catching my breath

Day three in the new hospital, and I'm finally able to sit long enough to catch my breath. Moving a hospital in 24 hours was insane, and while most things went smoothly, we will still be "settling in" for quite some time.

Lots of stuff has yet to be uncovered - for the pharmacy, it's a full one-third of our medication supply and all of our references. Well, not all of our references... I'm a good pharmacist - I hoard things and play the "worst case scenario" game in my head. As all the books were being packed, I grabbed my copy of Lexi, and tucked my Sanford guide in my bra strap. I know, I know, not the most professional thing to do, but my pockets were overflowing with the controlled substances that somehow didn't make it in the safe. The impressive pharmacy library I've amassed since February is packed somewhere in the "new Costco"... I'm hoping we'll find it by the end of next week, but I won't hold my breath...

Less than a week ago I walked into my new pharmacy for the first time. Or, rather, I squeezed through the door that would only open half way to look at the floor-to-ceiling piles of boxes and crap and thought to myself  "how on Earth am I going to make a working pharmacy out of this pile?"  We had no lights, no space, and just utter chaos. Georgia and I spent 9 hours that first day moving boxes so we could get the door to open. Now we have lighting, floor space, and my friends from Operation Blessing have offered to custom build the furniture I need including bar-level tables so we have a space to work.

I couldn't do it without my Haitian friends who work the night shift. Due to the low census (about 45) many of the night workers spend a lot of time just hanging out, so I've been finding them projects. Plus, the pharmacy has good music and good chocolate - both key essentials to a happy work environment. My "boys" (Fed, Claude, Sam, Lynden) have been fixing lights, hauling boxes, killing cockroaches, and teaching me Creole. My "girls" (Michel, Marie, Barbara) have been cleaning, organizing, killing cockroaches, and dancing with me in the pharmacy.

It's looking great - I'll post photos later - I'm typing this from the logistics center (on a REAL keyboard - not the blackberry for once!).

This evening I caught an allergic reaction to a drug in one of our volunteers. One of the new nurses had come to the pharmacy to get some cream thinking she might be having a reaction to sun block or bug spray. When I looked at the rash, it wasn't just her arms as she had thought. It covered her whole trunk, and her throat was feeling scratchy.

What's the best diagnostic tool we have? A thorough patient history. Turns out, one of the doctors had started her on Keflex (an antibiotic) earlier in the day. Classic allergic reaction. Luckily, there are drugs for that, and I have them handy at all times. I compounded her some cream to help with the pain and itching, gave her a big dose of benadryl, and sent her to bed with strict instructions to NOT TAKE ANY MORE of the antibiotic.

This morning in the "carpool" Jen made some comment about how awesome our lives are and what a great experience this is, and I have to agree. Hands down, this is the most rewarding job I have ever had, and I am so grateful to be working with such incredible people. As much as I miss my friends and family, I couldn't imagine being anywhere else on Earth.

~PJ