Date: March 19, 2008 09:49 pm Title: Don't Get Lost
can't wait till they get to the hospital! :) p.s. glad you added another en route chapter.
Date: March 14, 2008 05:26 pm Title: Don't Get Lost
YAY! So happy to see another chapter of this one, and it's still great. Can't wait for more!
Author's Response: Thanks so much for your kind words! I was nervous that not enough "happened" in this little chapter.
10 [Report This]Date: March 13, 2008 06:09 pm Title: Don't Get Lost
Yeah! You updated the story!
Author's Response: Thanks very much!
Date: March 13, 2008 05:55 pm Title: Don't Get Lost
VB -- so glad to see that you've updated. This was a revealing trip through Pam's thoughts. And back through the heartache of S3 and Phyllis' wedding in particular. Ow. Time to stop playing games, Miss Beesly.
Author's Response: Thanks, lisahoo! I think there are some more games before we get things cleared up though ...
Date: March 13, 2008 05:33 pm Title: Don't Get Lost
So happy to have you back with an update to this, VB! Hoping you'll be inspired to update again really soon.
Author's Response: Hi, NanReq. Life has been incredibly hectic the last few weeks. I really have been thinking about the story and muddling around. I certainly hope it won't take nearly a month for the next chapter!
Date: March 13, 2008 05:19 pm Title: Don't Get Lost
oh my...loved it...loved pam's thought processes...can't wait for more!!
Author's Response: Thanks so much, dancer288. There will be more ... it will be a few days, though.
Date: February 15, 2008 04:22 pm Title: With This Ring
Aww Pam got them rings!! She really does think of everything, doesn't she? This line broke my heart: For a surreal moment they sat in silence, each fervently wishing that the other one really meant the words. Wanting to seal the vow with a kiss but afraid to be offered a cheek. And the cover story! Aww!! I really really want to see the inscription -- what a tease! =)
P.S. Did you get my email? *hopeful*
Author's Response:
Thanks, FinerTHings. I'm glad to see you didn't write me off after the last chapter ticked you off! And, no, I hadn't seen your email until you asked. I've responded to it now that I read it.
You're gonna have to wait a little while for the inscription though...
Date: February 13, 2008 06:54 pm Title: With This Ring
Oh Pam, telling the truth dressed up as a lie. And Jim, wanting a lie to be the truth when it already is. Those crazy kids. Great chap - love their vows.
Author's Response: Thanks, Crystalized. Wow, my chapter sounds positively Shakespearean the way you describe it. All those little twists and mistakes of perception... Thank for taking the time to review.
Date: February 13, 2008 06:15 pm Title: With This Ring
OMG, I have been waiting for the rings to appear. Holy mother of God you are evil for dangling that little morsel and having them both have to pretend it's all for a cover story. Ow. A thousand times, ow.
I'm guessing the heart specialists will need to work on more than just Jim's parents, huh?
Author's Response:
Tee hee hee! I was feeling evil! And, bingo! You have guessed the meaning behind the title.
Thanks for taking the time to comment! It means a lot. It's killing me that this chapter only has three reviews so far. I'm thinking people don't like it...
Date: February 13, 2008 04:08 pm Title: With This Ring
I see that Jim and Pam are a little more law abiding than you, haha. I'm going to purposely stop there tonight, just for you.
I can't wait to read more. I'm a sucker for stories where people have to pretend to be married. It's always chock full of mishaps and sexual tension.
Author's Response: v_r, I am thoroughly confused by the "law abiding" comment. Now I'm going to be wondering all night what you meant! And, yes, we are decidedly headed for some sexual tension...
Date: February 13, 2008 12:45 pm Title: With This Ring
Wow. Just...wow. This took my breath away. I never gave a thought to the rings and the documentary. This gal really does her homework! Boy oh boy. This just keeps getting better!
Author's Response: Thanks, NanReq. I'm really glad you're so into the story!
8 [Report This]Date: February 13, 2008 09:32 am Title: Prologue
Intriguing premise and I like Pam as taking charge and giving Jim such solid support during such a scary time for him...well it is Pam and we really wouldn't expect anything less from her, would we? She'd really do anything for a good friend...like untangle tape that's stuck in your hair, right? I'm anxiously waiting to see where this goes next. Very nice job!
