Thoracic clinic today felt like the good old days. Those days on surgical oncology when Dr. Kooby would walk me through the imaging, teaching and talking about balancing risks and benefits. About when we would sit in front of the patient, show them the imaging, hold their hand, listen to their concerns, explain to them … Continue reading I Missed This
Scribbles
Shame
What a hard hard week it's been. And I still have one call day left this week. I think, what I need the most, is someone to tell me that I can do this. That they felt how I feel. That they weren't perfect, or even great, or even good sometimes, and they still made … Continue reading Shame
Pushed Over, Around
It wasn't a terrible idea - it kind of made sense. "If the straight cath puts out more than 500 cc, leave the foley. Otherwise, take it out." I asked her. The young nurse was energetic and confident. In herself and in her bladder scan that had shown "greater than 999." She told me, as … Continue reading Pushed Over, Around
“God gave you 2 hands – use them both.”
A Maykelism. He reminds me so much of Kooby. It's a good one though. It reminds of how focused we can get on solving the problem the way we know how that we forget how important the big picture is. Because if you're suturing and you're just focused on the needle drive and you're just … Continue reading “God gave you 2 hands – use them both.”
Wisdom from the Week
It's been busy, so I just need to store these somewhere to come back to it. Clark - "Swallow your ego and just look to learn." "Doing surgery for pain will get more of it." Do baseline physical exams - all of it - so you don't miss the rectal abscesses. Take a minute after … Continue reading Wisdom from the Week
If a patient dies and you’re not there to hear it, it still really happened.
Honestly, I enjoyed my Sunday off after a hard week. I did yoga for the first time in a while (if you care, I kept up ok). I had breakfast. I cooked. I watched a movie. And when I got to work this morning, the list was one patient shorter. And I didn't think anything … Continue reading If a patient dies and you’re not there to hear it, it still really happened.
Shortcuts
Physical exams not done. Hearts not listened to. Edema not felt. Lungs not appreciated yet. Notes not written well. These aren't lies - just survival maneuvers to survive. It's intern year - only intern year. And these shortcuts are going to build up to long-term flaws.
