Surgery day 1
15 minutes late for orientation. Starting out real swell...
The Chief attending surgeon outlined what it takes to honor the rotation...in a nutshell, I'd have to be a soft-spoken genius/a subtle brown-noser extraordinaire/a dogged army private/a profssional slave...and to top it all off, I'd have to like it and ask for more of it.
Lovely.
Surgery day 2
I have night call from Tuesday to Friday for this week only (6p-6a). Mind you, this is followed by a lecture series from 6-9am...
So far, my ID badge won't let me get OR scrubs from the dispensing machine so that made me late. Again. Thankfully, another doctor (Anesthesiologist) was nice enough to pity me and loaned me a clean pair from his own batch! Also, my resident for tonight is a sweetheart and a half. She gave me an early break so I decided to hole up in the on-call room and study.
10pm - Hungry. My stomach is growling and I finished my 4th granola bar. The cafeteria is closed and I can't leave yet! I need protein. Or a tasty Greek salad (grape leaves, olives, feta, chicken...nummy...best stop before I faint).
So if all is quiet tonight, perhaps I can get some shut-eye before morning rounds and a 3 hour lecture series that's sure to titillate the mind...hurray...
Tonight's tunage is brought to you by the sassy Ms. Single and Picky. Enjoy!
Song of the day: "Why Try To Change Me Now" - Fiona Apple
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Arghhhh!
So I have surgery rotations tomorrow...AND I CAN'T SLEEP!
Figures.
Multiple songs of the day (random tunes heard on the radio that made my commute home today a hell of a lot better):
1. Valentin Sylvestrov (Composer)
2. "You Send Me" - Sam Cooke
3. "Lisztomania" - Phoenix
4. "Drop It Like It's Hot" - Snoop Dogg + Pharrell Williams
5. "Kick Drum Heart" - The Avett Brothers
Figures.
Multiple songs of the day (random tunes heard on the radio that made my commute home today a hell of a lot better):
1. Valentin Sylvestrov (Composer)
2. "You Send Me" - Sam Cooke
3. "Lisztomania" - Phoenix
4. "Drop It Like It's Hot" - Snoop Dogg + Pharrell Williams
5. "Kick Drum Heart" - The Avett Brothers
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Mack the knife
So, it's goodbye Internal Med, Hello Surgery.
It was fun while it lasted. I hope I did well in my exam...
I was prepped tonight over sushi by friends that being in surgery is a practice of patience, endurance, and ninjitsu (art of invisibility). It seems that a good deal of the surgical residents and attendings are douches (and that term is used in the most endearing way). They make you come in at 5:30AM, they make you stand for hours on end, they don't give you lunch breaks, they deny you catered food from their meetings (vs. Internal med docs who are nice and quite willing to share the catered goodness), and they treat you as if you're a lackey who is undeserving of their respect. Apparently these people are likened to the prototypical petty high school jocks and socialites who are highly prone to back-stabbing and trash-talking.
One must be blind, deaf, and mute to survive in such a rotation, so they say. Avoid the drama, if I can...but keep eyes and ears open for potential blog topics on this rotation. Wish me luck.
Hmmm...six weeks of this? At least I get to wear comfy scrubs.
Song of the day: "Slow New York" - Richard Julian
It was fun while it lasted. I hope I did well in my exam...
I was prepped tonight over sushi by friends that being in surgery is a practice of patience, endurance, and ninjitsu (art of invisibility). It seems that a good deal of the surgical residents and attendings are douches (and that term is used in the most endearing way). They make you come in at 5:30AM, they make you stand for hours on end, they don't give you lunch breaks, they deny you catered food from their meetings (vs. Internal med docs who are nice and quite willing to share the catered goodness), and they treat you as if you're a lackey who is undeserving of their respect. Apparently these people are likened to the prototypical petty high school jocks and socialites who are highly prone to back-stabbing and trash-talking.
One must be blind, deaf, and mute to survive in such a rotation, so they say. Avoid the drama, if I can...but keep eyes and ears open for potential blog topics on this rotation. Wish me luck.
Hmmm...six weeks of this? At least I get to wear comfy scrubs.
Song of the day: "Slow New York" - Richard Julian
Friday, January 22, 2010
Moving right along
One of the few memories I take with me (for better or worse) as my Internal med rotation comes to a close is the story of Mrs. ___.
Mrs. ___, a 68 yo F. patient of mine a few weeks ago during my inpatient IM rotation is in the hospital for worsening SOB (that's Shortness Of Breath ;-)).
She claims that she was a stripper during her heyday and insists on sleeping buck-nekked underneath her covers hoping that her other "cute" doctor would examine her thoroughly!
Sure enough, after the morning labs came out, my attending sends me and another intern to her room to do a rectal exam on her (to check for occult blood).
Needless to say, it was quite disturbing for me...and my intern.
