Surrender And Trust

When is The Event?
What is The Event?
What should I do to prepare for The Event?

That's a tough question.

Nobody knows for sure, exactly what it is. There are tales of a great big flash of light and loving awareness. There is word out there of a total financial re-set with NESARA. There is all kind of stuff out there on the Internet.

Let's start with you.

Your internal cues and intuition are possibly MORE IMPORTANT than anything you could read on the Internet. Our bodies are going to change a little when this burst of healing energy that is due to arrive at earth hits. Our bodies will be transformed--almost as imperceptibly as when you were a kid and you were growing--to handle more Light. This is the love/healing/positive energy of the Universe. Just like in Reiki attunement your body adapts to handle the Reiki energy that courses through it when Reiki is activated, the changes we await are very similar in nature.

So, for example, let's say you require surgery for your health. You would get at least two consultations with surgeons, pick the one you think will do the best job, and schedule a surgery date.

Once you put on that patient gown, you are demonstrating your trust in the medical system. You can 'tack Reiki on' with it, but still, you are submitting yourself to surgery.

You trust in the skills and the outcomes of others who have gone before you through that hospital and the O.R. that everything is going to be okay. Even if you experience some things you might prefer not to, the good outweighs the bad:

You come out new, different, hopefully 'improved' from your pre-surgical 'condition'--and even if not, at least you have the peace of mind that you have 'done something about it'.

This is kind of like what my beloved has to say about 'life as you know it': http://sirianheaven.wordpress.com/2014/04/17/heavenletter-4892-life-is-always-before-you-april-17-2014/

Today I want to share about 'life as it is going to be' after The Event.

It's like being born. Born into a new level of spirituality, a new level of awareness of the interconnectedness of all life, and because it has the backing of Heaven (yes, I said Heaven! Remember, I see angels too... <3 ) it is going to be an improvement over what we have today.

Here are some images of babies reacting to being born, to being 'new':

No matter how you feel about it, no matter what happens, what you see, what you hear, what you experience in the times ahead--know that you are LOVED and you are not alone.

There are many guides to assist you.

The Ascended Masters, too, will help with all their hearts.

We have one another, too.

Let's enjoy the  ride!





Aloha and Mahalos,
Namaste,
Peace,

Reiki Doc


P.S. Wow! I just saw this. It's from yesterday. Cool! It's secondary confirmation for today's post.

http://eireport.wordpress.com/2014/04/16/extremes-of-experience-accompany-higher-cosmic-aligned-nova-gaia-energetic-grids/

There's also a great interview with Kevin Annett on Galacticconnection too. I highly recommend it.

An Inside Look At Healthcare Today

I was in OR 6. My friend, the Physician Assistant Heather, had some news to share!

Last we had talked, she had concern about her autoimmune disease. She had terrible pre-eclampsia and had to be delivered emergently at thirty weeks' gestation. He little one is now eight months old, but developmentally six months old. She was concerned about her ability to conceive and carry a child to term for the next one. We spoke candidly. I shared how I have an antiphospholipid antibody, anticardiolipin antibody, and how reproduction was a serious health concern for me too. We talked about GMO's, high fructose corn syrup, and other ways to modify the diet to increase health. I shared about Reiki, and she was open and excited to learn more. Well, she got rid of dairy in her diet, and suddenly felt much better! It turns out she conceived too! She is now eight weeks along!

As we spoke, the surgeon, Dr. Ray, overheard the conversation. He shared that he had a son die twenty-four hours after birth. This was back in 'the old country' and the boy died of 'hyaline membrane disease'. There was no treatment for it. 'They didn't have anything'. (here, back then, the child would have been given surfactant to help the lungs mature, and the boy would have lived.)

Dr. Ray left his homeland, came here, and trained to be a doctor all over again. Just so he and his wife would never go through that again. He is one of the hardest workers I know. I've known him since 1996.  He amputated my grandmother's leg before I ever met him--that was in 1995. So there is this closeness. Not only had I never known about his loss, his sharing helped me understand why he is so overwhelmingly HAPPY over his new granddaughter. He got one 'back' through his five other kids that made it.

There is also something amazing about him, too. His native language is Aramaic. So all these years I have worked with a surgeon who has the accent Mary, Jesus, and Joseph would have had if they learned English! He says 'Mary' in Aramaic is 'Abe Miriam', and Joseph is 'Joseb'. Water is 'Mee-yaa'. That was so cool to me, because all of my life I wondered what they would have sounded like if I had spoken with them back then and there.

The scrub tech next shared that he had lost a daughter at fourteen months. There had been multiple pneumonias, and there was only so much they could do at the Children's Hospital. Her care had been excellent.

I stared at him, looking him in the eye, in complete shock. This is the one who never seemed happy, who is smart as a surgeon but didn't like books and joined the navy and found his way into the O.R. career that way. I've known him for five years, and although I had intuition about the heartache, I never had known the cause!

That night, I worked late, and got a small 'ditch-the-lettuce' salad from the cafeteria. Try it! You take everything you enjoy--in my case beets, cucumber, and garbanzo beans--add a little dressing and enjoy. The cashier is the one who had just been on postpartum when I first started working there as an OB anesthesiologist. She had some difficulty in the labor, but everything seemed okay. Not more than three weeks later, her child died of sudden infant death syndrome. I've always admired her for coming to work, and having a smile for everyone after a painful loss like that.

She's not the only one in food service with heartache from loss of a child. The chef has a son who is of age, and for reasons that are not clear to the family, the son has left the home and cut off almost all contact with the family. There are mental health and possible drug use factors in the situation. But his family is struggling with being in a constant state of 'hoping for the best but preparing for the worst'. His son left the house with a backpack of books so he won't be bored. And about six weeks ago, he called and asked the father to 'get his things'. He was living under a bridge. There were the books, quinoa, organic foods, green tea, and vitamin supplements...even a folding chair. His father was surprised to see that his son was clearly able to cook and take care of himself...and thanked God that his boy was not hungry on the streets.

