Saturday, July 17, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
news story & intern night
the family of the man i found on the side of franklin street this past week had some nice things to say about me. i'm actually a little embarrassed, because i did probably what anyone else in my position would have done. i still feel like i was just in the right place at the right time. i don't even know if me being there made any difference. oh, and ABC 11 mixed the facts up a bit: i didn't bring the patient to the hospital. i just opened his airway until orange county EMS could get there.
on another note, we had intern night part deux tonight at brixx in chapel hill. six people turned out, which i think is respectable. the night was filled with wholesome fun. here are steph and dan making threatening gestures at one another.
what can i say? we treat each other like family. dan and i even made a new 4-legged friend:
and can you imagine my surprise when tyler hansbrough showed up to join us! just kidding, we actually DID see tyler handbrough tonight, but he was just at brixx picking up his take-out order. i felt like a crazy stalker, but since i'm blogging now, i guess that gives me license to behave in ways that i would have never before thought appropriate. (ie, taking photos of celebrities at restaurants)
ok, so hansbrough is famous and everyone in the restaurant was staring and pointing. but i prefer to hang out with the fabulous folks in my intern class.
no running today. i was surprisingly tired at converting from my 5 PM - 2 AM work schedule to a day that starts at 7 AM. i guess i could have predicted that i'd be sleepy, but the reality of my fatigue today, sitting through 8 hours of ATLS lectures, was more than i had bargained for. i've got a full schedule of capital hospital ED shifts this weekend, but i'm hoping to get in some studying in the ultrasound book. one of my primary objectives for this residency training is to become an ultrasound ninja. my progess has, so far, been good. but i need to bone up on some theory. thus, the book.
luckily, my saturday shift doesn't start until 4 PM. i should have enough time for my long run on saturday.
on another note, we had intern night part deux tonight at brixx in chapel hill. six people turned out, which i think is respectable. the night was filled with wholesome fun. here are steph and dan making threatening gestures at one another.
what can i say? we treat each other like family. dan and i even made a new 4-legged friend:
and can you imagine my surprise when tyler hansbrough showed up to join us! just kidding, we actually DID see tyler handbrough tonight, but he was just at brixx picking up his take-out order. i felt like a crazy stalker, but since i'm blogging now, i guess that gives me license to behave in ways that i would have never before thought appropriate. (ie, taking photos of celebrities at restaurants)
ok, so hansbrough is famous and everyone in the restaurant was staring and pointing. but i prefer to hang out with the fabulous folks in my intern class.
no running today. i was surprisingly tired at converting from my 5 PM - 2 AM work schedule to a day that starts at 7 AM. i guess i could have predicted that i'd be sleepy, but the reality of my fatigue today, sitting through 8 hours of ATLS lectures, was more than i had bargained for. i've got a full schedule of capital hospital ED shifts this weekend, but i'm hoping to get in some studying in the ultrasound book. one of my primary objectives for this residency training is to become an ultrasound ninja. my progess has, so far, been good. but i need to bone up on some theory. thus, the book.
luckily, my saturday shift doesn't start until 4 PM. i should have enough time for my long run on saturday.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
full circle
the first entry on this blog is an old post from the last week of my previous residency (family medicine at the UCSF santa rosa program). there's a lot of doubt in there, especially pertaining to my ability to be an effective doctor. reading this now, it's difficult to imagine being in that place. as it turned out, my time as a hospitalist in boston was a success. i made some great friends on the hospitalist team at cambridge health alliance, and i'm happy to still keep up with them.
tonight was my first day off in a week. i biked into town to meet some friends, and we got beers and walked around town. i had seen a klezmer ensemble playing on main street a few weeks ago, and they were on the streets again tonight.
my run today felt good. 7 solid miles with good accelerations on the pickups. ready for ATLS at capital hospital tomorrow.
tonight was my first day off in a week. i biked into town to meet some friends, and we got beers and walked around town. i had seen a klezmer ensemble playing on main street a few weeks ago, and they were on the streets again tonight.
my run today felt good. 7 solid miles with good accelerations on the pickups. ready for ATLS at capital hospital tomorrow.
some thoughts on happiness
woke up to a beautiful nc summer morning. actually, by the time i woke up, it was barely morning. i had been working at the capital hospital until 2 am, so i felt it was reasonable to sleep until 11 am today. bubba was, of course, ready to start the day. or maybe he just wanted to be fed.
