EARTHQUAKE 5.8

Todd and I have survived our first LA earthquake "shaken" but unharmed.  

Our earthquake experience:

I was at Cedars-Sinai and had just finished our morning ICU rounds.  We were sitting in the conference room with all of the residents making sure that everyone knew what needed to be done for each patient that day.  At first, I thought that someone was just shaking the conference table.  Once it didn't stop but instead got more intense, we all realized it was an earthquake.  The other fellow, who has lived in California his entire life and experienced a number of earthquakes, dove under the conference table and yelled for all of us to follow.  We all scrambled below the table and waited out the shaking...that is, all except one of the residents who grew up in Japan.  He just sat calmly laughing in his chair guessing the strength of the earthquake as he had also experienced a number of them before.  As if the shaking wasn't bad enough, the new critical care tower is built on rollers in case of an earthquake to help prevent structural damage.  We are on the top 8th floor, shaking...rolling...swaying for likely only a minute or so...but enough that I was annoyed to be in my nice dress clothes and heels and to still be kneeling on the floor under a table, just hoping my hair wasn't getting messed up.  It was all very reminiscent of elementary school in Utah...I also thought those earthquake drills were so silly as earthquakes rarely happen in Utah (at least in my memory)...who knew it would actually come in handy!  As soon as the shaking and rolling settled, we quickly dispersed to make sure that all of the patients were ok, ventilators and monitors still working, etc.  Once things calmed down, everyone turned their attention to speculating about the aftershocks that were sure to follow.  Within minutes, I was ready to book a flight back to Utah and flee the earthquake-riddled California.  However, a brave face was put on as I called mom and assured her that all was fine...especially since I had to convince her to still come on her scheduled visit to LA the following day.  

Todd was busy operating on some broken bone or another when the earthquake struck.  He was on the top 15th floor of the 100-year old national historic landmark LA-County Hospital. He was attempting to suture his incision closed as the case was coming to an end when all the shaking began.  In pure surgeon fashion, they team stood and joked about the shaking waiting for the annoying quake to stop so that their surgery could continue.  When asked why they didn't dive under the patient bed, he said that would be too much effort to then have to re-scrub in order to finish the case.  No real word mentioned as to what precautions were made to protect the patient...

Thankfully, we have not experienced any appreciable aftershocks.  Not even a picture on the wall appeared out of place once I was able to get home and assess.  Dad, Mom and Jocey are still agreeable to coming to visit...

Yes, it really is 2:30 AM...

I am sitting in the SICU at 2:30 in the morning waiting for a family to arrive for a patient who is trying to die...of course, with my free time I am blog browsing and this is what I came up with...

Got this off of my dear friend Alissa's blog...

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember--it can be funny, weird, awkward, random, etc.!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Happy 7th Birthday Colton!!!

Happy Birthday to you...Happy Birthday to you!

C--character and personality, can always make you laugh
O--obsessessed with sports...a true sports junkie and super smart about every player and team
L--loving, kind, tender-hearted, so smart
T--terrific brother to Cannon and Crew
O--obedient...always chooses the right
N--never fails to give me a smile and hug...

Wish I was there to sing all 4 verses of the birthday song to you...hope that you have a great day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO GREG!

Happy Birthday Greg! Thank you for being such a great husband to my sister and a wonderful father to my most favorite boys!

G-great husband and father...his boys adore him as you can see above
R-rambunctious
E-entertaining, always joking around
G-gifted drug rep

THREE FEARS:

1. Bugs, spiders, snakes...have a horrible phobia that should probably be treated by a psychiatrist!

2. Never finishing my training with enough energy to enjoy life once it is over

3. Not being able to have kids after waiting so long

THREE GOALS:

1. Finishing residency

2. Becoming a mother and a better wife once residency is finally over

3. Increasing my spiritual side with some more free time that I am still waiting to enjoy during this next year

THREE OBSESSIONS:

1. My husband and family

2. Shopping

3. Traveling...and shopping on vacation

THREE RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME:

1. I could live on chocolate alone

2. Even if I had all the money in the world, I would still practice medicine

3. Can't wait to move back to Utah to be closer to family and to be able to water ski/wakeboard and snow ski again!

THREE PEOPLE I TAG:

1. Emily

2. Laurel

3. Kelli Clinger

One Week Done...