With the O.R., and also after the cafeteria, I was deeply touched. Compassion filled my heart for these people who go to work and help others every single day, and bear the burden of their own loss, keeping it hidden from even their long-time colleagues.

What better way to help others than to have faced loss and struggle in their personal life?

So I gave Reiki. I gave Reiki to their Guardian Angels for the Highest Good. For a safe pregnancy and healthy child. For healing from loss and a joyful reunion in Heaven with the infants lost. For the angelic watch and protection over the prodigal son.

I worked nineteen hours yesterday in service to others with my anesthesia skills. It was an unusual day.

I worked on people from their thirties to their nineties. I worked on people who had insurance, and ones that could not pay (didn't even have Obamacare). Three had life-saving surgery. One had traumatically amputated something in a work accident. One more was seeking relief from a lifetime of pain that was only going to get worse with time.

They are my ohana.

I worked with our teams--two of them switched out--having worked twelve hour shifts.

One patient could have died on the table. They were of very high risk.

Another had an unexpected EKG finding that was also ominous, but due to the nature of the condition, had to go to surgery to save their life.

Everyone did well.

I slept on a gurney in the recovery room.

It was uncomfortable, but what else could I do? I could have been called back in if another emergency arrived to the hospital and needed an operation.

See that picture at the top?

That was my dream. And that dream is shared by just about everyone that works in a hospital. The education requirements, and licensing examinations, and competition to even get in to the training are  challenges we gladly undertake. We are lucky to be able to live our dream with our work, every day.

Health care is rapidly changing. There are politics, big business, and public concerns in the media every day. All of these news articles have a common element of distrust, fear, and the energy of separation. It puts doctors and nurses and other workers into a 'them' category, while the 'us'--the readers, subject them to scrutiny and make light of any 'defense' from those being 'discussed'.  Money is a polarizing issue--the public things because of the expense of insurance and health care, the hospitals and workers are being made rich in the system. That is how it looks from the outside, looking in. From the inside, looking out, there is a different picture, of increasing costs of doing business, and rapidly shrinking compensation from third-party payors. The expense for installment and updates to an electronic charting system in a doctors office, and the risk of even MORE expensive HIPAA violation fines, is daunting. The patients are getting more risky to take care of, as well. There are epidemics in just about everything--from 'super bugs' to obesity--with sometimes the health-care worker being put at risk. I saw one needle stick injury and one scalpel injury to surgeons in two days. I hardly ever see needle stick injuries, but they happen, and there is risk to the healer of catching a blood-borne infection in this way. (I have had three, personally, two were in my training years.) One of the injuries I witnessed was the newly-discovered and much welcomed pregnancy woman I mentioned in the first paragraph. Those anti-viral medications to take 'just in case' to decrease risk might affect the developing baby...

So this article, is on the 'essence' of the healer in today's health care system, and the focus is on the healer's heart.

You should know about this.

That's why I am writing 'from the inside' so you can have balanced information to make your own judgement about 'what is right' and 'what is wrong' with health care today.

Until Reiki and other modes of energy healing become more widespread within the system, I will continue teaching and healing, one patient at a time, on colleague at a time, and one blog post at a time, to make things better for all of us, together, as one, here on earth. We have more in common that might be thought.

Love Is The Solution For Everything...

Aloha and Mahalos,
Namaste,

Reiki Doc

P.S. This is in rebuttal to this article: http://www.shiftfrequency.com/cameron-salisbury-dirty-hospitals-deadly-consequences/
Can you find the Goddess Energy in it? Look for the nurturing, warmth, love and compassion. When you see the energy of nurturing, warmth, love and compassion in anything you read or hear, you will know it is from Source. Further, it will resonate with your heart center as Truth. Anything else? Well, that's up to you  to interpret. Make sure it passes the 'heart-focused energy' discernment test before you accept it as truth. There are many 'partial truths' out there. Be smart about what you read before you accept it.

The Miracle In My Operating Room!

The surgeon burst into the room while we were readying the patient for his next case.

'I can't believe it! I just saw our last patient. She is totally AWAKE, has NO PAIN, and the pain in her arm she has had for the past two years is SUDDENLY GONE!'

(this never happens with pain patients, not this fast. Ever.)

Our patient looked 'like a rose' in the recovery room

He wanted to know how this miracle happened.

I gave Reiki. But should I tell him? He's not that open...besides...there was something bigger I had to confess...

Hey? Doctor? I have to share something I think you should know...

After THIS:

And before THIS:

I did THIS:

Right as she was about to fall asleep, I  leaned in close and whispered in her ear,  'While you are sleeping, why not let's take Doctor's credit cards and go shopping together! You pick the place, and I'll go with you. Won't that be FUN? You can go any place you like!'

And she smiled a big grin as she drifted off to sleep...

The surgeon stopped in his tracks.

He paused.

He looked at me.

I didn't know what he was going to say, but at least I had it off my chest that I had told him what I had done...

And he smiled.

He said, 'Whatever it takes to make her relaxed and comfortable, that is okay with me. Besides, she is never going to remember!' Then he kept muttering about the miracle...


Sometimes, all it takes is a woman's touch to make the healing complete...

At age four I decided my career <3

Aloha and Mahalos,
Namaste,

Reiki Doc

Don't Have A Cow, Doc!

This is a tale from the O.R.


For the past fifteen years at two different places I have worked with a gifted, very skilled and very nice transplant surgeon.

There is one drawback...

He takes the Lord's name in vain.

Often! If something doesn't go well, it's 'Jesus!' this and 'Jesus!!!' that. The wrong equipment. A delay. An instrument falls on the floor. Someone is not paying attention. Someone hands him the wrong thing...

I have learned that there are different ways he says it, sometimes it's just gentle annoyance, sometimes it's irritation, sometimes it's anger openly expressed.

I cut him some slack because he has an important job to do, and if that's what it takes for him to do his work, so be it. (I am one of his favorites--sometimes he requests me.)

Well the other day, things were not going well. He had a new nurse first assistant, and although words were flying and he even said the dreaded, end-of-his-rope 'Jesus CHRIST!!!!!' The case ended well and the patient did fabulous.

