MedWorm.com provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest items from the 'donorcycle' source. Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:43:10 +0100 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/11/national-donor-sabbath.html This weekend marks the National Donor Sabbath, created to bring the topic of organ donation into houses of worship. One of the biggest misconceptions people have is that organ donation goes against their religion. In fact, all major religions support organ donation. Want to see what your religion has to say? Go here. It's okay, I'll wait. Unfortunately, most people don't think about organ donation until they're in a devastating situation. And that's the worst time to make a decision. Quite possibly, there's someone in your neighborhood, in your schools, your congregations, your work place, who need an organ and you may have no idea. Or maybe you think, I'm going out with everything I came in with-let someone else donate. Well, less than 1% of people die in a way that their organs can be do... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1951823 Wed, 12 Nov 2008 03:45:00 +0100 1951823 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/11/not-so-best-phone-call.html We had wine with dinner, tonight, which is a very, very civilized way to end the week, even if all you're having is pepperoni pizza. ("Pepperoni?" My husband said, "You haven't ordered a pepperoni pizza in all the time I've known you." Well, that's my prerogative). Today started with a nasty gram from the boss: we all come in too late, leave too early and take too many frivolous breaks. For those (read: almost all) of us who come early, stay late and work through lunch 4 out of 5 days a week-we were pissed. Pissed enough to renew my BLS and see if the hospital down the street is hiring. Then by lunch time we were all friends again. Mostly.Worst of all is that I had to write the "You better _____ by _____ or else" letters. Even though I deal with Post Transplant patients, we are all expecte... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1951824 Fri, 07 Nov 2008 23:54:00 +0100 1951824 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/10/its-still-exciting-to-be-on-call.html Despite the sleep deprivation. I no longer take broken people off helicopters or spend days in the ICU trying to mend them, but being on call when you get a kidney offer is still pretty exciting. Or maybe I just need to get out more.So, Thursday night into Friday, I get a call around midnight for a kidney offer. The surgeon says we'll take it as long as the biopsy and anatomy are good. For you non-medical types, that means that when they recover the organs, they'll write down if there's any noticeable injuries or disease that might effect its function, along with the size of the kidney and the veins, arteries and ureter. Then they take a chunk (a little chunk) and send it to a lab to be looked at through a microscope by a pathologist, again to see how good the function is. If neither suck,... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1908751 Sun, 26 Oct 2008 17:19:00 +0100 1908751 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/09/well-its-been-quite-week.html Last night I was remembering with longing those heady days before the baby came, when I had scads of time to do whatever, whenever I wanted. Then I remember that I was the one who wanted a baby so bad. Then I also remember that when I had all that free time, I didn't really DO anything-I didn't write the Great American Novel or go back to school or even clean out the basement, so stop whining already.Needless to say, I'm not getting on the internets so much, and when I do, mostly I just surf the news sites. Then I have to take an aspirin and lie down. You really shouldn't read the news-it's not worth it.Work's been, well, it's a living. I'm vaguely happy that I get to totter around in my heels and long, white lab coat. I have a signed prescription pad in my pocket that I get to whip out wh... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1870661 Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:04:00 +0100 1870661 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/10/yes-virginia-theres-new-post-coming.html Recently, a commenter named Virginia asked if nursing was a good profession to go into.Hell, yeah!As long as you can get RN with an associate's degree, it remains a great bargain, as far as college goes. Two (well, more realistically three) years of school for $50,000 a year? At least in my neck of the woods. That's not too shabby. While I can see both sides of the argument for RN's having a minimum of a Bachelor's, for the time being it remains that you can make a pretty good living with not so much school.Nursing school changed me. I learned how to prioritize, I learned how to focus my thinking. It gave me a lot of confidence. I never realized how smart I was until I went to nursing school. It also brought me out of my shell. I am pretty introverted. (Seriously, Steve, I am). In clinical... