I Won't Soon Forget

So much happening, so little time to write! Let's see....what's happened these past few weeks? Well, we officially closed on our house AND got the keys (!) last Friday. How crazy to go to a house you barely recognize, pull in the driveway, unlock the door and walk inside! We've been packing a little here and there but really didn't expect to get possession so soon. Our current landlord has been showing our apartment nearly every day which means that between school, work, training, and packing, we also have to try to keep our place clean and presentable. I have to keep reminding myself that this craziness will be over soon!

As far as training goes, I have been doing as much as I can. It's been pretty hard lately due to work and school but now that my finals are done, I hope I can squeeze a few more long hikes in before I leave. My pack weight is currently around 42-ish pounds and it's kicking my ass! I'm still hitting the ski hills at least twice a week. I am really hoping that I can keep it under 25 lbs. (30 lbs. max) for the actual climb - I'm sure the altitude will make up the difference but I need an advantage anywhere I can get it. In a conference call I had with one of the guides I found out that there is a ladder crossing over a glacial crevasse somewhere around 12,300ft. It hadn't even dawned on me that we'd be doing ladder crossings! One more thing to freak out about - I've already had several nightmares where I've either forgotten to pack food, pants, boots, or some other crucial piece of equipment or just couldn't make it up the trail to the high camp. I am so excited but I'm also so ready to just get on with it.

My real reason for writing, though, is because I had a pretty good day today. I completed my first 12-hour shift in a hospital as part of a respiratory therapy department. My final assignment for one of my classes this semester was to spend an entire shift observing different therapists in a hospital. I was at the hospital from 6:30 this morning until 7:00 this evening. It truly wasn't a very busy day but what I did get to do and see really makes it clear that I made the right decision to change my career. I got to care for a ventilator patient, a few post-op patients, three patients who were brought into the ER, and several others who are receiving oxygen therapy. I also got to watch an arterial blood gas draw and run the blood sample through the diagnostic machine. I worked with two different therapists during the day and not only were they competent and professional but they were also incredibly kind and caring to the patients we encountered. I am so much looking forward to spending my days in a setting where that actually counts for something. The vent patient was truly heartbreaking, though, and I'm sure I will remember her for a long time. Seeing someone paralyzed by medications and restrained in a hospital bed on a ventilator makes you appreciate your life, no matter how busy and crazy it may be.