At the end, he was thanking the team, including the nurse who was scrubbed in and helping him with the surgery. He said her contribution was very important, and helpful to him and he appreciated her skills very much. He also asked her if she had any questions....

Now this is the nurse that calls me Shaynameidel (Yiddish for pretty lady) and I call her Zucchero. She doesn't hold back.

There was a pause in the room as she opened her mouth to speak.

'Well, yes, Doctor, I have one question...' she said, simply, 'Why were you calling me Jesus during the entire case????'

The surgeon burst out with Laughter and didn't stop for about five minutes.

The entire O.R. was laughing too.

Laughter IS the best medicine.

(Unless you have stress incontinence...)

Our new Nurse First Assistant

Aloha and Mahalos,

Namaste,

Reiki Doc

And Laughter!!!

For Babs: In Memory of AR Moosa

My chairman passed.

A wave of memories washed over my core.

In medical school, he was my mountain I had to face to become a general surgeon. I needed a letter of recommendation from him. Although my anatomy professors, cardiac surgeon, plastic surgeons, and trauma surgeons on all of my rotations enthusiastically supported my career choice, my options were useless without winning a 'thumbs up' from him.

He looked like the Grinch to me, and I was afraid of him. He was known to have power and have enjoyed using it. (many doctors who are in academic medicine are like this.)

He was from Mauritus. He spoke with a French accent because he lived in Paris for some time. He studied medicine at the University of Liverpool, and had originally wanted to go into internal medicine. For some reason, that did not work out, and he went into surgery instead.

He became a master of the pancreas, which is a very deep organ and is difficult to work with. Sewing through pancreatic tissue is like suturing wet toilet paper. During a Whipple (pancreaticoduodenectomy, of 'Steve Jobs procedure') he sews the stump of the pancreas duct which is the size of the opening on the bottom of a click ball point pen--to the bowel. The procedure takes six hours, and requires both mental and physical stamina.

'We have just crossed the Rubicon' Dr. Moosa would say in the Whipple when he had divided the pancreas, 'we have reached the point of no return'.

For all his nasty reputation, and all his rancor, something in me deep inside liked him. That is why I am writing about him today. As a woman, I am writing this about him today. This is most likely the only one that ever will!

He had been written up time and time again on his poor treatment of women. When I came on service, he had just been called on the carpet for calling all women 'Veronica' in the O.R., simply because he could not remember all of the names and Veronica was the name of his first girlfriend. As a result, the generic term for women that the University allowed was 'Young LADY'. For the men, it was unchanged, it was allowed to continue to be 'Chief'.

During a Whipple, the medical student retracts the liver with a metal instrument that has a big handle. It is like water skiing. Many a resident has fallen asleep holding the liver, standing up. I have. But not when I worked with Babs. He leaned his arms into my breasts while he worked. No one had ever done that to me before, no one ever since! In fact, there is a retractor device that will hold the liver instead of a medical student. There are many of them.

A thousand thoughts went through my mind while he was touching my breasts, acting like nothing was happening. I wanted to run, I wanted to complain, and yet, it was what I had to do to get my letter. I had to be cool and that way each of us would get what we want. He wasn't fondling me. But we both knew he enjoyed it, and that made me sad to be in that position. Who would they believe? Me? Or him?

He used to laugh on rounds and say, 'Surgery is a contact sport!'.

There was a lot of structure in the department. Rounds, conferences. Everything worked like clockwork. The teaching was fantastic.

Except for the meetings in his office. All of us sub-interns were invited after lunch to go to his office and have a beer. His brand was Rolling Rock. One girl, a muslim, came but refused the drink. I tried my best to fit in. There would be four of us together shooting the breeze and playing poker with our futures by what we had to say...

I noticed there was a prescription with his name on it by the bar. It was an antidepressant.

He liked race horses. If you look on the internet, there are two horses he must have owned--Moosa's girl, and Babs Moosa (he won over 200K!).

He thought of us sub-interns like racehorses. He groomed us and liked to watch us scramble for the top position. With all of his earnings as an expert witness ('I charge six hundred dollars per hour or fraction thereof--and I take my time!), he funded our travel to the American College of Surgeons. He introduced us to our programs we wanted to attend, and took us to their receptions. He said, 'all women need to wear Valentino'. I had invested in a private shopper at Nordstrom to help me achieve the look on my budget, and it worked.

He also invited us to his country club for Christmas Party. It was the oddest thing. We all sat around a long table, and he pitted us against one another. One question that had me floored was 'who likes to cook?' I was the only one that did. And with that I knew that I was probably not going to make it as a surgeon. I enjoyed home life too much. Sure enough, after two years, I switched to anesthesia.

It was strange how he didn't want us in his program. He thought it was better for us to go train someplace else. He was right, I think now, but at the time I felt like I was getting shoved out of the nest. Here are some stories of what he did to his residents over the years:

• His chief resident in Chicago had to pick him up and drop him off like a chauffeur every day.
• He also had to take care of Moosa's dry cleaning.
• The ABC's of surgery--A--attack of be attacked, B--blame or be blamed, C--criticize or be criticized.
• A good resident is like a fine persian rug--you have to take it outside and beat it every once in a while

Where is the psychic part in all of this? Well you knew it had to be in there, didn't you?

• Last week I had the urge to write a post about 'scut', medical intern's 'grunt work' that nobody else wants to do.
• I started hearing this commercial--I think it's his son--the age is right: http://www.exceleye.com/?gclid=CNHE_dzWvrgCFYdQ7AodTUIAgQ
• I started thinking about him.
• A mutual friend told me he was in a coma.
• Wednesday I had a very 'fuzzy and slow' day--he was passing, and it 'jammed my circuits'
• Yesterday she told me he had died on Thursday. (I looked it up, he died on the 17th)
• I told my friends from medical school about his passing.
• He came to visit me last night.

Here is what he had to say:

There is Rolling Rock beer in Heaven.

He knew I was afraid of him, and he didn't do anything to help me not be afraid. He feels bad about this, especially now since he saw how focused I was on survival in general, and how my future and need for his letter affected me deeply.

