Well I have officially confirmed I made an excellent decision not entering the medical field. Having spent 4 days at the hospital in an ICU unit I have had my fill even if you decided to start paying me to show up. Being in the medical profession is such a demanding job and having to deal with families in addition to the patients has to be exhausting.
I am exhausted just being here watching it unfold. If you ever want a taste of all avenues of life and people visit a trauma center - you will be amazed and so appreciative of your own life.
In addition to all the telecom acronyms I know I have added a few from the medical field. I have also become a wikipedia convert though I still prefer my favorite medical resource - my mom. I have to say having a mom who is a nurse has earned me some points. Through nothing I have done being able to say my mom is a nurse has gotten me information and respect I probably wouldn't have gotten otherwise. Having a nurse in the family has always been a good thing but I appreciate it even more now. If she starts charging me for advice by the minute like a lawyer I will have quite the bill (no ideas here Mom).
One of the best things that has happened during this time is that I have gotten a new grandma. My grandparents are no longer alive and I definitely miss them. After Sam's grandma found this out she has offered to be my grandma so I have picked up a new grandparent. How cool is that?
I have learned quite a few things during these few days about spending time in an ICU including:
1. Don't break your ribs - one of the most painful injuries out there
2. Prescription drugs are great and a low tolerance is even better
3. Don't leave items behind in hospital rooms - you may be kicked out for hours while they do procedures you weren't aware of.
4. Baked goods go a long ways towards endearing you to the hospital staff
5. Someone is always worse off - hard to believe but trust me on this one
6. More tears will be shed here than most any other place but somewhere there is still the sound of laughter especially if small children are around (or grandma Thelma and I are cracking jokes - may be inappropriate to some but we had a good time together and we believe laughter is good medicine).
7. Bring your cell phone charger - your phone will run out of juice long before the day is over
8. Reading a book is very challenging - probably my slowest reading period ever as I didn't even finish a single book. I did get quite a bit of computer work done though.
9. Be good to your family as they are the first ones to show up and you will want them there. Amazing how many families have been reunited when their loved one is seriously injured.
10. Time is irrelevant. You may wait hours/days for a scheduled procedure to happen and then an unscheduled procedure will happen within minutes.
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