Alotta can't waits!

Can’t wait to get home, can’t wait to see my beautiful wife Shayna, can’t wait to get my new Explorer, can’t wait to drive to Wisconsin from California, can’t wait to see my family and friends in Ohio/Kentucky, can’t wait to see Shayna’s family, can’t wait to take a shower without shower shoes and for longer than 3 minutes, can’t wait to walk on carpeting barefoot, can’t wait to play with Mohinder our cat and there are many more “can’t waits” but I don’t think that my computer’s memory would be able to store them! Time is chugging along here, not too busy but not too slow, just perfect. The schedule change that I was complaining about before really isn’t that bad, although it still is a change that didn’t need to be made, but I’m still very happy to be leaving very soon!

The pictures of this week are of me in the duty tent. Thank goodness I had my last overnight duty for the tour the other day. For you that have been here before, we are now manning the hospital with an OR team for 24 hours. Is it a good idea, well put it this way, it would have been a good idea in July and August when we were really busy but unfortunately we did not have the manning in order to be able to do it. Now, on the other hand, it is kind of a waste of sleep for the on call team (because of the jet, helicopter and generator noise) since the workload has dwindled since the summer. I’m sure once it gets busier it will be nice to be right there and walk into the OR when needed.

Shayna is doing great, one more week with the straight leg immobilizer on her left leg and then she’s off and running, well not literally yet, but she’ll be free of all artificial devices on her legs, finally. She has started with a physical therapist that is really putting her mind to ease. She said that it was really funny because before joining the Navy she used to volunteer at the same place and the same therapist is there. I really hope everything goes great for her.

Goodbye and good luck to team number 2 that left last night. I have to admit that I was jealous when I was returning from work at 2230 and they were getting ready to load onto the vehicle to take them to the terminal. Only a small amount of time and I’ll be in their position! Woohoo!

Hours worked:
26 OCT 09: 9 Hours
28 OCT 09: 12 Hours
30 OCT 09: 9 Hours

# CAUSES OF SURGERY AS OF 30 OCT 09
115 GSW
132 IED
8 SVBIED
19 SUICIDE BOMBER
13 ROCKET ATTACK
49 NBI
7 MINE
9 AIR STRIKE (SAME PATIENT 9 SURGERIES)
7 MVA
1 GRENADE INJURY

Shayna I love and miss you very much, everyone else take care and see you soon!

Dave