Bloody Tuesday

It's hot down here! Usually the heat isn't that big a deal, but lately it's been humid on top of that, making it stifling. But that's why there's air conditioners, I suppose. Or in my case, why the windows in the car roll down. Today is part 2 of the CLS class I got drafted for, which stands for Combat Life Saver- basically, first aid training, so if someone is shot, blown up or otherwise injured during combat, or when help is not readily on hand, you can save them. Gone, apparently, are the days of relying on medics, although medics can do a good deal more than we can.
Today was IV practice, which involves putting a needle and catheter into a vein on another person, then setting up a saline line. This is used in the case of a drastic drop in blood volume, which can result in (big word time) hypovolemic shock. Basically, as your blood runs out, it ceases to carry oxygen- body tissues begin to die, resulting ultimately in organ failure. That's bad. Why saline solution is used, I've never been entirely certain. I think it's to replace the blood volume, and what is likely to happen is an increased heart and respiration rate, as the body tries to compensate for the diminished oxygen-carrying capacityof the blood. (see, you learned something by reading my blog!). So, if you're going to go sticking IV lines in people, it's best to know how to do it. Probably the hardest part of this is hitting a vein, and hitting it right. If you miss, the saline just pools under the skin, and I'm told, hurts like hell. Luckily veins are fairly easy to find. So I managed to succesfully put a line in someone else on the first try, and it only took two tries for him to get me. The first time went south because the catheter (which stays in your arm- the needle doesn't) wasn't lodged in all the way, and buckled as it went, so we had to start over, making sure the needle was all the way in. You do bleed a little bit doing this, as it's hard to put enough pressure on the vein to prevent it from leaking. A little messy, but certainly
not dangerous unless you can't stand the sight of blood. It was surprisingly dark, being venous blood, with no oxygen in it. Arterial blood has oxygen, as it comes from your lungs- venous blood goes the opposite way, and gets exchanged in the lungs. It was a darkish maroon color, and oddly enough didn't change color when it hit the air. Another urban legend dismantled, I guess. The veins under your skin appear blue not because the blood is blue, but the actual veins themselves that carry the blood are blue. Why blue, I don't know. Different colors would look kind of cool, I think.
At any rate, things are about the same as always here. I've been hitting the gym religiously, not because I'm obsessed with my appearance, but because it burns off a lot of stress, and gives me something to do while living in the barracks. I don't own a TV, though I watch a lot of movies and read tons of books- mostly detective novels, for some reason. I'm also running every other day, again, not that I'm obsessed, just that there's nothing else to do really. And besides, there are some pretty interesting places to run to on post. I haven't spent too much time running off post, but will have to see what's out there as well. Oklahoma is considerably different than New England, as the land is much more wide open, with less forests. The hills are somewhat fewer, but they make up for that by being considerably larger. All in all, a good place to run, if you don't mind the heat.
Tomorrow is a test on the first aid stuff I'm studying, which shouldn't be too bad. After all, it's multiple choice. Fortunately, it's not hands on- go blow someone up, then tend to the casualty! Apart from that, I'm keeping busy getting divorced. Frankly, I waited for my (soon-to-be) ex to drop off the papers, and that never happened. I hate to say it, but I begin to doubt the existence of said papers. I sent her papers to sign and return- likewise, all quiet on the Western front. Okay, this gives me some idea where we stand. I don't want to be "that guy" as far as this divorce is concerned, but well, I don't really see much of a choice.
Well, now that I'm getting back into the swing of things after returning from leave (same shit, new day), it seems like a short time before everything comes together, life goes on, and we all live happily ever after. I'm planning on filing the paperwork this Friday, as I get paid then. The meager restitution that makes this job worthwhile. Actually, if it wasn't worthwhile, I wouldn't be doing it. Glad I'm off extra duty, and the next time I see the staff duty desk, it'll be because I'm on duty, not to go sign off on clean latrines. So it's going to be a kind-of long weekend, as I have staff duty this Sunday. Staff duty means I hold down a desk at the battalion HQ, answer any phone calls and stay put in case of an emergency. Do this for 24 hours, then take the next day off. So although I could think of a few other things to do with a Sunday, it means no need to report on Monday. I hear we have this Friday off too, though why I really don't know. So soon it'll be off to the afternoon, where hopefully the rest of the day will go smoothly. I hope you all enjoy the uninteresting details of my day to day life, and I'll try to keep it interesting in the future!