The term “surgical misadventure” always kind of cracked me up. It sounds silly and in a way totally minimizes what really should be termed an “inadvertent blunder” or a “f*ck up”. Anyway, recently we had one in the ER that while technically not “surgical”, was nonetheless an invasive procedue gone wrong. Luckily, the outcome [...]
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This past week, someone I know very well was hospitalised for several days after an operation. Little did they know, July 1st is the day new interns start and all the existing residents move up one year to new responsibilities. I don’t think anyone keeps track of such things but if they did, I might have the record. In a 12 hour shift, I (well, myself and two other docs working at the same time) had SIX patients with acute appendicitis! The surgical resident was about to hurl himself under [...] In general, we are supposed to listen to our spouses. We should entertain their ideas and opinions, offering input when appropriate. We should not interrupt, overly impose our views, or give each other grief. However there are times you have to just tell your spouse to shut the hell up and do what you gotta do. The [...] I am all in favour of an appropriate use of health care resources in the ultra elderly. After, all they don’t have much time left regardless so why perform heroic measures? Especially if they are demented, bedridden, or otherwise have a very poor quality of life. Another option, however controversial, would be a Dr Kevorian consult. [...] This weekend I was discussing some of my residency experiences with some friends and family thought, isn’t it strange how you look back at one of the most toxic and painful times of your life (horrible schedule, getting yelled at, no sleep, no money, etc) with fondness!? I guess it is true what Neitzsche said: “That [...]
Remember the game “Operation” growing up? You know, the one where you reach into an electric “patient’ and remove things like a “broken heart” or the “funny bone”? If you touched the sides of the trough as you extracted the “organ” you got a little shock and [...] |
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