And the kicker was, after I finished the exam, she proceeded to thank me for it...and with a smile!
Never really thought that rectal exams warranted a thank you. What disturbs me is that I don't know if Mrs. ___ was being appreciative or inappropriate or both.
Sorry if this post sounds uncouth. Still, the humor of this situation wasn't lost to either my attending, her resident or my other fellow students. They just love bringing it up from time to time.
Hey, I didn't exactly say that this memory was all rainbows and bubblegums.
And on that note, I take my leave and wish all my colleagues taking the IM SHELF exam tomorrow the best of luck.
Song of the day: "Healing Hands" - Citizen Cope
Mrs. ___, a 68 yo F. patient of mine a few weeks ago during my inpatient IM rotation is in the hospital for worsening SOB (that's Shortness Of Breath ;-)).
She claims that she was a stripper during her heyday and insists on sleeping buck-nekked underneath her covers hoping that her other "cute" doctor would examine her thoroughly!
Sure enough, after the morning labs came out, my attending sends me and another intern to her room to do a rectal exam on her (to check for occult blood).
Needless to say, it was quite disturbing for me...and my intern.
And the kicker was, after I finished the exam, she proceeded to thank me for it...and with a smile!
Never really thought that rectal exams warranted a thank you. What disturbs me is that I don't know if Mrs. ___ was being appreciative or inappropriate or both.
Sorry if this post sounds uncouth. Still, the humor of this situation wasn't lost to either my attending, her resident or my other fellow students. They just love bringing it up from time to time.
Hey, I didn't exactly say that this memory was all rainbows and bubblegums.
And on that note, I take my leave and wish all my colleagues taking the IM SHELF exam tomorrow the best of luck.
Song of the day: "Healing Hands" - Citizen Cope
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Say What?!
A girl I had a massive crush on a few years ago, made a matter-of-fact comment about a song on the radio while I was driving her home from dinner. What she said absolutely floored me at the time (it was amazing that I didn't get into an accident, but I digress). The same song was on the radio tonight and I got all deja vu-ey.
Picture this...
End of a long, long day, and the one that you're pining for has nothing but smiles for you as the two of you lazily talk about nothing over a heap of disco fries and grilled cheese sandwiches.
Next thing you know, it's almost 11pm.
So you take her home and pop in the CD in the player to make the ride extra nice.
It's the Shins, playing "Caring is Creepy."
You stop at a red light and you just see her grinning mischievously under the streetlamp light.
You ask "penny for your thoughts?" (You're a sap when it comes to classic movie quotes, btw).
She doesn't say, but keeps on grinning. You figure, she's having fun, so you let it go at that.
You get to her house and just before she steps out of the car, she says "You know that song "Caring is Creepy"? I think that's a "Fuck Me!" song. Yep. That's my "Fuck Me!" song."
She winks, then kisses you on the cheek, then heads for the doorway. She blows you a kiss for the road, smiles once more then heads inside the house.
All the while you're head is reeling, questioning whether she was messing with you something harsh or was dropping a crazy-serious hint. Your cheek, memorizing the feel, the smell of her kiss. WTF.
Since then, I've discovered other songs with the same "Fuck Me!" quality as did that Shins song back then. These may be potential points of contention with you, but it would sure make for interesting conversation.
The list is as follows (in no particular order):
* "Vancouver" - Jeff Buckley
* "Let It Be Me" - Ray LaMontagne
* "Clap Hands" - Tom Waits
* "Watching The Detectives" - Elvis Costello
* "Searching For The Satellites" - Bleu
* "Gold Lion" - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
* "How Does It Feel" - D'Angelo
* "L'amour Ne Dure Pas Toujours" - Feist
* "Love And Happiness" - Al Green
* "Me And Mrs. Jones" - Billy Paul
These are just off the top of my head. Feel free to add. This would make for a crazy setlist.
Song of the day: "Caring Is Creepy" - The Shins
Picture this...
End of a long, long day, and the one that you're pining for has nothing but smiles for you as the two of you lazily talk about nothing over a heap of disco fries and grilled cheese sandwiches.
Next thing you know, it's almost 11pm.
So you take her home and pop in the CD in the player to make the ride extra nice.
It's the Shins, playing "Caring is Creepy."
You stop at a red light and you just see her grinning mischievously under the streetlamp light.
You ask "penny for your thoughts?" (You're a sap when it comes to classic movie quotes, btw).
She doesn't say, but keeps on grinning. You figure, she's having fun, so you let it go at that.
You get to her house and just before she steps out of the car, she says "You know that song "Caring is Creepy"? I think that's a "Fuck Me!" song. Yep. That's my "Fuck Me!" song."
She winks, then kisses you on the cheek, then heads for the doorway. She blows you a kiss for the road, smiles once more then heads inside the house.