i've been thinking a lot lately about happiness and what makes it. i have less than half of the free time that i had a few months ago when i was an attending, and i'm making about a third of the money. but now, as a resident, i'm happier than i've felt in a long time. it's a truism that external circumstances don't add up to well-being, but sometimes it's difficult to wrap my head around that idea and what it actually means. when asked what makes for a happy life, freud said, "arbiet und liebe." i've yet to hear a more pithy explanation. of course, this leaves out elements that i think i need to be happy, namely, spiritual practice and service. but you might say that this can get rolled into the idea of work. either way, what freud said fits into my worldview pretty nicely.
so, on that topic, here are two videos that i saw yesterday that makes sense to me in terms of creating happines. the first is about the paradox of choice. the idea is this: more choices cause us to second-guess ourselves and be less satisfied with the choices that we do make. schwarz hypothesizes that the more we believe we control, the more upset we get when things don't turn out exactly as we want them to:
this one is by dan gilbert who wrote "stumbling on happiness."
i've been thinking a lot lately about happiness and what makes it. i have less than half of the free time that i had a few months ago when i was an attending, and i'm making about a third of the money. but now, as a resident, i'm happier than i've felt in a long time. it's a truism that external circumstances don't add up to well-being, but sometimes it's difficult to wrap my head around that idea and what it actually means. when asked what makes for a happy life, freud said, "arbiet und liebe." i've yet to hear a more pithy explanation. of course, this leaves out elements that i think i need to be happy, namely, spiritual practice and service. but you might say that this can get rolled into the idea of work. either way, what freud said fits into my worldview pretty nicely.
so, on that topic, here are two videos that i saw yesterday that makes sense to me in terms of creating happines. the first is about the paradox of choice. the idea is this: more choices cause us to second-guess ourselves and be less satisfied with the choices that we do make. schwarz hypothesizes that the more we believe we control, the more upset we get when things don't turn out exactly as we want them to:
this one is by dan gilbert who wrote "stumbling on happiness."
getting zapped
i got my eyes lasered today. i was seeing fine during the day, but at night, i definitely was having problems doing things like driving. so i got a local opthalmologist to correct my vision. well, it's 12 hours post-op, and i'm seeing like a champ. (20/13, in fact. i checked in the hall of the ED tonight during my shift) i was a little worried about going to work tonight after surgery and then driving home, but i've had no problems.
other than my surgery, nothing much happened today. i went to work tonight in the peds ED. saw a fair number of patients. then, i got to leave early.
bubba (the dog) was waiting for me when i got home with wagging tail. i opened a beer and we stepped out into the light rain for a walk around the neighborhood before bed.
other than my surgery, nothing much happened today. i went to work tonight in the peds ED. saw a fair number of patients. then, i got to leave early.
bubba (the dog) was waiting for me when i got home with wagging tail. i opened a beer and we stepped out into the light rain for a walk around the neighborhood before bed.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
on the way home from work
driving home from capital city, i thought i wouldn't have much to report today. i worked a 10 hour shift, where i saw lots of patients: mostly interesting medical issues. but i didn't do any crazy procedures, and i didn't even do any ultrasounds. still, it was a satisfying shift.
but then at 3 AM, while driving home from my shift at capital hospital, i saw a person crumpled on the side of franklin street in front of the local 506. even after spending most days seeing people in bizarre circumstances, this just looked out of place. i stopped the car and got out to investigate.
a man was lying in the road with blood coming out of his ear (a very ominous sign), unresponsive, and barely breathing. i asked a bystander to call 911 then brought his c-spine into line and did a jaw thrust maneuver to open his airway. (thank you, ACLS) ok, i thought to myself, time for the ABCs. airway was patent (for the time being). he was breathing, although he had a large amount of frothy fluid in his mouth. carotid pulses were present. he didn't protest when i rubbed his sternum vigorously.
so i just stayed squatting on the ground, maintaining his c-spine in alignment and airway open until the paramedics arrived. they packed him into the ambulance, and i followed them to the university hospital. i figured that i might as well see what happens next and tell the team what i had seen. as soon as he rolled into ER doors, he became a patient at the hospital. so for patient privacy purposes, here's where my story of this patient must end.
i will say that when i got to university hospital, the department was full of folks from my residency program. again, i thought to myself: i work with a great group of people.
but then at 3 AM, while driving home from my shift at capital hospital, i saw a person crumpled on the side of franklin street in front of the local 506. even after spending most days seeing people in bizarre circumstances, this just looked out of place. i stopped the car and got out to investigate.
