Have you seen her?

The infamous Britney Spears is about to release a new song. I think the lyrics are perfectly fitting to the rest of her album and new image. I'm not praising her ability to write songs because I know she didn't write her newest release - If You Seek Amy.... but damn-I think that's clever - and a catchy tune (and would have loved to hear it air on the radio before anyone caught on to the mixed message and watch mothers and fathers nearly run the car of the road in attempts to cover their young children's ears - ok so not into the crashing car thing - more of the shock and awe (like the opposite of the last 8 yrs of president which was more awe and shock)) Love her or hate her - she's back and for a whole new audience.


- and yes I used a double parenthesis in my run on sentence -

Asleep on the job

So apparently I am just a freakin' germ magnet. Whatever I had last week or the week before or even before that either came back with a vengeance or I picked up a new buggy from one of the poisoned-nose dwarfs. Thanks kiddos for breathing, hacking, coughing, sneezing, spitting, vomiting, peeing and snorting on me. I appreciate it - really I do because I know that you are helping build my apparently weak immune system. So thank you kiddos, thank you.

In other news, I hear the crazy train (new clinical coordinator and the program director in tow) is in full swing after some hiatus. Can't wait to see if they stop by my station maybe those little critters can share the love with them too. All is fair in love and peds right?

Had 2mo old triplets today, some well child checks, and so sick-o kids. Nothing too interesting like duodenal atresia from the other day or bronchial dysplasia or 22q11 duplication and deletion. No ear pits, fatty filum terminale or oligohydrosis and a SGA baby. (oh wait, that was this morning.) Otherwise nothing too exciting - doc had parent-teacher conferences from 12-2 - so although he encouraged me to follow another provider, the NP didn't want me - she wanted me to go home and get well (since this is the 2nd week in a row I have a husky voice and "look like hell" according to her) I tried catching up on some assigned reading but started falling asleep in my book in the break room so the nurses/m.a. told me to go lay down fro 30 min in one of the rooms and they would wake me up before the triplets and before the doc was back. I napped, it was good - enough to get me through the afternoon. The logical thing in retrospect would have been to just go home but that's just not my style.

Small World

had a kiddo the other day (yesterday) cute chunk he was. Mom had a Spanish accent, but had more of a South American perhaps Spain look to her. Talking about the options of the Hep A vaccine and doc asks so do you have plans to travel with baby? Do you have family that live elsewhere? "No plans to travel while he is so young, but I do still have family in Ecuador." My ears perked up like Wrigley's when you say food. After further investigation she was born and raised in Guayaquil- check and mate!! She's even been to the clinic where I'll be going. She gave some places to go and a few places not to go - my preceptor at the end of the day slipped me her phone number (which I thought was pretty weird) just in case I want to call and get some more ideas. Funny how small the world is.

Loss

Jays lost today in a terrible game - and I'm going to lose an hour of sleep tonight - what a bummer.

I should be typhonning or writing a paper or writing a presentation but once again I am floundering and watching a movie: Love in the time of Cholera. I flounder, it's what I do best. Only 3 weeks left in the rotation, that means 21 days, I like the way 3 weeks sounds better.

My in laws and Shawn lost a close family friend this week. It seemed very sudden. The Christmas letter made no implications of illness or failing health. She and her husband and their children were Shawn's neighbors in his birthtown and they attended our wedding. At the funeral on Friday they learned she had been ill for about 3years, she had uncontrolled DM had been on dialysis for the last couple years, the husband taking care of everything for her and so it was not so sudden for their family. She sadly passed away in her garage on the way to the car.

Life is so short which is why I feel like I have such a huge loss in my life when I am without my Shawn. So for another 3 weeks I will gain what I can but with a large loss in my heart. Amen for family.

Whatever you do, don't drop it

Morning flew by, I'm getting a little more independent although the preceptor never believes my findings, then decides that my plan will do just fine. It's 1pm, still have morning pts to see and we get a call there's a C-section planned for 2. Doc usually only goes to primary sections or secondary ones that are not during clinic hours but this case was a little unique. Mom was 25weeks pregnant last year or so when her car was T-boned crushing her pelvis and the twins she was carrying. The twins did not survive the trauma in utero and mom nearly died of blood loss. Today is the same due date as her twins and the birthday of her new beautiful little baby. So we decided we should be there for the c-section. (we also learned she was pre-eclamptic had a raging headache with vision changes and contracting every 1-2min - so despite the fact it was during clinic hours, it needed to be done now not later). "ever seen a C-section?" Why yes, I said, I actually got to first assist one last summer, very cool. "Wanna catch?" ummm ok. So waiting for mom to get draped and prepped, I was introduced to several people including the neonatal RN, the OB, and some other lady in charge of the L&D staff. All of whom gave me the same advice: whatever you do, don't drop the baby. (duh I thought, wasn't planning to).