There was a surgeon I really liked a lot who liked me back. He was also a playwright. He had spoken about me to Babs, who said, 'let her finish her training.'

He could have made the call to get me into some surgery programs that were more than B grade, but he thought I wanted to be near my family. (I actually got in because I had the same birthday as the program I wanted program's secretary to the chair's daughter, I looked pretty, and she switched the names on the rank list for those she 'liked'. I was not a 'first choice' into the program! LOL)

I asked him why he took one of our other female surgery sub-i's with him to Santa Barbara for a surgery meeting, and not me. He said, 'I like blondes--look at my wife!' (I had been to the house for one party once, and seen.)

He said to me, now, 'Thank you for your enthusiasm, for your Light.' and 'You are going to do well like he did in helping others. You are beautiful'.

Mediumship really helps.

Here is one last story for you:

A Korean businessman flew all the way out to California to see him for his hemorrhoids. He waited patiently and gave an expensive tie to Moosa as a gift. We were all in the room behind him, watching and learning. Moosa didn't even examine the man! He said, 'Take metamucil' and walked out of the room. The Korean's face fell. He had traveled far on the recommendation, and hoped for his problem to be cured by him. What he didn't know is that Moosa only liked to work on the pancreas and not anything else. (I wish Moosa had referred him to a colleague, but he didn't)

That was the kind of man that he was. A man's man, who liked gambling and ponies, rolling rock beer, and teaching surgery. He would take us out to the bars, keep us up all night, and expect us to show up at the hospital at five the next morning ready to operate! He used to brag that the average term of a surgery chair was five years. And he had been there longer! (he did twenty). But the time came where he, too, was replaced.

Babs Moosa, I love you! Thank you for teaching me surgery. Thank you for giving me 'Honors' and writing that nice letter. Thank you for helping me learn about life in so many ways. I forgive you for your 'indiscretion' on my breasts. It makes a good story, doesn't it? On 'what I had to endure and how strong I had to be to get where I am today'.

Namaste and Blessings,

I will pray for you,

Reiki Doc

P.S.  Here is a link to a website that has reviews from three others who were sub-i's like me--including quotes on the 'notorious Babs Moosa': http://www.scutwork.com/cgi-bin/links/review.cgi?ID=370&d=1

Healing Energy in the Operating Room: A Photo Essay

Namaste,

Reiki Doc

My Twenty Hour Day

It is one fifteen in the morning. I have been awake since five a.m. The alarm went off at four a.m., but  I kept hitting the snooze. (I went back to the bedside, finished until the patient went safely to the floor from PACU, and briefly slept until I wrote the rest...)

I didn't eat an actual breakfast. I had my favorite, vanilla Spirutein, in milk and a cup of coffee in a travel mug as I went out the door.

It was a hurry. Because of the holiday for MLK, there was no school. I took the kids in pajamas to the sitter who lives ten minutes away, in the opposite direction from work.

From seven o'clock in the morning, until three in the morning (all the way through midnight), I saved lives. I did anesthesia on people, almost ten of them; except for one, the surgery was to  save their life. In these situations, anesthesia is a technical challenge. It takes great concentration and vigilance to get a high-risk patient through.

My food for the day was:
six graham crackers in little packets
coffee
one cup of peach kefir
a pear
one small black bean burrito from home
six saltine crackers
one bottle of water
honeydew melon and four orange slices
a small green salad from the salad bar
a small carton of overcooked wheat pasta with flavorless sun dried tomato and baby spinach


All of it was eaten in a hurry--there were no scheduled 'breaks'.

All of this was worth it.

I did not see my kids.
I slept in my own bed (for only three hours--now I get to go back to work after taking the kids to school)

There were two hours of critical care I did in the recovery room, without compensation (recovery room is kind of like an ICU)--it is included in the anesthesia fee from the O.R.

Why was it worth it?

I got to learn a new disease. One that for privacy I can't share here and now, but perhaps later. This disease stopped me in my tracks. It was a surgical disease. The patient was DNR already, and had lived a good life. But the findings! And how easily it was curable! I had come close to canceling the case, the risk was so much.

I am so glad I didn't.

And I hope through my sacrifice of time, energy, and healing, I earned/repaid some Karmanic debt to those who are taking such good care of my mom.

There is nothing I like more than getting into someone's aura and doing some great energetic work. Today, in the day, I did exactly this.

But at night, it was 'living the dream', a phrase we say, when the going gets tough in medicine and you are at the end of a long day. Less Reiki, more Doc. I didn't even have time to Reiki my back when I pulled it moving a patient. I took some ibuprofen instead.

This is how you earn the title of 'healer' in our society. It is not that different from Kahuna in Kanaka Medicine in Native Hawaii--those who stay up all night, healing, using their knowledge of procedures and plants in their work. After many long years of training to be able to become a healer.

Unfortunately our 'healing' is tied to a petrochemical-pharmaceutical economic industry.

But the heart of a healer is always the same: to relieve suffering--to restore Balance and Health.

My 'five pillar table' is greatly imbalanced. Sleep, nutrition, movement, emotions and environment are out of whack. I slept in my clothes after I changed back into them, drove home, and went right to bed.

It will take some time to recover my own balance.

By contrast, Reiki healing work does not deplete.

I look forward to the future of medicine. And I am holding my own in the Medicine we have of today.
Until we can connect it to the healing of Tomorrow. Blessings, Love and Light.

Namaste,

Reiki Doc

Survive the Surgery Waiting Room!

Somewhere between Jury Duty and the Airport lies the waiting room for family of a patient undergoing surgery. I had the pleasure of inhabiting this space for most of the day, and also most of the night, just recently. Here are some thoughts to help you make your stay on behalf of a loved one pleasant, appropriate, and peaceful.

Electricity is a limited commodity:
All of our gadgets need to recharge. There are only so many plugs for everyone! A little suggestion, and I don't know it the hospital people who watch these things would approve it, is an extension plug. You know, the kind that plugs into one socket and has the ability for three plugs to stick into it? An extension cord would be too blatant, LOL. But my sisters and I were not able to sit together for most of the day while mom was in surgery for this reason. One always had to sit at the table by the plug and watch the electronics while everybody else sat someplace in the room that was more comfortable.