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1870662 Sun, 12 Oct 2008 02:06:00 +0100 1870662 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/10/well-for-those-of-you-that-go-to.html Well, for those of you that go to Falling Down Is Also a Gift, you know that Anni is back on the liver list and pretty sick. Stop by and offer some words of encouragement and don't forget to keep Anni and her family in your prayers. (Source: donorcycle) donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1853564 Mon, 06 Oct 2008 08:30:00 +0100 1853564 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/09/pharmacist-is-your-friend.html Have you ever watched "It's a Wonderful Life"? Of course you have. I'm a big Jimmy Stewart fan, myself and I've probably watched it dozens of times. I have my own copy, still in the original black and white, no thanks to Ted Turner. Cry every time, too, cause I'm a big mush. One of the big turning points in Ole George Bailey's life is when he keeps Mr. Gower from poisoning a patient because he's drunk and distraught over his son's untimely death. "It's poison, I'm telling you, it's poison! Please don't hit me again!"What does that have to do with this post? Nothin'. I just like the movie. Plus, I've been talking to a LOT of pharmacists lately. I used to work in an ER with a dedicated pharmacy, which was oh, so handy and the PICU had a pharmacy too. Nowadays, I'm on the phone just about eve... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1790265 Sun, 14 Sep 2008 04:49:00 +0100 1790265 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/08/universal-theory.html The family's asleep. (Except for The Teen-she only sleeps during the day). I'm heady with the excitement of web-surfing without feeling guilty or being interrupted for the 88th time. I hardly know where to begin. I lie. Let's begin with my new favorite site: Pioneer Woman. She's my new heroine. Wife, Mom, Cowgirl-what's not to love? Mostly, I envy her ability to pull all areas of her life into one, cool, nifty, link-filled blog. For those in the know (all 3 of you), I have three blogs: this 'ere one, Laughing-Baby, (which is pretty much just my articles for the George St. Coop), and P is for Pooter, my baby blog. Which prompted Robin, from Nova Scotia, to say, "How many blogs do you HAVE, for cryin' out loud?" or something like that.Anyhoo, I've been thinking for some time about tidying up... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1733868 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:18:00 +0100 1733868 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/08/guess-what-happens-when-you-get-new.html YOU HAVE TO PEE!!No, seriously. I have plenty of folks complaining about how often they have to go to the bathroom, now what with the new kidney and all. One guy is downright annoying about. I feel like telling him, "Good thing you didn't get a lung transplant, or else you'd be complaining about having to breathe."In other news, my partner and I have a good system going. He talks to all the difficult patients and I talk to the crazy ones. (In all fairness, I should stress that 90% of our patients fall into neither category). But, also, crazy does love me. I really do seem to have a way with anyone mentally ill, drunk or anyone with more issues than the National Geographic. I could've been a social worker, but I'm not dysfunctional enough. Ba dum bump. Thank you, I'll be here all week. Eat ... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1733869 Mon, 25 Aug 2008 23:37:00 +0100 1733869 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/08/this-video-is-awesome.html I found out about this from my friend Steve's site-Revive Hope. And I just had to pass it on: (Source: donorcycle) donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1709038 Fri, 15 Aug 2008 02:43:00 +0100 1709038 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/08/make-your-own-home-dialysis-machine.html A baby dying from kidney failure saved when her doctor designed and built her a dialysis machine from scratch in his garage. That's not a headline you read everyday. Before I opened the link, I was supposing the story came out of Africa, or maybe the Australian Outback. Then I read that it happened in England. ENGLAND. I don't know much about the NHS, but I can't fathom a baby going into kidney failure and the family being told, "So sorry, but she's going to die."I do know that hemodialysis is hard on the hemodynamics of a 6 pound baby. We had a baby born with kidney failure in the PICU, so he was started on peritoneal dialysis, which is also no picnic on a 6 pounder-their BP can still drop after they drain and although the machine can be reprogramed, it still alarms 80 times a shift becau... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1682955 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 03:13:00 +0100 1682955 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/08/good-news-everyone.html Remember I mentioned a while back about the Astellas Rose Bowl contest? Well, my friend Steve is one of the winners. Check out his winning essay at Revive Hope. I'm so proud. I can't wait til the parade, so I can point at the TV and shriek, "I know him! I know him!" and generally have my family look at me like I'm nuts, which may be true.The dust is still settling at work after our recent inspection. I'm just trying to sit at my desk and schmooze with the patients and do my little job and go home like a good girl, for now. In the words of a trusted advisor, "KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!" Hard for me, but I try. I am definitely the Queen of TMI. "Oh, did you not want to know that about me? Sorry, K THNX."Other than that the summr is winding on. We will have no more vacation days til we straighten ... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1679339 Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:46:00 +0100 1679339 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/07/so-thats-how-it-is.html I can write whole, big, informative posts and get nary of comment. But post one cute baby picture and y'all tripping over each other to comment. That's fine. I can take it. God knows, she's much cuter than I am.And Ali, I hate to tell you, that picture was taken almost a year ago! The curls are longer, the dimples are deeper and she's prone to answer any request to stop doing what she's doing by saying,"But Mama, I just doo-in!"If you want to know what melts my icy heart, it's a cherubic little voice calling me Mama. It's been about 12 years since I last heard that. The other night I looked over and her and the teenager were snuggled on the futon eating noodles together. That just about did it, too.p.s. Ali, I'm glad your cousin got her lungs! I'll keep her in my prayers as well as the bra... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1645906 Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:09:00 +0100 1645906 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/07/what-gets-me-through-my-day.html This is the picture on my desktop. Now you know why I can't wait to get home. Squee! (Source: donorcycle) donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1642633 Tue, 22 Jul 2008 01:16:00 +0100 1642633 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/07/oh-god-its-hot.html I'm sweating, for no reason what so ever. It's not like I'm doing anything active. Just typin'.Some weeks ago our main air conditioner died. Our landlord sent some guy over to look at it and, I don't know, make sure it's dead, I guess. He came on a day we told him we wouldn't be home. That's the last we've heard of him. At least we've got the AC in the bedroom. I feel like jumping into a vat of Pellegrino. Even my mouse is sweaty. Blech.The good news is that I'm on vacation this week, so I can be as sweaty as I want to be and just lie around the house and moan about how hot it is. But work has air conditioning, you say. Yeah, and it also has WORK. Since I didn't win the Megamillions Friday night, I guess I'm going back Monday.This has been my first vacation since maternity leave and since ... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1639036 Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:07:00 +0100 1639036 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/07/best-call-i-ever-made.html I've been putting off posting in every way I can think of. Of course, my laptop is on the fritz, so that helps. It's so much harder to get on the family computer, what with the Counter Strike and the poker playing. At least the poker pays dividends. Then, when I do finally get a turn on the computer, I find endless, diverting stories on reddit or else I go shopping.Mostly, though, I just haven't felt like putting myself out there. Work has been very stressful the last few weeks for reasons I don't think would be prudent to put on the internets. Let's just say I feel like an ant that some mean kid's been holding a magnifying glass over. And it rhymes with "EMS". Oops. Said too much.Anyway, I am almost at the end of my 90 day probationary period. I have 10 more days to go back to the PICU, s... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1634861 Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:49:00 +0100 1634861 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/06/new-job-is-busy.html And, lo and behold, I really like it. I forgot that I like working with grown-up-people-patients too. Some are exceptionally nice, some are downright loony tunes. Some are exceptionally nice and loony tunes. Most are just normal folks, which may be why it surprises me how much I like working with them. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the last time I had adult patients was in the ER and that's not always a place to catch people at their best, she says diplomatically.The people never cease to amaze me. I've met people who would wake up and be at dialysis at 5am(the am stands for Areya Mad!) 3 times a week and then go and work a full time job. And I whinged and moaned because I had to do a bowel prep once (seriously, by 9am I was like "how many more hours of clear liquids?" AND you can... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1535722 Sat, 21 Jun 2008 02:09:00 +0100 1535722 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/06/lucky.html Well, it's about 4:30am and I can't get back to bed. Late last night, after we got the baby to bed, I started coming down with yet another head cold. I try and think back to any infectious people I might have touched in the last 24 hours, but I can't. And, of course, yesterday I toughed it out and went to work when I just felt like staying home in bed and came home to baby crankasaurus, whose mouth is sore and my husband has no sympathy ("but my temp is 99.8!") And I got banished to the futon because a. I'm snoring and b. I'm on call and have 2 phones under my pillow threatening to go off at any time. Then I felt all good and sorry for myself and had a big 'ol pity party, population 1.Fortunately, call's been-well, I don't really want to say-I still have 4 hours to go. And while I want eac... