well, i missed my flight. i was up until about 3 am hanging out with my mom, packing, and feeding hiromi-chan. i woke up at 7:30 am, 40 minutes before my plane was scheduled to leave. just great. after rescheduled my flight for that afternoon, i slept in, fed and changed hiromi-chan, played with mia, and had gina's with mom, nori, and the girls.
i saw benjamin linus from "24" at the gate. even better-i sat next to him on the plane!
will write more later about the trip home; worked all day today and have two more shifts to go.
can't wait to read the PBD blog about dinner at sekiya's with the lau's and ohata's!
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
8 1/2 hours until we go home!
tomorrow morning james and i are flying home so we can attend marsha and dean's wedding - a great excuse to make another trip home to visit family and friends!
i can't wait to get home and... (in no particular order)
squish my toes in the sand
see my mommy
eat my mommy's home cooking
eat shave ice at waiola
go shopping with nori
eat poke
eat dark dark chocolate chocolate chip ice cream from bubbies
drink some real fruit punch
see the celebration girls and the new babies
go to walmart with amber
see my neices mia and hiromi
drive with the windows down and not catch a cold
watch the sunset
witness the newest dance the lau kids have practiced
go to ward starbucks
visit russell at the mac store and get an ipod (...finally)
laugh about stupid stuff with amber
go to manoa to see my aunty and uncle
eat fresh fish
visit fcf and kuc
not have to go to work for 6 days! yippie!
i guess i should pack now. =)
i can't wait to get home and... (in no particular order)
squish my toes in the sand
see my mommy
eat my mommy's home cooking
eat shave ice at waiola
go shopping with nori
eat poke
eat dark dark chocolate chocolate chip ice cream from bubbies
drink some real fruit punch
see the celebration girls and the new babies
go to walmart with amber
see my neices mia and hiromi
drive with the windows down and not catch a cold
watch the sunset
witness the newest dance the lau kids have practiced
go to ward starbucks
visit russell at the mac store and get an ipod (...finally)
laugh about stupid stuff with amber
go to manoa to see my aunty and uncle
eat fresh fish
visit fcf and kuc
not have to go to work for 6 days! yippie!
i guess i should pack now. =)
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
end of shift fun
ghaaaa. had to transfer a pt to the step down unit at the change of shift. boy oh boy, the receiving nurse was NOT happy, to say the least. after receiving the pt around 1300, a couple hours later we learned that the pt was transfered to us on mistake! so she left around 1930 - the golden hour of giving and receiving report. (fyi - if you're ever in the hospital, 7:00-7:30 am or pm is a very bad time to ask your nurse for a cup of water.) felt bad for the nurse, b/c receiving a pt at change of shift sucks. well, i tried my best to keep a positive attitude for my patients and their parents. can't say i didn't try my hardest.
my other pt was a sweet little 2 y/o that we know from her previous hospitalization. she was a near drowner, and is now in an almost-vegetative state. she is dependent on another person for all of her care. her laughter and smiles have been replaced by silence and the empty look in her eyes. her mom is so patient and devoted to her daughter's care, as she sleeps maybe 4 hours a day because she hardly leaves her daughters side. amazing what kids do to you she said. i agree, as my younger sister has grown up drastically since our dad's death, getting married, and the birth of her first daughter (all within 3 years). nori told me a couple of months ago of how her husband told her to drive faster one day, and she replied with, "i've been driving fast my whole life, i don't need to drive fast anymore!" if you know my sister, she was a rascal that ran away from home, and used to race her car down the H1 late at night. she's a great mom now. =)
i finally get 2 days off now, then work for four 12's, then james and i go home to hawaii for 6 days!!!!!!!! gotta catch up the never ending school work.
my other pt was a sweet little 2 y/o that we know from her previous hospitalization. she was a near drowner, and is now in an almost-vegetative state. she is dependent on another person for all of her care. her laughter and smiles have been replaced by silence and the empty look in her eyes. her mom is so patient and devoted to her daughter's care, as she sleeps maybe 4 hours a day because she hardly leaves her daughters side. amazing what kids do to you she said. i agree, as my younger sister has grown up drastically since our dad's death, getting married, and the birth of her first daughter (all within 3 years). nori told me a couple of months ago of how her husband told her to drive faster one day, and she replied with, "i've been driving fast my whole life, i don't need to drive fast anymore!" if you know my sister, she was a rascal that ran away from home, and used to race her car down the H1 late at night. she's a great mom now. =)
i finally get 2 days off now, then work for four 12's, then james and i go home to hawaii for 6 days!!!!!!!! gotta catch up the never ending school work.
