Replacements Arrived

Hanging out at the basketball court at 0330 waiting for our replacements to finish inprocessing and be brought into the housing area.


And here is the new AFTH Dietitian and OIC Nutritional Medicine, 1Lt Hyde.


Working with the new crew to get them up to speed, sending some boxes home tomorrow. More folks have been getting rides out of JBB.

Oh What a Morning

It was quiet and I wanted to capture the memory.

Starting to Say Goodbye

The NCOIC is the first to leave. His replacement and one of the new airmen arrived late last week. We've given gifts to our food service workers and their supervisors.

Today dawned beautiful and relatively cool (only 80 degrees). But soon another dust storm rolled in. That halts the convoys (no fresh produce) and our mail (no box from home). But, more importantly, it makes it difficult for the medical choppers to fly. So some folks get stuck at the Combat Surgical Hospitals (CSH) and have to wait there before we can move them forward to Germany.

The Medevac Unit here is known as "Dustoff". 2-641 AVN moved their operations to the helipad next to the hospital a few months ago. I helped them get things set up for on-call personnel to have their meals at the hospital DFAC (since they cannot be more than 10 min away from the choppers). As thanks their command chief presented me with one of the Commander's coins.
















Last Friday we hosted the final results of the second round for "Fit-2-Fight" (our weight lost competition). This time around we put emphasis on fitness and body composition rather than just weight. My team got 2nd place (average 5% fat loss amongst the four of us).



The hospital Commander called me up in front of the participants and presented me with his coin to thank me for all the work I have done at the hospital this year. He cited the remodel of the DFAC, bringing in some new food/beverage items; the Halal meal contract so our Iraqi patients would eat more (helps in wound healing and decreased length of stay), and the Medical Nutrition Therapy (clinical care, nutrition support, diet education).

Happy Father's Day

I sent out coloring-book neckties for hospital people to find their inner child and help decorate the DFAC (dining facility) for Sunday. Here are some standouts.

The base DFACs put out a special meal on holidays and provide us with a sheet cake.

Custom Scrubs

Within the hospital we can wear scrub tops. And many of us have customized our scrubs to reflect our mission here at Joint Base Balad.


I hope to show mine off later this year at my civilian job back in the states.

Hail & Farewell/EMDG Olympic Bash

Food & Drinks




Fun & Games

The Amazing Race: EMDG Style

(Hopefully I'll have a few pictures later I can add into this post).

This was easily the MOST FUN I've had here at Joint Base Balad in 5 months.

As part of the AFTH's Olympic Games (see St Patrick's Day Party when I completed a personal best doing pushups for the first event), the last event was the "Scavenger Hunt". In reality, this was much more the Amazing Race (so tons better).

Each Squadron fielded a team of 4 (EMDSS had 2 from Logistics, 1 from BioMed, and me from Nutrition). During all parts of this event (except when doing the challenge at each destination) all 4 of us had to be holding onto a rope (keeping us together).

1. List the names of Wing & Hospital leadership (piece of cake). Then we get our first envelope. At the first mention of "Dawg" in the clue, we immediately ran to Logistics (they are the "Log Dogs"). Out on the loading dock we played bean bag toss; had to score 4 to get the next clue.

2. "Flag" and "Patriot" sent us flying through the long hospital hallway. "Coming through" was my warning as we ran full throttle. Out to Patriot's Passage (parallel to Hero's Hwy). Our challenge: Say or sing the "Star Spangled Banner". We finally got it on the fourth try.

3. We were instructed to carry a litter and 2 sandbags to a place for a game that combines handball and tennis. Must be the volleyball court. In order to get the next clue we went one at a time in a crab crawl from the serving line to the net line and back. Nice dirty butts.



4. "Alarm Red" on the clue had us drop to the ground and then run for the nearest bunker (okay, not the nearest, the second nearest) to drink 2 cold bottles of water without spilling a drop. I do much better with room temperature water but our team really stepped up to the task. Next clue was in red and immediately I thought of the "Dragons Den" (our classroom in the basement).

5. One of us would have 10 seconds to find an envelope with our squadron name on it. If no luck, the next person goes. We got it with the second person. Much easier after the person at the door said "look under the chairs".


6. This next clue confused all 3 teams. When we think of "special people" and "smoking", we all thought of "OR5" where the doctors (and others) enjoy their cigars & unwind (on the roof of the main building). Whoops; it meant the regular smoker's pit. Down the stairs, out the back door. We had to write down the names of all 50 states (fortunately we got the first letter of each, in alphabetical order). Unfortunately we got a little hung up on the M's (sorry Minnesota, you were the last we remembered).








7. Final clue was easy, back to the beginning. Final task, recite the Airman's Creed. Then show we had all 7 envelopes and all 7 clues. EMDOS beat us by less than a minute. But our 2nd place finish we'll keep our boss from having to get a pie in the face during the closing ceremonies this Thursday.