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1497418 Fri, 06 Jun 2008 09:01:00 +0100 1497418 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/05/contest-for-recipients.html Astellas Pharma-who need no free advertisement from me, but I thought you might be interested-have a yearly contest to help promote themselves and their website Transplant Experiences. They're looking for essays from transplant recipients and the winner gets to ride on their float in the 2009 Tournament of Roses parade.If you go to the above site, there's a link called "The Ride of a Lifetime" that will give you all the info and includes winning essays from previous years to inspire you. The essay must be submitted by June 13, 2008 11:59 pm EDT, so if you're interested, get crackin' and good luck. (Source: donorcycle) donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1472446 Wed, 28 May 2008 02:37:00 +0100 1472446 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/05/starting-over.html I'm a newcomer, again. On a new job, with new people, not sure of what I'm doing or even where I'm supposed to be half the time. While my sense of adventure is still intact, it is a little bit tedious to be a newcomer at my age. I keep thinking that I should really be more settled by now. I tell myself that the many job changes (7 in 11 years? Eeks!) has enriched me with invaluable experience. As for enriching my retirement account, not so much. (Right now my retirement plan is to be nice to my children, so they'll take care of me when I'm old. That, and staying in shape, because I'll probably have to work 'til I'm 80). Also strange is the transition to a desk job. I mean, occassionally as a procurement TC I'd be a desk jockey, but most of the work was in the field. When we all would get t... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1466843 Sun, 25 May 2008 01:16:00 +0100 1466843 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/05/so-long-and-thanks-for-all-fish.html Three weeks ago this Friday was my last day in PICU. Possibly my last day as a bedside nurse, ever. Mmmm, well, maybe. There's something to be said for taking care of the immediate needs of another human being. A long time ago, my friend John dated these two women (not at the same time). They could have been twins: they were both tall, blonde and bitchy. Well, there's something to be said for his taste in women but he was a fun guy to hang out with. Anyway, fast forward to 1997 and I run into girlfriend #1. She asks what I'm doing and I tell her I've become a nurse. She sneers and makes a remark about how co-dependant that is. (Remember co-dependancy? Or as I like to call, As Crazy as You Want Me to Be). I was brandy-new to nursing, at the time, so I just mumbled something about her not un... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1442805 Thu, 15 May 2008 02:06:00 +0100 1442805 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/04/end-of-week-update.html My last 2 days at worked sucked. Wed I was in a terrible mood and I had to take care of 2 depressing cases. One kid will never leave the hospital and the other is neurologically devastated and will be on a vent forever. I kept thinking that his case sounded familiar but I didn't work in the PICU when he was initially injured. At 3pm, the evening secretary came in and enlightened me-I had assessed him for organ donation a year and a half ago when he came in. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on your point of view, he still has a little bit of brain stem left-just enough to give him clonus every so often.Yesterday was worse and I had to stay late to catch up. My day was going swimmingly until I had to take a 2 hour road trip to specials AND got an admission, a fresh post-op, at the sam... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1383712 Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:54:00 +0100 1383712 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/04/legacy.html I want to tell you a story. You may think you know the people involved, especially if you’ve been in health care for any period of time. Lately, I’ve been thinking about a lot of stories from my years as a nurse, mostly because I’ve been working with an awesome and funny agency nurse who keeps egging me on. Narcissist that I am, I happily oblige her. This, however, is one person’s story in particular. It’s the story of an average girl, from an average family. By all accounts she was funny, even irreverent, smart, sassy and full of energy. She was opinionated. She had a lot of friends. If you were to look into her future, you might see college and a career, a family, some kids. Maybe she had something really big coming down the pike-like she’d write a famous novel or develop a c... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1364909 Fri, 11 Apr 2008 02:10:00 +0100 1364909 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/04/starting-new-jobsomeday-soon.html Well, I'm not sure when I'm starting the new job. It might be as soon as next Monday, but certainly no later than the end of the month. By hospital policy, I have to give my old job 4 weeks notice from the day I put in for a transfer. My old boss can ask for a couple more weeks saying it's a hardship and they need more time to replace me. Now the new boss and the old boss are "debating" it out with administration to see who needs me more. In my younger days it would have been thrilling to have two guys fight over me (hah, never happened), but this may be more satisfying.Last Friday I did attent an education day for the transplant department and I got all excited about starting the new job. So excited that I went shopping. Because in this job, I get to wear CLOTHES! (As opposed to scrubs, y... