Thought I would send out another update on how things are going over here. I am now officially in Baghdad, Iraq. We have been here for about 2 weeks. I am working in a hospital on ICW2 (Intermediate Care Ward). My ward is responsible for taking care of Iraqi Nationals and anyone who doesn’t fit the criteria for our other intermediate care ward. Our patient population is primarily surgical patients who have experienced gunshot wounds to the legs, arms, abdomen, or chest. I have seen some really cool wounds and have done some neat dressing changes. We have taken care of numerous children with a variety of different conditions ranging from gunshot wounds to burns. It is amazing to see the strength the children possess. In many respects, the children are tougher and more willing to work towards regaining their independence than the majority of the adults that we care for. The language barrier between patients and the nurse is a true challenge. Patient care takes a lot longer when neither side is able to communicate effectively without the presence of an interpreter.

The fundamentals of nursing here are the same in providing the best quality of care to the patients but the actual providing of care has different standards. We are not guided by the same rules and regulations as we are in the States therefore that allows for room to deviate from the normal standards of practice. A lot of things that would be done under sterile conditions in the States are not here simply due to lack of supplies. Nursing here lacks a lot of the technology and equipment

that we are accustomed to and take for granted in the States. I will never take for granted little things like bed pans, vacutainers (protective blood transfer devices used to transfer blood from the butterfly needle to a lab tube), and IV pumps. I am utilizing skills in nursing school that I learned that I never thought I would use like calculating drip rates. We have very few IV pumps therefore only the old and young have their IV fluids regulated by pumps. Thinking about how I am wording this, it sounds “bad” but it is just different, I guess. I know the care that we are providing here is better than what they would receive outside of our doors in a local Iraqi hospital. We transfer patients out daily who go to local Iraqi hospitals and many of them try to fight transfer because numerous patients die at local hospitals for too many reasons to count. I am learning a truly different side of nursing. It is totally different taking care of patients of a different culture who have totally different expectations. Well that is enough of me going on and on about work.
Other than work, there isn’t a whole lot that we do. I work anywhere from 2-3 12-hour shifts in a row then have 1 day off. We are getting ready to start working 6 12-hour shifts in a week while we cross-train our medics to work in pharmacy, lab, and x-ray. On my nights off, we still tend to hang out at the hospital making phone calls and playing on the internet sending emails and such. DVDs, music, and books are also a great way to pass the time here. There are bookshelves allover the place in the hospital and in my house so I am of course in seventh heaven. I have lots of books already set aside to read. I’ll get to read a lot because TV here is pretty much non-existent other than the brief clips I get to see in the dinning facility and the few minutes I catch at work before/after my shift or a on a quick break. I does feel kinda weird to be outta the loop. I feel like I don’t know anything that is happening back in the States or even here in Iraq other than what I see coming through our hospital. Even in the hospital, I am not in an area where I know what is going on with our own troops. Newspapers/clippings and magazines would greatly appreciated to keep me up to date on the happenings of news and gossip in the States. Below I’ll include a list of care package ideas and Christmas Ideas for those of you who it either pertains to or are interested. Mail is a high point of everyone’s day and a great morale booster. I never thought I would be so excited to get mail. Thanks to those who have already sent packages. I am to the point where I don’t even care that I have to carry the packages 2-3 blocks and that I have no where to put them right now. It is the thought entirely that counts. It feels nice to have little pieces of home. I keep looking at the cans of Skyline I have wishing that I had a plastic bowl to heat it up in. There are several other people here who are familiar with Skyline that are jealous I already have some. We are gonna try to brainstorm on how to make 3-Ways and cheese coneys. Rumor has it the ER has a stove. Food here is okay but getting old quick. We eat in a dinning facility right next to the hospital complex. We also have several dinning facilities near us (one near a palace that is nicer) but all of them are only open certain times so it is really limited on when you can eat. Since I work nights, I eat breakfast, dinner, and midnight chow (dinners leftovers and breakfast foods) so I eat a ton of the same stuff. It will be great to have microwaveable foods so that I do not always have to go to the DFAC (dinning facility) for meals. Going to meals requires that I go to work 2 hours early and I try to get as much personal me time as possible given that there are only so many places that I can go. I don’t want to spend all my time at the hospital otherwise I will burn out quickly.

Well, there I go rambling again. Back to the subject at hand. Living conditions are pretty good. I live in a house with 10-15 other officers about 2-3 blocks from the hospital. We each have two to three man rooms. I live with 2 other LTs. We are all in the process of putting together our furniture. The Army has decided to give us brand new bed frames, mattresses, bedside tables, and wall lockers. Unfortunately we had to haul the bedside tables, wall lockers, and mattresses from the dormitory beside the hospital all the way to our house. Now we have to put everything together. Hopefully it all fits in our room. Our home was previously wired for cable tv and wireless internet. Hopefully in time we will be able to tap into all of that again. Until then, things are still good. We have washers and dryers located right outside our house and a nice outside patio area in front our home inside our gated compound. We have basketball hoops, a volleyball pit, and horseshoe pits. I am fortunate in where I live. It is a lot nicer than some of the other officer house even though the space is tight. It is also nice because we aren’t too close to the helipad. Ultimately, it isn’t home, but I will make it home for a year. I am fortunate that I have a nice room with A/C because I know and see troops’ everyday that are not fortunate enough to have the accommodations that I have. The troops I see are grateful to simply have access to the few MWR telephones and computers located in the hospital whereas I am lucky to daily access to phones and internet.

Well, I guess I should sign off now. I have written almost two pages of my rambling thoughts and ideas. I hope I have given you an accurate account of what things are like here. While I am still in harm’s way, I am very fortunate to be where I am. Thanks to all of you who show you support and encouragement to us everyday. You will never know how much it means to all of us. Thanks!

Until Next Time,

Elizabeth Flege

2LT, AN

CARE PACKAGE IDEAS

Crystal light On-the-Go (Raspberry Ice / Lemonade) or any pre-sweetened drink mix
Microwave Popcorn
Fruits Snacks
Granola Bars
Pringles
Dole Fruit Bowls/ Individual Canned Fruits
Goldfish Crackers
Microwaveable foods: pasta bowls, soups, skyline chili, etc.
Any food that is non-perishable, non-crushable that can be eaten as a meal/snack.

Laundry Detergent / Dryer Sheets / Stain Removers (really hard to come by here—high demand)

Magazines (US, Star, Good Housekeeping, Ladies Home Journal, Redbook, etc)
Books (anything)
DVDs
CDs "