Turn right onto George Burns Blvd. Park in the structure next to the Steven Spielberg Building. Walk though the Max Factor building to the critical care tower...

This is my journey to work everyday. This week has been a very busy one, with 4 out of 7 nights being woken several times to answer resident's questions including a midnight venture back to Beverly Hills. However, it has also one been filled with countless new things learned. I feel very blessed to be in this position and have the opportunity to increase my knowledge and become a better doctor.

My first patient of the year passed away today. Young, wonderful husband and children, very sad. More than a few tears were shed with the husband and in private. Never gets any easier to watch a family suffer such grief, pain and loss. Hopefully there are very few of these moments this year.

Oh yes, and 2 famous people seen passing in the main lobby this week. Sorry, policy does not me permit to disclose their identity.

Day at the Beach!

Todd and I rarely have a day off, let alone together. However, today is one of those precious days in which we were both off. After sleeping in and having my sweet husband bring me "lunch in bed" we headed off for a nice relaxing day at the beach.

Self Portrait

The relentless student, relaxing with The Handbook of Fractures

Immersed in my alternate love and secret dream life, fashion and beauty.




Running from the cold water...

Beverly Hills, 90210

As only Weezer can say it, "Beverly Hills, that's where I want to be...living in Beverly Hills." My days of serving the indigent, Spanish speaking only..."Tiene nausea or diarrhea, cirujia ante...si o no", cross the border from Mexico and come straight to the hospital with a diagnosis and full medical chart looking for only the health care the great U-S-of A can provide, and less we forget the never-ending gang-bangers of Los Angeles (I sure will miss my gunshot wound gangsters yelling at each other from their respective gurnies about me being their doctor) is now on sabbatical for a year as I will now be treating the rich and the famous at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Beverly Hills. Today was the first official day of my trauma and surgical critical care fellowship in which I will be completing over the next year before heading back to fabulous Harbor-UCLA for my final 2 years of general surgery training. I feel very blessed to have this position, one usually filled by someone who has finished their entire surgery residency. Today was spend in 6 hours of Fire Safety Training, which after about 30 minutes I was ready to set myself on fire as an example to be extinguished just to get out of the thing. Besides, I already have first hand experience and putting out fires as I had to extinguish a patient and the fire engulfing him earlier this year in our emergency room. He decided to smoke while on oxygen in his isolation room...very tragic, passed away the next day. Back to orientation, less we digress. There was an hour and a half between our morning and afternoon sessions during which I was able to amuse myself by shopping Robertson Blvd...aka, shopping boulevard to the celebrities. One store I was in kept talking about Nikki Hilton being in there that morning and how they were glad the paparazzi were finally gone. I have to admit, it will be tough spending free time at the Beverly Center..."honey, patient not doing well, not sure when I will be able to make it home"...interpretation, I am shopping and will be home later. Bloomies, H&M, Steve Madden, MAC, Chanel, BCBG, Kitson just to name but a few....oh yeah, and I will be getting excellent training!

Happy Birthday Emily!

The DeVries family at the Padres game June 2008

It is now Emily's turn to celebrate in a week full of birthdays!

E--entertaining...Emily is certainly always the life of the party! She never misses a chance to shock anyone within listening range...

M--magnificent mother....she, mom and grandma are my idols and examples...if only someday I can even be half as wonderful as they are I will have succeeded!

I--intelligent and talented...my future home will desperately need her magic touch!
L--loving

Y--you truly amaze me with all that you do...your children couldn't be more darling or perfect (of course I am not prejudice), your house is a picture out of a magazine and always spotless, a wonderful dinner cooked, ball games, relief society president...I will never know how you accomplish it all with a smile and everything at its best!

Thanks for not only being my sister but one of my best friends! Have a wonderful day...make Greg and the boys pamper you for a change!