Saturday, January 15, 2011

Saturday Morning Thought Invasion

Tobie has been in London for the week, and I have been missing his sweet face. Yesterday he and his parents returned (yes, they are still visiting). It is lovely to have him back. I never sleep well when he is away.

I woke up early this morning, just a little of the gray light starting to illuminate our bedroom. I looked over at Tobie, his face silhouetted against the window and thought,

"no signs of exopthalmous".

How romantic. 

Being in medical school seriously fecks up the way you look at the world.

Like yesterday also, I was sitting in my histology class and I noticed my prof had a long, surgical looking scar running along the lateral aspect of her leg. Her voice turned into a drone as I pondered, "did she need surgical repair of her fibula? I wonder how she broke it? Maybe she needed a fasciotomy for compartment syndrome? Wrong side for the usual vein harvest, maybe she had bad varicose veins?"

Then I realized, it was a run in her pantyhose.

I really need to get a new hobby.

5 comments:

Grumpy, M.D. said...

You develop sort of an "X-ray vision" where you see things you normally wouldn't.

Like in nursing school, you notice the veins on others and think about how you'd start an IV in them.

In my field, a trip to the mall or store or whatever often results in you noticing things in the walks and movements of others: Parkinsonism, mild paresis, ataxia, kinetic tremors, facial asymmetries, etc.

Sometimes I want to hand out business cards and say "I can help you with that." Obviously, I don't.

Although recently, one of the internists I work with noticed an older lady he was talking to on a flight had a resting tremor, and gave her my name. She was very grateful, and is now fine on Sinemet.

Estelle said...

Hahaha.
I can comepletely related. Like Grumpy MD said, when I first learned to put in IVs, I started noticing veins everywhere I went.

Albinoblackbear said...

Grump--It's true (I still look at veins with an appraising gaze, even on models in magazines).

I have felt the need at times to cross all levels of decency and stranger-boundaries as well with regards to problems that could be fixed (the hardest one for me is not adjusting ill-fitted slings or improper crutch walking).

Some interference (like your intern) obviously can be so helpful, but I've never been brave enough to speak up.

Estelle--I don't think that habit ever goes away. I subconsciously palpate Tobie's veins when I rest my hand on his arm until he realizes it and withdraws in horror (he's very squeamish). I don't know why he's freaking out and looking pale and then he'll say "you were doing something MEDICAL to my arm!!"

hahahha

Ain't love grand?

Cartoon Characters said...

AlbioB: you crack me up....the subversive checking of veins...HAHAHAHA....ya it NEVER goes away. I have been nursing for 33 plus years and I STILL check veins.....also notice a lot of other things........ :(
Its a burden sometimes.....

Dianne said...

I check veins too, and find it hard to not surreptitiously assess people everywhere I go.