Happy Fucking Birthday!

Firstly I want to apologize for being away for so long. It’s been busy over here and I’ve barely been looking at the computer. Time to make up for the long delay by giving you all a quick update on what’s been keeping my fingers off the keyboard.

PICU! (I Choose You!)

Yesterday ended my first week on the floor in the PICU. I’ve been a nurse for 6 years now, so I’m not green or anything but this is my first go round working with kids (like kiddie kids) and it’s my first ICU outside of preceptorship at the end of school. I was nervicited (yes we watch My Little Pony, I have two young girls and I might technically be a Brony. Shut up).

Day 1 was not terribly exciting. Mellowish patients and an underwhelming preceptor. I mostly reoriented myself with the computer systems and tried learning the workflow of the unit.

Day 2 was a shit-storm. We ended up with the sickest patient on the unit and both it took two of us just to keep up with him. As I said before I am not a new nurse and I’m no stranger to emergency situations, but I am new to Peds so this was a lot all at once. I felt like a baby nurse fresh out of school with no ability to do anything. Thankfully that’s not actually true and I was able to work through the day and no one died.

Day 3 was a busy day but not crazy. Constant work but not overwhelming. I felt like I put my nurse pants back on, though maybe the fit is a little loose. This works because the pants I ordered for work are a bit too big and they keep pulling my underwear down…just enough. So close.

That was my week and it kept me busy enough to be off the computer for a while. But I think we should talk about what happened last night…….

aw….shit.

Yeah it looked kinda like that. Except instead of road debris I ran straight into one of those yellow concrete posts on the bike path. I hit it dead center and going I’d say about 16-20 mph. Here is the little bastard that did it

See that little bastard? I didn’t.

It is a yellow concrete post (with no reflective tape) at the bottom of a ramp with lots of competing light from the movie theater next door. It lined up with the yellow line in the center of the lane behind it. I hit it head on and full speed. I hit the god-damn bulls-eye.  I’m Robin Fucking Hood of hitting posts. One minute I was flying down the ramp and the next, just flying end-over-end.

My front tired bounced off and to the right then my left foot and pedal hit the pole, then I somersaulted. I bounced very lightly off my helmet and then rolled over my backpack (which was extra full of clothes that softened my landing) and ended up on my ass. I was basically uninjured.

Basically. My left foot had gone straight into the pole and I’m not sure yet if I have broken my big toe or just beat the hell out of it (Nursing Diagnosis btw). You tell me:

My first thought was: What. The. Fuck? My second was: Did I just flip? My third thought was: I think I broke my toe, there goes my running streak.

I thought I could get up and bike home for about a second but then I realized that the pain in my left foot was too intense and my front brakes were jammed up. I found my IPhone lying on the ground a few feet down the path. It had fallen out of my side pocket  when I was inverted. Despite being even more cracked and damaged it still worked and I called Lisa to come and scoop me up.

I got home, took a shower and hobbled into bed. Today I was able to further asses the damage.

This is me the morning after a major bike crash. Contain yourselves ladies.

Aftermath

So I am hobbling around on a bruised, maybe broken foot, but I am moving. I was able to assess the damage from my little encounter last night and it’s worse than expected. My foot is what it is but my bike is totaled. I snapped the top tube and bent the bottom tube of the main triangle. This was a quality racing mountain bike. I broke it on my first try. Let’s take time to look at the big picture shall we?

Litany of woes:

• New bike broken
• Snapped the laced on my shoes (I broke them)
• Rear Light on bike smashed.
• Dented my Stanley Thermos (in my backpack)
• IPhone cracked and missing pieces
• Glasses cracked (in case in backpack)
• Helmet cracked and scratched (thanks helmet!)
• Broken (?) toe
• Smashed left ring finger (only one..what’s the deal?)
• Skinned my left knee somehow.
• Saddest of all I rolled right over a donut I was bringing home to surprise Snookums.

Gratitude

I could get all bent out of shape about this. This is the second bike in two months that I’ve gone through (the first was not my fault). The thermos, the phone …etc. They are all just things. This could have ended a lot worse.

I could be seriously injured, disfigured or even dead.

I just trashed myself and my possessions and derailed my running for the next who knows how long, what do I do now? Make a gratitude list.

• Thank you God for not killing me. (yet)
• My Garmin was miraculously unharmed
• I can still walk.
• I was not disfigured or paralyzed.
• I have a loving spouse that will come get me when I’m hurt.
• My kids are there to be worried about me.
• I have a job to come home from and hurt myself along the way.
• Said job enables me to care for my family and replace all the things I just pointed out were just things.

There is a lot more but my shoulder kinda hurts so I’m going to leave it at that.

I am bummed at having to cut the Running Streak short, but I can only kind of walk today. I’m stubborn enough to try to keep it but, but I’m getting better. Progress not perfection. I have a marathon in a month and I’m still hoping to make the Deadwood Marathon in June. Eyes on the prize.

Oh and it’s my birthday on Monday. That’s what the title is referring to. Happy Fucking Birthday to me. I give myself shitty presents.

Actually Lisa and the girls have some good plans and we are mixing it up with the beginning of Spring break. I’ll fill you in on the awesome stuff we are doing over the next couple of days after we are back, but until then…

Stay safe and wear your helmet.