Power of Prayer

There is a lot of evil in this world. All you have to do is read the paper or watch the news. The doom and gloom can be overwhelming. I do think it is important to follow current events, but we must filter that information. Otherwise, we run the risk of thinking that very little good is going on in this world. In this blog, I plan to report my experiences only. I do not want to get political in any way. I do not want to prostelytize. More than anything else, this blog is therapeutic for me. Plus, I can type out a story or my thoughts only ONE TIME instead of sending 18 emails saying the same thing!

With this in mind, I must tell you about one patient that really hit me hard. 2 nights ago the hospital was a madhouse. We were feeling the effects of what is called an "SVBID" or suicide vehicle born improvised device. In other words, a terrorist loads up a car with a bomb and drives that thing into a target. It's similar to "kamakazee" missions of previous wars.

We received 3 patients from an SVBID attack. I began to evaluate one of them in the ER. He was a First Lieutenant. He began describing the event. He was quite lucid upon arrival. A nurse gave him pain medicine ordered by me. Within what seemed like seconds, he began to "crash". He became pale and stopped talking. The evaluation continued. More help arrived. It was needed. Soon 4 physicians more experienced that me were now at the bedside doing everything possible to stabilize him. Time seemed to stand still. His leg was badly broken and bleeding. A surgeon put a large IV into his chest. He received 2 units of blood in less than 5 minutes. An emergency room doctor put a breathing tube down. I stood by trying to help in any way that I could. His leg was unwrapped revealing the badly broken lower left leg. Clearly this was the cause of his massive blood loss. The patient was taken from the ER for a fast CT Scan and then to the Operating Room. I returned to the hospital floor. It was a humbling experience to say the least. At the end of my shift the patient was out of the OR and now into the ICU. I was able to visit him there. He was stable. What a relief!

I spent much of yesterday praying. A night filled with the arrival of 5 critical patients including the first lieutenant with the badly broken leg had affected me. I prayed that my next shift would be quieter. I prayed for our patients. I prayed for peace. I arrived for work last night and my colleague gave me the report on our patients. The first lieutenant was now out of the ICU and was in a regular hospital bed. He was talking. He was eating. This is how I like my patients to be! A nurse conducted a test of his memory and cognition at the bedside as I watched. The first lieutenant was now remembering the horrors of the previous day. But, he was strong. He was determined. He was on his way to recovery. And now, he is well on his way back to his home in Utah. He will be okay. I will be okay.