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1360553 Wed, 09 Apr 2008 15:24:00 +0100 1360553 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/03/oh-peep-manity.html Remember when I said the Pooter didn't eat any Peeps. Well, she proved me wrong:The Great Peep Massacre of '08 She bit the heads off of every Peep she could get her little hands on. Like the Easter Bunny meets Ozzy Osbourne. It was terrible. Then we let her loose on daycare. After I brushed her teeth 3 times. She's still smart as hell, though. (Source: donorcycle) donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1325026 Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:27:00 +0100 1325026 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/03/evidence-of-pooters-exceptional.html Pooter and I woke up this morning to find her big sister still in bed. Apparently there was a delayed opening today. Spring holiday isn't until Passover week, which makes Teenager happy, as the weather will be warmer. Anyway, first thing Pooter did was steal some Peeps from Teen's room and run gleefully down the hall. I expecter to find her stuffing her mouth full of Peeps and thought, "What the hell, Easter only comes once a year." We like to practice a laid-back style of parenting here at Chez TC. Instead, she had them arranged on the rug like action figures and was playing with them. I knew she was a super genius. Even the l'il Pooter knows that Peeps aren't a REAL food.So I worked on Easter, which was not too bad. Pooter doesn't know her days of the week yet, so we can do Easter basket... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1323145 Mon, 24 Mar 2008 14:04:00 +0100 1323145 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/03/kids-are-all-right.html Well, all right, enough suspense. The news is:I'm back in the transplant game. I was waiting to break the news to my boss and officially decide before I said anything to anyone. I'm taking a job as a kidney/pancreas transplant coordinator starting next month. It was a toss up. The new job is Monday thru Friday, flexible hours as long as I show up for clinic and meetings. Call is from home-I only have to take calls, I don't have to go anywhere in the middle of the night. No weekends or holidays. The flip side is that I'm giving up bedside nursing, which I do like and I'm giving up taking care of the little ones, which I love. I'm also giving up doctors who role their eyes at the nurses suggestions, giving up working every other weekend and giving up getting a talking to when I'm 5 minutes l... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1321608 Sun, 23 Mar 2008 01:56:00 +0100 1321608 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/03/but-first-word-from-our-sponsors.html This is NOT the big news. It's more like some housekeeping tasks. Let's start off with a commercial:Up til now I've been a bit like Madonna. Like a virgin. Not actually a virgin, you understand, just like one. But NO MORE! I've tossed aside my amateur standing and have officially become a Professional Blogger. According to the fine print in my Adsense contract, I'm not even supposed to hint that they exist on this site, so I won't. However, just below all that you may have noticed an ad for scrubshopper.com. In the interest of full disclosure, I haven't shopped there yet, but I'm going to. Good news for you, Lucky Reader, is that Scrub Shopper is giving donorcycle readers a 10% discount! To get the 10% discount enter promotional code SSBLOG10. Thanks, Scrub Shopper!Let's see, what else. Li... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1315355 Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:24:00 +0100 1315355 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/03/watch-this-space.html Big news coming, I'm just firming up the details. So keep watching and I'll let you know in a day or two. :) (Source: donorcycle) donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1312361 Tue, 18 Mar 2008 23:57:00 +0100 1312361 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/02/1632.html That's how many steps it is to the top of the Hancock Building. At least according to my stairmates. 94 stories. As promised, there were firemen, but I managed to make it to the top under my own steam. The firemen, some of them, anyway, wore full gear for the climb. And if that's not challenging enough, I'm told that they will take turns carrying each other up the stairs. Show offs. No, really, I love fire fighters. That's what it takes to make them strong enough to carry my ass out of a burning building. There were a gazillion people there and it seems like most of them climbed for Team Kari. 85 folks were on the team. Everyone knew Steve. If you came in late and want to know why we're doing this, check out Revive Hope which has a link to Kari's story on the Mid-Iowa news website. I also ... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1253219 Sun, 24 Feb 2008 20:21:00 +0100 1253219 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/02/im-leaving-on-jet-plane.html Well, I got a late start but I’m in the air. I was on the plane to the train and had just gotten on the second train when Love Monkey called and said come home. I thought the worst at first, of course. I thought something had happened to one of the kids or my parents, but no. It turns out that there was some weather or something at the airport. So I got off train #2, got back onto train #1 and went home. It was the quickest trip to the city ever.On the flip side, I got to see Pooter (she was sleeping when I left) and we had lunch and took a nap together, so that was nice. Got up around 5ish, checked the airport website and decided it was safe to venture out again. It turns out I had to take the train to the train to the airtrain to a security checkpoint to a shuttle bus to the plane. She... