Blank. Completely Blank.

That is exactly the way my mind feels this morning.  You know that feeling of being so tired your eyes hurt and the idea of doing much more then making coffee is exhausting!  I lost an entire day!  I've been thinking about football all morning.  Guess what...its Monday!

This is not a complaining post at all.  I just took a minute to try and figure out why I wasn't having time to post anything.  Well....if I'm not working, I'm doing core work, running or I'm dead tired.  So here is a picture overload post.  (my favorite!)  

Pretty much takes up a lot of time.

Running:

I am running again.  Not completely pain free but doing my core and leg strengthening exercises are directly related to my pain while running.  Laura gave me a big dose of Graston last time I was there.

Same leg.  Each side.  They lasted almost a week.  It's VERY common to bruise after a Graston technique torture session.  I use the word torture lightly.  It hurts like crazy but it works amazing!  

Laura wants me to keep moving.  So I try and get out every other day and I try to go an hour.  If it hurts I walk.  This way I don't have to hit a certain mileage but just get in an hour of moving. Despite my over abundance of pics I didn't even take one when I ran with my friend Deb!  

Here is my running recap.  Remember I'm doing a lot of walking so I'm slow but I'm moving forward and getting much much better.

9/30 - 3 miles in 34 minutes

10/6 - 5.46 miles in 1 hour

10/10 - 4.12 miles in 1 hour (I didn't do my PT the day before and I was feeling it)

10/12 - 5.23 miles in 1 hour

10/16 - 5 miles in 1 hour

I can't be the only one that wears an outfit twice before washing.  Or can I?

I wish I could have ran more, but life got in the way a few time.

What life?

Work:

I love my job.  Thank god!  It's almost wrong how much I enjoy working.  There has been a lot of overtime lately and I have taken advantage of that.  It's not always this abundant (we are down a couple of flight nurses) so why not? This morning I did some math in my head.  True.  It hurt.  I've been working 60 to 72 hours a week.  Add life, kids and time spent recovering and that's how that happens.  

Working in Rock Springs.  We had an aircraft switch out (maintenance) at the end of our shift so we took our stuff and flew home.  YAH! Buddy!

Yesterday we did some training.

One of my favorite pilots giving the run down to Wasatch Backcountry Rescue dogs and their handlers some FYI on the aircraft and getting in and out.

Dry run with a NEW newbie.  PUPPIES!

This puppy was really stressed out by the helicopter.

 I work with the best people ever!  They make my job just that awesome.

We work with Wasatch Backcountry Rescue to help them train the dogs (and the people) to be able to approach a running aircraft, get in and get out with their 2 handlers.  In a real life scenario we would be picking up a handler and their dog plus all their ski gear and taking them up a mountain where a search and rescue was occurring.  Northern Utah has some of the most amazing snow, skiing and back country.  Unfortunately with snow comes avalanches.  We are also taught by avalanche specialist so that we can have information we need to stay safe.

Yesterday I was in the helicopter as we picked up and transported over 20 dogs.  We landed 28 times.  14 of those were in a pretty dusty area that I got out and help the crews in and out of the running aircraft.  A helicopter crew member needs to be part of the process for safety. I was a out for half of them and my medic stayed out for the other half.  Amazeballs!  I can't lie.  Every dog got quite a bit of love from me.  

After we dropped off a patient at the UofU hospital. 

My job does not suck.

Walking down the hall in Ogden.  I've posted a pic like this before but this time it was dark.  Kinda freaky!

There is something about this picture that says my spirit twin was here.  

LIFE

10 months later I've ordered the prints and put them in frames.

I'm a go-getter!

Decided I was sick of carrying so much shit in my flight suit.  I'm bringing the "nurse purse" back!  Nothing says "I'm ready to party" at a scene flight then a fanny pack!

Seriously?  If I had money I would buy it just for the conversation.  

Wow, that's a big.......chicken??

Unblocked by former friend after a year.  Reblocked by me.

Childish?  yes.  But I love Facebook and I love keeping in touch with friends far away and friends I don't see often.  I don't need to see ANYTHING that is going on with that shitty situation.

New work socks.  They are so comfy I can't stand it!

New annual pass for Millcreek Canyon.  Best 40 bucks spent.  They do a great job keeping it in tip top shape.

