Birthdays At The Park

March 4, 2012: I was working last night at the CV North and had remembered that I have to attend the birthday of my goddaughter at the Signal Hill Park. I got the invite through mail last Wednesday and I have took note of that in my iPhone Calendar. Good thing I had it on alarm or else I will totally forgot about it considering my very hectic schedule these days.

My work last night was ok. It was not that very busy. I send one resident to the hospital during the early part of the shift because she was wheezing and hypoxemic. I noticed her while she was at the hallway on her wheelchair bobbing her head and appeared distressed. Since I am short of charge nurses that time I just informed Mark (the charge nurse on that side) that the resident appears bad.

I told him to check her vital signs and I rushed to get the Albuterol nebules and gave her a nebulization treatment because I heard her wheezing audibly. Despite the treatment her O2 sats was 88% and she's still appears in distress or clamping down. After that I immediately called the attending physician and explained to him what happened and he ordered to transfer her to Silver Lake Hospital.

I immediately called the ambulance and prepared all the paper works from the computer and I have printed out the physician's order as well as the Emergency Transfer Assessment Form which I did in a jiffy. By the time the ambulance came all my paperworks were just printed and I handed them the envelope. Whew! It was an adrenaline rush situation but I am glad I had send her out or else we will be busy if I opted to keep her during the night.

Well she was a stubborn patient refusing to put her oxygen on all the time despite the fact that my charge nurse told her to have it on all the time because of her COPD status. Added to that she was also smoking secretly despite the physician told her to quit. The funny thing is every time she had a bout of respiratory distress she call for help and told us (the nurses) that she doesn't want to die and we kept telling her that she needs to quit her bad habits and she says she will. Yet this situation always keeps going on and on and on. Hahaha. (Like the energizer bunny.)

Well, that was taken cared of and I am home now trying to consider my work last night as past. Today, I will be attending Andi's and JJ's birthday at the park. I have to go to sleep first then go to the park in the afternoon. The birthday party will be between 1300H to 1700H. I still have plenty of time to get some needed rest from the busy night I had last night.

I woke up at 1400H and had slept for five hours. I immediately took a shower and fixed myself then left the apartment because I still have to drive to Long Beach. I hope that the traffic is not that congested on this Sunday afternoon. I stopped by first at Walgreens and bought a musical birthday card because I don't have time to shop for presents so I decided to just give them both money.

My goddaughter's name is Andi and her birthday was supposed to be on February 27. Her big brother was JJ and his birthday was supposed to be March 2. My "kumare" decided to held their birthdays on a weekend because she's working during the weekdays and in order to save time she joined their birthdays for one celebration, which to me is a practical way of doing it considering of our very hectic schedules.

The party was intended to be held at a park in a very posh place in Signal Hill, Long Beach and I have to drive there on this very sunny and windy Sunday afternoon. The traffic near downtown Los Angeles was kinda a little bit congested but after I went out of the Inglewood area the traffic was already sparse then when I shifted freeway at 405 the traffic was congested again until the 405 and 710 interchange.

I arrived at the park at 1540H and I noticed the party was already started. I saw Herald (the kids father) leaving, for he will be working, and I continued ambling towards the gazebo where they are holding the party. I saw Roselle (my kumare) and told her that I am here. She immediately called Andi and told her that Ninong Tonee was here.

My "inaanak" was already big and she's 3-years-old now. I still remember how little she was when she was delivered premature and now she was big, cute, and pretty. Roselle took us picture and we talk a little bit then I also hugged JJ (the birthday boy) and greeted him happy birthday. JJ was also growing big and vey handsome. They were both little and shy before. Now they are very interactive and not shy anymore.

Roselle offered me a plate and I started to pick some food and started to eat while talking to Roselle. There were not much visitors anymore unlike the previous hours (as what Roselle had told me) and Roselle had introduced me to some of them who were left. The food were all good and I had a slice of the fresh strawberry cake that Roselle had given me. It was very delicious!

An hour after, Abby came also (one of my former student and my kumare for Andi) and we hugged each other upon seeing there. I told her to eat first then we talked while she ate. It was good to see her there. I thought she will not be coming because I've she was working. Good thing she showed up. It was good to have seen her and Roselle there. The last time we saw each other was during Andi's birthday last year and now we saw again on Andi's third birthday.

I left the party at 1730H together with Abby and I thanked Roselle for inviting me. It was nice to see all of them including the kids despite of our busy schedules. I am glad I am also available that time and had closely bonded with them even in a short time. It was a breather to have done that and saw very important persons who are closer to me. Thank God!