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1252820 Sun, 24 Feb 2008 20:20:00 +0100 1252820 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/02/im-off.html Tomorrow at this time I'll be awaiting my flight to Chicago. Hopefully, I'll make it to the top, but I hear there's going to be firefighters, so maybe if my legs give out, one will carry me the rest of the way. I can dream, can't I?I can't thank all those who donated enough. I didn't think anyone would give money, truthfully, certainly not my "imaginary" internet friends. Certainly not my wonderful niece and nephew-in-law all the way in Korea. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Check back next week for pics of the grand event.Today I gotta get it all together in order to be at JFK on time. I think the train to JFK is actually longer than the flight itself. I could have left from Newark, but it would have meant a layover in, I think, Kuala Lumpur. I can't spend that much time in an airport, I... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1250151 Fri, 22 Feb 2008 17:16:00 +0100 1250151 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/02/whole-week-off.html I don't even know what to do with myself. Hmmmm.Well, not exactly, but I will be doing this:and this: And BTW, I can't thank all of you enough for donating to my Hustle up the Hancock. You know who you are and this week I'll even have time to thank you all individually. Tonight was my last day at work for 7 days, oh glory be! I'm not sure when I last had 7 whole days off in a row. Also, I broke my streak in which my last day before a break means some disaster happens. Like a bunch of hemophiliacs in a glass bus crashes into a nun convention. Or something. Anyway, quiet day at work. Took care of one awefully cute lil baby and even got to rock her and feed her and possibly sing to her, real low so no one would hear. Possibly the 2nd cutest baby on the planet, but much smaller than the Pooter... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1243437 Wed, 20 Feb 2008 04:04:00 +0100 1243437 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/02/thursday-reading.html Change of Shift is up at Nursing Voices, a forum for nurses from around the world.Tuesday, if you missed it, Grand Rounds was done by Amy at Diabetes Mine. As I know from experience, hosting Grand Rounds is no picnic. Great job, Amy.If you want to read something shorter, I was inspired to write this by David Bale at Very Short Novels. Hope you like it.Our BoyYour room was starting to have a well-lived in look; Pictures on the wall, stuffed animals, snacks, balloons. There was a huge, shaggy blanket that your mom brought in for you but usually she wrapped it around herself, just for the comfort in it. Then, the week before Super Bowl Sunday, your favorite nurse had brought in Giant’s pennants to put up around your room, because she knew it was your favorite team. Whether you even knew if ... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1215266 Thu, 07 Feb 2008 16:11:00 +0100 1215266 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/02/let-fun-draising-begin.html I already made $25 bucks-donated by my awesome niece and soon to be nephew-in-law, Annie and Doug, all the way from South Korea! Thanks guys! That's like 2 whole galbi dinners and a bottle of soju.Also, my friend Tennessee Don from Underdog put up a post about my efforts, so the pressure's on. I must climb that tower or let down every democrat in the 9th district! Thanks, Don! (Source: donorcycle) donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1207311 Wed, 06 Feb 2008 02:51:00 +0100 1207311 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/02/ill-be-climbin-for-kari.html Somehow, someway, some time ago, I decided that I was going to Chicago this February to Meet my friend SteveClimb the Hancock TowerDid I mention I'm going there in February. Because I've been to Chicago when it's been sunny and warm, but February? Who goes there deep inna heart of Winter. Me, of course. Also, so as not to confuse y'all, like I confused my mom, I'll be climbing the stairs(as opposed to climbing the outside with ropes and carrabiners and such, which is waaay beyond my super powers). All 96ish stories of stairs. How bad can that be. After all, Katie Holmes ran the damn NY Marathon and was later seen sporting heels. I'm a hell of a lot tougher than Katie Holmes, I'll tell you right now. I could totally take her in a fight. Anyhoo, I'll be in the, umm, what do they call Chicago... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1204645 Tue, 05 Feb 2008 02:44:00 +0100 1204645 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/01/chimera.html The Chimera is a mythical creature, as described by Homer in the Iliad, as "a thing of immortal make, not human, lion-fronted and snake behind, a goat in the middle, and snorting out the breath of the terrible flame of bright fire". Chimerism in scientific terms is when an animal has two or more different populations of genetically distinct cells that originated in different zygotes; if the different cells emerged from the same zygote, it is called a mosaicism. (From Wikipedia, see here for the whole article). A male tortoiseshell cat is a chimera. Microchimerism is the presence of a small number of cells, genetically distinct from those of the host individual(also from Wiki). In some cases, fetal cells can find there way into the mother's circulation and remain there for as long as decade... