Openbah / Journal of a Marine Officer Candidate

Author: Openbah

  • Two months until my FVFG

    Two months from today I will be at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in NYC having my free vascularized fibular graft surgery.

    I’ve been trying to take advantage of being able to walk as often as I can. Thanks to the snow and ice on the ground it’s a little more painful than normal, but I manage to get a mile or two in every day.

    Knowing about this surgery so far in advance almost makes things worse. Being on crutches is tough, but it’s the little things that really make it hard: getting groceries, carrying meals from the kitchen to the couch, going up and down my building’s front steps, getting in and out of cars, opening doors, just to name a few. Every day I am one day closer to losing the ability to do all those small things. (more…)

  • Other people’s emergencies

    One of my favorite blogs is TS‘s Other people’s emergencies: Random thoughts of an urban paramedic. He’s been a paramedic for Boston EMS for 20-some years and has some excellent stories to tell. People often give him a hard time, but I like to think of TS’s writing not as ranting but as him just telling his side of the story. One of my favorites is It’s All About the Doctor…

    EMTs and paramedics save lives. Sometimes they get appropriate credit for this. Often, though, patients and their families can’t think back beyond what happened in the emergency department. Even when someone gets resuscitated in the field, it is the doctor and the nurse and the hospital who get all the praise. In the words of a longtime Calgary paramedic (more…)

  • Boston EMT-Basic course

    Boston EMS ambulance

    In September I signed up for an EMT-Basic class. The class is taught by Boston EMS‘s Captain Scarna. The class is 150-hours, and meets every Tuesday & Thursday, and every other Saturday. When I finally graduate next month, I will be eligible for the state certification and licensing examination.

    EMT’s provide life-saving medical care at the scene of medical emergencies and during the ambulance transport of ill or injured patients to the hospital emergency room. EMT course training prepares students for the evaluation and treatment of various medical emergencies, including cardiac arrest, respiratory arrest, stroke, poisoning, burns, fractured bones, obstructed airways, childbirth, and severe bleeding. – Fall 2007 Brochure

    (photo:Philly40)

  • Another reason Fenway is America’s most beloved ballpark

  • Surgery scheduled

    Mark your calendars, I have scheduled my surgery for February 19th at Columbia Presbyterian. I’ll be in there for almost a week, so I expect all of my NJ/NY friends to come visit and cause a ruckus in my hospital room.

    As expected, I am not looking forward to having another surgery. Even worse than being on crutches for another 6 months, is (more…)