Welcome

Lessons from the Trauma ER Number Whatever -

First, welcome to my new blog. I'm not very Instagram, Twitter literate but we'll give this a try.

Second, I started this blog because Brigitte thinks I'm a mess and should write a book. 

Third, I am a nurse. A fairly new one at that. But, I've had the opportunity to work in some amazing places and with some incredible people. My main job is as an Emergency Room nurse. Normal stuff, heart attacks, strokes, stubbed toes, drug seekers, wannabe MMA fighters who got their asses kicked, former Medal of Honor Special Forces soldiers who are now homeless but don't recall what unit they served with or what years. Stuff like that. But I also work at the the only Level 1 Trauma Center in a 700 mile radius. I will leave the details of where I work out, to avoid unpleasant legal stuff, but suffice to say, I work in Las Vegas, NV. Sin City. And, much like Australia,  everything is trying to kill you. 

Since I started working at the Trauma ER, I am afraid to go outside. Cars are trying to kill me. Bicycles are trying to kill me. Animals are trying to kill me. Hang gliders. Power tools. Hot water and oil. Things I take for granted, everyday things are trying to kill me. All I can say, is that I'm lucky to have made it this far. 

But what amazes me the most is the things people do to hurt themselves. Most of the time, it is because they are dumb. And hold the ummmm sound for as long as you can. As in, people are dummmmmmmmmmmb. But everyone once in a while, you will get the innocent who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and was really injured. Those people are cool to work with. For example, you may have read about the auto accident where three cars were involved and a juvenile was at fault, tried to run and then ended up in jail. The main patient was an older woman with injuries to all four limbs including a partial amputation of her foot. All I can say about that is that it looks just like the anatomy books - bone, muscle, vessels. All right there. The thing was, she could still wiggle her toes. Broken femur, dislocated shoulder. The works. But she could still wiggle her toes and kept apologizing for screaming every time we  moved her. Surgery. Prognosis good. Foot kept. Cool story. And, the family thanking me, us, for the job we did.

But, mostly this blog will about the wild, the crazy, the stuff that makes Vegas fun. The stuff that you, the reader, will say "No way is that true." But, trusted reader, keep reading because this is a work of nonfiction. The events recorded are true to the best of my recollection. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent. And, hopefully, you will take the lessons learned with you and they will help you stay alive...

Enjoy!