I'm back! Ross chose the title. We both want you to know we are okay, we are well, and life is busy as always.
I worked yesterday, and also, will work today. We have only half of our anesthesiologists working on any given day. Many of our surgeries have moved over to the surgery center, which is still at full capacity. Yesterday we had a department of Surgery meeting. It was by Zoom call. And the highest ranking person at our hospital, an administrator, gave us an overview of our Covid situation.
I felt like I was in a movie.
Serious.
The stuff I heard, I can't share, but it's a big deal.
And instead of saying nothing, our department added that we have people -- anesthesiologists -- in house twenty-four hours a day to provide services when Covid patients need intubation.
As if to increase the drama of our movie, and to 'make a point' --during the meeting, I heard the overhead page, CODE 19! CODE 19! --and left, this time to the former pre-op holding.
I know now how to assemble my own PAPR. The nurse house supervisor goes, she's really nice, and she showed me the tricks to make it easy. I got all protected with many layers. And did what I must do.
At that moment, when the anesthesia medicine is injected, I know the patient is going to stop breathing, and soon I'm going to put in the breathing tube, in my heart, I say a prayer, 'Help me Jesus!'. I don't have the luxury of knowing the patient's medical history, or even examining their airway. They are huffing and puffing like a guppy with their BiPap on. It doesn't come off until the very last second.
Even then, with only one try and one single smooth motion to get the tube in, under thirty seconds total, the sats plummet to the sixties. They usually are in the eighties when I'm called. And normal is like, ninety-five to one hundred. That's oxygen saturation in the blood.
A very kind ICU nurse who goes to the codes that day, asked me about my son? She also asked me later if I got my vaccine. I told her I have to wait. I have three autoimmune conditions, it might be wise to watch and see how other people like me do.
At my work, most everyone has had their second round of the Phi Sir one. And one nurse showed me her swollen injection site. It was very red. She has diabetes and is a grandmother--she's a higher risk person. Other than that, and being sore/sick for a day after the second one, no one has said anything.
The real heroes are the nurses and the respiratory techs and the housekeeping staff. They are doing the actual WORK. And on the second one, the respiratory tech, bless him, wanted to try one more thing before intubating the patient. So we stood there in our PPE and waited. It was two patients to a room, very tiny and cramped and crowded.
I'm not allowed to give medical advice during Code 19, I just intubate. Once it's decided, I can't say 'no' or ask questions. I was hoping I wouldn't be called back. But as we were waiting, I was searching for Spirit to help me out. What should I say? What should I do? Why is this happening?
The patient was close in age to the RT. And he wanted to 'try everything but intubation' because intubated patients 'don't do as well'.
The poor patient was breathing at a rate of fifty breaths a minute the whole time. I asked the RT, 'don't you think he will tire?' That's how it happens usually, the chest muscles fatigue after running a 'marathon' like that for so long, and then we have to intubate.
What happened next will always be remembered. The RT, who had been asking the patient, 'are you breathing better' and the patient has said, 'yes a little'....asked him, 'are you tired?' The patient said, 'yes'.
The RT asked, 'do you want the tube? do you understand?'
The patient said, 'yes' and nodded.
And we set up the ventilator (it's different from the BiPap) in the crowded room, and put in the breathing tube. Sats went up.
A long time ago, a long long time, in 1990, I was told by Spirit, 'your task is to show the dying how close they are to God'. Perhaps this is what was meant to be?
Air hunger is one of the worst forms of suffering there is. All through the day I checked the vitals on my two patients. They were still alive. I'll check again today, and pray for them.
There was a football halftime show, a big one, that had a bunch of hospital beds and a shadowy figure. Someone remembered it. They said it was 2012. I've been looking, I can't find it. Actually the link is there. 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony 'tribute to the NHS". (Thank you Stacey!) I need to get ready for work soon. But I recall watching it, and wondering at the time, when it was shown live, what kind of prediction was that?!
Now I know.
Ross and I wish you a good day filled with many blessings. He wants to emphasize we send Reiki daily, whether or not we are able to post it. Just relax and be calm and set the intention to Receive it. We send Divine Peace Healing too.
clap! clap!
Aloha and Mahalos,
Namaste,
Peace,
Ross and Carla
The Couple who are guiding everyone Home