All the while you're head is reeling, questioning whether she was messing with you something harsh or was dropping a crazy-serious hint. Your cheek, memorizing the feel, the smell of her kiss. WTF.
Since then, I've discovered other songs with the same "Fuck Me!" quality as did that Shins song back then. These may be potential points of contention with you, but it would sure make for interesting conversation.
The list is as follows (in no particular order):
* "Vancouver" - Jeff Buckley
* "Let It Be Me" - Ray LaMontagne
* "Clap Hands" - Tom Waits
* "Watching The Detectives" - Elvis Costello
* "Searching For The Satellites" - Bleu
* "Gold Lion" - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
* "How Does It Feel" - D'Angelo
* "L'amour Ne Dure Pas Toujours" - Feist
* "Love And Happiness" - Al Green
* "Me And Mrs. Jones" - Billy Paul
These are just off the top of my head. Feel free to add. This would make for a crazy setlist.
Song of the day: "Caring Is Creepy" - The Shins
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Stating the obvious
Normally I have a very prodigious amount of patience for patients. I'll sit there and shoot the shit with them even though there are time constraints with their office visits. The stories they tell are amazing and everyone of them, priceless. The patients themselves seem to appreciate the banter and it makes their visit a little less stressful. Today, however, I could feel my blood pressure rapidly reaching critical, because of them.
How, you ask, did they manage to get under my usually tough outer shell?
4 words: "Why aren't you married?"
It's all together sad when all I can say was "I wish I knew..."
I must've been asked this at least a dozen times before quitting time today. I was clenching my teeth so much, I think I developed TMJ disease after all of that nonsense. Sometimes the questioning doesn't end there. Some patients like to probe a little more and make mindless suggestions like "maybe you should try those internet sites" or "I got a niece that would be perfect for you."
Sometimes I think that the doctors that precept my rotation judge me on my bachelorhood as well. They always seem so surprised after they ask when I tell them my age and that I'm single. It's even worse when there are other people around me who are my age or younger and they are already married and/or have kids of their own. Somehow, the comparisons are made automatically, but in the most "tactful" of senses, of course.
Then they end with, "Well, you're going to be a doctor soon. You'll find the right one, eventually."
It's quite demoralizing, really. It's gotten so bad that at one point, I was compelled to lie about my age just so I can dodge their judgmental questions. To me, it sounds as if they are implying my becoming a doctor is the only redeeming quality and selling point at this point in my life.
Can't I have at least a tiny iota of slack on this subject? Yes, I am getting older, but the church ain't goin' nowhere, either. And if I knew why I'm still single, we wouldn't be having this conversation in the first place anyways. I'm not that lucky like the rest of America's wedded sons and daughters are, but that doesn't mean that I'm broken. I'm 29 and single...and there's nothing wrong with that.
Give it a rest. Get a life and move on.
Song of the day: "You Don't Know Me" - Ben Folds feat. Regina Spektor
How, you ask, did they manage to get under my usually tough outer shell?
4 words: "Why aren't you married?"
It's all together sad when all I can say was "I wish I knew..."
I must've been asked this at least a dozen times before quitting time today. I was clenching my teeth so much, I think I developed TMJ disease after all of that nonsense. Sometimes the questioning doesn't end there. Some patients like to probe a little more and make mindless suggestions like "maybe you should try those internet sites" or "I got a niece that would be perfect for you."
Sometimes I think that the doctors that precept my rotation judge me on my bachelorhood as well. They always seem so surprised after they ask when I tell them my age and that I'm single. It's even worse when there are other people around me who are my age or younger and they are already married and/or have kids of their own. Somehow, the comparisons are made automatically, but in the most "tactful" of senses, of course.
Then they end with, "Well, you're going to be a doctor soon. You'll find the right one, eventually."
It's quite demoralizing, really. It's gotten so bad that at one point, I was compelled to lie about my age just so I can dodge their judgmental questions. To me, it sounds as if they are implying my becoming a doctor is the only redeeming quality and selling point at this point in my life.
Can't I have at least a tiny iota of slack on this subject? Yes, I am getting older, but the church ain't goin' nowhere, either. And if I knew why I'm still single, we wouldn't be having this conversation in the first place anyways. I'm not that lucky like the rest of America's wedded sons and daughters are, but that doesn't mean that I'm broken. I'm 29 and single...and there's nothing wrong with that.
Give it a rest. Get a life and move on.
Song of the day: "You Don't Know Me" - Ben Folds feat. Regina Spektor
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Bienvenue!
Say hello to Babe, my new Uke. Behind her is her lovely friend, Jolene! I got Babe this past Christmas thanks to my bro. She's a dream to play and she sounds so sweet. I <3 Babe =). I <3 Jolene too (just in case she gets jealous)! Jolene is my first guitar and we've been through a lot together. Song of the day: "Charlie Darwin" - The Low Anthem
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