Author's Response: Thanks, Mr. Bill. I really appreciate your taking the time to review. That Pam is a good friend, indeed.
10 [Report This]Date: February 13, 2008 07:42 am Title: The Journey Begins
i think they should teach this stuff in high school. you must be a nurse.. i am, and i think about these things daily! i kinda want to print this out for my patient's families to read! (haha not the jim/pam parts, but the rest of how to survive in an ICU setting :-) good chapter!
Author's Response:
Thanks for the the review! I'm glad to hear you think I'm on target. Nope. I'm not a nurse. But I must say, doctors and nurses OFTEN ask me, "Are you a medical professional?" I just spent a lot of years dealing with medical crises of one sort or another.
Date: February 12, 2008 06:33 pm Title: The Journey Begins
I've been debating whether or not to say anything....to be honest, I had a lot of trouble with this chapter. You seem to have really strong opinions against doctors, and as a medical student, I'm pretty offended by your harsh words, to the extent that I'm not sure I can read on. Also, endocrinologists aren't "blood stuff", that's hematologists.
Author's Response:
Wow. First of all, thanks for giving such honest feedback. I think most people don’t write anything if they don’t enjoy the story and the writer never hears the criticism.
I really didn't mean the chapter to come across as negative about doctors at all. Having gone through hell for seven years with both my parents – MANY health problems as they got into their 80'S – I dealt a lot with doctors. I have a great respect for them. They gave me 5 – 7 years more with my parents than I would have had without their care and expertise. I never had contentious relations with any of my parents doctors, so it’s not like I have an axe to grind.
I’m not sure what I said that was so terribly critical of doctors. I don't think it's an indictment that they don't talk to each other. It's just a fact of scheduling. They are doing surgeries and seeing many patients throughout the hospital on a given day. They have to rely on their notes. Those charts do get incredibly thick and it's a lot of information to scan as the doctor is about to walk into the patient's room. I guess I could have been more clear about that.
But I believe it IS critically important that families try to play an active part in their loved one's care. I had a cardiologist tell me to prepare for my father to die because his bypass didn't work. His ejection fraction was still at about 27%. When the day before the rehabalitiation doctor had enthused to me that his ejection fraction was up to 44% and the surgery was a success. I told this to the cardiologist who basically replied that the rehab doctor wasn't a cardiologist and didn't know what he was talking about. She left the room, writing my father off. Well, to her credit she did then look for those test results and had found them by the next day. When we next saw her, her opinion – and her approach to my father's care – was 180 degrees opposite of the day before. (Ah, but I am giving away a future plotline, I fear.) I’m not trying to imply that this experience soured me on doctors. It just made me realize that the family can contribute to the patient’s care by being vigilant and attentive.
I stand by my statements about cardiologists. They know their stuff but they don't have great bedside manner. (I have dealt with probably 20 cardiologists and it is definitely a pattern that I saw.) They are frankly the specialty I remember the most about. It’s been several years since my parents died and I didn’t really keep the notebooks I encourage my friends to use when they have critically ill family members. For some of the other stuff, I’m trying to Google and get info to write something that’s not completely off the wall. I blew it on the endocrinologists, I guess. (What exactly do they do?)
I also stand by my statements about nurses. To me, nurses are angels on earth. Most of them, anyway. Especially ICU nurses. I have seen situations where nurses with 10 – 15 years experience are frustrated by dealing with interns who think that their degree places them many levels above the nurse, with her lowly RN. (I’m thinking that may have been one of the passages that offended you.) It hasn’t happened often in my presence but I know it can be a source of frustration for nurses.
Have you done hospital rotations yet? Critical hospitalization is a dizzying adventure for the family and one that, as a doctor, you will never experience the same way. I have the sense that what I’m saying comes as a total surprise to you in a way that might seem different if you’d had personal encounters with families like mine who are watching their loved one die before their eyes.
I don’t plan to write a story that is an expose on hospitals or critical of the medical profession. My doctors are going to be highly professional and provide excellent care to Mr. & Mrs. Halpert. I hope you’ll give it a chance for another chapter or two. In fact, would you be willing to be my beta for medical accuracy?
Anyway, thanks again for taking the time to share your thoughts…
Date: February 12, 2008 06:06 pm Title: Prologue
Wow, best chapter yet. The note was so touching.
Author's Response: Thanks a lot, hues8. I really appreciate it!