Make use of that cell phone!:
Unless your surgeon is quick, you might have some time to step out for a while. We spent much time in the cafeteria. Just make certain that the waiting room clerk who checked you in has your cell phone number or some way to reach you before you go. Some of my surgeons where I work prefer the call technique, because then neither one of you is tied to that room for the necessary communication of how your loved one fared through the procedure. Some others still prefer the face-to-face approach. Try to stick around the waiting room so the surgeon can find you at the end of the case--a urologist friend said nothing is more depressing than after a long day in a hard case, going to the waiting room to talk with family and they are not there. (Having to search for family takes precious time away from other clinical priorities in these busy lives, even takes away from time to eat or catch up on other patients). Ask in advance what your surgeon would prefer, and get an estimate. If you stick around about twenty minutes after you speak with the surgeon, sometimes the anesthesiologist might come out and talk with you. When I have the opportunity, I love to go and share how everything went. The times I make a point of it, are typically when there is something important to say about your loved one should approach the time after anesthesia (in the context of  what I saw on their monitors and what medications were used and what to expect in the early recovery phase.)

Eat light:
You are just sitting around, and worrying. This stress might want you to 'have a treat'. This time, I ate the healthiest things in that cafeteria I could find: lunch was sushi in a box and coconut water. Afternoon snack was half a 'designer' pizza with fresh basil on it, and half an apple. Dinner was the rest of the pizza. Late night snack was coffee and the other half of the apple. I stayed away from french fries, chips, pastries, and soda because I wanted to be alert and be kind to my body nutritionally as the stress and inactivity were already taking my balance 'off'. If you can, fresh air and sunlight are good too.

Let your presence be your present:
ICU patients can't take flowers into their room. Most hospital rooms have limited counter space, even if they can have flowers. During my hospital stay in June, I had two small arrangements. It was enough to show me cheer. Stuffed animals, vases and knick knacks become reminders of the illness in time. My mother detests all the vases that pile up at home when she has been in the hospital. Take the time to comfort, to listen, to hold a hand. And keep it short! Try to keep your hospital visits about five minutes length of time. Patients get exhausted, and many are incorporating 'cuddle time' (visitor free hours in the afternoon for parents to bond with newborns, etc.) to promote health. So call ahead, learn the rules of the place, and tap into your networking while you are in the waiting area. Give all of your family and loved ones a big 'heads up' about how your loved one fared; moreover, let them know what is reasonable to expect if they decide to come for a visit. (you can 'screen' your guests by letting your nurse know who is welcome and who isn't, too. If there is a family member who drains you or gives conflict, the nurses will be happy to tell them 'no visitors' and take the blame off of you.)

Take the opportunity to connect to Source:
Just like your electronic devices need to hook up to power in order to run, you have your Spiritual Light that is fuel for you. How often do you just sit? And wait? This is a special time to strengthen your aura, be it through Reiki, other energy healing techniques, biofeedback, prayer, or silence. (I also got cold--so like the airport, dress in layers, and perhaps bring a small blanket with you).

After you speak with the surgeon, know that your loved one has the recovery room--about an hour before discharge if an outpatient, a little less if they are going up to the floor. Only parents of very small children are allowed into the recovery room (PACU--post-anesthesia care unit). And know that when you do see your loved one, they are going to be goofy from the anesthesia and not at their best!

Namaste,

Reiki Doc

What Is An Anesthesiologist To Do?

Everyone knows that the work of an anesthesiologist consists of 'long stretches of boredom interrupted by moments of sheer terror'. Ninety-nine percent of the time, under anesthesia, during surgery, the patient is hemodynamically stable. If they were too risky, the surgeon and the anesthesiologist would delay the case until the patient is optimized for surgery. Only life-threatening emergencies which can't wait go right to the O.R.

Assuming everything is going fine with anesthesia and the surgery, which can stretch on for in some cases, eight to ten hours, what is the anesthesiologist to do besides filling the vaporizer when it is empty, charting this case, managing this case (filling the i.v. with new bags, draining the foley, watching the monitors, and continuing with the maintenance phase of the anesthetic)?

Here are some things I have observed the anesthesiologist do in an Operating Room:

• read the Bible
• Do crossword puzzle
• watch YouTube
• text
• shopping on Ebay
• read the newspaper
• talk on the phone
• talk to the surgeon (if allowed. One today said, 'Please be quiet, I am concentrating' to the rep and nurse in the room
• read Journals
• research illness of the patient
• prepare for the next case (set up equipment, drugs, and review electronic record)
• exercise (one brought in special rocking devices to fit on the shoes)
• daydream
• drink coffee (old school ones do this)
• study for exam
• do Bible Study and bring Book of Mormon
• review weekly schedule and appointments
• trade stocks and call their broker
• read online news
• check email
• stock the anesthesia cart
• use iPad, iPod Touch, or Smart Phone
• play music for the room--run CD's, Pandora,  Satellite Radio or playlist
• negotiate a scheduling trade with a colleague
• read magazines
• read catalogs
• do Sudoku
• make a 'to do' list for the day
• schedule appointments, for example, the dentist or hair cut
• pray for the patient on the table

Namaste,

Reiki Doc

Something To Add, Part 2 (1-14)

I just got the October issue of Reader's Digest in the mail. On the cover is an actor in scrubs, with a surgical mask hanging down, cheap latex gloves like they wear at the food court in the mall, making the 'shhhh!' gesture and looking the camera in the eye. 50 Secrets Surgeons Won't Tell You!

I couldn't resist! Shall we go for it?

Readers Digest Says:
They slice us open, remove tumors, reshape our thighs, and give us new hips and kidneys. Yet despite the fact that surgeons have our lives in their hands, most of us know more about the folks who cut our hair than those who cut our bodies. Did you know, for instance, most surgeons are paid based on how many operations they do or that it's better to have surgery on a Tuesday than on a Friday? Use these insider tips to become a savvier, healthier patient.

