Hello Redwood’s Fans!

How has your week been? Mine? STRESSFUL! I’ve been planning a surprise birthday party for my husband. It’s a BIG one but I won’t divulge the number here. As of this writing, the party is tomorrow but when this posts the party will be DONE and I’ll likely be drinking some of the leftover liquor to celebrate.

Do you like surprises? I do. Maybe that’s why I’m a suspense author. It’s been interesting, weaving these lies to keep him in the dark until the big reveal. It’s actually been kind of hard because, even though I am a suspense author, I don’t find it easy lying to people in real life– particularly a loved one. I don’t know how people lead multiple lives and lie to SO many. I’ve had trouble with one birthday party and not letting something slip.

What’s been your most favorite surprise ever?

For you this week.

Tuesday: Michelle Griep stops by (who is awesome!) with an author question about historical treatment of burns.

Thursday: Author Martha Ramirez stops by to share her personal experience of discovering she had a congenital heart defect as an adult and how this inspired her to write a children’s book.

Have a great week!

Hello Redwood’s Fans!

How has your week been? Mine– lovely. As you know, I’m not a fan of summer but we’ve been having quite a few summer thunderstorms and it has been positively marvelous. I love hearing the rain and seeing the lightning flash in dark bedrooms at night. Definitely gets my suspense author’s mind working.

For you this week!

This week is my favorite activity for this blog– answering author questions.

Tuesday: Just when do you call a doctor a doctor?

Thursday: Hockey and head injuries. Just what would the ER treatment be?

Have a safe and cool week.

Jordyn

Hello Redwood’s Fans!

How IS everyone doing? Surviving the summer heat? As I’m sure I’ve said before– summer is my least favorite season. It’s just too hot and too bright! Anyone else with me on this? I think, truly, I have reverse seasonal affective disorder. I think the sun makes me depressed. But then again, who ever said suspense authors are normal.

For you this week:

Tuesday: I always love it when award-winning author Dianna T. Benson stops by. This week, she writes an engaging scene that deals with a stabbing victim. It’s a great way to convey the medical information in a creative way.

Thursday: Friend, law enforcement guru, and award-winning author Mark Young stops by to see if he can stump me with a medical question about lab testing. Hmmm— can the cop stump the nurse? You’ll have to stop in and find out.

Have a great week and stay cool.

Hello Redwood’s Fans!

How has your week been? Hopefully, none of you had to visit the ER for anything scary like blown off fingers. I am praying all of you were safe.

This week is all about the kids. I LOVE being a pediatric ER nurse. There are so many interesting things medically that can and do happen to kids that you just don’t see a lot of in the adult population. One is congenital heart defects. Though, through improved surgical techniques and medical care, children who have had congenital heart repair surgery are living much longer than they ever have so my adult ER counterparts are dealing with this more and more.

Tuesday: Just what is Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) and why has it been such a devastating diagnosis worthy of investigating in any fiction novel?

Thursday: What are EXIT procedures and why do they put both mother and baby and risk?

Have a great week!

Hello Redwood Fans!

How has your week been? Enjoying the summer? Getting ready for 4th of July?

Please, please remember to be watching those kiddos around summer parties– especially if there’s a pool around without lifeguards– or any body of water for that matter. From my personal nursing experience, we’d always get one kid in around summer holiday parties that had drowned or nearly drowned because the adults were having fun and no responsible adult was watching the kids in the water.

My suggestion: one sober adult watching the kids in the water at all times. Seriously– take 30 minute shifts or something so the adults can have fun but the kids are safe. Swimming lessons do not guarantee in any way that your child is a capable swimmer. Other children (unless they are lifeguard certified) should not be expected to save your child from drowning so don’t put them in a position of responsibility unless they’ve had specific training for these circumstances.

For you this week: answering an author’s questions about injuries related to torture and just how we would handle these in the emergency department.

Have a great and SAFE week and Happy July 4th!

Jordyn

Hello Redwood’s Fans!

How has your week been?

Mine? Well, I’m a little bit consumed by the controversy around the Washington Redskins Football Team. I really want to understand it a little bit better. From what I understand, this is a result of a petition put forth claiming the name is disparaging to Native Americans. Now the US patent office has yanked their trademark registrations which means anyone can use images associated with the Washington Redskins without penalty. This will, presumably, put financial pressure on the team to change their name.