Monday, January 8, 2007
hospice nursing
sunsets: reflections for life's final journey, written by deborah howard, rn, chpn, is a book written by a christian nurse who has worked extensively in hospice and palliative care. the book is deeply rooted in scripture and incorporates her experiences as a hospice nurse. i found this book at in christ books while shopping for a bible today. after reading the beginning of chapter 1, i was moved to tears. i am looking forward to the rest of the book.
why is the concept of hospice so important to me? i can't quite put words to this tugging in my heart. i guess the combination of my dad's sudden death, and watching kids suffer and die is just the tip of the iceberg. when we move back home to honolulu this summer, i will continue to pursue my master's in nursing leadership and management in hopes of starting a pediatric hospice in hawaii one day.
why is the concept of hospice so important to me? i can't quite put words to this tugging in my heart. i guess the combination of my dad's sudden death, and watching kids suffer and die is just the tip of the iceberg. when we move back home to honolulu this summer, i will continue to pursue my master's in nursing leadership and management in hopes of starting a pediatric hospice in hawaii one day.
Friday, January 5, 2007
where did he go?
well, i found out that his heart went to a 4 year old, and they were able to find kids that needed his lungs, bowel, kidney, and liver. amazing. at least he did not suffer very long, and some good was able to come out of his sudden death. i know God has a reason for everything.
i have been fighting this head cold/flu since monday, and still have the hanabadas and body aches. it's a bummer that i'm not well enough to go snowboarding tomorrow while at our church's college retreat. i'm sure the 20 degree windchill while on the lift wouldn't be good for my breathing. james and i will be cooking for about 16-17 people. seems like he'll be doing most of the cooking as of right now; don't want to spread my germs around. =)
i have been fighting this head cold/flu since monday, and still have the hanabadas and body aches. it's a bummer that i'm not well enough to go snowboarding tomorrow while at our church's college retreat. i'm sure the 20 degree windchill while on the lift wouldn't be good for my breathing. james and i will be cooking for about 16-17 people. seems like he'll be doing most of the cooking as of right now; don't want to spread my germs around. =)
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
goodbye
well, i am starting this blog because i realized that i need an outlet for work. it's not healthy to keep things inside.
today was the first time i had a patient that was pronounced brain dead on my shift. he was 3 years old and beautiful. other than his ventilator and many tubes, you would've never known he had a life threatening condition that took his life. he had no manifestations of his brain tumor, and his condition deteriorated very rapidly within the past 3 days, especially at the beginning of my shift this morning. it was an emotional rollercoaster talking to his mom and dad, answering their questions, getting supplies for the docs, witnessing multiple neurological tests that determined his brain death, not to mention keeping up with labs, his drips, meds, hourly vitals and charting. the clencher for me was when his 6 year old sister came in to see him for the last time. after she left, his mom and i agreed that she didn't realize the gravity of the situation. he's not going home with her today. she won't hear his voice again. no more playtime. no more snacktime together. why God allows such pain is beyond me. as i look back on this day, i remember driving to work and praying that God would help me to be a compassionate, caring, patient, and skillful nurse today. He answered all those prayers, but not in the way i expected. perhaps He lead me to my patient today so i could lay hands and pray for his mom and dad as they spoke to doc after doc about his grave situation? i am thankful that i was able to pray for them throughout the day. i was stretched physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally today during my 13 or so hour shift. when i came home i gave my husband big hug and stayed in his arms for awhile, thankful for another day God has given me and the ones i love. goodbye sweet boy, see you in heaven one day.
today was the first time i had a patient that was pronounced brain dead on my shift. he was 3 years old and beautiful. other than his ventilator and many tubes, you would've never known he had a life threatening condition that took his life. he had no manifestations of his brain tumor, and his condition deteriorated very rapidly within the past 3 days, especially at the beginning of my shift this morning. it was an emotional rollercoaster talking to his mom and dad, answering their questions, getting supplies for the docs, witnessing multiple neurological tests that determined his brain death, not to mention keeping up with labs, his drips, meds, hourly vitals and charting. the clencher for me was when his 6 year old sister came in to see him for the last time. after she left, his mom and i agreed that she didn't realize the gravity of the situation. he's not going home with her today. she won't hear his voice again. no more playtime. no more snacktime together. why God allows such pain is beyond me. as i look back on this day, i remember driving to work and praying that God would help me to be a compassionate, caring, patient, and skillful nurse today. He answered all those prayers, but not in the way i expected. perhaps He lead me to my patient today so i could lay hands and pray for his mom and dad as they spoke to doc after doc about his grave situation? i am thankful that i was able to pray for them throughout the day. i was stretched physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally today during my 13 or so hour shift. when i came home i gave my husband big hug and stayed in his arms for awhile, thankful for another day God has given me and the ones i love. goodbye sweet boy, see you in heaven one day.
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