, a nice card and a kick ass stethoscope. It's a purple Littman electronic doohickie - crazy! I'm going to take some time to play with it tomorrow and see what that puppy can do!

Just to recap what's gone on over the past month:

• I finally got my EMT certification to work in the state of California.
• I attended my school orientation and survived the "ice breakers" and purchasing some of my books to the tune of $800.
• "Camping" down near Bakersfield - story to follow and it's a good one
• Finishing (finally) my second Clapotis
• Hitting Vegas for a fabulous Girl's Weekend with Emilie & Lori (I won $500 on the slot machines!)

Upcoming items I'm looking forward to during my break are:

• Outside Lands Festival (provided we get off our arses & get tickets)
• Camping in Lassen
• Momma coming to visit!
• Attending a friend's wedding
• Getting my life in order - house, school notes, study space, all of it!

Today was a bit bittersweet. It's the first time I've left a job on good terms. That is I haven't been laid off or so incredibly unhappy I was about to chew off my arm. PMA was a terrific company to work for. I couldn't have landed at a better spot when we arrived in California. It was truly like working with family. I have made some life long friends and will treasure many memories. Not that it was all sunshine and roses but I wouldn't trade the experience for a million bucks!

So, to PMA, I'll miss you something fierce. Thank you everyone for all the support you have shown me as I pursue my dream of nursing school. Everyone has been incredibly positive and I think I've heard the phrase "You'll make a terrific" nurse more than I've heard my own name! Love to you all!

I'm *this* close to being a certified EMT

Graduate from EMT program - check!

Pass NREMT exam (national registry) - check!

Submit for LiveScan fingerprinting (not cheap) - check!

Send in all the paperwork to the San Francisco EMS along with more money - no check

I can't believe I'm jumping through these crazy hoops to get licensed to work as an EMT in California when I don't really intend on actually working as an EMT! Part of the reason I'm doing it is because I could get a job as an ER technician with my certification so that may come in handy for school. I think the biggest part is that I feel like I want to see this all the way through to completion. Getting through the class and passing the exam were a huge part of this process but there are all these little nit-picky details that need to be completed before it's actually all wrapped up. And tons of more fees to pay as well (pay to take the exam, pay for LiveScan, pay to submit for certification in California)! It really felt like if I didn't walk through the whole maze, it would have been for naught. And that was a damn hard class so there is no way I'm not taking full advantage!

And, as part of passing the NREMT I got a way cool embroidered patch! Now, where to put it . . .

I realized I posted my graduation picture in the wrong place. So, without further ado or delay, here is the SFPA EMT class that graduated on 6/10/08!

The many faces of Oscar

We took a few photos of Oscar recently so I thought I'd post them here. After we get back from the 4th of July we're going on the hunt to find him a companion. I'm hoping our friends at Nine Lives Foundation can help us out. I even found a few photos of Ella when I downloaded from the camera - sniff!

Fierce Oscar

Perturbed Oscar

Victorious Oscar (a.k.a. Large & in Charge)

Striking Oscar

Content Oscar

Alzheimers Ribbon

You might have noticed my puple ribbon on the right side of the page. This is my Alzheimers Ribbon. My dear Granny had Alzheimers and passed away in April of 2007. If you would like to create your own, and donate $10 to the Alzheimers Association, please click on the ribbon to make your own. You can post it on your own website, blog or in a forum post - whatever works for you!

Miss you Gran

Belated Park City & SLC

After all the brou-ha-ha of finishing EMT class, we winged off to beautiful Park City, UT to meet up with Todd, Mark & Myra.

Thanks to the generous folks I worked with our housing was absolutely free and totally relaxing. We stayed in a condo north of town and there was the best TV channel ever - Nature TV (I don't think you'll find it in your local cable listing). There was a lovely picture window that looked out over a meandering creek and meadow. We saw a river otter, a mink, a great blue heron, a sandhill crane, horses and a fox family. The fox family was momma fox and three babies who played rough & tumble like there was no tomorrow. It was wonderful to sit there and look out the window (or go out on the deck) and watch nature's entertainment.

Other things we did of note were to visit the Park City Mountain Resort. We rode the Alpine Slide, the Alpine Coaster and the Zip Lines. So much fun and I would rank order them in the reverse of how they're listed on the "scream factor" scale. If you're ever anywhere that offers a zip line ride, TAKE IT!

We also had a most relaxing afternoon at the Aura Spa in Park City. My massage therapist, Carolyn, was awesome. I had a massage and energy work done. She said I have wonderful energy and that the top of my head is very open (I don't exactly know what that means but she was smiling when she said it). It made me feel very different - more blissed out that a good massage usually does. I could feel her energy as well and it took me to another place. The owners of the spa were wonderful and so accomodating for a group of four at the last minute. If you ever go to Park City, definitely visit them!

Beyond that it was lots of wandering around and eating. I ended up getting sick and spent the whole day Sunday in bed. The crew was nice enough to bring home mexican for a little early-birthday dinner. And of course Matty got me my favorite cake in the whole, wide world - Pineapple Upside Down Cake! It was terribly yummy and I had it for breakfast the next day too!

