Code Blue 31

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I never imagined that it would ever happen to me. Ever. Unfortunately, it did. It seriously sucks! Big time! Argh!

Every time I go to work, I have this mantra running though my head over and over again:

No one will die during my shift. Perhaps the next shift would be better but not on my watch. Never.

Yes, it does sound awkward and a bit dignified, actually. Sorry. I can't help it, really. Call it OC or whatever for all I care. I actually despise the idea of death lurking inside the hospital. Nonetheless, I repeat this line every second of my 12-hour shift.

Alas, it failed.

The 20th of March, 2010 marked my initiation in the hospital's elite cast of code blue victims.

Crap.

I hated every minute of that event.

1400 - I started giving my medications.

1403 -  I heard a scream from one of my patient's room.

1404 - I saw my patient cyanotic. Assessing that it was a codeable event, I called for code blue.

1405 - The attending arrived, assessed 31 and started airway intubation using an Endotracheal Tube size 8.5.

1406 - The code blue team arrived. I was doing chest compressions.

1449 - My patient died.

It took 43 minutes, about 11 ampules of adrenaline, 2 ampules of Calcium Chloride, 15 ampules of Sodium Bicarbonate, 100 ml of Dextrose 25% with 10 IU of rapid-acting insulin, and 3 ABG samples to help revive 31.

Sadly, nothing worked.

I was in awe. I have never expected it to happen to me. I did every single thing correctly by the book and aligned with the hospital's policies; medications, orders, assessment, rapport, etc.

Everything was in its place. Perfect, if I say so myself. Haha.

Everything flowed so smoothly that I suddenly found myself carefree and relaxed to this tiring routine.

Then, I realized that I seriously forgot what my job entails: compassion. A single word that envelopes this profession's foundation.

Now what? Well, I think that I should slap myself hard and think back during my sophomore days way back in college. My Fundamentals professor was right all along. Thank you, Mrs. Cabezon of the UST College of Nursing. I'm sorry I slept on your class. I do pray that you'll learn to forgive me, eventually.

Coffee, anyone?

Quick Post # 1

Just had my first EVER code blue today. I'll be posting all the details some time soon. I'm too tired to actually think right now. My head's killing me! ARGH!

Sorry.

Coffee, anyone?

Gemini - Spongecola

Come a little closer

Flicker in flight

We'll have about an inch space

But I'm here, I can breathe in

What you breathe out

Let me know if I'm doing this right,

Let me know if my grip's too tight,

Let me know if I can stay all of my life.

Let me know if dreams can come true,

Let me know if this one's yours too,

‘Cause I see it, oh,

And I feel it

Right here.

And I feel you right here

The vacuous night

Steps aside to give meaning

To Gemini's dreaming.

The moon on its back

And the seemingly

Veiled room's lit

By the same star

Let me know if I'm doing this right,

Let me know if my grip's too tight,

Let me know if I can stay all of my life.

Let me know if dreams can come true,

Let me know if this one's yours too,

‘Cause I see it, oh,

And I feel it

Right here.

And I feel it right here

And I feel you right here

Ooh, ooh..

Currently going "old school."

I've been feeling a bit uneasy recently. Emotional confusion has been taking its toll lately that I can't seem to focus properly. Not to mention the gloomy fact that I have been working so hard these past few days that I have, yet again, failed to attain one simple human need: sleep. *sigh*

Good thing I stumbled upon this particular song of Spongecola entitled "Gemini." I suddenly found myself teary-eyed, again, like my college days with "The-Person-Who-Must-Not-Be-Remembered." :-D

I love every single word of this song. The Shakespearean appeal accompanied by the alternative rock approach makes this musical masterpiece amazing. Plus, the "Romeo and Juliet" themed music video makes the whole thing appealing to the emotional ones. I even remember singing this song to The-Person-Who-Must-Not-Be-Remembered during my so-called "dark days." This track kept me going every single day till I realized that all of my efforts were worthless and nothing can change the past. The End.

Let me know if I can stay all of my life.

Coffee, anyone?

Resolve

I want to linger like this forever.

You.

Me.

The dead of the night.

Silence.

Listening to our breathes colliding.

Grinning with each movement.

Hesitation.

Distress.

Withdrawal.

Stay, please?

*******

I'm feeling off today. I don't know why, actually. *sigh*

It must've been due to the sudden heat and the anticipation of my tight schedule. Crap!

Coffee, anyone?