Glad I found this gem of a coffee press in my cupboard.  YEAH HOARDING!

The fancy coffee maker behind it has some funky smell to it.  I've tried everything.  I'm going to toss it and get a cheap one.  I had a cheap one for 10 years and it was awesome.  Fancy one...less then 2 years.  LOSER.

Oh crap...I have a massage!  Tough life.

Blog on..........

Lights and sirens

I spend a lot of time in the back of an ambulance. To and from various airports and small hospitals, I am getting pretty good at working in that crazy atmosphere. My entire career as a flight nurse (7 months after training) I've never taken my patients lights and sirens to the hospital. It's dangerous and not that much faster in most cases. My last transport - we went lights and sirens.


I obviously can't talk too much about my patient transports. Their privacy is very important. The details of this post include changes protecting my patient and my job.


It was a pediatric patient. That blond hair and perfect little feet and toes. Subtle clues of the active life precluding the tragedy. I knew it was coming. I did my best to prepare for a sick pediatric patient, but studying means nothing unless you can show up and put your knowledge into practice. Keeping myself calm around a small ER that was in Mass Casualty mode for its limited resources. Dr.'s nurses, EMT's, respiratory therapist - everyone they could get was there. And boy, we're they happy to see us.


I was pretty sure I was going to pee my pants or shake so bad I couldn't function. Fake it til you make it, I always say. Children, babies! I have to do it. I can't panic. Thank god my medic was calm and confident. He admitted to me later he was just as scared and that I was so calm. Amazing.


They ran us around the corner to our patient. Around us we saw siblings, all victims. Concentrating on what we had, we went to work. I was given a rundown of injuries and interventions. Let me clarify - multiple people yelling and talking very fast giving me as many details as they could remember. All the while working around the bloodied and broken child.  My call to the accepting physician was constantly interrupted with more information, giving the receiving team a clue as to what was to come.  I was lucky, I had an awesome and calm physician on the phone giving me great information and answering any questions I had.  


Less then 30 minutes from our arrival we had this child packed and on our way to the airport.  Making a verbal "to do" list with my medic, we prioritized our care.  The most important thing was keeping our patient stable and getting to definitive care.  No more tests or interventions were going to help more then a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center.  


The flight was a what they call a "yard sale".  We are in a loaner plane and all our supplies and equipment that we didn't carry with us was all shoved in the back.  Getting to it was tough and then you drop things and open stuff and drop some more, all the while stressed out of your head to get whatever you need to do done quickly.  Our pilot mentioned to me later that he turned around to tell us to sit down because of possible turbulence and we had stuff in both hands and looked super busy.  He was awesome and snuck around the clouds so we could continue to do our jobs safely.    


I'm sure I'm making it more dramatic then it really was in the plane, it was probably more of a controlled chaos.  Whatever we did, we finished the list and our patient stayed stable.  


After we landed we hustled, lights and sirens, to the children's hospital.  We had done everything we could.  I re-medicated for pain, reassessed and then I said to our little patient that we were almost there and keep doing awesome.  To hang in there.   I pushed that blond hair back from swollen eyes and a bloody face.  


We arrived to the magic of medicine.  Watching 6-10 medical personnel do a specialized choreographic dance that I have seen dozens of times with adult patients.  I updated the team.  I watched them work.  My medic and I pulled it off.  Together with our combined knowledge and various experience we raced up that learning curve and did our very best.  

Children give us all a different sense of urgency and compassion.  All those wonderful ambulance drivers, EMT's and our pilot were suddenly ready to rock. Rock in a very quiet focused way.  I'll never forget this transport.  Just like I'll never forget my first code, my first trauma and my first death and withdrawal in the Surgical ICU.  If you watch TV shows like ER and Grey's Anatomy you miss the very best thing about saving lives.  It takes a village.  Sometimes it feels like we are a village of idiots, willing to do insane and crazy stuff to save lives of people we don't even know.  There is no big star doing just one thing, it's everyone. Everyone that touched that child wanted to do their best.  


Even if it means, lights and sirens.


Blog on............