Reiki Doc Says:
We are going to spill from insiders? Yeah, right. Pull up a chair and sit right next to me... ; )


Choose the Best Doc

#1
 Reader's Digest Says:
"To know which doctor is good, ask hospital employees. Their word trums an Ivy League degree, prestigious titles, and charm."

Reiki Doc says:
Better yet, ask an anesthesiologist, perfusionist, scrub tech, or O.R. nurse. PACU and Pre-Op nurses know too. They work with these surgeons every day. They know their ability, their temperament, and how well their patients do. Don't ask just anybody at the hospital.

#2
Reader's Digest Says:
"Ask about their complication rate. If they don't have one, they're hiding something or haven't operated enough to have one. No one is immune to complications."

Reiki Doc Says:
I stratify my complications like a traffic light. The green light ones are the little things that aren't that bad, are common, and go away on their own, like a sore throat after a general anesthetic. The yellow light ones are less common, such as dental trauma or a hoarse voice after a general anesthetic. The red light ones are the ones you worry about that keep you up all night. Fortunately, they are rare. At a teaching hospital, with very busy operating rooms, we get maybe one case like this a year, and usually it is someone with a problem so serious they would probably die anyway with or without the surgery. Going on the freeway onramp is a risk you take every day, but it is a controlled risk. Much is the same with surgery.

#3
Reader's Digest Says:
"If an airline told you that their pilot is the best one they have but he's not FAA-certified, because he failed the exam, would you get on the plane? For the same reason, always check to see if your surgeon is board-certified in his specialty. Many are not."

Reiki Doc Says:
This is true. Be wary of plastics procedures. There are ENT-trained plastic surgeons, and Plastic Surgery-trained plastic surgeons. Would you want someone who does primarily breast work giving you a face lift? And many dermatologists and other physicians go to a weekend class to learn plastics procedures and do not have the board certification and training you might expect.

#4
Reader's Digest Says:
"Don't assume your primary care doctor's recommendation is best. Referrals may be politically motivated or be given because the doctors work within the same multi-specialty group."

Reiki Doc Says:
This is true. Know your insurance. If you have a PPO, try to stay in network, but ask an O.R. staff for a recommendation and go to them for a second opinion. Never let anyone cut on you without talking to two or preferably three different surgeons in a non-emergency setting.

#5
Reader's Digest Says:
"Ask if you can talk to former patients. It's like getting a references for a babysitter."

Reiki Doc Says:
Use caution and what resonates with you. My talking with a patient who had pituitary surgery before me freaked me out. She had every complication, went on and on and on, and would not shut up. I had to hang up the phone on her, and she was my mother-in-law's best friend!

#6
Reader's Digest Says:
"Some surgeons won't mention procedures they don't know how to do. I'll see patients who were told they needed an open hysterectomy, even though it could be done laparoscopically. That's one reason it's good to get a second opinion."

Reiki Doc Says:
Painfully true. I used to work at a place that pioneered robotic prostatectomy. Impotence rates and blood loss were markedly less. When I left to work in private practice, laser vaporization of the prostate and open prostatectomy were done for three more years before the robot came to the facility. Even now, we are still on the learning curve.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Questions to Ask Before Any Surgery
Reader's Digest Says:
Why do I need this procedure now?
Who is going to be doing it, and how many times has he/she done it before?
What are the most common complications, and how do you deal with them?
What will the recovery be like?

Reiki Doc Says: ASK YOURSELF
What does your intuition tell you about this surgeon? Are they money-driven or mindful?
Would this person have your back if there was a huge complication of walk away?
Would this surgeon recommend this to their mother? Their child?
Do I feel safe with this person?
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Before You Go Under the Knife

#7
Reader's Digest Says:
Always ask "Who is going to take care of me after surgery?'. You want to hear 'I will see you on a regular basis until you have recovered fully.' Often it can be residents or physician assistants. Sometimes it's not anybody, especially after you've been discharged from the hospital.

Reiki Doc Says:
I have worked in both academics and in private practice. In academics, there is a team of residents, that is supervised by a Chief Resident. You have many eyes following you, being led by one ready to graduate. As long as it's not July you are going to be okay. (July is when all residents 'move up' a level in training). An attending surgeon will see you once a day, and write a note. It's the law, per Joint Commission. In private practice, you may get the P.A., but really in all cases, you have a nursing team and/or resident team on the front lines in constant communication with the boss, your surgeon. Don't expect a busy, successful surgeon to sit at your bed and share stories. If you thought the office was busy--why should the busy stop in the hospital too? You are going to be fine! Don't worry!

#8
Reader's Digest Says:
It's better to have an elective surgery early in the week because lots of doctors go away for the weekend and won't be around to make sure you're OK. If you go in on a Friday, and then on a Saturday or Sunday something icky is coming out of your incision, you're going to get someone who's covering for your surgeon.

Reiki Doc Says:
I think a well-rested surgeon who has a life is a better doc than one who is a workaholic. Doesn't the blogger 'Skeptical Scalpel' who said this KNOW that next weekend YOUR surgeon is going to be the one covering for the one who covered him? Duh! But seriously, the REST of the hospital kind of shuts down on the weekend. Radiologists hire a central location to read all the images from the hospital remotely at night and on weekends. The O.R. shuts down and a team has to be called back in. It works, but it's not wiki wiki.

#9
Reader's Digest Says:
Go to your preoperative appointment with a family member. That reminds your doctor you're not a gallbladder or a bypass or a valve--you're a person who's par of a family.

Reiki Doc Says:
Oh please! What?!? Hello?! Your doctor KNOWS you are a person! Don't fall for this fear porn. However, sometimes with the stress of surgery, especially with a diagnosis like cancer, your ability to understand and retain critical information for your health is not as good as it usually is. Having someone who cares about you with you will help both of your follow instructions and get all questions answered.

#10
Reader's Digest Says:
It's amazing how diligent people can be about searching for the right surgeon but have no idea who their anesthesiologist will be, which is just as important. So ask, 'Who's going to be putting me to sleep?' or ask me who I think the best anesthesiologist is. In some hospitals, you can request that person.

