President elect

I had always been playing XO(not cognac of coz, executive officer to be exact) during my whole life… most of the time, I was deputy: chairman or president or whatever. But not tonight….

I got a call from the President of Yun’s School Parent Teacher Association --  He told me that I am the president electee and congratulated me….So be it, I told myself….

da school....

Since last year, the principal and president of the PTA had invited me to take over the burden this year as the president was too busy with his own business. I was thinking of a sub-specialty training then and did not give them any positive answer. However as my shift was less and I think I could spare sometimes to do something for the school, I told the president and principal lately that if there is no one is interested, I would accept the post. (there is a election of coz, but since no one is interested then anyone who is not opposed to take over the post would definitely be elected)

Unlike other schools, the post of PTA president is a route to politics, unfortunately it was not true for our school.

Well, a foreigner as president of PTA, really queer for a local school …I recalled last year when I presented at the model student award ceremony. I was one of the guest of honor and the students(yes many of them) were shocked and frozen for a few seconds when seeing me offering my hand for a shake after I gave away the prizes. Guess, this is just not the local style…

One year of service and RM5000- I think I can make it….

President electee....

I had always been playing XO(not da cognac of coz, executive officer to be exact) during my whole life… most of the time, I was deputy: chairman or president or whatever. But not tonight….

I got a call from the President of Yun’s School Parent Teacher Association --  He told me that I am the president electee and congratulated me….So be it, I told myself….

 

da school....

Since last year, the principal and president of the PTA had invited me to take over the burden this year as the president was too busy with his own business. I was thinking of a sub-specialty training then and did not give them any positive answer. However as my shift was less and I think I could spare sometimes to do something for the school, I told the president and principal lately that if there is no one is interested, I would accept the post. (there is a election of coz, but since no one is interested then anyone who is not opposed to take over the post would definitely be elected)

Unlike other schools, the post of PTA president is a route to politics, unfortunately it was not true for our school.

Well, a foreigner as president of PTA, really queer for a local school …I recalled last year when I presented at the model student award ceremony. I was one of the guest of honor and the students(yes many of them) were shocked and frozen for a few seconds when seeing me offering my hand for a shake after I gave away the prizes. Guess, this is just not the local style…

One year of service and RM5000- I think I can make it….

 

 

Young trip planner

Yun and Xian had really grown up.. they are definitely not tracing my footsteps and I don’t want them to do so…

Xian is picking up a lot – he grew taller and very dedicated. Yun bought this book

a book by Naoko Takagi regarding her mother

 

Later when Xian started to read, he become interested with this lady’s works and he started to buy the whole series. One of them really caught Xian minds –

one person going to a trip...

 

This book described how the author travelled by herself. Xian had determined that he wanted travelled by himself at the age of 18. He ambitious is becoming a traveler. I was happy hearing his fantasy. I saw a boy grow up – it is so different from the experience I had.

 

He finally got his chance of to prepare for a trip. We are going to the Green Island on a bicycle trip this week – he had written a time table after asking me about the detail. I never had the chance to do it, but I enjoyed looking at him doing the planning. He was really excited as we would be putting a night in a hot spring hotel ( one of the favorite spot of Xian, as the book described a similiar place )

 

He also got his new toy lately – his own ipod touch, he doesn’t have to share the “touch” with Yun anymore. I had a mobile router with li-ion battery. Now the “touches” can get online anywhere…..

919 > 88 ...

It was another typhoon hit --- The 88 typhoon(Morakot, 8th of August) had hit us badly – leaving a flooded southern Taiwan. This year we had another worst one – the Fanapi which landed on the 19th of September.

It swept through the middle part of Taiwan but pouring an enormous amount of rain. Our hospital was almost flooded by it – according to the night shift staff, the water had flooded few cm below the doorstep. I was supposed to be working but my shift was changed so that I could attended the EMT’s CPR course in further south this Sunday(cancelled of coz after the typhoon, most the fireman was assigned to various place for the flood).

The rain/hr was greater than the Morak thus causing the flood. It was 15th of the 1Chinese calander (aka high tide day) and the estuary was flooded and unable to play it role of draining the flood.

the estuary was flooded....river had flooded the bridge and mud was left over after the flood.

 Lucky the rain did not continue and when I came to work the next day, the water had resolved leaving massive mud over the other side of the town. The part of town where our hospital was situated was spared from the mud. Darn lucky as everyone could come to work and no extra shift was needed.

Fire in the hole...

It had been my 3^rd week into the new roster – Life was much better as I spent so much time in the house. I was able to focus on my job; instead of manage the patient through telephone, I could able to see the patient personally. The feeling is good being responsible again. Expecting to go of in a not the tired state is crucial.

The adjustment was not fair though, as 3 of us did not get the same adjustment. It was the choice of the management and I couldn’t fight for my colleague at the time. It is definitely a delayed “fire in the hole” situation in the near future.

I am still considering a training post- I projected my view further : where would I be in the future ? I could think better in my current state....hopefully I could come up with one....

bitten...