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1188571 Wed, 30 Jan 2008 17:24:00 +0100 1188571 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/01/winter-of-my-discontent.html Can you believe we're halfway through January? December, according to my horoscope, was supposed to be a banner month for me:Jupiter was in Sagitarrius or Venus was trining with Mercury or some such. Mostly, though, it felt like my head was in Myanus. Work continues on. RSV season started early and the hallways are cluttered with yellow isolation carts. Let me tell you, there's nothing like spending 12 hours in a blue hefty bag to make a girl smell, well, less than fresh.It seems everytime I turn around, there's a new job opening for a transplant coordinator. Not on the procurement side, even I'm not that masochistic, but on the recipient side. The hours are usually good, 9-5 Monday to Friday. Call consists of making phone calls from home. Not too shabby, but I like the PICU. I like the wo... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1166365 Mon, 21 Jan 2008 21:44:00 +0100 1166365 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2008/01/new-music-yes-new-posts-workin-on-it.html New Music for the New Year. Which was 2 weeks ago, I know. Toddler. That's all I'm saying. A really tall, extremely smart toddler with a long reach. Anyway, I've got three new posts in the shute, all at various stages of completion, all about organ donation. Love Monkey promises me some time to myself this weekend to write, so stay tuned and enjoy the tunes. (Source: donorcycle) donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1162012 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 03:56:00 +0100 1162012 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2007/12/guess-what-i-got-for-christmas.html No, it wasn't coal.When I left the OPO, sadly I also had to leave my laptop. 14" IBM Thinkpad, mostly indestructible. It was basic black, addressed all my needs, wasn't too heavy. It didn't have a disc drive, cause they didn't want us installing programs, I'm sure, but other than that, I loved it and vowed to never have a desktop again.Husband told me he was going to me a gift that would change my life. Several things came to mind-a trip to India to spend a week with the Dalai Lama? Hmmm, too expensive and he's probably busy. A winning lottery ticket? A chance to meet Johnnie Depp? (that wouldn't change my life, but it would totally rock!) No, none of those.He got me my own laptop. This is me, typing away on my brandy new acer, with CD/DVD burner and a webcam. Maybe I could do podcasts!? A... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1129366 Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:20:00 +0100 1129366 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2007/12/well-its-christmas-eve.html And we're all sick, except for the dog. I think we must have the most virulent head cold ever seen...it's now over a week and my head still feels 2 sizes to big. Tomorrow I have to work, which is making me feel very Grinch-like. We are all making tons of food, so hopefully it'll be a slow day, no one will die and I'll get to pig out. I've given my teenager the option of waiting til I get home to open presents, or getting up with me at 5am to open them. She just huffed.Just like in Hooville, Christmas come whether there's presents and a tree or not, so I'm diligently buying presents at the last minute. We were going to have Christmas morning THIS morning, but last night we made the discovery that we didn't have wrapping paper. We do have a tree and it's up but still a little bare. There's l... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1115066 Mon, 24 Dec 2007 14:07:00 +0100 1115066 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2007/12/surgexperiences.html Check out SurgExperiences over at Buckeye Surgeon. Now I have to get back to Christmas shopping. (Source: donorcycle) donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1113305 Sat, 22 Dec 2007 20:14:00 +0100 1113305 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2007/12/if-you-give-surgeon-scalpel.html (with apologies to Laurie Numeroff)If you give a surgeon a scalpel, he’s going to want a pick-up.But wait! He’ll remember that he always operates better with some music.“Nurse! Can you put on the radio please?”“Certainly, Doctor. Do you want Rock?”“No.”“Classical?”“No.”“Country?”“No.”“Easy Listening?”“Oh, God, no.” Then he’ll remember that he has a Frank Sinatra CD in his car. He’ll want you to page the tech and ask him to run down and get it.While you’re waiting, he’ll hum a few bars and show off a few dance moves to the scrub nurse. “Yes sir! I used to really cut the rug in my day.” He’ll say.While he’s dancing, he’ll remember that he’s parked illegally. He’ll have you page the tech and see if he can move his car while he’s ... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1112654 Fri, 21 Dec 2007 02:30:00 +0100 1112654 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2007/12/dah-na-na-na-nah-nah-na-na.html It's my birthday! Enjoy the tunes. (Source: donorcycle) donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1079706 Fri, 07 Dec 2007 16:08:00 +0100 1079706 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2007/11/yes-virginia-saga-continues.html Dear Editor—I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in The Sun, it’s so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?Virginia O’HanlonSo starts the famous editorial written by Francis P. Church 110 years ago this month. He goes on to say that little Virginia's friends are wrong. "They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age." It gives one pause to think what Mr. Church's reaction to the 21st century might be, were he here to see it. Is Santa Claus still real? Well, Newsweek hasn't yet proclaimed, "Santa is Dead", so I guess there's hope. In my house, the controversy continues. My husband, a man of much romance but not an ounce of sentimentality, has decided to tell our daughter the truth about the Santa ... