Every morning sometime around 6am, I get a visit from Cara, a third year medical student. She asks how I'm doing that day, and we talk about any changes in my symptoms. She does a physical exam, and often apologizes for her cold hands. They feel nice on my skin in my overly warm room, though. She comes in so early because she has to be prepared to report on my case every day to the medicine team, who does their rounds a couple hours later.
When the team does come in, it's a rotating cast of characters. The attending physician, along with a handful of residents and interns, move from one team to another every couple weeks. My Hem/Onc team is different as well, with Dr. Bowles having been replaced by Dr. McDermott as the attending. Nurses change even more frequently. I might have the same nurse 4 days in a row, then see someone entirely new. But the one constant, besides Dr. Patil, has been Cara. It's reassuring to see her smiling face first thing every morning.
Everyone around me seems to be in a constant state of training. The residents, interns, and students are learning from the attending physicians. Dr. Patil, the Hem/Onc fellow, is in training to one day take on the role of Dr. Bowles. And I realize everyone is learning from me, and all the peculiarities of my individual case.
I'm learning too, way more than I ever wanted to about chemotherapy. In a somewhat masochistic way, I feel lucky to learn about things like this first hand. I could never get the same depth of understanding from an outside perspective.
Happy Labor Day!
I know, no one says happy Labor Day, but why not?
When the team does come in, it's a rotating cast of characters. The attending physician, along with a handful of residents and interns, move from one team to another every couple weeks. My Hem/Onc team is different as well, with Dr. Bowles having been replaced by Dr. McDermott as the attending. Nurses change even more frequently. I might have the same nurse 4 days in a row, then see someone entirely new. But the one constant, besides Dr. Patil, has been Cara. It's reassuring to see her smiling face first thing every morning.
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| Cara |
Everyone around me seems to be in a constant state of training. The residents, interns, and students are learning from the attending physicians. Dr. Patil, the Hem/Onc fellow, is in training to one day take on the role of Dr. Bowles. And I realize everyone is learning from me, and all the peculiarities of my individual case.
I'm learning too, way more than I ever wanted to about chemotherapy. In a somewhat masochistic way, I feel lucky to learn about things like this first hand. I could never get the same depth of understanding from an outside perspective.
Happy Labor Day!
I know, no one says happy Labor Day, but why not?
Happy Labor Day! You sound like an interesting and educational specimen, m'lady.
ReplyDeleteI hope that your recent blood transfusion has made your cheeks rosy. Also good luck tomorrow with your test. You might want to have a fight song in your head - like "Eye of the Tiger." Definitely please watch this video for inspiration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btPJPFnesV4. Keep watching that video over and over.