Report of 8 Aug 2013
So this is what a massage feels like. Nice and relaxed, and less pain than before. I have a chronic knot on my right back-of-neck that grosses out my kids when I ask them to push on it because it moves - "Oooh, yuck, it moved," "No, no, I'm not touching it." So I went off and had a discounted massage today and have less pain than previously.
What's with the heroin? Is it suddenly plentifully available? I had yet another patient using IV heroin and he had a huge infection on his rib. Surgeons had to operate and drain the infection and the infection doc is convinced that the pt will need more surgery. X, the patient, had been in the hospital for about a week. On my first day on, I explained to him that the infection was due to IV drug use and asked if he wanted to die. That led to a big discussion on the heroin, with X not previously having realised that the drug could kill. He spent about $80 on it per week ( $4.160 per year! $80 buys a lot of groceries weekly at Aldi for my family.) and had 2 kids to support. We talked at length, he swore he would not come back into the hospital with a drug problem and we bet a Kit Kat on it. On his last day, I gave him a small bar of chocolate and said I did not think he'd be back with a drug problem either. We had discussions on his going to college - he wanted to be an aircraft mechanic - and I told him I'd much rather tell his kids that he is a Black aircraft mechanic instead of a Black IV drug user.
Some of my older patients are delightful. They are usually severely alone and don't appear to mind it. A 90-year-old patient said her 103-year-old brother-in-law lived in Indy, and chuckled as she said it. She was in hospital with a urine infection and I was loath to send her home alone, but she said she'd be fine.
On this my week off, we have seen movies and eaten out. Naren leaves for NYC in about 10 days. Navin works outside the house now and we capitalise on times that everyone's schedule matches. A couple of weekends ago, on my previous week off, we had a bunch of relatives over and that was spectacularly lovely. Scott's grandfather also managed to come from Cincinnati, and we were delighted to see him.
I was privileged to get together with Louise Hass, a dear friend. As usual, she treated me to dinner and we lingered over the meal, talking for over 3 hours. Chatter flows easily around Louise: she is extremely intelligent, witty and funny, tolerant, widely-travelled and very well-read. The evening was grand fun, and I returned home with Louise's gift for my family - half-a-dozen gourmet cupcakes, which the boys were very thrilled to see.
My father and I talked on the phone earlier this week. He will be off to Thailand early next week. Some friends have planned a group tour and he is going along. I am happy for him; travel is a joy.
Hope you have several joys of your own.
Unw -
R
What's with the heroin? Is it suddenly plentifully available? I had yet another patient using IV heroin and he had a huge infection on his rib. Surgeons had to operate and drain the infection and the infection doc is convinced that the pt will need more surgery. X, the patient, had been in the hospital for about a week. On my first day on, I explained to him that the infection was due to IV drug use and asked if he wanted to die. That led to a big discussion on the heroin, with X not previously having realised that the drug could kill. He spent about $80 on it per week ( $4.160 per year! $80 buys a lot of groceries weekly at Aldi for my family.) and had 2 kids to support. We talked at length, he swore he would not come back into the hospital with a drug problem and we bet a Kit Kat on it. On his last day, I gave him a small bar of chocolate and said I did not think he'd be back with a drug problem either. We had discussions on his going to college - he wanted to be an aircraft mechanic - and I told him I'd much rather tell his kids that he is a Black aircraft mechanic instead of a Black IV drug user.
Some of my older patients are delightful. They are usually severely alone and don't appear to mind it. A 90-year-old patient said her 103-year-old brother-in-law lived in Indy, and chuckled as she said it. She was in hospital with a urine infection and I was loath to send her home alone, but she said she'd be fine.
On this my week off, we have seen movies and eaten out. Naren leaves for NYC in about 10 days. Navin works outside the house now and we capitalise on times that everyone's schedule matches. A couple of weekends ago, on my previous week off, we had a bunch of relatives over and that was spectacularly lovely. Scott's grandfather also managed to come from Cincinnati, and we were delighted to see him.
I was privileged to get together with Louise Hass, a dear friend. As usual, she treated me to dinner and we lingered over the meal, talking for over 3 hours. Chatter flows easily around Louise: she is extremely intelligent, witty and funny, tolerant, widely-travelled and very well-read. The evening was grand fun, and I returned home with Louise's gift for my family - half-a-dozen gourmet cupcakes, which the boys were very thrilled to see.
My father and I talked on the phone earlier this week. He will be off to Thailand early next week. Some friends have planned a group tour and he is going along. I am happy for him; travel is a joy.
Hope you have several joys of your own.
Unw -
R
posted by Renu Weiss at
5:31 PM
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