#455

Another day, another headache. No bueno. Thanks for the genes, Mom and Dad. Funny thing, last month I worked on a group project to develop better therapies for migraine headaches using 1 billion dollars in 10 years - think of it as medical school fantasy football - and while my group aimed solidly for the "worst project" or "most improved," we actually won best group project in our category. (Okay, second best after the MD/Ph.D. students whose title should tell you all you need to know about their unfair advantage. Nevertheless, that was an amazing project.) This was quite a surprise win, and many people in my class (including my group) were quite amazed. I won a signed copy of this book, which is totally awesome. And today, I'm kind of wishing I had that billion dollars...


Last night went pretty well. The first hour was busy discharging the patients before midnight and the whole pumpkin-turning thing, the next two hours were crazy as we got near losing a patient to croup and were arguing with the anesthesiologists about how to get the kid to the OR for emergent intubation, and they were arguing with the ENT docs who didn't want to be surgical back-up who were arguing with the trauma docs...In the end, the patient did just fine if you can call being alive on a ventilator progress. But with croup, it's only temporary, and absolutely the safest thing for him. He should probably go home in a few days. And what a cough! We could hear him miles away.

The back half of the shift was more organized chaos, filled with lots of first-time parent-itis, and it was bliss to have such a calm emergency room that we could spend half an hour or more with parents talking about routine virus care, why that hernia is okay, what to do for constipation, etc, etc, etc...Any day I can spend giving reassurance advice is a good day in the ER.

I've been struggling a while with my decision to go into pediatrics, what with Match Day only two weeks away. I worked with one of the best residents ever last night, a Medicine-Pediatrics guy, and the quality of teaching I received made me a little sad I hadn't chosen the field. They are just so darn smart. But hanging with the kids and the parents made me feel like yes, I was doing the right thing, and hanging with the residents made me realize this too. Pediatrics residents, unlike any others, are a particularly salty bunch. Sure, they're jaded like other residents, but they tend to channel their anger in humor and pointed comments as opposed to plain rage at everyone around them. I like that. You'd never imagine how much cursing goes on in the nurse's station...Still have a long way to go. Couldn't remember my definition for colic, the Rochester critiers, had never heard of the Ottawa rules for ankle injuries, almost ordered a chest x-ray ona 3-month old whose lungs magically cleared because all he needed was a good cough. But babies, oh the babies! Delicious and squirmy and cute and vocal. I think I might like this. For the rest of my life.