Home Sweet Home

Wow, After 3 very long days of travel and not having a real bed to sleep in (I actually slept in the ICU at work and in an airport 2 nights), I am finally home. I had a great travel buddy in one of
the docs that had been deployed with me but worked nights. I finally got to know him toward the end of the rotation and having him around made my travel much more fun. I was delayed 24 hours when leaving Qatar because of a freak fog incident in which visibility was only around 50 feet. One of the coolest parts of my travel home was my landing in Bangor, Maine. When we got off of the plane and were on American soil once again, there was about 300 people that met us at the gate. They clapped and cheered as all 250 of us de-boarded the plane. A 2 star general, and 1 star General and several Colonels shook everyone's hand as they got off the plane. It brought tears to my eyes. I got to use my cell phone for the first time in 6 months as well.

Erin and Sara met me at the airport with a great banner and took me

directly to Mamacita's. I had been looking forward to their food for a long time. I also put on a reflective belt as a final good-bye to Al Udeid. Dennis (my travel buddy) and I agreed that we would wear our reflective belt at a well known place when we returned as a joke.

This is the poem that Erin and Sara wrote and put on our quote board. It goes: "We like Megan O-So-a-lot, we're glad you're back from the place that's hot. We tried so hard to stay in touch, cause we missed you so much. So no longer should you roam, b/c we want you here at home." So sweet and funny!

My first act of business upon arriving at the house was to get rid of a roach that had been bothering Erin for a few days. She is horrified of the things. Then I unpacked all my stuff. I didn't get it put away but I had to empty my bags to find everything I needed. Then I had to get my car jumped and drive it to the dealorship to get much needed maintenance.It is amazing all of the things you miss while deployed. Driving my car again was awesome. It was interesting driving on the Freeway again in all the rush hour traffic.

I want to thank everyone for reading my blog. I really enjoyed the deployment but I am so glad to be home. I am busy catching up on sleep and enjoying the start of my 2 weeks on reconstitution time. Now I've got to leave to pick my mom up from the airport.

Love, Megan.

Beach House Bash- Am I really Still Deployed?

Yesterday I had some of the most incredible and fun hours of my deployment. Not only had I finished all my shifts at work and gotten my replacement trained but I was invited to go to the Qatari equivalent of the Secretary of Defense's beach house.

It was a 4 day event with about 200 people going everyday. Forthe entire two hour drive out there and back we had Qatari military escort. They were at the front and back of the 8 vehicle caravan that included our Wing Commander. They would pull out ahead at all the traffic round-abouts that are more common than street lights and stop traffic for us. It was incredible. Once we got there they opened up the activities for us to do as we wanted. They had a light lunch buffet with crepes and sandwiches and desserts - it was delicious.

After we ate we decided to take a camel ride. My camel was fairly well behaved but as soon as I got my leg over it's back, it stood up. Luckily I was holding on tight. We were led on a five minute walk around the front of the compound.

I wish I had a picture of it but I got to ride on some jet skis. I got 3- ten minute trips in the Persian Gulf. I topped out at about 65mph. At about that point I would start imagining all the broken bones if I went any faster. He had so many jet skis and since the weather was a little cooler there really wasn't a line waiting for them.

I then took a couple trips down this slide while my shorts were still wet after jet skiing. I am on the left, racing one of the night shift docs. We are both flying out tonight and he says when we stop in Germany that we will be drinking. We'll see...

This is the tent where we feasted on dinner. I actually ate some camel which was interesting since I had been on one ealier that day. Maybe it was the misbehaved camel that was making a lot of noise.

Well I only have about 15 hours left of my deployment. I am hanging out at the hospital waiting on my clothes to finish in the dryer so I can pack. Can't wait to touch ground in Baltimore.

Almost There!

I have been reading other peoples blogs and realizing that I really should update my own. Part of the problem is that I have gone so long without writing that I don't know where to start. I'll try to remember some of the more interesting stuff that has happened...