M&M left early than Todd & we did, so after we took them to the airport in SLC we got to meet a friend for lunch. She's only been a "virtual" friend for now, so it was wonderful to meet P-n-M in person! (That's her forum handle, in case you were wondering). We had a tasty lunch at Market Street Grill - University - my crab cake sandwich was awesome and the fries were some of the best ever! It was across the street from the University of Utah where she works. After lunch we got a quick trip to P-n-M's lovely abode and meet her two labs - Pete & Maddie. (get the name now?). To round out the day we headed out to the Great Salt Lake.

We actually went out to an island in the lake - Antelope Island. One word - STINKY! The only thing that lives in the Great Salt Lake are brine shrimp, brine flies & algae. Makes it a great place for migrating birds; not so much for migrating tourists. We toured the little visitors center and then truged down to the lake, all the way down. The water level is pretty low right now.Matt even had the nerve to go out IN the water. UGH! It wasn't the water itself that was gross, it was the marine layer of brine flies that covered everything. So disgusting. Everytime you moved there was the black, buzzing wave that preceeded you or closed in behind. YUCK! The birds were having a great time though. They would just run along with sand with their mouth open and scoop up a beakful of brine files! It was a fowl smorgasbord!

If you're interested in seeing anymore SLC pictures (it's more of the Great Salt Lake, the Mormon Square and some of the peeps), feel free to check out our gallery of photos.

Holy Cow - I survived

Both my EMT class and the after party! It's a miracle on both ends!

Our graduation ceremony is tonight and we will all be showing up wearing normal clothes. I don't know that I'll recognize anyone if they're not in all navy blue with black shoes and a black belt. Seriously!

I'll post pictures of the class and graduation later. But there will be no pictures of the party; those images are sacrosanct!

I'm going to miss hanging out and palpating all these crazy folks. And I won't know what to do with an entire Saturday at my disposal.I've met some incredible and amazing people during this journey and look forward to seeing where there lives take them. I'm truly blessed to have some of them in my life and will miss our stressed-out, study/bonding/bitching sessions (both those with & without beer). It makes me look forward to nursing school even more. If I got this close to people in 10 weeks, just imagine what can happen over 2 years!

One thing I do plan on doing this summer is learning to knit socks! I've got two books I've been dying to open but haven't been allowed until this class is over. It's open season now!

Down to the Wire

This is the week. My EMT final looms and I am at odds. I know I should be studying. I know I should be focused. I know I should have caught up on my reading. Funny how I know so much yet know so little too . . .

I'm freaking about my written final tomorrow night. We're getting together to study tonight. I'll be studying more tomorrow with a break for a doctor's appointment. I need to get a physical done by the end of June for nursing school. Then it will be back to studying more, right up until the final exam. And then it's out for a beer or two - NO MORE!

After volunteering on Friday I'll be hooking up with a classmate to do a dry run through of all the skills stations before the big day on Saturday. I'm as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Part of it is my performance anxiety and part of it is the fact that I know it will be completely different than our midterm practical. That was so easy - almost too easy in my mind. I don't know that I feel truly prepared for Saturday. Bless my classmates who keep trying to reassure me; I know they mean well but I'm still ramping up to a good panic state.

I wish I could go back in time by one week and prepare better. But you know what, all last week I knew I was slacking off! I just couldn't stop myself. Sounds crazy but it's true. I think if I had been in an all white room with no window and no doors and nothing but my books to study with, I still would have found a way to distract myself. And now I'm kicking myself for that. Sigh . . . I hope I learn from this and don't repeat myself for nursing school!

Anyway, wish me luck. Regardless of what happens, it will be over on Saturday. And, if I do pass it all, I will be graduating on Tuesday!

And then it will be off to Park City, Utah for a weekend of glorious relaxation.

Kaiser ER (not Soze)

As part of my EMT class we are required to do one "ride along" with a local EMS provider (and we are encouraged to do two). There are many options to select from and I chose the Emergency Department at a local Kaiser Hospital as my first one. Since the ER doesn't actually go anywhere I wouldn't call it a "ride along"; more of an observation.

I was there on a Wednesday night, from 3:00 p.m. until 1:00 a.m., and even though the charge nurse would probably shoot me, I'd have to say it was a pretty quiet shift. Most of the people who came through had complaints of chest pain.

I wasn't assigned to any particular room, so I stayed in the triage area the entire time. I got to see patients as they came into the ER but not much follow-up once they were assigned to a room. I did learn to take vitals, do EKGs and start people on chest monitors. The nurses were disappointed that I wasn't able to start IVs. I said I would be willing to learn but they they probably wouldn't be happy with the results. :)

The most exciting thing I saw was a hand laceration. I figured I shouldn't post it in case there are sensitive eyes! When the patient's finger moved you could see the tendons in the hand move too - it was awesome!

What I did learn is that there are varying levels of EMS providers out there. There were paramedics bringing in patients (and not critical patients as this was not a trauma center) without having any vitals on the patient. That was just plain laziness. There were some who had almost an entire life history of the patient. That's how you can tell who is good and who could care less. Sad to see it was pretty balanced on both sides.

My next ride along is with the San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) in two weeks. I'm looking forward to that one!