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1043993 Wed, 21 Nov 2007 18:13:00 +0100 1043993 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2007/11/i-know-what-i-know.html I really haven't been on the internets in over a week, except for quick scans of my email. I did, however, pass PALS (pediatric advanced life support). I think it's the 3rd time I've taken it and it seems to get easier and easier, which is not a good thing. In fact, I think there was too much of the fancy videos and not enough content. I didn't have a problem, but I felt sorry for the people who were taking it for the 1st time, including one respiratory therapist I know who I thought was going to have a breakdown when they gave her the "baby in asystole" megacode. There's no real end to that code, except to call it, but who wants to have a dead baby. It's broken tougher participants than her, to be sure.So in addition to realizing that I know more about PALS than I thought I did, I also le... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1041386 Wed, 21 Nov 2007 02:30:00 +0100 1041386 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2007/11/i-am-so-not-bitter.html Can someone please explain to me why amalah is up for a weblog award? Excuse me, but I bitch about my loved ones, I show cute photos of my kids, I have snarky DOWN PAT, for goodness sakes. And I also talk about a little thing called ORGAN DONATION! But do I get nominated? I've been complaining about it all week to the fambly to no avail-they haven't given me an ounce of sympathy. And the comments!! I'd rather have 2 little 'ol commenters than 167 versions of "OMG! Me too! You're so awesome!"All right, it's not all about me. But what about the other great mom blogs out there? Like my friend Moreena-top notch writing if I ever read some. (Unlike my perpetually unfortunate grammar-I speak English good, don't I?)Anyway, I'm voting for Notes from the Trenches out of spite. Not that I'm bitter o... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1015745 Fri, 09 Nov 2007 02:35:00 +0100 1015745 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2007/11/and-word-of-day-is.html hu·bris /ˈhyubrɪs, ˈhu-/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[hyoo-bris, hoo-] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation–nounexcessive pride or self-confidence; arrogance. You may recall a few posts ago where I said I was reasonable sure that the baby didn't have pneumonia. Silly mommy. Last Friday, after spiking a temp of 103.6, her parents(both nurses, thank you very much), decided that maybe medical intervention was called for. Of course, my FP was not on call, so I called the guy covering for him. After telling him the medical history in a nutshell-basically, 5 weeks of being sick, one ear infection, countless sniffles, bronchitis, a lacey rash and now more fevers-he tells us to get our butts to the ER as a CXR is probably in order. So there you have it, bad parenting ... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1013332 Thu, 08 Nov 2007 06:30:00 +0100 1013332 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2007/10/you-want-fries-with-that.html Hospitals continue experimenting with ways to improve customer service, usually at the expense of employee morale. I've had my own experience with that. When I worked in a busy ER, the three biggest complaints were 1)wait time to be seen 2)wait time to be treated and 3)wait time to get upstairs to a room. Almost always, the Press-Gaineys had nice things to say about the employees. Then some big, upstairs Wahoo comes down and tries to teach the nurses how to say "Please" and "Thank You" and THAT leads to cranky nurses. Boy, you do not want your nurses cranky. In fact, right now, go to your nearest nurse and give her some chocolate. THANK YOU.Working with donor families has given me a whole new perspective on meeting people's needs. When you've spent 8 hours trying to find out if it's possib... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=998607 Fri, 02 Nov 2007 00:06:00 +0100 998607 http://donorcycle.blogspot.com/2007/10/house-of-plague.html We almost cancelled Halloween at our house this year. Half the family is sick, including La Baby who, if she lived with normal folks, would be in the ER right now. But my children know that unless I'm getting paid $45 dollars an hour, the only thing that warrants a trip to the ER is bleeding from the eyeballs or viscera. Poor Pooter. I'm pretty sure it's not pneumonia, but I've spent the last few days with kids whose parents said, "If only I'd brought them to the ER sooner, maybe they wouldn't have quadruple pneumonia." I also was hoping that Pooter would be able to wear her first real Halloween costume to daycare today, but she's got a fever. She was going to be a bee. Well, she still can be a bee any day of the week, just not for Halloween. We bought the outfit last week at Claire's in t... donorcycle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=994961 Wed, 31 Oct 2007 20:09:00 +0100 994961