call me...

Well, I stated yesterday that I would post on my blog... however, at that time, I was unaware of the duties that I would have to take on today. A time at work and not for play... to be at work ALL THE LIVE-LONG DAY.
That's right, it got sprung on me at work today that I will be taking call tonight. So, without preparation, or the chance to go home and get what I need to spend the night here I sit with a moment of time between other moments of time where who knjows what will happen. Call is like a pinata... of sorts. Sometimes you just keep swinging and swinging and are always on edge; and nothing happens. Then sometimes when you get a hit you get more than you can handle. I suppose that sometimes it makes me feel more like the donkey whose tail needs pinning on, but that is another party game for another time.
This grab bag of plastic surgery call fun has started in a semi-exciting way already. There was an accident in which an 18 month old boy got some facial lacerations over his left forehead, through his eyebrow and on his eyelid. In this wound were imbeded shards of glass among other things. It was something that probably could have been handled in the ED in 20 minutes with some ketamine sedation. However, the interesting part of the story is the dynamic of the mom and dad... Aside: The mom and dad have 9 children [mom is about 40 and was being evaluated in the ED as well] and belong to the Church of God. Admitting to my nievete, I am quite unfamiliar with this denomination to the point that I have never heard of them. They are, I was informed by a minister, like a pentecostal type structure with strict beliefs like Johovah Whitnesses [minus the blood transfusion ethic] and believe in the traditional family heirarchy very strictly. The issue is that when it came time to get consent from mom, she would not allow us to sedate her child for the procedure. She seemed to insist that we do the procedure without sedation. Thinking that she may be irrational, we contacted the father who would not give consent when he was told that there is a small fraction of a possibility that putting his child under anesthesia would cause respiratory depression and death. Well, he then said to talk to his wife. So, upon talking to the wife again, she told us to basically keep running around and talk to her husband because there was no way the her husband would tell us to talk to her... HE IS the decision maker; apparently. So, eventually, he got to the hospital and we got consent for the OR. This is because he felt better having anesthesia taking care of the sedation and having his son intubated. Whatever. So, we went back to the OR [finally after two hours of going through this consent process] and did the 15 minute procedure of suturing up a few of the facial laceration after a thorough wound cleaning. It was really cool, for me [don't mean to be selfish] becasue I got to use some of the smallest sutures that I have to date. I believe that we used 6.0 catgut [Dad, if you read this, you would know what I mean]. It was also neat to be suturing on the face as first assist right across from the attending and have him say I was doing a good job [small pat on back]. Anyway, enough of my little excitement... the kid did well and has been sent home and should heal well. Funny thing about the family... all the children have the first letter of their first name beginning with 'A'. Well, that has been my night thus far... we will see how the rest goes. I suppose that I will write more at a later time and date... so, until then, if you have any q's just ask or comment.
-Garry

needlestick

What a day... what a day.
needless needles
needles needless
I will add more tomorrow after some more thought and perhaps some time since this incident. Poor Annette. Hopefully everything will be ok. First times can be frustrating and nerve-racking, making you sweat right where you stand.
Spotlights, heat, eyes piercing your flesh in disgust as the needles pierces the glove, then the skin, only to draw blood.
So, I stuck someone today during surgery with a needle. Whoseever fault it was, so I was carrying the gun so to speak... and fired. Truly accidental, I am to blame. Luckily for Annette all of the bloodwork has come back negative on the patient at this point. However, she is 6.5 months pregnant and had to get some Rhogam. What trouble I caused. I was nervous enough excising the keloid and suturing up all on my own, let alone trying to finish up after that incident. After work, I called her to make sure she was ok... and she feels that she is to blame. How silly such thinking. She says she got in the way. How silly such thoughts. Well, an exciting day for the first day of this acting internship that I will not soon forget lest lessons aren't learned. I strive to not get to shaken by this and hopefully from now on things will smooth down and go better. One mistake can not weight on my mind to heavily... which would be how mistakes beget mistakes. So, I bid adeau and good night and try to rest my ever racing mind. There seems to be more fuel to the fire as the flame of thougth in my mind seeks water to be quenched.

if you have wings... fly

It is not every day you find yourself entering a house with a bird contently perched upon the porch. It could be anywhere, soaring above the houses and ground below, high in the sky. Does it mean anything that it feels like it is sitting there, waiting for you to come home? Waiting to give you an unspoken gift, an moment of awe and humility, the avian animal makes all the world seem serene and at peace. Maybe the gift of comfort and peace, solitude and harmony sits right before you... you just have to notice it...

evening events

Well, the fabulous 9/20... as it turns out today is my roommates birthday [Happy B-Day BEN]. While he is out having a merry ol' time I have decided to stay home and try to clean up my room some more, work on school stuff and other chores that need to be done in order for life to continue on... in fact, it will continue on wheter or not I do those chores, however it may be more pleasant or take my mind off of things if I go and get those things done. Compartmentalize. Separate in space, time and thought. Make haste to think about nothingness, the void where all fails to exist and nothing does. To be lost in those dark depths of silent tranquility where memory has no name and reminiscence has no face. Where nastalgia succombs to a brick wall following the present, to not unveil too much of the past. Ahhh, a rambling course of adjunctive self-conversation to be at one with my thoughts. So, I think I must go and write in my journal, jot with the pen and jostle the whirlwinds in my mind and heart.

Disc Golf

Playing disc golf with my dad... it sure was a blast to get out and walk around, enjoying the beautiful trees, the calm weather and the joys of fresh air. It is a setting that is good for the soul; to relieve stress when present and enhance the calm when at peace.

Time with the fam...

It sure was nice having Rory and April down here for a bit and to get a chance to hang out with them. I am unaccustomed to having family so close. Truly, I cannot wait for more to come... as you can see by the 'jumping for joy' excitement in the pic.