Reiki Doc Says:
This is true. May I add that your surgeon may think someone is the best because they cut the most corners and are therefore the fastest? Or the one who golfs with him or parties on their boat?
Some surgeons won't even work with some anesthesiologists. If you take what is offered at your hospital, and you LIKE that anesthesiologist, take their name, and request them in the future. I function in this capacity as a 'private anesthesiologist' for many of my patients, especially ones with complex surgical conditions that take them back several times. I also am the one most requested by the staff, inside and outside the O.R. I have the reputation for being 'the best'. Just yesterday I got called to L&D for an obstetric emergency while I was between cases in the Main O.R. My boss requested me, he was panicking (he does not do OB anesthesia, and was covering because the one on call had to be two places at one time). I calmed and stabilized the uterine bleeding in teamwork with the surgeon in under ten minutes. We did not have to transfuse or do a hysterectomy. My skills are that important in the O.R.

#11
Reader's Digest Says:
Years ago, a patient sent his slides to three different pathologists and got three different answers. I got very upset on hearing that. Now I never rely on just one pathology exam. If your doctor finds something, ask him to send your slides to a nationally recognized reference lab-not just one or two slides but the whole lot--and get a second interpretation.

Reiki Doc Says:
This is excellent advice for something that is not common. Some things are more straight forward, like prostate cancer and breast cancer. Either way, this offers 'peace of mind' for the patient. It may be expensive, though.

#12
Reader's Digest Says:
So often the risks on legal consent forms aren't the things we actually worry about, or there may be one complication we're really concerned about. If you truly want to understand the dangers, ask your surgeon, 'What is the risk that give you the most pause?'

Reiki Doc Says:
I stratify my anesthesia risks. Red light equals serious, permanent, rare, like a stroke or an M.I. Yellow light equals bad, but not life-threatening, like a cap that comes off your tooth. Green light equals common, annoying, unpleasant, but not serious, like sore throat or nausea after surgery. It's kind of expected. That would be another strategy to ask your surgeon about risks.

#13
Reader's Digest Says:
Talk to your doctor about donating your blood or asking your family members to donate blood before an elective surgery. Banked blood is a foreign substance, like an organ, and your body can potentially react adversely. If you can use your own blood or blood from your family, there's less chance of reactions.

Reiki Doc Says:
That's a surgeon for you! Do you think going for heart surgery two units of blood down and anemic is safer than having all your red blood cells when you have anesthesia and have an ischemic heart? The donation process takes weeks, and the marrow might not have fully recovered. Yes, it does decrease risk of foreign reaction. But it also carries it's own risks with anesthesia. Family members might have personal habits you don't know about, like needles or unprotected sex. Blood bank will screen their blood and throw it out if it is contaminated. Either way, the process takes weeks in advance of your case. Blood bank blood once is fine. Ask for cell-saver, which collects your blood lost in surgery and gives it back.

#14
Reader's Digest Says:
Residents have to learn how to operate, and it's required that an attending physician be 'present'. But 'present' doesn't mean he has to be in the operating room scrubbed in. At an academic institution, ask whether your surgeon will be actively participating in the surgery or just checking in every hour.

Reiki Doc Says:
Woo hoo! Is this recommendation an antique or what?!
Effective less than ten years ago, an attending surgeon MUST be scrubbed in and at the wound doing surgery. Those days for residents to be independent are over! And that's not so good a thing. Do you know our surgery residents are all taking fellowships now because they aren't getting enough clinical exposure to really be that safe? With the limited work hour restrictions and the attending doing 'more' their opportunity to learn important skills has been reduced. Be sure to ask, 'how many of these procedures have you done in your career? How many in the last year? And how many complications?'

More installments to follow! Click this link to read up to #50: http://reikidoc.blogspot.com/2012/09/something-to-add-part-2-15-50.html

Namaste,

Reiki Doc

Doctor Defends His Life Against Medical Errors

"If you can't take care of your colleagues--you have no business taking care of anyone else."--my favorite gastroenterologist

Today I worked with my favorite Gastroenterologist. He was a pediatrician, a famous one at a famous hospital, back in India. Once he came to the United States, and had to retrain, he decided to become a Gastroenterologist. Back home, his medical school classmates do not understand why he would leave a prestigious field like Pediatrics, and work as a less-respected field.

"There are three kinds of patients. The first are the PPO's. They are nice. The second are the HMO's. They are always angry because the referral did not go through right, and they had to wait for their care. The last are the GNP (an IPA in the area). They think that anywhere else besides the main fancy hospital people don't know what they are doing." he shared.

Apparently the main fancy hospital 'has everything, all kinds of equipment' because of the many donations. They have EUS and another new technology.

A nurse asked about the local teaching hospital. 'Don't they have those technologies too?'

'I would not let them treat my dog, unless I wanted the dog dead!' he said.

Apparently he had a liver biopsy. He wanted transjugular, but the colleague he went to only did transcutaneous. (His colleague of choice went to his alma mater, and he respected their common institution.)

In recovery room, after the procedure, my favorite gastroenterologist knew something was seriously wrong. 'I am bleeding.' he said, and asked the nurse to contact the doctor. The doctor could not be reached, and the nurse sedated him. (The bleeding was internal, and it did not show on the dressing).

He had called his wife at the gym before the sedative. When she got there, he woke up. Nothing had happened. He called his friend, another G.I. attending and explained the situation. He got admitted to the hospital. Again he called his doctor, but only a resident got sent.

He passed out again. When he woke up, he was getting 'a fluid challenge'. 'What is this? Why am I getting a fluid challenge?'
'Your blood pressure is 60 (systolic--a pressure incompatible with life)'
'What is my hemoglobin?'
'Seven' (He had fourteen before the procedure. He had lost half his blood volume).

He called his friend the surgeon. His friend sent up his fellow. In fifteen minutes he was in the O.R.
There were five liters of blood in his abdomen. (He was hanging on to life by a mere thread.)

Anyone else that was not a physician would have not known to pick up the phone, or even whom to call, and would have died. It took four years and half a million dollars to get his health back to what it was before. The reason he keeps working still, is to make sure he has good insurance coverage.

