Andrea Hickman: June 2006

One Crazy Day!
(Caution, not for the weak of stomach)

So, it's 2am at the Mahaska County ER on a Thurs. morning. I was going to update my BLOG tomorrow and talk about how my month of Peds had gone, and about what a nice relaxing month I was having in Oskalooska with Dr. Frost and the rest of the crazy staff. Then today hit. I don't know if it's a full moon or there is something in the water, or Satan played a mean trick and decided to play tricks today instead of 6/6/06, but it has been an insane day!!! The morning started off a bit slow, then at 11:15 the ambulance was called to a semi vs. flatbed accident on the highway, with one of the drivers DOA (dead on arrival). I asked if I could go with the ME (medical examiner), Dr. Dawson, and since it was slow, Dr. Frost let me take off. The deceased was only 26, and had run a STOP sign and been hit by a semi and flipped over into the ditch and crushed to death. Dr. Dawson took the report, and then we headed back to the hospital to wait for the body to arrive. He also had a lady in labor, and when I asked if I could come watch, he said sure. I ended up helping to deliver the little boy, and actually caught the baby, cut the cord, and delivered the placenta. It was awesome. By then the body had arrived and we had a trauma in the ER, a 65 year old who had fallen off a 20 foot ladder. Dr. Frost put me in charge of the trauma, and while he was in Xray (fractured pelvis and wrist and a cardiac contusion), I helped Dr. Dawson do the post-mortem exam. The ER finally cleared out after a few more broken bones and head traumas, then a call came over the paramedic pager that the fire department had been called to a fire. Ten minutes later it went off again, asking for an ambulance for a DOA at the scene. I asked to ride along, and was not prepared for what I saw. When we arrived, we found a motorcyclist who had been hit by a semi and had caught fire. That was an image that will stay in my mind for quite awhile, I won't go into detail here. Two hours in the field later, I came back to the ED for a shower to wash off the smell of burning rubber and you can imagine what else. Now I'm afraid to go lay down for fear of what I will see when I close my eyes. I can't get the smell out of my nose. Quite a day. Life ends, and new life begins.

On to happier thoughts :) First of all, congratulations to all the wonderful people in my life who have tons of good stuff going on. Congratulations to Leah, Paul and Adrienne on their marriages, to Katy/Mike and Sarah/Jacob on their recent engagements, to Lee on this new baby, and to my sister Lauren for graduating from college. I wish all of you so much luck, and thank you all for allowing me to be involved in the big events in your lives.

In short, Peds in May was a wonderful experience at Mercy, I had tons of fun playing with the kids, even though at times it could be emotionally trying when they were really sick. ER has been fun and educational with Dr. Frost, not to mention I love the hours of 8 24 hour shifts this month, and the nurses and ambulance crew are wonderful. In less than two weeks I head to St. Louis and Scott Air Force Base for another month of surgery. Not so excited to be in uniform again, but looking forward to being back in the OR. I've also had fun socially, seeing some of my old friends, going to Leah's wedding in DSM and Paul's wedding in DePere, Wisconsin, and planning a cruise with Katy in August. I still miss Philly, and the move back was an adjustment, but hopefully I will be visiting the East Coast again soon.

I hope all is well in everyone's lives, that you are staying safe, and I'll be in touch with all of you soon!