Day9; I'll show you where I worked....

So I'm frequently asked about my working conditions, what I did, what kind of patients we saw etc. I will try to answer a few of these questions in the next paragraphs and pictures.

This is where I worked, if you look real close you can find me. With four rooms operating we often recovered multiple patients at a time. This should also serve as proof that I was not on an extended vacation. The next picture I obviously did not take because I'm in it. However, the patient I am attending to had a bronchospasm during recovery and I'm assisting him to keep his airway open. I'm really partial to open airways because of my respiratory background. A number of my co-workers call this my "super nurse" pose. I'm really just focused on the monitors etc.

Many of the patients we saw in Jamaica were there for cataract surgery. This fine gentleman wanted to know if I was a "married lady." I might add he asked after he had his eyes repaired. I reminded him that he came aboard the ship with a female escort. He told me that all of his friends were ladies. This is him recovering on the ward. No private rooms aboard the ship. During this mission the upper bunks were used for the escorts.

Have you every wondered just what it might take to get you to go to the doctor? I'm sure this woman put health care off for many years. She reported that she had not been able to lay down in bed for over 10 years. This lipoma was successfully removed.

She had become quite clever in styling her hair in and around this lipoma. When we first searched for the "bump" behind her ear, we couldn't find it. After parting her hair it was found. Nobody should wait this long for health care, so if you have insurance, use it! And if you don't, get some! A baseball size lump is not something to just live with. And don't get me started on the 15 pound fibroid we delivered. That's the equivalent of delivering twins. I'm keeping the pictures to myself because they are a little graphic. More tomorrow!