About three weeks ago I finally made it onto an A/E mission (aeromedical evacuation). This involved going to a class titled "high risk of isolation" and getting the Operations Group commander to sign a letter saying I could go. I also had to get a physical done but since I know the flight surgeon pretty well, he said he would do it whenever I was close to taking my flight. I met up with the flight crew (a pilot, co-pilot and 2 loadmasters). We went to get all of their equipment and then we went to an intel briefing. Since we were flying into Iraq, they talked a

bout all the activity going on around the bases that we were landing in. It was going to be a 12 hour mission with 41 patients and 4 stops in Iraq. We went to Tallil, Baghdad, Kirkuk and Balad before returning to Qatar. It was a long night but very exciting. I got to wear body armor while we were in Iraq which may not sound great to most people but it made me feel like I was actually a part of the war. I was exhausted by the end because we didn't get back to Qatar until 4 am and I had worked all day the day before. I also had to work 5 hours after we landed but I didn't care because it was an amazing experience. I think I am definitely going to apply to

flight nursing school when I get back. I might as well do it while I am young and single. I took along "the Terrible Towel" since it is pretty important to my squadron commander. I left a ransom note that said "the Terrible towel is on vacation, will return soon. Or will it?" He pretty much knew it was me who took it while it was gone but I think it was cool for him that his towel took a trip to Iraq and back. Then one of the nurses blurred my face and sent a picture of me holding the towel on the aircraft at one of our stops and sent it out to everyone in the med group.

I played Texas Hold'em for the first time in a long time last week. Our anesthesiologist arranged for med group poker and 13 people played. I hadn't played for a long time and surprised everyone by coming in second. They didn't expect me to play so well because I hadn't played in a long time and some of the others had been playing at base events. I lost to our respiratory tech but he was really good and had me guessing what he was up to the whole time.

I started packing a couple days ago because I was bored and I figured I will be moving out of my room into the tents in a couple of weeks when my replacement gets here. I only have 12 days left or so, I haven't gotten my plane ticket so I still don't know for sure.

It is 1115 pm and I can't go to sleep but since I worked on Christmas, tomorrow will be my second day off in a row and my third morning to sleep in. Sleeping in is only 7 am since I am so used to waking up early. Christmas was terrible even though I got some really great gifts. We admitted two patients in addition to the two we already had and were busier than we have been since we got here. One patient was an older retired man who had a small bowel obstruction but was really nice. The other was a patient who just got here on her way down range and tried to commit suicide. It was pretty upsetting because she made Christmas suck and she only took Motrin so really she just wanted attention and to go back to the states. They were pretty worried about her for a while because she was really unresponsive and we didn't know what she had taken. We were minimally manned that day but luckily a few extra docs were hanging around and we called in two of our nurses to come in for a while. While the older man was in the hospital I got to talking to him and he told me I should date his son. Seeing as how his son lives 1000 miles away from SA I didn't take him seriously. Then the next day before I discharged him, he reminded me if I ever made it to Scott AFB, where he and his son live, dinner for us both was on him. It was very sweet and then Dr Swasey, the anesthesiologist over heard that and later told me I should go for it because it would be a great story in the future. Ha. If I do end up at Scott (it is one of the bases where A/E nurses get stationed) I would look up my patient just because he was a nice guy and told me his son was the best man he knew.

I really should be getting to bed and stop talking (typing). Thanks for reading and I hope to see most of you in the very near future.

Love, Megan

Kid Rock Live

That's right, Kid Rock came to Al Udeid and put on a show. But before that, he graced us with his presence at the Med Group. He was actually really nice. He shook everyone's hands and posed with us for pictures. The other girl in the picture with me and Kid Rock is Lt Dockery. She got here about three weeks ago to replace one of our nurses who had to leave early. She is really nice and I have had fun working with her.

The show was good, definitely rated R- but he said during the show he could be sure there weren't any kids present. He had Carlos Mancina on before him who is a comedian. His show was pretty raunchy but funny. He made fun of the reflector belts we have to wear everywhere- even with our already highly reflective PT uniforms. He said it would take an idiot to get run over by a car you could see coming for 8 miles. He actually didn't phrase it as nicely as that though.

