dreaming of albuterol

entrenched
i forgot how much being on the wards sucks you in. i went to bed last night and dreamed about breathing treatments and oxygen masks (although my subconscious mind took a brief detour to a more fun segment where this blog’s hits were exploding to katheats-like proportions . . . ha!).

yesterday was ROUGH: i sent a patient to the PICU and unfortunately it was quite a messy affair with upset parents. clinically, the patient is fine; i only wish i could replay things to allow them to unfold in a more peaceful manner. i guess i did learn from the experience, though.

i left the hospital at 7:15 pm. it actually would have been much worse had the gracious intern on the other team not agreed to help out with an additional admit — so i’m very thankful for that! i’m also happy that i got a run in during the AM. it really did help me get through a challenging day, and i know that missing out on my workout fix would have made getting home so late FAR more frustrating.

taking a step back . . .

20 more days on the wards.
5 more 30-hour call shifts
4 more days off (should have been 3 but i switched with someone!)
3 more clinic days
3 more ‘regular’ days

not that i’m keeping track or anything. this is not a countdown per se; this is just a reminder to me that this lifestyle is finite and very much short-term. meaning: there IS light at the end of this tunnel, so i might as well put my all into each day and try to get as much out of it as i can. for example, knowing that i won’t have to get up this early forever makes it easier to do so for the next few weeks.

bending in the wind
one thing i’ve learned is that while dealing with a schedule like the one i have now, it is important to be flexible. no time to run an errand? it can probably wait – just put it on the list. getting out of work at 7:15 pm? probably not enough time to grocery shop AND cook, but how about dinner at whole foods and bringing home groceries?

works for me.

therefore, i have nothing to display from my latest cooking endeavor other than a quickly assembled (but colorful + tasty) laptop lunch from yesterday:

tempeh with tamari, baby carrots, colby jack stick + pretzels, kiwi

————————————————————————-

5.3.10

workout: 4 miles outside, some hills, ave. 8:38/mi + super-quick yoga session (mostly just a series of downward dogs to planks for stretching purposes!)

reading: HA.