Wasatch Back Ragnar 2012

How lucky am I??  I have wanted to run the Wasatch Back, but getting a team is almost impossible.  As luck would have it, my old friend Ken Bluemel (neighbor from Lehi) needed another runner and he let  me join his team.  The team was called, "Chuck Norris never ran a Ragnar...until now".  I met some of the most awesome people and had such a great time!  I hope I can join his team/people for another race sometime!!
This year it was June 15-16th and so my second leg started at midnight on my 48th birthday.  Awesomesauce!!  I get older and definitely better.  Celebrating with a 4 mile run straight up a hill seemed like a perfect start to a great birthday!


Pardon my obsession with Picasa's new features (well, new to me) I just had a blast with it!!

 Heather writing on the van.  She does yoga.  Just watching her makes my hammies scream.

 Charlotte and Nate decorating the van. We decorated it with lots of Chuck Norris sayings.  It was great.

Love the back. Nate drew Chuck Norris.  He did a great job!!

Ken as Chuck

There are so many things wrong with this picture.  I don't think even Picasa could help.  First - what is with that smile?  I know my braces were hurting, but I've never seen such a pained smile.  My boobs look INSANELY huge.  Maybe now that I've lost weight I should get some shirts that fit better.  Who knows?  If you can get past all that then this is a picture of me just before my first leg.  I was way nervous.  I have no idea why.  I spent the night before dreaming that I never made it to the exchange in time.  At least I was prepared!  Over half the time they never even announced our team!  I was lucky I saw Billy as he flew into exchange 6.

Waiting.  Waiting.  Looking for Billy.  Waiting.

Off I go!!!  I always forgot to hit my Garmin on for the first tenth of a mile.

Billy on cool down.  He ran it smokin fast - I remember he told me how he OWNED that leg, but I can't remember how fast.  Like 6 min/miles.  (BTW - I didn't take any pictures that are of me from a distance.  I haven't mastered that magic yet.  Thankfully Heather or whoever was around would take pictures for me!)

Coming in for the big exchange after my first leg run.  The girl in blue did beat me but the gal in yellow tried to pass me up.  Oh nay nay!!!  I smoked her and slapped that wristband on Heather for her first go!

Men in tutu's.  Come to find out, my friend from the SICU, Valerie, made these for her team.   I can't believe that I didn't see her run in!

Lovin the shorts/cowboy boots.  That has got to chafe somewhere!

Here comes Heather!!

There goes Charlotte!

Charlotte coming in to hand off to Nate (her husband).

Nate coming in strong on his first leg.  He's super fast for such a big guy!

Slap bracelet off to Ken!

There goes Ken!  Seems like all he gets to run is hills!

Speechless.  I hope he has something on under that outfit.  How do you run with it?  Chafe....he's gonna chafe.

Adrianna taking off after Ken handing off.  She is only 19 and she runs awesome!  Makes me wish I had ran at that age!

Ken's cool down walk

Beautiful exchange 12!!  

Pretty sure this is Mike.  One of the three runners that have been running together for 30 years.  They were in the other van, but what I did see of them I thought they were AWESOME!  He's waiting for his hand off!

Adrianna coming in to hand it off to Mike.  

After my night run.  It was 4 miles uphill.  I was newly 48 years old AND I felt great!!  Love the Honey Bucket's behind us.  Oh how I love the Honey Bucket!

The nighttime exchange.  There was a DJ and it was lighted up like a runway!  

The DJ was hilarious too!

Next day, waiting for my last leg.  I tried taking pictures of all of our night runs, but that didn't work out so well.  All you can see is a lot of reflective gear!!

Standing in the chute - waiting for Jeffrey.  He ran for Billy on his last leg.  Billy's IT band bailed on his second leg.  Heather is standing there waiting for Jeffrey.  Jeffrey has MS and needs a little help after his run since his muscles are so exhausted.

Coming in!!!  Last leg!  Hot hot hot!  Glad to be over!!

Heather on the home stretch of her last leg.  It was freaking hot.  I think she dumped 3 or 4 cold bottles of water on herself.

The exchange.  I love this picture.  They are both laughing...which is good!  Everyone on the team appeared to be making the best of it and being happy or at least not "bitchy".