Date: February 12, 2008 03:20 pm Title: The Journey Begins
oh my gosh...so amazing...can't wait for more!!!
Author's Response: Thanks very much! A few days till the next chapter, I think...
Date: February 12, 2008 05:38 am Title: The Journey Begins
VB, this story is brilliant and engrossing, so insightful and heartfelt. With each update, I'm more invested. Based on your note to me, I can't help but think that it's difficult to write, and I certainly appreciate the effort.
Author's Response: As always, NanReq, thanks for your lovely review. I look forward to your comment every time I post a chapter! It's been long enough that I'm not feeling like an emotional wreck while writing this story. It will be infused with a lot of my own experiences, though.
Date: February 11, 2008 11:57 pm Title: The Journey Begins
oooh now it's getting really interesting! I love how you mentioned phlebs! I'm one too! It's so true! You all better be nice to us! haha!
Don't keep us waiting too long on the status of the parents!!
Author's Response:
Thank you for your review. AND thank you for doing an important but pretty unappreciated job! You're absolutely right ... better be nice to the person who's about to stick you with a needle!
It'll be a couple of days for the next chapter probably.
Date: February 11, 2008 09:46 pm Title: Prologue
Not sure how to reply to the reply to my comment, so here's a new comment! "Maybe they'll stop at the Sheetz near the Saturn dealership?" A.) That's creepy. B.) Only if they get MTOs. There is actually a law that not a lot of people know that says if you go to Sheetz, you have to get an MTO. Even if you're not hungry, you get an MTO.
Author's Response:
It's not creepy. My sister lives in Lancaster and I live in Southern Maryland. I make a pit stop at that Sheetz all the time! But I'm on Weight Watchers (65 lbs down, thank you very much!) so I do NOT partake in the MTOs. Law or no. So far, I haven't gotten caught.
And I realized you were right about the rest stops. Lazy writing there. Squishy on the details. I changed it to "gas stations."
10 [Report This]Date: February 11, 2008 08:37 pm Title: The Journey Begins
As someone who has been through all of that, I want to applaud this chapter and everything Pam wrote. I almost want to bookmark this for friends as I don't think i could put it all so concisely and precisely as you have done here. Really wonderful. And again, I'm enjoying the dynamic between Jim and Pam here and curious where it will all go.
Author's Response: Wow. Thank you so much for your kind words. I appreciate that someone else who's had this experience it thinks I got it right.
Date: February 11, 2008 08:35 pm Title: The Journey Begins
Ah, York. That's where I live. No rest stops that I can think of, but there are about sixteen thousand four hundred and eleven gas stations, for what its worth.
It's obvious that you must have experience with these things as well, and your list should be a must read for anyone who is having to deal with a loved one in the hospital.
It helps that the story is a must read too. Can't wait for more.
Author's Response: Thank you, so much vodka_rebellion. (Now THAT is an interesting name!) And yes, I am definitely writing parts of this from experience. Maybe they'll stop at the Sheetz near the Saturn dealership?
Date: February 11, 2008 07:47 pm Title: The Journey Begins
Wow! This is great! So detailed!!
Author's Response: Thanks for taking a moment to comment! I'm glad you're enjoying my little story.
Date: February 10, 2008 07:27 am Title: Preparations
I just found this and read it all in one gulp..you hooked me, lol. I'm a sucker for fics where Pam is the caretaker (instead of the usual vice versa) and I like that Jim's immediate response - when disraught enough to forget about what he should do and go with his gut - was that it was only Pam he wanted with him. Okay, so the tension is nicely built - can't wait to see Pam as Jim's pretend wife.
Author's Response: I'm honored! I love your stories. So glad you're enjoying this one.
Date: February 09, 2008 10:19 pm Title: Preparations
Very interesting thoughts as far as the list of what to bring. I wouldn't have thought of some of those - but I can definite see how they could help. Really enjoying this story.
Author's Response: Thanks so much! Those are the things we really needed when my parents were critically ill in the hospital. I'm glad you're enjoying the story! More soon...
Date: February 09, 2008 09:20 pm Title: Prologue
Nope, had to look it up -- I discovered him on my honeymoon in HI. Jeebus, I want to go back there so freaking badly!!
Author's Response: Well, DON'T go in January! You can't have a bad time in Hawaii but the weather was certainly not what I expected.