'It was a good lesson for me," he said. "First, I learned to take good care of myself. Second, I learned what it is like to be on the patient side of the doctor-patient relationship."

He took action, not legal, but with the hospital. A review was done. The offending gastroenterologist was offered the chance to leave or be fired. He left.

"But you know what?" he asked, looking me straight in the eye, giving me the chills.
"I had a bad feeling about this. Before the procedure, when we were in the car, I told my wife. She asked me do you want to go back home? I said, no, we are here already. I often wonder what would have happened if I had listened to that feeling and not gone through with it."

Namaste,

Reiki Doc

Life Flight

A helicopter flew overhead right now. While I was walking back from the mailbox.
It was red, and the path it was taking led me to understand it was a MedEvac flight, or Life Flight, if you will. I pointed up and said, 'Change It'. This is something I am permitted to do due to my Divine Peace Healing Certification. This directs the angels to fix something. (It has worked on sick plants, chemtrails, and the like).

I knew from the path it was going from a local hospital, to a bigger city one. And I experienced claircognizance--and clairsentience. I knew at once it was a newborn with a congenital heart defect that was fighting for its life. I cried and asked the angels to make sure the child was not alone. I could feel the flight nurses and doctors working feverishly to save the child. Time. There was not enough time...

I had to write.

One of my favorite experiences as a doctor has been the times I have been on the heliport when the Life Flight came in. The energy of it is so holy. Here is someone in trouble, very big trouble, who is at the point where help can be given. And help like me and my team are waiting in the wings, waiting for the patient to land. It is deafening. And it is windy, so strong it could knock you over and you have to brace yourself. There is a line on the ground for safety, you can't go past it till the rotor stops. The clock starts ticking once the gurney with the Flight Team starts wheeling them into the Emergency Room. Every fiber of my being is alive at that moment. You are not sure what you are going to get. And your senses are processing the situation all at once, eyes and ears taking information from the patient, the paramedics, and the medical personnel as you are quickly wheeling the patient into the Hospital.

On my first cardiac surgery rotation, we had a flight come in like this with an aortic dissection. My cardiac surgery fellow, a handsome man who was recently divorced and very depressed, was waiting with me. I asked him, 'how does it feel?'
He shot back, 'how does it feel WHAT?'
'How does it feel to know that this flight is coming for you, for your skills, for your talent at saving a life threatened by sudden blood vessel rupture near the heart?'
He looked at me, straight on, thought about it, and replied, 'If I wasn't so worried for this case, I suppose it would feel great.'

I have seen people whose bike rode off a cliff, terrible car accidents, a pilot that crashed a plane at an air show, a young Down's Syndrome girl with an arm severed in a car accident, an illegal immigrant on a bicycle hit by a Mack Truck, a one year old with a hand stuck in a meat grinder (meat grinder still attached), a self-impalement with a big branch from a tree, someone who ate sunglasses (liked to eat glass), a barb from a foxtail weed stuck in an airway, in addition to the usual gun and knife club patients. This was all before I became a Reiki Master/Teacher and Karuna Reiki Master/Teacher (TM). And every one of those poor patients got the best there was at the time to really help them.

I don't know why people in the Holistic Health Sciences do not openly respect the Trauma Doctors and Nurses for their work saving lives. The Holistics go on and on about how the Medical System is a failure. When pressed, most people I meet say, 'If there is an emergency then I would accept standard medical care.' But they say it reluctantly.


If you listen to a Homeopath, they would say that disease is directional. There are superficial body conditions that are easy to heal, such as illnesses found in children. Then there are body problems such as hypertension that are chronic, and require a lifetime to treat. What goes further in are mental problems, forgetfulness and distraction, or psychological disease. And the most severe is deepest inside, a loss of a will to live, hatred, and resentment. It is a combination of the physical, mental and spiritual attitudes that makes the picture of imbalance, including the position/direction and severity of the illness as it presents. These trauma patients are off the charts in severity. No matter how it presents, disease is a lesson for the patient to understand; it is the body as an instrument trying to get the Entity that lives within it's attention. An imbalance has gone way out of whack and needs to be rebalanced, or the lesson will get louder and more attention-getting.


There needs to be discussion between the various healing specialties. Homeopaths and Osteopaths and Chiropractors, Energy Healers, Karuna Healers, Divine Peace Healers, Shamans, Acupuncturists, Herbalists, Nutritionists and the like. Everyone in the medical center, from the cafeteria to the person who sterilizes the instruments in the O.R., has a chance to be present and a healer at the same time they are doing their ordinary work.

How can this hostility that I pick up from my Yoga friends towards Allopathic Medicine open up  dialogue on behalf of the patient's benefit? Must we always be on opposite sides of the fence? Why can't we just all get along?

Pamela Miles has done wonders to bridge the gap between alternative and traditional medicine. She has spent the last twenty-five years honing the language between the two, so that Reiki and Medicine can actually talk to each other. Medicine is a language, a culture, and a discipline where there is very little time to explore alternate healing pathways. There are just too many sick people out there who need to be fixed for us to take the time to explore and learn.* I went to night classes myself, on Psychic Development. I took Reiki on the weekends. But it was my heart that was sending me to it. What about the people who are in traditional medicine but their hearts are not yet awake? Who is going to wake them up? It is YOU my enlightened brothers and sisters.

Love is the Solution to Everything.

Let us bring in the future together, holding hands, with great respect for ALL our healing traditions. It's gonna ROCK! And once we get our 5th dimensional bodies that do not break, we healers can enjoy each other and share stories about all the fantastic healing work we have done.

Namaste,

Reiki Doc

* = typical day for me--up at 4:15 a.m., drop off at daycare at 6:30 a.m., in O.R. by 7:10 a.m., patient on table at 7:30 a.m., no gaps or breaks between cases longer than perhaps 10 minutes, until 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., sometimes longer. Go home, get dinner, bedtime, and start again. There are no breaks. There is no lunch. And the only way to get vacation is for someone else to agree to do your work for you on that day.