And it makes me very nervous.

One— there is no sports team anywhere I know that names themselves a derogatory name on purpose. They want to appear fierce, strong and respected. Perhaps this term once was not used to paint Native Americans in a positive light but we know, as time and cultures change, that the meaning associated with words changes. In one news cast I was watching they stated in a poll (and it was taken many years ago) that 90% of Native Americans weren’t offended by the team’s name.

Two— we need to get over being offended and the federal government needs to stop being the henchmen over companies on stuff like this. I say– let the market bear it out. If it is so egregious that the team has this name then stop buying tickets, stop buying merchandise, go picket the games, write op-ed pieces but can we please stop suing over every infraction? There are plenty of names I don’t appreciate. I don’t personally like the name of a particular gas chain. I find it offensive. I can’t believe they name their stations that but do I feel the need to sue them to change it? No– because it does not physically do me harm or hurt me financially. It’s their choice. I choose not to visit their stations. Others probably don’t think twice about it and would be surprised I have an issue with it.

It disturbs me how people are being put out of business for what others consider intolerable choices. That’s very dangerous because your opinion may not always be on the “right side”. Times change. Governments change.

If it doesn’t harm you physically or financially– is it possible to let it go? What do you guys think?

For you this week:

Tuesday: Author question– What disease could potentially kill a 5 y/o. I pick something you might not have even heard of.

Thursday: Amryn Cross, our forensic diva, is back for a DNA follow-up question regarding half-siblings.

Have a great week!

Jordyn

Hello Redwood’s Fans!

How is your summer shaping up? Kids out of school. Summer activities. Camping when it is too cold outside? Family reunions and increasing liquor consumption. I’m not necessarily talking about me . . . but . . . patients I see.

Yea, something like that.

AND– Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there– especially my own and to my husband who is definitely on dad duty as I’ll be saving lives in the ER all weekend.

For you this week:

Tuesday: A follow-up lab question to Amryn Cross’s post. Why don’t labs do every test?

Thursday: Since it is summer time and there tends to be a lot more teen shenanigans happening I’m doing a post on the dangerous games teens play.

Hope you are having a fantastic summer!

Jordyn

Since we just celebrated Memorial Day and there has been a lot in the news about the VA scandal I thought this week we’d focus on the military.

Tuesday: Friend and author Kariss Lynch stops by with a medical question related to trauma sustained on the battle field and exactly how families are notified.

Thursday: If you live local in Colorado and are interested in finding some counseling services for our military (past and present) then the Caleb Fund might be an answered prayer for you.

Have a great week!

Jordyn

And on the lighter side– a medical school parody to the song “Let It Go”. If you’re in medicine– you’ll definitely appreciate it!

Hello all,

This is one retraction and apology I am very glad to have to write.

The article I had posted here today highlighting that the NHS had relaxed its rules regarding hand washing and Muslim care providers is not entirely true. I had concerns about this information as stated in the piece because it was mainly posted in conservative leaning websites. For me, if only one ideology carries the story (right or left) then it’s likely agenda driven anyway.

However, I had found the article as well at the Mail Online. I actually got a tweet from someone that stated those that live there find this paper highly unreliable.

So, I did some more checking and found this fact sheet that states that the dress rules were relaxed for Muslim care providers but not when they were caring for patients. They still must adhere to strict hand washing guidelines in those instances which makes me a very happy nurse.

Because medical accuracy is so important to me I am writing this retraction for the blog post’s inaccuracy and I sincerely apologize to anyone who was distressed by this particular blog post.

And I’m really happy for patients that this is not true.

Jordyn

Hello Redwood’s Fans!

My love affair with Spring has been short lived because now it is TOO HOT! We moved from the midwest for this very reason– the heat and humidity– although Colorado doesn’t have that compared to the midwest. What I’ve learned is that my temperature comfort zone is very narrow.

What are you guys doing this summer? Any exciting plans?

For you this week:

Thursday: Cool cancer news. I know– those two words should not go together but you’ll definitely want to read this post for some interesting advances in cancer therapy.

Hope you have a great week.

Jordyn