Hello again loyal readers!
As promised, I have not waited nearly as long to update as my last little hiatus. Not a ton new has happened, but figured I should write ya something new to read anyways.
I worked Monday and Tuesday, had Wednesday off, then went to go pick up Little One on Thursday. Today was spent being pretty boring, hanging out inside due to her still recovering from sunburn from last weekend. Tomorrow, if she continues to improve, I think we will have to test out the new Amazing Kiddy Pool of Wonderment. The one from last year sprung numerous leaks in the inflatable ring, as well as several in the sidewalls. I am quite certain that a number of those resulted from my unceremoniously dragging it down the concrete steps to the basement due to the snow that was falling. I put the old pool up 2 weeks ago, and then spent a fair amount of my time chasing down and attempting to patch all the leaks I could find. Despite my best efforts, there were still a number of leaks in the ring around the top that I could not find. Wednesday I busted out the new 12 foot pool that actually has a metal frame to it that the Father In Law bought. He originally purchased it to put up at his house, but due to his fear of ever marring his lawn and it being 2 feet larger than the identical pool that we had it would not fit on his deck he never put it up. I should have known as soon as I saw the "Simple 1-2-3 setup" written on the side that it was gonna be a bit of a pain to put up. I was right...My back was not so thrilled with me by the time I finished installing the frame. SWMBO came out and helped me to install the legs, and then I grabbed a Frosty Cold Adult Beverage and waited for it to fill..and waited..and waited. Apparently it takes quite a while to fill a 1550 gallon pool with a garden hose that leaks and pipes that are cobbled together and are 100 years old.
Yesterday, SWMBO pointed out that the water coming from beneath 2 or 4 points of the pool was likely a bit more than just old water left from the last pool. Of course, as usual, she was right. Found 4 small tears in the floor of the pool already. Today, a trip to that god awful Wally World produced the new chlorine tabs that I needed, a bag of shock that should last most of the summer, and a neat little $10 patch kit that claims to work underwater. Added a handful of new chlorine tabs, rinsed the filter element, and discovered that for once the advertising did not lie. That stuff not only sticks underwater, but the cool little fiber swab for slathering on the adhesive somehow did not stick to it or hold the glue at all!! Now, no more leaks, and I was quite pleasantly surprised to find that the solar cover had warmed the pool to a comfortable temperature already. An hour of water from the super-fantastic hose and the pool was filled again.
I have to work tomorrow and Sunday night..I will get up with the Kiddo's in the morning, hang out with them until mid-afternoon, and then catch a bit of a nap before going off to Save Lives and man triage. Sunday will be coming home and crashing for a few hours in the morning, then get up and hang out with the lil ones for a bit before saving even more lives.
Yesterday morning was spent with a trip to go see the O.B. SWMBO is now dilated to 2 cm, but Little One is still sitting up high. She is ready for him to come out, but I already asked her to wait till after the weekend so I can have a bit more time off to help out...lol. I have 2 weeks worth of time off and holiday pay banked up to help out, get them settled and bond with Little One before I go back to the grind.
Speaking of the grind. About a month or so ago had a really nasty case there in the ER. Got a tiny lil infant brought in by the Big Blue Whirlybird from an outlying facility. Apparently a family member's dog decided to take a lil taste of the baby to see what the new squirmy thing was that was squeaking and it did not end well. The little one was small enough that I spent the entire time holding the head in position to maintain an airway, including through several episodes of arrest. Continued holding the head while family came in to see the little one and make the final call. I managed to hold myself together, professional detachment and all, throughout most of it. I will admit that the tears started flowing as some of the family came in to say their goodbye's and talk to the infant before the call was made. I was quite appreciative of the fact that those of us directly involved with the several hours of care were allowed to stand back as the parents held the baby when life support was terminated..brought a bit of the closure to that experience that is sometimes lacking in EMS. I stepped outside once it was all done, said a prayer for the family, and had my little bit of a breakdown. Got to call and talk to SWMBO for a few, which made me truly thankful that I have a partner in crime who is in the same business as me and can understand. Went back in, and helped to make the impression of the hand for the family to keep, and to finish up the few things that needed to be done before the baby could be released to the coroner. Then, cleaned up the room, and went on caring for the other patients in the department. I must say, it is times like that where the fact of how amazing my ER is comes out to shine. EVERYONE worked together perfectly even with the stress of the situation. Our Charge Nurse (coordinator, sorry..lol) that night handled the family with dignity and poise, more than I think I could say if the situations had been reversed. He was a fantastic leader and guiding spirit throughout it all. Definitely blessed to have such great co-workers.
The other night at work we had another nasty peds patient come in, and one of the other medics was sent in on it..Good for him..I have had my fill of nasty pediatric cases for the moment. Not that I would not jump in and do what I do best if I needed to, but he could have that one..
Well, since despite my best hopes and dreams, the dishes do not appear to be cleaning themselves. I suppose I should go take care of that and a few other things before I try to get some sleep.
Hope you all have a great and safe weekend..
Until next time...
TS&T
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