A quarter before our shift ends, there’s was an elderly who as rushed by his relatives to the ER. He was immediately wheeled into the ER on a stretcher. A few seconds after I attached the pulse oxymeter, the reading remains on zero. I looked at the man and his eyes and mouth were open. He was so pale and did not respond to voice command. I checked his carotid pulse and he was pulseless. Code has been called.
Cardiac board was immediately placed on his back and the doctor intubated him.
I was asked to begin with chest compressions and was immediately asked to step back because they wanted hard compressions. I began ambubagging.
IV line was hooked and epinephrines were pushed but still the man remained on flatline.
The code team was all exhausted, exchanging turns on the ambubag and chest compression. I was the last person doing the latter when the doctor finally said it is over.
The time of death was called.
Another CPR case was added to my checklist of tasks but am I happy? Heck no.
I want a CPR case where my patient survives.
I can still imagine the look in his face. The look that is hard to shake off my mind.

Just when I thought I could pull through the entire graveyard shift this week, I was wrong.

While everyone on the floor was busy feasting on the Katrina Halili-Hayden Kho sex video, I was busy composing my  email to my supervisor. Suddenly, I felt dizzy and the things around me started to swirl.

Before that, I felt the there’s a tingling sensation just below my nape and there’s a numbness that radiates through the back of my head. This is a normal thing and I am getting the physical rehab for it but the sensation and the numbness was a little intense but generally ignorable.

Then I heard my friend calling upon me asking me if I were okay. I remembered I responded a couple of times telling her that I was okay then it went black.

I think I dozed off for a while and when I opened my eyes, the guards were already there with wheel chair.  I was brought to St. Luke’s Medical Center by my good old friend Kaye.

I told them there;s no need for such because I ahve come back to my senses again but they were worried they insisted. They said I was shaking and my eyes were rolling.

In the ER, they have ran ECG and FBS and they were all normal. I was asked to stay for half an hour then I was discharged.

The doctor told me that the syncope (dizziness) might have been triggered by the back pain and it’s okay to continue the rehab and to take pain killer.

The rehab, I continued this morning but the pain killer I skipped. I have so many medications already and I am so concerned about my liver and kidney functions.

I called the clinic this afternoon to request for rehab request forms for my three remaining sessions and the company nurse and the doctor advised me to take a sick leave and rest.

So I am here. Tyring to rest.