I just ended week 3 of pediatrics, and my first week in the pediatric emergency department. So far, the ED is going okay. The morning is very boring because there are no patients. So, I basically bring a book and read. Usually about 11am, it starts to pick up. We get the routine patients: sore throat, stuffy nose, fever. And then we get some interesting ones: 15 year old who was dunking, fell, and subluxated the radius/ulna. His wrist/forearm was shaped like an "S". Very cool, for me of course, he was screaming in pain. I got to interview the 1 year old with Kawasaki's disease. I missed actually seeing it in the ED because the patient came in the evening. Apparently, the signs/symptoms were very apparent. By the time I saw the child Friday morning, only a hint of those remained.
Of course, Friday was extremely busy in the ED (day after Thanksgiving and many kids have it off). The day started off slow, but by 1pm, the waiting area was packed. I had the pleasure of doing my first psych eval/interview on a 17 year old who "wanted to see a psychiatrist". This particular patient had a history of bipolar, cutting, and suicidal thoughts. During my interview the following exchange occurred:
Patient: Are you single?
Me: (trying to refocus the interview): I am more interested in talking about why you are here.
Patient: I don't mean to offend you....I just think you are F*****G hot!
Me: So, when was the last time you though about suicide
Patient: I really think you are F******G attractive!
Me: (Just standing there, waiting for an answer to my previous questions)
Patient: Who knew I would be so into a doctor?
At this point I decided that interviewing the mother may be more beneficial in obtaining answers to my questions. Eventually, the patient answered my questions but not without referencing "my attactiveness".
Around 3:30pm, we received a 15 year old female who had 2 seizures at home. The resident and myself were about to collect blood work when she seized. I had seen a absence seizure before during internal, but never a generalized clonic seizure. For almost 5-6 minutes, this poor girl was shaking, eyes rolled back in her head, and some muscles fixed/rigid. We tried to pry her jaw open with a jaw-thrust to keep her from biting her tongue. We applied oxygen, and tried to suction her mouth. After the episode she remained unconscious. We quickly collected urine samples and blood samples. By this time it was 5:30pm, and the attending said that she was just waiting on CT scan so I could go home. I felt so sorry for the girl, but inside, I was ecstatic! This whole episode reinforced my desire to become an Emergency Physician (not that I really needed it: I got more than enough reinforcement from my surgery and medicine clerkships).
So, I have one more week in the emergency department and then 2 weeks on the floor, and then pediatrics will officially be done. 6 weeks flies by so much faster than 12 weeks :)
Lets briefly talk about thanksgiving. I decided not to go home and stay in NYC. So, I got up early (4:30am) and headed down to the Macy's Parade. I got a great spot on 57th and 7th. I waited there for 3 hours, but it was well worth it. The parade live was so much better than on TV. I never knew that the handlers of all the balloons chant the name of their balloon as they walk in the parade.
So, as the handlers of Spider-man walked by they were all chanting "Spidey", "Spidey", "Spidey" in unison. I heard "Kermit", "Buzz", "Kitty" (as in hello kitty), "Dough boy", and many more. In addition, everyone in the parade was so happy and nice, yelling out "Happy Thanksgiving", throwing confetti, and high fiving people along the route. I had a great time and I am so happy I went!!
After the parade, I took the subway down to Chelsea and watched the movie New Moon. It was okay. I think you needed to read the books before watching the movie to fully appreciate what was going on because they left alot out. I then ate my dinner at the Malibu diner. I had Turkey, mashed potatoes, carrots/peas, stuffing, salad, bread, pumpkin pie, and a glass of wine - all for $21.95!! YUMMY! After dinner, I walked around the city for a while and then headed home. Overall, a very adventurous and fun day!
I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving, and if you shopped on black friday, I hope you survived!! I will be home in 3 weeks!! Take care.
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