Back on the Blog

...I'm tired, not that I'm overworked. Just not sleeping soundly lately. And the stomach's kinda upset.

...Let's see--what has been going on lately?...Been working in the ER more. Had a few night shifts in a row.

...Had another incident where a patient was brought in all shot up, died, and I went home to learn more about it on the news.

...I did a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) for the first time. This involves placing a long needle into the lower back between two vertebrae and drawing out spinal fluid into tubes to check for infection. Actually did it pretty well. This kind of thing makes me think, what right do I have to be doing this to someone? What right do I have to do a rectal exam? Why do I get to/have to do a pelvic exam to look for koochie critters? What have I done to earn this right?...I went to med school, got an MD...paid out the wazoo for it too. And the people need me to do this to them in order that they get better. That's what you get in return for an education. It's just funny to me. Getting in is the hard part. Once you're in med school, it's just a matter of passing a crap load of tests. Then you get to do some crazy stuff to strangers.

...There was, however, one crazy guy on Saturday who refused the rectal exam. No bother.

...S...A...T-U-R...D-A-Y........NIGHT!!: A man came who was shot in the testicles. Worked overnight on Sat...kinda crazy. People are out and about on Saturdays, gettin' drunk, gettin' sad and close to suicide, passin' out on sidewalks, playin' with knives, shooting each other in the nuts.

...For some reason, we have grown too accustomed to violence in this world. I swear, someone is murdered here every day. People are scared for their lives in some neighborhoods. That must explain the need to carry a gun or a knife at all times. Where I came from, people got in fights, some nastier than others. But they would eventually be broken up, and the two boilers would simmer down, battered and bloody as they may be. But too often, someone ends up in this situation, and a gun is drawn or a knife is wielded, and people get killed. It's crazy. It's not in my mind to even think about carrying a gun around to protect myself. I'm not keen right now on the idea of having one in the house to protect the family (I'd rather spend tons o' cash on a super-duper alarm system). What has happened? How do these people afford the gun, the bullets? Priorities are out of whack. It makes me think that, in some places, having a gun is equally as important as having, say, cable television or a microwave oven. Sad.

...Also attending my service on Saturday was a guy who kept throwing up blood. You know, it sucks to throw up, but it must REALLY suck to throw up blood. I think I have a friend (is it Jerry?) who claims to have a ridiculously long streak of years of not throwing up. On Friday, I treated another someone whose body was ridding itself of all contents through the in door and the out door, out of both chutes. The ultimate act of defiance from your body. The body's saying, "WHAT THE HELL?!?!?...WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST PUT IN ME???" It's a wonder I haven't caught it...or have I?...I say that because my belly has been bothering me lately. Paranoia?

...Female doctors can be interesting studies. Not all, just some. From what I gather, nowadays close to 40-50% of doctors are female, quite a change in the last half century. Yet in the face of this, there are still some overly sensitive female doctors out there. Countless stories are told of female med students who round on a patient in the hospital only to be asked how long they have been in nursing school. (Two completely different things, if you didn't know.) Oh, how this gets under their skin! "Are you a nurse?" OH!...how insulting!........For some reason, some female docs get quite upset when a person makes this incorrect assumption, as if it's an insult. I say, take it easy. Probably 90% or more nurses are women. It's just a mistake of generalization, not a commentary on the proper place of women in society or an opinion on the ability of women to obtain professional status. Most certainly, it's not a personal attack on that person. It's just silly.

...Along those same lines, female med students (now doctors) who I went to school with would often bemoan their lacking dating life. No guys are asking them out. What's up with that? Well, the girls would often theorize that the guys they were meeting were intimidated by the fact that they were in medical school. That once they spilled the beans on their chosen occupation, the guys would become disinterested, as if the girl had just told them that their herpes is flaring up or something. I find all of that erroneous. I really can't see that many guys that I know being put off by a girl being in medical school, especially if he's interested enough to talk with her or approach her. Perhaps--I'm sorry--he's just not interested in asking you out. It has nothing to do with your being in medicine. It's actually more to do with chemistry or something. Okay, let's say it is true in some cases, that perhaps some men are shy of the female doctor due to some cause, be it earning potential, intelligence, etc. Even so, if he is put off by it, you don't want him around anyhow. He's probably a meat head, and that's not what a smart, gifted, driven, and entitled woman wants.

...Why does my Vornado spew air that smells like overused, hot electrical equipment? Has smelled like that from day one.

...Finally getting some of my wall hangings on the walls. Maybe I'll actually move in fully to this apartment, unlike my last one.

...Came home before lunch today. I was stopped by a news reporter and camera man as I was walking in to my apartment building. News reporter asks if I would like to speak on camera about the building next door that was torn down and how the contaminants were taken care of. I said I didn't know anything about it. Camera guy says that's the problem--no one does. I declined. Maybe that's why my stomach hurts.

...Good to hear from the OKC folks in the last two days. I've gotten two phone calls and an e-mail.

...My nephew knows my name. Well, my nickname--Tio, which is Spanish for "uncle." That's what he calls me. When I go to visit and I walk in the door, he starts running around saying, "Tio. Tio. Tio. Tio." Sometimes he'll run to the window, see my car and say, "Tio's truck." The other night, my brother Jake and I were playing with him. Caden says, "Ride Dada," and he climbs on Jake's back before being bucked onto the couch. Then he says, "Ride Tio," and I do the same, except instead of bucking, my limbs give out. He's lovin' it. "Ride Dada." "Ride Tio." It's nice to be known by this little guy. That evening was topped off by a beautiful smile from my 1-month old neice, Emery.

...Almost done with my first month. August brings new responsibilities. I begin work in the ICU at another hospital for one month. And I turn 29 next month...hmmph. I'm getting to be a grown-ass man.