Comedy Tour

Scott Kennedy brings his comedy show to Iraq once a month. He usually stops by the hospital before they do their show at night. This trip included Sam Fedele and Theo Von.

They arrived while our amazing surgeons were in the OR all day working for hours on a soldier. The comedians passed out water to the all the folks who answered the call for blood donations.



Edit (June 5th): The dust storm on Friday grounded all flights out of JBB so the comedians are still here. They came to the hospital this evening to do a show for the patients in the CASF and then for the night shift employees who weren't able to make their show at H6 Rec Center last night.

Operation Postcard Concluded

Thank you to everyone who contributed a postcard (or more) to our Dining Facility (DFAC) wall in April & May. We loved reading the little notes that were written on the backs of many of them.

Yay for CarePackages

This one was for our patients!
Freezer pops, toothbrushes/toothpaste.








This little gal really enjoyed the coloring books.





With a little fun surprise for our office door.



Thank you Mary Beth!!!

Challenges in Deployed Food Service

It's not a glamorous job. We don't 'save' lives, we don't discover new diseases or come up with new surgical techniques. We don't spend hours with patients - in fact, they barely see our faces.

But if we weren't here, everyone would notice. Because feeding patients (and staff) is a necessary job. And we do it every day.

I screen all new patients for nutritional needs; sometimes I need to provide nutrition support - decide on the IV nutrition (aka "TPN") or a tube feeding. I do some diet education as well. All of us try to obtain food preferences from our patients. I also determine how many special Halal meals we need to order (Muslims only eat meat that is considered Halal).

We also order the meals for the CASF (so I have to review the census and projections twice a day to get adequate food but not way too much). We've been watching food preference trends in our staff as well, making adjustments to the hospital dining facility menu (although we are constrained by the pre-set 28 day menu that has some very interesting choices - i.e. not always menus or patterns of food options I would have created).

I've spent some time this deployment trying to improve the dining facility to give it some better flow, some items requested by our customers (i.e. Iced tea has been a frequent request all year), and do what we can within the limited space. We also have some policy restraints. For example, we cannot just get extra food for parties. And we only serve dessert on Sundays (no room in the facility to have a dessert table any other days).



And it's nice to surprise people.

We got our iced tea earlier this month (both sweet & unsweet). We got a nice table for the middle of the serving area for fruit & bars display (getting rid of a wobbly looking fruit stand). We got a bread dispenser (more sanitary than people reaching into open plastic bags). And today we started a new policy - Saturday ice cream at lunch (and midnight).

We sometimes get challenged. Like today. There was a power outage that affected the facility that makes our food. They were going to be late in delivery and with limited food choices. When it was time to feed our patients we had the Halal meals for our Iraqi's but we ended up making sandwiches and stuff for our other patients. For the staff it meant we were an hour late for dinner (so we stayed open later). And it meant I didn't go to the movie (Angels & Demons - theater had no power either). On the positive side I was available to help with the helicopters bringing in some patients. Eventually we opened and people were happy.

Thursday Was Exercise Day/Tough Week at Work

5th Brigade's Organizational Day 5K Fun Run this morning. My goal was to finish in the top 1000 (so I could get a T-shirt). And I wanted to break 30 min. I accomplished the first (can't wear it around here, but it's another souvenier from my deployment) and got close to the second (30:47). Maybe next week I can do better. There's a Memorial Day 5K on Monday.

This afternoon I went to CrossFit - thinking there would be more muscle work. Nope, 400 meter run OUTSIDE in the HEAT, followed by 50 air squats (that's squatting down far enough your butt can touch a medicine ball, so it's pretty low). Oh, do that 4 times! I've got a bottle of Motrin at the bedside if I can't get up tomorrow morning.


-----------------------

It's been a tough week at the hospital. We've had a rush of pediatric traumas. A few burns that look scary but they are recovering. The other week a child was run over by a truck - broke so many facial bones - good news is that he's recovering ok. But today we lost two kids. One was a burn that came in yesterday. Another was a victim of a bombing in Baghdad this morning. We have to remember that for every one of these, we are saving 97 others. And that keeps us going. There are some pretty amazing things happening in our hospital. Our surgeons and doctors and nurses and nurse techs are absolutely stellar. And all of the support folks really step up when needed.

Headlines: 3 US soldiers killed by bomb in Baghdad

By SINAN SALAHEDDIN, Associated Press Writer – Thu May 21, 9:24 am ET

BAGHDAD – Three American soldiers were killed Thursday in a bombing in Baghdad, the U.S. military said, part of a burst of violence only weeks before American combat troops are due to leave Iraqi cities.

The attack was one of a series of bombings to hit Baghdad and the northern city of Kirkuk, killing at least 66 people and wounding dozens more in two days.

The deadliest blast Thursday occurred in Baghdad's southern Dora district, where a bomb exploded near an American foot patrol, U.S. and Iraqi officials said.

