Thats some dog

So I am sitting in my easy chair eating soy beans in the pod. My 'little" dog Christie is waiting for me to give her one. I reach into he bowl and put my hand out with the bean. I just knew she would not eat it. Well, she sat there in front of me and ate the whole soy bean, pod and all. So I gave her another and watched her do the same thing. She just chewed it up and swallowed it down.

She continued to sit there and watch me eat the soy beans. Unmoving. Always watching. Ten minutes passed and I looked down and she was still there . Not taking her eyes off me. So I gave her another soy bean and watched her. She took the pod in her mouth and chewed. I thought to my self, "Stupid dog". Then she did something unexpected. She opened her mouth and pushed the pod off onto the floor. She then picked out the beans and ate them right down.

I was floored. I thought it was a fluke so I gave her another pod. She did the exact same thing. That dog watched me eat the soy beans and learned how to eat them. Over the next hour she stayed by my side and shared the bowl of soy beans. Now if I could just teach her to put the pods in the waste bowl.

Why do I keep doing what I do?

These last few weeks at work have been very stressful. We have started doing moderate complexity lab test for a procedure we now perform at our clinic. That means that we needed to get our lab accredited. It has been a lot of work to get all of the records in order. Then we received notice that we were going to get inspected by COLA.

Now add to the mix one of my nurses telling me she wants to transfer out of our clinic and back to the dialysis clinic. Our clinic has a small team and each team member plays an important role. The loss of one person means extra work for every one else until a replacement can be found and trained. Just to make it more interesting, my lead RT turns in his letter of resignation. Great, the only one of my techs that can scrub the arterial cases that the surgeon feels comfortable with on the table and the most experience.

Did I mention that this last week was also spring break so I have had one or two teammates out each day? I have been at the clinic every morning before 6 and leaving after 5 for the last three weeks. Being in a salaried position means there is nothing extra on the pay check for all of the extra hours. The added stress and extra hours really took a toll on me both physically and mentally. I was starting to think why do I continue doing what I'm doing?

Then we have a follow up visit on a patient that we saw in the clinic for peripheral artery disease. She was not able to walk around the store without having to stop and rest her legs and let the cramping go away. Two weeks ago week did a procedure on her legs and restored blood flow to her lower legs. During the visit she started to cry. The nurse was speaking in Spanish so I didn't understand much of what was said. I thought she was up set over something. The nurse gave her a hug and she started to tear up as well. At this point I really needed to find out what was going on. I was told that she is very happy. For the first time in a long time she was able to go dancing.

And that is why I keep doing what I do.

The Vampire's new trick

I was at work last week when my cell phone rang. It had an unfamiliar area code so I answered it. It was the blood bank calling to set up a donation. I thought this unusual because I have their number memorized. I felt bad that it has been so long since I last donated. I said sure, sign me up for platelets for Sunday.

I arrive early just in case they have a cancellation. I get the paperwork done and kick back to read my Nook book. I no sooner turn it on and I get called into the screening room. My weight is up and my blood pressure is down. Oh well.

The first thing I notice when I get to the back is that they did a remodel. The canteen was made larger and they had computers set up for the donors to use. The next thing I noticed was all the new faces. I only saw two techs that I knew. This does not concern me as I have such good veins.

The tech sticks the 15 gauge needle in my arm and I don't even feel it at all. She took a blood sample and returned a few minutes later. I was eligible for a double platelet and a unit of red cells for 90 minutes on the machine. Sure, why not. I have nothing else planed for the morning.

I looked through the movie list to see if they have any new movies that I want to see. Nothing peaks my interest so I decide to just read my book. 90 minutes just flew by and my procedure was complete.

I'm not sure why I have been avoiding the vampires here lately. I have never had a bad experience and everyone treats me nice. I guess I just needed a break.

Well, breaks over!