a man was lying in the road with blood coming out of his ear (a very ominous sign), unresponsive, and barely breathing. i asked a bystander to call 911 then brought his c-spine into line and did a jaw thrust maneuver to open his airway. (thank you, ACLS) ok, i thought to myself, time for the ABCs. airway was patent (for the time being). he was breathing, although he had a large amount of frothy fluid in his mouth. carotid pulses were present. he didn't protest when i rubbed his sternum vigorously.
so i just stayed squatting on the ground, maintaining his c-spine in alignment and airway open until the paramedics arrived. they packed him into the ambulance, and i followed them to the university hospital. i figured that i might as well see what happens next and tell the team what i had seen. as soon as he rolled into ER doors, he became a patient at the hospital. so for patient privacy purposes, here's where my story of this patient must end.
i will say that when i got to university hospital, the department was full of folks from my residency program. again, i thought to myself: i work with a great group of people.
Monday, July 12, 2010
new toys
airways have always been one of the most frightening and at the same time, most fun parts of emergency medicine for me. when we evaluate a patient in the ED, especially in the case of critical illness or trauma. "airway" comes first because lack of an airway is incompatible with life. so there it is. the airway is the most important thing, which is probably why it can be so scary.
which brings me to tonight: a few hours ago, i had the opportunity for the first time to use the glidescope. it's a device that helps you see in hard to reach places. here's what this little gadget looks like:
which helps you, idealy, see this:
after this comes into view, you slide a tube into the hole in the middle, and voila, you have secured the patient's airway!
the glidescope didn't disappoint. oh, and i also got to do 4 FAST exams. i heart the ultrasound machine.
as i was driving home tonight, i kept smiling at how much i love my job and how glad i am that i'm doing another residency. it seems like learning opportunities are everywhere. also, my colleagues are awesome.
so while most people look at me like i'm crazy for doing another residency, i can't think of anything i'd rather be doing. not only is this time full of learning and personal growth, i'm having FUN. i feel incredibly grateful to be surrounded with a supportive, fun group of people and to have a job that i love.
which brings me to tonight: a few hours ago, i had the opportunity for the first time to use the glidescope. it's a device that helps you see in hard to reach places. here's what this little gadget looks like:
which helps you, idealy, see this:
after this comes into view, you slide a tube into the hole in the middle, and voila, you have secured the patient's airway!
the glidescope didn't disappoint. oh, and i also got to do 4 FAST exams. i heart the ultrasound machine.
as i was driving home tonight, i kept smiling at how much i love my job and how glad i am that i'm doing another residency. it seems like learning opportunities are everywhere. also, my colleagues are awesome.
so while most people look at me like i'm crazy for doing another residency, i can't think of anything i'd rather be doing. not only is this time full of learning and personal growth, i'm having FUN. i feel incredibly grateful to be surrounded with a supportive, fun group of people and to have a job that i love.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
a new beginning
today was the perfect day. slept late, long run, then a great shift in the ED. seems like an appropriate day for re-starting this blog. as i write this, i've just gotten home from my shift. when i decided to do another residency, i knew that i'd LEARN things. that was the whole point of doing this. but i was unsure about how quickly i'd pick up new skills. well, this time around, the process of training in a specialty is pretty much the same as it was before: one can learn as little or as much as desired.
what i mean by this: if you want to sit on your butt and avoid work, there is ample opportunity. if, on the other hand, i want to actually gain experience and learn, then i have to take the initiative and seize each opportunity. tonight, for instance, i saw 4 high-level traumas, did an intubation, started a central line, and ran 3 FAST exams (ultrasound examination of the belly in trauma).
everything still seems fresh and interesting. i hope to continue to be mentally involved and interested in learning and in my work in general. at this stage, it seems easy. here's hoping that it'll stay that way.
on another subject, my running is going quite well. i ran 12 miles almost at marathon pace . . . in the NC summer heat (at noon, no less), i'll consider anything close to race pace as such.
ok, time for a quick shower and bed. it feels good to be writing again.
what i mean by this: if you want to sit on your butt and avoid work, there is ample opportunity. if, on the other hand, i want to actually gain experience and learn, then i have to take the initiative and seize each opportunity. tonight, for instance, i saw 4 high-level traumas, did an intubation, started a central line, and ran 3 FAST exams (ultrasound examination of the belly in trauma).
everything still seems fresh and interesting. i hope to continue to be mentally involved and interested in learning and in my work in general. at this stage, it seems easy. here's hoping that it'll stay that way.
on another subject, my running is going quite well. i ran 12 miles almost at marathon pace . . . in the NC summer heat (at noon, no less), i'll consider anything close to race pace as such.
ok, time for a quick shower and bed. it feels good to be writing again.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)