The U.S. military initially reported nine U.S. personnel were wounded in the attack. Later, the military said it could not confirm that number because the injured were still being evaluated and treated.

The attack occurred about 10:38 a.m. as the soldiers patrolled near an outdoor market, said Army Maj. David Shoupe.

Iraqi police said a suicide bomber was responsible, but Shoupe said the U.S. could not confirm that. He said four civilians died in the blast, but Iraqi police and hospital officials put the civilian toll at 12 killed and 25 wounded.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.

Earlier Thursday, another suicide bomber killed seven U.S.-backed Sunni paramilitaries as they waited in a line to receive salaries at an Iraqi military base in the northern city of Kirkuk.

Police Maj. Salam Zankana said the victims in the Kirkuk attack were members of the local paramilitary Awakening Council — Sunnis who turned against the insurgents and help provide security. Eight others were wounded, he said.

Awakening Council members, also known as Sons of Iraq, have been frequently targeted by al-Qaida and other Sunni groups still fighting U.S. troops and the U.S.-backed Iraqi government.

Sami Ghayashi, 37, who was among the injured, said the local council members had been waiting three months to receive their salaries.

"While we were waiting at gate talking to one another a big explosion took place," he said from his hospital bed. "I saw several colleagues dead, among them my cousin. I have no idea how this suicide bomber got among us."

Also Thursday, a bomb exploded inside a police station in western Baghdad, killing three policemen and wounding 19 others, an Iraqi police official said. The bomb was hidden inside a trash can and carried into the station, he added.

The official also spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.

Despite a dramatic drop in violence in Iraq, attacks still occur, although with less frequency. Bursts of attacks tend to be followed by periods of calm, only to have the violence spring up again.

The attacks came a day after a car bomb exploded near a group of restaurants in a Shiite neighborhood of northwest Baghdad, leaving 41 people dead and more than 70 others injured.

That incident was the capital's first major car-bombing since May 6, when 15 people were killed at a produce market in south Baghdad.It was also the deadliest in the city since twin car blasts killed 51 people in another Shiite neighborhood, Sadr City, on April 29.

The failure to stop the bombings adds pressure on the Iraqi government to demonstrate that it can meet security challenges ahead of a June 30 deadline for the U.S. to remove all combat forces from Baghdad and other Iraqi cities.

A day after the Shula bombing, dozens were still being treated at an area hospital for shrapnel wounds and burns. The blast blew out the front of a building housing shops and restaurants.

Coffins draped with flags were carried through the streets near the bombing as funerals began for the dead.

U.S. troops are due to leave Iraqi cities under terms of the U.S.-Iraq security agreement that took effect Jan. 1. President Barack Obama plans to remove combat troops from the country by September 2010, with all U.S. forces out of Iraq by the end of 2011.

Under the agreement, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki could ask the U.S. to delay the pullout from the cities. However, the issue is politically sensitive in a country worn out by six years of war, and the government has insisted there will be no delay in the withdrawal schedule.

----------------------------

There is still a US Military Combat Surgical Hospital (CSH) in Baghdad. But it is possible we will see these soldiers at Joint Base Balad.

The Return of Man Love Friday

The Hospital Tbar

Tbar artwork is all over the base (cause there are so many of these cement structures with flat walls that just beg for paint).
I've taken pictures of many of them (see my flickr pages).

In front of our hospital the 332d Expeditionary Medical Group Tbar project has finally been completed.

Here's the series.









The final result!

Less Technology?

I'm not carrying a cell phone. I find that I'm not missing it (except maybe the daytimer function).

I cannot wear my iPod headphones outside when walking or jogging. That I still miss. If I want to work out in the gym I can listen to my podcasts. But I've been jogging outside (taking advantage of the weather before it gets too hot) and when I'm on the bike or elliptical, I'm either reading my Professional Military Education homework, or an issue of Entertainment Weekly that Ray sent.

No pager or radio from the hospital. There really isn't such a thing as a Nutrition emergency. Although I've been around when 1 has come up (something about a medication nutrition therapy and specialized tube feeding that I had to think outside the box and get creative with the supplies on hand).

Just a gun. Have to wear my M9 when I walk outside in uniform (supposed to do it when wearing PT gear as well, but I just can't do it, and no one has enforced it for medical personnel).

Peep Show - Please Cast Your Votes!

Started in the ICW (Intermediate Care Ward) and open to all hospital employees. Votes are being cast today and tomorrow. Which ones are your favorites?

Black-Eyed Peep




Duck Duck Duck Peep







Peeps Porridge



National Association for the Advancement
of Colored Peeps

Bunny Ranch



Peeper Peeper Pumpkin Peeper









Peeps Gone Wild



Red Hot Chili Peepers

One Very Clean Peep



Cheese & Peeperoni Pizza