2009 in review

Only a few hours left in the year. Time to reflect, meditate, grow.

Has not been a good year. I tried to write my annual Christmas letter...it was a real downer so I didn't print it out to include in the cards I sent out.

I am grateful for a wonderful husband. He and I are opposites in personality, but we mesh well together. He has truly lived up to his vows 11 years ago and I love him all the more for that. He is my best friend and we make the other better.

I love my two kids. I am blessed with healthy kids. They are great fun to be with. Parenting truly is my hardest and most important job.

I have terrific friends. Went out last night karokeing with several. They are great for venting upon and making me laugh when I need it.

I do love my job. I can't imagine doing anything in medicine other than OB-Gyn. It's just who I am. I am grateful that the hospital supports the clinic so I can focus on the medicine part.

I have a roof over my head, food in my pantry, the ability to walk without crutches, and dogs running underfoot. I need to stop being such an Eeyore and focus on what's right, instead of what's not.

May all of you have a healthy and happy 2010.

Brag

So I'm out with the girl, shopping for her brother's birthday presents. We stop to eat at a small Indian joint, where she is truly a pleasure to be with. We chatted and ate. Good food, good company. It's a nice way to spend a day. Plus she's the only one who will eat Indian food with me, so we find excuses for "girls' dates" frequently.

Afterwards, the waitress came up to us and complimented her on how well-behaved and mature she acted. The waitress was surprised to hear that she was 9, she thought DD was a 12 year old.

Dear Son

If Mom is in bed with her eyes closed, there is NO need to poke her and ask "Mom are you sleeping?"

Love,
Mom

Luck

There's a lot of it in medicine. I'm a relatively young doc, but even I'm starting to have quite the collection of cases that make you shake your head in amazement. And in rural BFE, support staff may or may not be available (we just got an interventional radiologist a couple of months ago) so it's on us. And if the patient isn't stable, I'm not shipping out...

I had the rep as a resident as a "shit-magnet". One day, as we were scrubbing into a true crash section, the attending looked at me and said "Jonesy, you really ARE a shit magnet!!!"

Some people walk out of the hospital when they should not have. I have had cases where 19 units of PRBCs ended up being transfused after a standard vaginal delivery. Aortic dissections in pregnancy are NOT a good thing...the CV surgeon looked panicked when he realized about the viable fetus. Hell, on that one I pointed out I can get the kid out in 30 seconds, it was his part that could kill her.

Blown ectopics with liters of blood in the belly. "Where is the tube?" is going through my mind as I'm pulling out clot after clot to try to see down in the pelvis.

A vaginal laceration can be deadly...or at least close. Had one in residency where the woman's partner was wearing a chunky ring that gave her quite the tear...had to repair it in the OR at 3 am. The attending was less than happy to be called in for that. Vaginal mucosa has an abundant blood supply and she ended up needing several units of blood. The attending that was called in then related another story about when he was a resident and had a similar case.

Term demises. Really hate them. Nothing good about them. And most of the time there is no explaination.

Many times, skill creates luck, but there have been many a time where just sheer good luck has prevailed for me. OB is lucky, our patients are young and can withstand a bigger insult than an older, less healthy patient. Sometime, though, my luck will run out. Law of averages.

Christmas morning...

7:01 A.M. I am greeted with a slurp from a dog, a girl telling me that it's after 7:00 just like I told them and a little boy singing "It's Christmas, it's Christmas, it's time to open presents!" over and over again until I start moving.

7:10 A.M. Fist cup of coffee is being drunk.

7:11 A.M. Presents start being opened.

7:47 A.M. Presents are all opened.

8:30 A.M. Homemade donuts are being devoured.

8:45 A.M. Laughter from the note Santa left:

Dear Kids,

Thank-you very much for leaving out the plate of goodies. The gingerbread men looked very tasty. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to eat one of them myself. Mrs. Claus has been telling me that I'm becoming just a bit too much of a jolly old elf myself, so I'm afraid it's just carrots and skim milk for me.

Dasher and Dancer, however, are very partial to gingerbread men and they tell me that they were delicious. Rudolf wanted one too, but they make him gassy and I've still got to ride behind him for the rest of the night, if you take my meaning. Tell your mother that the reindeer said "thank-you" for baking the cookies.

Yes, we're a bit warped.

Musings

9+ hours is a loooooonnnnnngggggg time to be in the OR. Mom seems to be OK, but talking to her is frustrating - she's very hard of hearing, and misunderstands phone conversations constantly. Plus she's still on a Dilaudid PCA, so she's loopy too.

Did you know Santa has a cell phone? It's how I threatened my kids into behaving today. ;)

Who in the HELL wants their hip replaced today? Yes, it was on the OR schedule! I saw it when I went in to do an ectopic from the ER.

Couldn't get everyone discharged today, so I'll have to round tomorrow. Grumble.

Merry Christmas!

Waiting

Mom's surgery was scheduled at 2 pm today...and she was wheeled back at 2:10. She's still in the OR, which is one long fricken time. Hope the surgeon has a foley in him! ;)

DH is up in Michigan, texting me updates. Last one was about an hour ago.

At least this call night is being kind to me...(tempting the call gods, but, oh,well).