Lessons Learned

Another month, another last minute last-day month post. At this rate, I'd be out of the blogging world in no time.

Well, August has come and gone the miles of hallways I've walked while doing rounds have officially crashed my body's odometer. Yet despite a fever (of unknown origin) and a depressed immune system, I forge on (jeez, the dangers we go through to take care of others, and sometimes forget ourselves).

Lesson number 1: Fate is twisted.

I've noticed that in a residency, there is always that certain consultant you mess up against. My co-resident Mush manages to get by with his slick hairdo and eyebrow-raising with most consultants, but goofs up against a certain cardiologist, who has corrected him several times from brand names to updates. Another co-resident Ian, drew the ire of a particular neurologist since I introduced him as a newly accepted resident, and since then he accidentally lost the signal of an important telephone call while updating him and he had vehemently emphasized they were not done talking.

For my part, I seem to spaz out with a certain pulmonologist from seemingly being nervous on updates (I try to talk fast, so I finish fast, so forgive me for seeming out of breath), to not intubating a patient in distress (the patient's family had opted not to intubate the patient, and he was sleepy-slurred in giving instructions).

Fate is truly twisted as much as it is wonderful sometimes.

Lesson number 2: The beating you get in a conference or some Q and A, is inversely proportional to the amount of preparation you had for the said event.

Faced with an unexpected turn at presenting a case at our weekly ICU Conference (which IMO is a bit weird being we present and defend management that are entirely not of our own choosing), I chose yet another doozy of a cardio case of Digitalis Toxicity. I wasn't ready having just prepared the slides the day before with Tonette. So basically, cramming was the only option. And that I did, thankfully, I managed to study the right stuff, and came up with some original facts for everybody to digest. (Hah! Hyperkalemia is protective for DigTox! But up to what level, I really don't know).

Lesson number 3: Sleep when you can.

I miss going back to sleep when waking up in the morning.

I vow to write more. But with the upcoming deadlines, aaggghhh...

Case reports, census (censi or censuses?), ECG's to read, books to read, reports...

September 30 it is. Hahaha
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Congratulations to Stephanie for passing the boards!