Heather - ready for van support and 2 cold waters for Ken.  Like I said - it was HOT!!  Ken and Nate's last legs were wayyyyyy up hills. Of course they did great - but we tried to be there for them and keep them cool.  We didn't want a man down!

Heather walking with Ken while he cools off with water and Ken at the end of his run, coming in strong and holding the slap bracelet in anticipation.  A good move, something I would do.  

Nate ready and waiting in the shade.  Yes, he has sunscreen on.  Hard working man with a farmers tan.  Because that is how Chuck Norris ROLLS!

I met Ken at the end with 2 bottles of cold water and following him while he cooled down.  He's soaking wet from dumping water on himself during the race, but it was necessary, given the heat. 

Hard to see....but there is Nate in the middle, taking off up the hill.  

Just an idea of how the hills were on Nate and Ken's last leg.  They call one of them the "Ragnar" because it is so steep.   I don't get it, but I don't have to!    There is Nate at the top of the hill!

 A beautiful scenery pic from my place in the back seat of the van.   So beautiful!!

What a cute girl!  Charlotte getting ready for her last leg.   Her and Nate are married and they have a little boy that is about 18 months or more.  I can't remember exactly.  I just remember all the pictures and he is adorable.  Ahhhh.......to be young and in love!

Nate coming in and handing off to Charlotte.  You can see Heather holding a cold water bottle for him.  

Off goes Charlotte on her last leg!  All downhill!  Good? Bad?  I know she said it wasn't easy!

The exchange was up a hill that we were not allowed to go up (at least not all of us).  There is Charlotte passing off to Adrianna (who is her sister) and Nate (who is Ken's brother in law) taking a picture.  

Come to think of it, I was the only one not related in the van.  Hummm

Off goes Adrianna on her LAST leg and the last leg of the race!!

And around a corner.  Awkward.

Nate and Charlotte walking down the hill.

The girls and our Ragnar tattoos!  Mine busted when I flexed my leg (wink).  Totally hilarious that I actually look tan in this pic.  I thought I was pasty and proud!!

On the bus with Heather.  We are done and we are tired, but excited to run through the finish line.  They bused us from the last exchange to the finish line.  There wasn't enough parking for both vans 1 and 2.  

Me with my medal.  Thanks, Matt, for coming up and taking pictures.

A picture grabbed before the "move it along" Nazi got us". 

Before or after the Ragnar's pics.  I think at this point I only had 2 hours of sleep in two days..no shower in 3 and I was hot, tired and delirious.

The Picture we posed for the Ragnar Photographer

Van one.  Mike, Jeffrey, Billy, John, Kiki and Matt

(Praise be, I hope I'm right on the names!)

Van two.  Kathee (ME!), Ken, Heather, Nate, Charlotte and Adrianna - she isn't crying, she just looks like it in every pic.  We also called her Susan.  (shrug!!)

The OFFICIAL Chuck Norris WB 2012 picture.  John took video and apparently he puts out a video montage of us.  I can't wait!!!  This one he got off his video that Matt took.  Woohoo.  Adrianna/Susan is still not crying - but she could play a crying runner on TV.  haha

Thank you to Ken for inviting me and for my van for putting up with me.  They are a quiet group and well, I'm not.  I only swore 4 times and all 4 were the "not so bad" swear words.  I have to say I am proud of that.  Still, the best of times.  Good for me to hang out with people that aren't nurses/health care.  Although Heather is an ER nurse and she understood when I announced that I couldn't just go behind a bush because I had to POOP.  I'm pretty sure Charlotte blushed.  It was fun getting to know Billy - who parked his car at my house and we did a lot of shuttling around together.  We didn't ride in the same van and I was kinda sad about that, but it was fun getting to know him.  His wife does an awesome running blog.  

http://www.hungryrunnergirl.com/

I wasted 1/2 a cell phone battery checking it out.  The three (aah em) older guys in the other van were so funny.  Lots of stories and Jeffrey is such an inspiration!!  Taking a chronic illness and making the best of it.  ANY kind of best of it!  

I could go on and on, but I've spent the whole dang day on this thing already.  Long blogs wear me out.  I dont' feel like I did the experience justice either.  I guess it's one of those things you have to do, get lucky to be with people that are willing to be happy when they are tired and hungry, and experience it first hand. 

Blog on................