Well, I knew that it was too good to last.
Busy night. Not because of the number of patients, but the type of procedures and the type of patients...
I had a cervical and thoracic spine to do on a lady that fell out of her attic... two days ago. She was fairly young, 30 or so.
Now, I can usually complete these exams in 10 minutes, even on difficult patients. It took me 35 minutes to get her done.
Ten minutes to remove all of the jewelry that would interfere with the exam. She found it necessary to pause occasionally and tell me how much she hurt. Like every ten seconds or so.
Then, when I got her set up for the exam, she would not stop talking... and she had to turn and look at me every time she wanted to talk to me. So she moved. And I would set her up again, and she'd think of something else to say, or rather a different way to say the same thing... that she hurt when she moved.
I patiently explained to her that I didn't WANT her to move, I wanted her to SIT STILL so I could get the x-rays done.
Finally, I got a really sub-standard set of films done on her... all negative, of course.
One fairly standard set of films that we do is called an obstructive series. We're looking for (duh) an obstructed bowel or possible free air in the abdomen, which would indicate a bowel perforation. We do these exams on people with abdominal pain.
Three times last night, it took me a half-hour to do the films on different patients, because as soon as I would get them into position, they would start vomiting. Not their fault at all, of course... but more time to take the films and then to do the clean-up necessary... and the smell, and my sinuses have cleared up, for a change.
Anyway, the night was not really fun, the way that I like my nights to be, and the way that they have been lately. I been lucky, up until last night...
They weather continues to be pretty crummy, and I don't mind if it continues for another few days, but I will insist on a nicer weekend. I am owed a nice weekend. If there is any fairness or justice in this world, I will HAVE a nice weekend. I don't really know what I'll do with it, but it is necessary that I have that choice...
OK. More tomorrow...