Night Fever

what's that?

it's november 4th 2005? really?

well that can mean only one thing...

it's time for a week of nights.

yes that 6 weekly funfest of rocking into work when everyone else has gone home to sort out all the crap that should have been done during the day, and pacing the spooky corridors at 3am trying to find a coke machine that works, has returned.

i'm sure i shall be informing you of how it goes (why are you holding your head in your hands like that?)

in other news:

had a good day yesterday! got into work to start the usual "copy the blood results from the computer which isn't working into the bleeding blood results folder because the printer doesn't work," when i was asked by one of the registrars (the one that i did my last weekend with) if i could go and help her with a sick patient on another ward. well i wasn't going to say "no sorry i'd rather sit here with all this paper" so off we toddled.

turned out he was bloody unwell and needed lots of stuff doing to sort him out. so one hairy transfer to our HDU (high dependency unit) and one central line (like a big drip line but one that goes into one of the more massive veins in your groin or neck) later he was "stable". poor guy though. i don't think he will do very well. he's about 80 and not in very good nick in general, exceptionally friendly (we'd often talk about our common support of a certain premiership football team which shall remain undisclosed in case i lose readers) and with a very supportive wife. because he's got so many other medical problems the amount of medical intervention that can be done is limited (ie. his physiology would not be able to tolerate for example general anaesthetic for an emergency operation). i always find this difficult - knowing how far to go when treating someone who is this sick. the decision is normally taken out of my hands (ie down to the consultant) and in this guy's case our management will be what is known as conservative - ie we're not going very far at all. difficult.

also went to clinic which was good. nice to have a change of scene - and get off that bloody ward. still got to do my letters from clinic... grr...

and finally: the high point of the day was that i went for a late drink with one of my old bosses from when i worked in intensive care to see if he could sort out my life. he's a decent bloke and it was good of him to take time out to listen to my woes. obviously i didn't get the elusive answers i was looking for but it was really worth getting another person's perspective, especially as that person is someone i respect and not one of the TOTAL WANKER consultants that you come across in day to day life. and then the whisky came out and conversation degenerated into decent bands, good films and toilet humour (the recipie for an awesome evening.) but i'll talk about the general "career" gist of the evening tomorrow (i see your head in your hands again.)

anyways.

off to put my flares on. it's time for some (week of) night fever.

[i am listening to Island In The Sun by Weezer]