It was a busy night, I had my dinner at 10:30 ->mutton fried rice.. Catch some sleep with q1h call. The Respiratory care ward nurse called me at 6:06 am telling me that there was a leak cuff and the patient was desaturating. I splashed my face with some cool water and took the lift(even though it was 3^rd floor but I was too tired). As I entered the ward and took a quick glance at the patient; I decided to reintubate her stat. The nurses showed me that introducer and asked me if I need it. I was still in my twilight zone and told her that I would do a direct one(simple reason – the tube is definitely not in the trachea as the patient was desaturating). When I removed the tube, I found that the patient was clenching her mouth very tightly and I was unable to introduce the blade, I started to wander if I had made a wrong judgement/decision at the time. I ordered 3cc of diprivan and proceeded with the trial by forcing the blade into the mouth. The attempts had leaded to bleeding of the gum and I found that there was a lot of granulation tissue around the gum.

I almost fainted when the nurse came back with the milky colour syringe in her hand but she also had a veno-cath in her hand. That means the patient had no parenteral line. Wow, now I had 2 problems, airway and venous assess……My fault as I had taken for granted that all patient laying in the respiratory care ward had a line. Well, blood had kept flowing out from the patient mouth while I bagged the patient…. I had to make a call of inserting a central line or try intubation… One of the nurses had run to the station and prepared for the central line insertion and I decided to take a chance to intubate again. I could barely insert the blade through the silt of tetanus-like clenching teeth but managed to get it. The best I could do was lifting the jaw up and exposing a window of slightly larger than 50sen coin. I saw the epiglottis though and decided to give a try…. I passed the tube into the mouth and did a slight adjustment of the curve(bad practice as you would have to contact the tube with the oral mucosa) – curving it into a U shape. I sighed when I noticed fogging in the tube as I passed the tube along. I had a feeling that my right index finger was bitten as I felt pain during the trial (bitten of coz…) and I was right, I noticed some blood in the glove and there was a shallow wound over the middle phalange upon examination. Well, the rest was simple – securing the tube, inserting a central line and packing the bleeding of the gum after sedating the patient.

The nurses had told me that the patient was lucky that I was on call or else the scenario would take extra times and messy… I grinned and told them that the patient times was not up yet, but deep in side me- I considered it was an act of god through my hand….. Had my skill become better ? I don’t think so but I think faith is the key to the success….

bitten...

It was a busy night, I had my dinner at 10:30 ->mutton fried rice.. Catch some sleep with q1h call from the ward. The Respiratory care ward nurse called me at 6:06 am telling me that there was a leak cuff and the patient was desaturating. I splashed my face with some cool water and took the lift(even though it was 3^rd floor but I was too tired). As I entered the ward and took a quick glance at the patient; I decided to reintubate her stat. The nurses showed me that introducer and asked me if I need it. I was still in my twilight zone and told her that I would do a direct one(simple reason – the tube is definitely not in the trachea as the patient was desaturating). When I removed the tube, I found that the patient was clenching her mouth very tightly and I was unable to introduce the blade, I started to wander if I had made a wrong judgement/decision at the time. I ordered 3cc of diprivan and proceeded with the trial by forcing the blade into the mouth. The attempts had leaded to bleeding of the gum and I found that there was a lot of granulation tissue around the gum.

I almost fainted when the nurse came back with the milky colour syringe in her hand but she also had a veno-cath in her hand. That means the patient had no parenteral line. Wow, now I had 2 problems, airway and venous assess……My fault as I had taken for granted that all patient laying in the respiratory care ward had a line. Well, blood had kept flowing out from the patient mouth while I bagged the patient…. I had to make a call of inserting a central line or try intubation… One of the nurses had run to the station and prepared for the central line insertion and I decided to take a chance to intubate again. I could barely insert the blade through the silt of tetanus-like clenching teeth but managed to get it. The best I could do was lifting the jaw up and exposing a window of slightly larger than 50sen coin. I saw the epiglottis though and decided to give a try…. I passed the tube into the mouth and did a slight adjustment of the curve(bad practice as you would have to contact the tube with the oral mucosa) – curving it into a U shape. I sighed when I noticed fogging in the tube as I passed the tube along. I had a feeling that my right index finger was bitten as I felt pain during the trial (bitten of coz…) and I was right, I noticed some blood in the glove and there was a shallow wound over the middle phalange upon examination. I did not bother with the tetanus injection as I got shot 5 years ago but true reason was I darn hate neddle....Well, the rest was simple – securing the tube, inserting a central line and packing the bleeding of the gum after sedating the patient.

The nurses had told me that the patient was lucky that I was on call or else the scenario would take extra times and messy… I grinned and told them that the patient times was not up yet, but deep in side me- I considered it was an act of god through my hand….. Had my skill become better ? I don’t think so but I think faith is the key to the success….

grace... truly amazing....

Well….after a 2+ months silence…finally catch the feeling back to blogging.. It was one of my toughest period but still manage to get past the darkest hour… I had seen lies, deception, undergone depression and was truly lost. But at the end of the day, Lord had shown it mercy and guided me through the valley of death(no kidding…. I was blind and found), maybe one day I could share the story but not at the moment…

 

Well, starting from this week, my shift had been greatly reduced…Mon-Tue shift is now 20/24(depends on Lem). Wednesday – only night shift(18-8,14 hrs !!!). But I had to do alternate weekend call(Sat-Sun 24/30 hrs) – nothing to complaint as I had currently doing it for the past few months. I all started 3 weeks ago; I had initiated a daring negotiation which seems to be an impossible mission --- but I got what I expected… my pocket did not get lighter despite the cut of working hours.. in this kinda of hours, where most of my peers were enduring a cut, I considered myself as lucky….

Well, more time to spend with the family and better rest...