Report of 16 Jan 2021

 Good afternoon -

We have partaken of the local cuisine and today's was Italian food.  It is sitting very heavily in my stomach and I am not at all used to that - eating light, usually.  We have no regrets about supporting the local economy, though; we love living where we serve.  

It is unfailingly a privilege to be in this profession.  The other day, I admitted a young man with low blood sugar and seizures; while in the process, he closed his eyes and winced.  Immediately, the nurses around him tittered and carried on - "Oh, is he having a seizure?," "Oh, are you okay?" and so on.  The admission took a lot longer than my other admissions, due to the fact largely that the young man's youth and good looks were distracting the nurses.  Ah, well.  I rued that, finished, and went home.  Yesterday, I saw that the young man had had a seizure, and the nurses had seen some blood on him + a blood-filled syringe on the bed.  A syringe not issued by the hospital.  Then they took his bag, and found some pre-filled syringes full of insulin with the caps off.  It appears that this patient was going to inject himself surreptitiously and cause some confusion all around.  I am usually accepting of all that the patient brings to the bed, but find myself incensed by this incident.  When all of health care works its tail off to take good care of the patient, to confuse the s**t out of us by injecting oneself surreptitiously is not a mental illness but grotesque vanity and cruelty.

I am grateful for the Healeys' geriatric teachings.  One of the nurses had wanted a sedative for a patient with dementia who was agitated.  I suggested instead that one of the techs give the patient some ice cream and wheel her around in a wheelchair.  It calmed the patient down; this has to be a balancing act between caring for the patient and trying to help nurses whose patients rip their IV's out routinely.  Ultimately, though, the patient with dementia who has her wrists tied to the bed wins out.  

The events of 6 January were jarring.  So much vengeance.  So unnecessarily.  

I will talk to my father tomorrow and look forward to it.  I talked to him last week and he keenly listened to all my patient experiences until he had to run to the restroom.  We hope to talk to the children this week, also.  

Happy and healthy 2021 to all of you!

R

Report of 10 Jan 2021

Happy New Year!

The 2nd dose is in an arm that has taken every vaccine in recent years.  We pick the non-dominant arm for various reasons, do we not.

After the first dose, my arm went numb.  My boss thought the injector had hit a nerve.  We were to sit in the room after our vaccination, for 15 minutes - monitored by a nurse.  I did not say my arm had gone numb as I would have been whisked off to the Emergency Room/Casualty and been subjected to a workup of workups.  So I flexed my fingers and made a fist and shook my arm, and was better.  The 2nd dose reportedly has some worse side effects - headache, nausea, malaise.  Some docs had to take the day off and I did not think that was fair to the team.  So - advised by Scott - I changed my 2nd dose to a day when I would have the day off the next day, took the 2nd dose yesterday and lay on the sofa yesterday and today, eating chocolate and feeling completely justified to do so.  

We got takeaway from a local restaurant - we love supporting the local economy, wherever we live - and enjoyed it.  

Work is good.  Busy.  COVID patients and others.  Our hospital system has sent some ventilators to California, where the COVID situation is worse.  It is good to share.  

I had a patient with pancreatitis - inflammation of the pancreas - which she has often, and also has flares.  It is easy to dismiss young patients as seekers of narcotic pain meds.  Her pain appeared genuine and I gave her pain meds + meds to keep down her nausea.  She got better slowly and was discharged 2 days ago.  She gave me a pretty picture that she had colored.  It was nice.  Her mother, whom I updated on the phone, was classy and sweet.  It is lovely to hear such a voice on the phone.  No visitors are allowed in the hospital, and it must be unnerving for patients' family members at home.  Our leadership urges us to update family members and we do so daily; I never used to have the time for this, but am making the time.  

Scott has been cook and housekeeper extraordinaire.  There is a steaming bowl of soup for me every evening and clean laundry.  We live next to a pond and we enjoy watching the ducks.  

We spoke to Naren and Nat, and that was nice.  We also spoke to our parents on the Sunday calls, and that was the lovely experience is unfailingly is.

It is a privilege to be in the profession.  

Unw -

R