I'm scrubbed and draped myself waiting for the handoff (after a mock walk-through with the doc to make sure I knew how to walk over to the warmer and not trip, fall and drop the baby.) Then I heard a beautiful cry, my tears welled in my eyes and then the OB plopped the chunky newborn in my arms and I ran him in for a touchdown in the warmer with no fumbles!! I dried him, assessed him and then got to wrap him off and congratulate the new dad (who was slowly regaining colors in his cheeks and now up from sitting on the floor) and I handed the new addition over to his arms. It was beautiful. I wonder if I surprised anyone that I managed to hold on to the 8+pound kiddo - do they have a lot of students drop newborns? Births never get old, never. (and I think I will always get teary-eyed)

Now I am procrastinating doing 2 presentations I have to give tomorrow for the EMS refresher. uggg...

Oh, ok I guess I'll go

It's 6:00 tonight, more patients to go, finishing up around 6:45 ish and my preceptor says, hey I've got this kiddo with neurofibromatosis in the ER who had a seizure and is spiking a fever. He's needs an LP, but you've had a long day and I can understand if you want to leave and not learn anything else today but if you're up to putting in a few more hours.... I probably was going to go home. We had 2 patients left. It was a long day. Several admissions, angry parents - I would be too if I waited 2 hours in the waiting room. I'm tired, hungry - no lunch, again/as usual, low grade temp of 100-101 and major body aches (sorry liver, I'm trying to function with Tylenol), I've had 6 tsp of Trimenic for my hacky cough. So sure, I'll run down to the ER and watch an LP. It felt really good to get home a little after 8pm, talk to Shawn who always reminds me I'm so close to being done and crash. I won't be doing any of the reading I was assigned tonight. We had 6+ influenza's today alone, a couple admissions, some other crazy ass things like: a 7yr old girl who had over 35 cafe au lait spots miraculously appear OVERNIGHT. It looked like a little girl got into some bad tanning cream and had left over splotches all over her (hand, arms, legs, face, legs, feet - sparing the back - for now.) oddly enough she also has Thalassemia trait. A 10yr boy who's gained 17pounds in the last year, but only grown an inch or so in the last year or two, he has also started going gray. There were some other bizarre things too, but will save those for now... I think it's bedtime already.

A lovely weekend

Shawn left today, back to PDX - without me of course. He came in on Friday afternoon - I somehow managed to get off early for it! The rest of the weekend just flew by from there:
Friday evening - quick Lenten dinner at Long John Silvers (umm don't need to eat there for the next 25 years or a lifetime), went to nephew's b-ball practice - good to see them running and dribbling together not one or the other or rolling on the floor in the middle of a fast break. Then off for desert with the niece and nephew and sis/bro-in law. Did I mention it snowed 4inches? Late night cuddling.
Saturday - sleep in, get ready for a Creighton B-ball game. Clutch game for co-champs of reg season. Miss my dancing days - weird to think that Shawn and his rents saw me dance, just didn't know who I was. That evening - dinner at Quaker Steak and Lube - I know strange name. You can get things like Chicken fenders, a 4-wheeler sampler or some good old soft pretzels with cheese. Late night card playing (1opt pitch) - Shawn won us the 5th game by shooting the moon with an Ace, 2 and 6. What luck - what a game, what a husband!!
Sunday - another late morning - homemade breakfast with the whole fam. Shawn made his famous french toast - life is good. Went bowling - took 3rd over all, thought I had Shawn beat for the first time EVER. My first game was the best - I had 4 strikes and 2 spares. It went downhill from there. Shawn's parent's broke out their (as his mom called them) old balls and rubbers (shoes). Shawn's mom did better with a few beers and a rosin bag and everyone else warmed up by game 3. I can't believe Shawn use to bowl - and his family bowled in a league - welcome to the 70s'/80s - literally before my time. Sunday night - family pizza night -a tradition and then cuddling on the couch and movie on demand the Changeling - very good.
Monday morning - one of the hardest goodbyes in the parking lot of the hospital I'm working at. I am sure everyone working in the radiology department and outpatient registration watched our soap opera drama good bye. We just don't do good byes.
15minutes to compose myself and I was back seeing patients. Now I'm no expert but when I he asked me what I wanted to do with a patient and suggested at 10 til 5pm that we admit a little girl with a resp rate of 70+, deep cough and raspy lungs, RSV and hx of pneumonia it would have been nice to maybe ponder the idea instead of waiting until 6:10p to do it. But again I'm no expert. Tomorrow's my favorite day - Tuesday.