Connectivity Issue

I was thinking of something wise and worthy to blog this morning when the task of updating my cyber status ate most of my precious time. *sigh* I was doing something like this:

Click here. Read there. Smile at her status. Smirk at his post. That person's link is so nice. Upload images. View someone's profile. Stare at that blog. Remove that application. Watch that naughty video. Edit my status. Tweet about that tweet. Like that image. Unlike the other one. Blah. Blah. Blah. Blah.

Imagine, that took about 2 to 3 hours of my life that I even forgot to brush my teeth before eating breakfast with my JB and Mark! Crap!

Nowadays, updating one's status in the world wide web is a necessity and  an obligation to the people who know that you actually exist. Deferring from this social standard makes one virtually unaware of what's in and what's out. Or something like that.

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It started with Friendster. Yes, this ancient social-networking site gave birth to it all. Everyone has a Friendster account, right? I even remember my college buddies pressuring me to create an account that would keep me up-to date. According to Wikipedia,

Friendster was founded to create a safer, more effective environment for meeting new people by browsing user profiles and connecting to friends, friends of friends and so on, allowing members to expand their network of friends more rapidly than in real life, face-to-face scenarios.

Sadly, I can't even look at my profile these days because it is so old and dusty. Wala na bang bago?



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Subsequently, by some twist of fate, a friend of mine referred Multiply a year before I left for Cairo. I googled Multiply just now and gave this standard description:

Users can create, share and discuss blogs, photos, videos and music with others as well as post reviews of movies and books, or share a calendar of events.

What I like most about Multiply is the fact that it is a "Jack Of All Trades." One can easily share photos, music, thoughts and reviews all at the same time while expanding one's network. I even met a lot of fascinating individuals thru Multiply. Hi Doc. Carlos!

[caption id="attachment_871" align="aligncenter" width="655" caption="To LIKE or To UNLIKE: That is the question!"][/caption]

Then, Facebook revolutionized everything. From images, video, connecting high school friends to flash operated online games, Facebook paved the way to a new dimension of social networking. Created under the roof of Harvard University courtesy of Founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, “Users can add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profiles to notify friends about themselves. Additionally, users can join networks organized by city, workplace, and school or college.” (Wikipedia, 2010)

Honestly, this so-called “Internet Phenomenon” has, without a doubt, redefined the way we link with our loved ones using social-networking sites. With its classy and simple approach, Facebook has definitely blown everyone out of their keyboards. Facebook, anyone?

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Recently, I discovered the joys and laughs of Twitter. This microblogging site enables its users to update their accounts at any given time thru the use of short status messages known as "Tweets." I was intrigued with my sister's constant invites that I eventually created my own account. Evan Williams, CEO for Twitter, said:

What we have to do is deliver to people the best and freshest most relevant information possible. We think of Twitter as it's not a social network, but it's an information network. It tells people what they care about as it is happening in the world.

Seriously, tweeting can be so addicting and exciting. Imagine, you can tweet just about everything: from current events to the color of your neighbors obnoxious shirt all the way to the latest Hollywood buzz. Even morning traffic can be very amusing, if I must say so myself. I just can't stop tweeting! Tweet, tweet, tweet.

[caption id="attachment_872" align="aligncenter" width="655" caption="A Nurse's Note - paulorn.wordpress.com"][/caption]

Of course, my beloved blog seriously encompasses every single account that I have ever made. "A Nurse's Note" has been my one and only outlet during good and bad times. Plus, it has uniquely revealed specific details about my dark/jaded/single/twisted pinoy life that I was not even aware of.

I know that my posts can be exceedingly absurd, annoying, pointless and unhinged most of the time. But I can't help it. Seriously. I'm just being myself. I am so sorry but I plan to keep on doing this blogging thing till I squeeze something genuine and informative from this gray thing inside my skull. That would probably take awhile, though. :-D

Coffee, anyone?

I Choose You!

I was browsing YouTube earlier when I saw this music video about my all-time favorite handheld role-playing game, Pokemon. Puzzled, I clicked the play button and, surprisingly, found myself humming to its weird yet catchy lyrics. Then, I found myself thinking about the upcoming release of the Pokemon classic Silver and Gold Versions come March 14, 2010. Yipee!

[caption id="attachment_867" align="aligncenter" width="655" caption="Image courtesy of nintendo.com"][/caption]

Errr. Should I get the Heart Gold Version for Ho-oh or the Soul Silver Version for Lugia? Haha. :-D

Pokemon, anyone?