one week left

In case you were wondering, DRH has one of the largest hyperbaric oxygen therapy chambers in the US. We can smuch 14 burn victims into one of these:

Here's an inside view:

My prison, where I roam the halls wearing the white mantle of surgery slavery:

One week left of surgery! New 2nd and 3rd year residents on the team. Just counting my days until I can get back to a daily sleep schedule. I've got pediatric EM next which means I still don't get a normal sleep schedule, but at least I get to sleep once per 24 hours and my nights are rolled forward. Come to think of it, really no doctor ever gets a normal sleep schedule. Well maybe PMR/rehab doctors? Can't think of any physiatry/rehabilitation emergencies that require an on-call attending. Psych has emergencies, radiologists have to take call... maybe dermatology.

The worst part of being on-call so often is that I often forget where I parked 38 hours ago. Stupid parking deck.

Also I never have time to eat or pee during floor call so I've lost about 6 lbs since the beginning of the month -- this despite eating utter crap when I do find time to eat. Mostly candy bars, odwalla, cliff bars, espresso drinks with cream, mac n cheese from the hospital cafeteria (it's always under the heat lamp and takes 2 seconds to get some), mountain dew, and chewing gum to keep the hunger at bay and fight the coffee breath. I wonder if I'll get a bladder infection from holding it too long ....

Interestingly, my skin has not reacted to all of this -- it looks the same as it always does. So surgery so far makes me thin and unhappy.

Side note - last eye appointment tomorrow. Cleared to wear contacts again, yesssssss!

And here is a picture of the family, driving to the mall:

I'm so tired

I get cranky pretty fast nowadays, and my body is slowly giving out on me. Climbing 2 flights of stairs makes me winded. This is the price of working 36 hours straight with no sleep and only 2 meals during that time period. I'm relying heavily on espresso to keep me going. Driving home after a call shift is the worst.

Still, life on the floors is getting easier. And the more trauma codes I watch and participate in, the easier it gets. I've been using my limited made-up Spanish, too. No mueve senor -- un dedo en su anus!!

Alrite my eyeballs are getting better. I have yet another follow-up appointment this week, getting fitted for contact lenses.

The dog is continuing to be a learning experience. She's still painfully wary of Dan, but coming out of her shell a bit more. She's more vocal and physically affectionate now, which is nice. However she's still so nervous I think she's having trouble with her anal glands. That's a whole story I won't go into because it is more disgusting than entertaining.

And, I'm getting married June 2010 in Palos Verdes! People be on the lookout for save-the-dates -- when I finally get around to creating them.