Sunday, October 2, 2011

Depth of Compassion: OB Anesthesia



Tonight I am on call. I could sleep. However, the past three days have been such a learning experience I want you to see it through Reiki Eyes...

My call last Friday started with a call while driving in. A patient had no I.v. Access. Could I obtain it? An induction. I came in, tried, failed and had to insert a central line in the internal jugular. The last time I did this on OB was in 2000 on a sickle cell patient with HIV. Very unusual, rare, but I was heart-centered and it went right in.

Next came a bleeder. Not hemophilia, obstetric. Section. A patient from poverty. You could see it, you could smell it. But the joy overcame the surgery and preterm factors. She chose to listen to classic rock on my Pandora. At the delivery, Queen started to play Fat Bottomed Girl. I paused in horror at the possible faux pas. The husband leaned in and said, you know what that is? Your favorite band! What a close one!

Next came the frazzled Korean nurse who had been asking since before the section for an epidural. I came. No wonder she was frazzled, the patient was completely naked and shrieking. She had read the Bradley books, tried against her husband's recommendation for anesthesia, and freaked out over the pain at under four centimeters. It turns out they had been homeless most of the pregnancy. She also had a mental condition that was well controlled. Nonwonder why I felt the Reiki flow when I was in that room.

What happened next was a blur, from the mom with poor fetal testing that was scheduled to be in her sister in law's wedding the next day getting sectioned. She ended up naming her son the same name as a soldier son of a coworker who is scheduled for a funeral in less than a week. Died in combat. Life goes on, one of her friends said, as we both teared up over the blessing that lives on...

Many epidurals and c sections later, a crash I intubated blind, could not be extubated. I took her to the unit. Very strange.

The board was full for two days. I had a crash today...umbilical cord prolapse occult (over the babies head). Had to LMA she was so anterior.

Anyhow, I am getting sleepy. But all the while I hung in there, tired but Reiki Heart centered. All the time aware of my work and it's role in people's lives.

Before I would have complained. Said it was from hell. Too many hits.

I am different. And I like it. Reiki works! Namaste.

Reiki Doc