It's almost Christmas and the Hospital is decorated from top to bottom. We have already experienced an onslaught of packages full of candy and gifts but it is nice to know people are thinking about us.

I recorded a radio interview for a radio station in Iowa with 6 other med group people. It has yet to be posted on-line but my name is listed on their website and if you google Melody McTaggart (according to my mom) the radio's website shows up. I will post the link when I get it.

Hopefully two posts right in a row makes up for my lack of communication but I plan on taking a lot of pictures in the next few weeks as I get closer to leaving.

Megan

Abundant food and green green grass

Things have been moving along pretty well over here. I had a great Thanksgiving. The people who run the dining facilities went all out decorating and had all kinds of food displays and so much food. The picture to the right is just the desert display.

I went downtown a few

weeks ago and had a lot of fun with a few of my co-workers. We did a lot of shopping. This picture to the left is me in the Old Souqs (market). Amazingly enough they had

a Dunkin Donuts and Baskin Robbins but they also had

a lot of venders selling things from spices to rugs.

These pictures are of the Doha skyline. Most of the skyscrapers have been built in the last few years and are largely empty. The people of Qatar have a lot of money and are building like crazy, they are hoping to build their tourism industry.

We managed to find a park that we later found out only allowed families to visit but not before we laid around for an hour on the grass. It was wonderful seeing grass for the first time in 4 months so we took of our shoes and relaxed. The weather was finally beautiful (in the high 70s).

No need for Noah's Ark or even an umbrella

I'm watching last weeks Grey's Anatomy episode and they have a new doctor who just finished serving in Iraq. It starts raining in the episode and the doctor goes out to dance in the rain. Another doctor explains her behavior by saying "she's been in the desert a long time." I know exactly how she feels. I think I will dance in the rain when I see it again. It has been over 4 months. I was walking across the moonscape- the sandy field that separates the chow hall and the hospital when I came across a little weed surrounded by a ring of rocks. I had to laugh in understanding as it is only living thing within site. Turns out one of the night shift nurses put the ring around it and he takes half drunk abandoned water bottles to water it.

Not much else is going on around here. I will be meeting a four star general after he tours the base at an hour long social at the DEL (the bar). Don't really know how I got selected but it is me and one other nurse going. For the last 2 months we have had so many Generals and Colonels here, but they finally left. There was one particular brick path that no one wanted to walk down because it went from the chow hall to where all the big wigs worked and you practically had to walk with your hand to your forehead in constant salute.

Only 51 days left (plus or minus a few days).

Love,

Megan

The Med Group over here had a visit from Maj Gen Siniscalchi, the Chief Nurse of the Air Force and the Deputy Surgeon General. She had just been touring the AOR (Iraq and Afghanistan) and she came by the hospital to get a tour. We were able to host a dinner for all the nurses on base including the A/E nurses and

the nurses that work with the units that plan all the A/E missions (about 30 people). My chief nurse told me I had to meet them in the conference room after she toured the hospital. She wouldn't tell me why. When I got there, 4 enlisted people from the med group were there as well and didn't know why. Our Hospital Commander brought in the General for a briefing and prior to the briefing, the 5 of us got coined. Our commander explained to her some of the extra things that we do at the hospital. I think I got coined because I have taken on a lot of extra duties and it stands out because I am the youngest and lowest ranking officer (the only Lt in the hospital). I just do it to keep from being really bored at work. When my Group Commander got to me, Gen Sinischachi said "You look just like your mother."
I had helped plan the dinner and talked to protocol and set up the flags and the placards on the DV table. Prior to the dinner starting, someone rearranged the name placards and I couldn't figure out why. When the dinner started my Hospital Commander stood up and said that the only Junior Officer should sit at the head table in his spot next to the General. It was very embarrassing but cool to get to sit next to her. General Sinischachi said I should start off the buffet line but prior to that, she told the story of how a few months ago she had retired my mom.

One other cool, small world kind of thing is that my Squadron commander is a physical therapist and his younger sister is one as well in the AF, but right now she is working as the General's Executive Officer. It was interesting seeing the two Maj Lyons' together.

Over all a very fun evening.