The night shift with Dr. Syska
I was with Dr. Syska last night from 9am to about 6:30 I was supposed to get out around 7am but I got out early. It was an eventful night and I was totally intrigued by how cute Dr. Syska was. There wre many pts that we saw today that had significant stories. The first pt. whad been attacked by an american pit bull. She sustained many lacerations all over her body. She tried to save her friend from her friend's own dog that was let into the house and started attacking her. She tried to run away but the dog kept biting at her. She then ran to her home, but could not get inside because she did not have a key, the whole time the dog was attacking her. She was saved by her friends that drove to get her and let her inside the car. There were bites, abrasions, and lacerations on her back, thigh, and even eye. She had a through and through laceration on her eyelid, that luckily did not go through her eye. They had an opthamologist come in and repair the lac to keep her eye safe. Then there was a 21 year old boy who suffered a gun shot wound in his thigh and one shot grazed his temple. He was in the trauma room where all the nurses and the trauma doc tended to. I could see that he was consicous through all of this. He kept looking at me because I was in his direct path. I just turned away, not trying act like I was too curious.
Also, there was this 83 year old woman who was at a casino & had a syncopal event. She fell and had a LOC and then she hit her head on the rung of a bar chair. What was very facinating about this case was that she was awake during the exam, and answering all questions. Dr. Syska suspected that she had sustained compression fractures to her spine too. It was not a good story. He ordered a head CT which showed that she had suffered a brain bleed. Or what they say a subdural hemorrhage. This was crazy. This happens when blood enters your brain from an injury and puts pressure on your brain causing a "midline" shift. When the ventricles of your brain are not in center as they should be. This is lethal.
As time passed, we noticed that this pt. had become unresponsive. The nurse kept trying to wake her up, but she was not responding. Dr. Syska then decided to intubate her (put a tube down her throat so she had respiratory support) just for her own protection. The pt did not need it completely at the time, but it was for her own safety. He quickly decided to act, beause she had gotten worse. He called the OR (operating room) to have her transported there immediatley.
The only way to relief a subdural hemorrhage is to drill a hole into her skull and relieve the pressure and drain the fluid that was pushing her brain away from the center.
This is a critical condition and needs extreme measures.
I sat there, so very curious as to what was going on. I could not believe all of this, in the time being that the night was going on, that this 83 year old woman, was slowly going to become a vegetable, or possibly even death.
It was a very sad thought to think. It makes me want to become a doctor even more so. When I saw Dr. Syska intubating the pt. I just thought to myself that her life was truly in his hands. It was a very very inspiring moment.
Lately I have been really trying to focus on my studies. This semester.. I plan to get a 4.0 GPA. Last semester during summer, I got a 4.0 taking just biol 196.
Spring semester I got a 3.45.. I really have to work hard because the med schools I want to apply for, all have a median of a 3.72 GPA.. around there.
I really have to push myself, and I really feel that God is really guiding my life...
Also, there was this 83 year old woman who was at a casino & had a syncopal event. She fell and had a LOC and then she hit her head on the rung of a bar chair. What was very facinating about this case was that she was awake during the exam, and answering all questions. Dr. Syska suspected that she had sustained compression fractures to her spine too. It was not a good story. He ordered a head CT which showed that she had suffered a brain bleed. Or what they say a subdural hemorrhage. This was crazy. This happens when blood enters your brain from an injury and puts pressure on your brain causing a "midline" shift. When the ventricles of your brain are not in center as they should be. This is lethal.
As time passed, we noticed that this pt. had become unresponsive. The nurse kept trying to wake her up, but she was not responding. Dr. Syska then decided to intubate her (put a tube down her throat so she had respiratory support) just for her own protection. The pt did not need it completely at the time, but it was for her own safety. He quickly decided to act, beause she had gotten worse. He called the OR (operating room) to have her transported there immediatley.
The only way to relief a subdural hemorrhage is to drill a hole into her skull and relieve the pressure and drain the fluid that was pushing her brain away from the center.
This is a critical condition and needs extreme measures.
I sat there, so very curious as to what was going on. I could not believe all of this, in the time being that the night was going on, that this 83 year old woman, was slowly going to become a vegetable, or possibly even death.
It was a very sad thought to think. It makes me want to become a doctor even more so. When I saw Dr. Syska intubating the pt. I just thought to myself that her life was truly in his hands. It was a very very inspiring moment.
Lately I have been really trying to focus on my studies. This semester.. I plan to get a 4.0 GPA. Last semester during summer, I got a 4.0 taking just biol 196.
Spring semester I got a 3.45.. I really have to work hard because the med schools I want to apply for, all have a median of a 3.72 GPA.. around there.
I really have to push myself, and I really feel that God is really guiding my life...