ticktockman

Wheee, update time. Needless to say, school keeps me fully occupied. I have very little time for fun, and when I take it I seem to pay for it later. The exams are going...alright, but I'd like to do better. I'm self-competitive, so not getting an A irritates me no end. I'm at the half way point of the summer term at least, and after this will be 4 weeks of pure relaxation before fall begins. No idea what I'll do with my time, but it will begin with a well aged bottle of wine meeting its tasty end.

Some things I've enjoyed this semester:

Favorite conversation in my med-surg clinical (mostly post-op GI patients)

My patient's RN: So the doctor is taking him off blood glucose monitoring. You won't have to do that anymore.
Me: Is the doctor aware that his patient is an insulin-dependent diabetic who no longer has a pancreas?
RN: Really?
Me: Really.
RN: Let me get back to the physician about this.

It's a very nice hospital, but it amazes me sometimes what people miss. Seriously.

Most fulfilling moment

I went to the men's crisis unit at my psych rotation last Monday. It's mostly full of very mentally ill people dangerous to themselves and/or others. Paranoid schizophrenia, major depression, one guy who was "kind of outside the DSM." But one patient was different, and he was the guy I decided to interview. Long story short, he has a shitty life not particularly of his making. A tumor that gives him seizures, a wife that left him with their son, lost his job, lives with his parents in a powerless sty. No surprise that he tried to kill himself. But I talked to him for a good hour, brought up ways he could take advantage of some of his talents, and basically tried to provide an optimistic but realistic appraisal of where he was at. His demeanor had changed completely by the time we were done. He was smiling and obviously thinking of what he could do when he got out of the mental hospital. At the end he told me, "I don't want to give you a big head or anything, but talking to you has really helped."

I'm not very into the psych rotation, but this is exactly the kind of thing I had hoped for going in. Most of the people I encounter are barely functional even with meds. This guy just needed another look at where he was at and some advice. Hopefully it works out for him.

Pictures of me looking all medical and stuff follow. Damn, forgot to wear my stethoscope; just imagine it for yourselves.

Tomorrow I'll be at a men's substance abuse shelter run by people who have been through its program. Should be interesting. I hope everyone is enjoying their summers. I'll finally enjoy mine on July 26.

Cheers,

-TTm