Sat 20th Nov – Sun 21st am - Two torrents today – sultanas and casualties
A flood of parcels today; something to do with a backlog as trucks couldn’t pass through Pakistan during Eid, and most definitely not the RAF’s fault, the RAF assures me. ....and a torrent of Christmas related items fell out of brown paper packaging; even my usually restrained (until December) family didn’t disappoint with the traditional advent calendar in card size. But the best present was of course the biggest, a welly boot box size, and the awe of all jealous onlookers. Yet somehow so light it could only possibly contain candy floss. After much ripping and then tunnelling through copious amount of polystyrene I found 7, admitted perfectly preserved, cereal bars. Thank You so much Granny, much enjoyed.
The casualties however came first; two at a time in the morning and then three or four; smattered across the nationalities and fighting parties; requiring a variety of measures from resuscitation via early surgery to stabilisation and transfer to CT, to just common sense reassurance and slow time management. The team works; staff are flexible in their uses when needs must, and it is a happy calm team that welcomes every casualty. To be able to be the first to greet and reassure the awake patient whilst assessing their injuries, and then to follow their care through imaging, disappear while they sleep for surgery, and then be there to provide ongoing care and analgesia when they wake is the biggest privilege. Often I get to top it off by speaking with the family when they are unable to answer the concerned questions through either emotion or uncertainty.
All that is then left is the paperwork scenario that surrounds a quick departure to home country when required. In honesty, the UK system is awesome; the US is harder but their lines of communications are rather different and I do think of Bastion as the Centre of the Universe forgetting their main effort in Kandahar, Kabul, Bagram and many others! Always comes through no matter what the obstacles en route.
Then comes the night shift – very different spectrum of injuries – the 24hr charity football match provided 3 ankles injuries all luckily soft tissue, but 3 soldiers confined to desk work for week or two; yet the charity events are great for morale and seen as a way of ‘doing their bit’ – as if they need prove anymore! And then the lower priorities fly at night....small fragment wounds, twisted ankles, mild concussions, abdominal pain, skin infections and the wide spectrum of non-battle afflictions common in this adverse environment. Keeps me and my colleagues on our toes at least!
