2 months remaining... to the day
So where I left off last, it was the end of January, it was in the dead of winter, I was sick, and I was working. Well some things have changed since then. It's the beginning of May. It's spring and today was beautiful (so beautiful we spent the day lounging outside and Sean and I both acquired sunburn, oooouch). I'm currently healthy, but allergic to... something.. probably pollen the dogs bring in on their coats at work, cos I'm constantly coughing. The only thing that hasn't changed is that I'm still working LIKE a dog. I just started the dreaded ER 1 rotation (last one, w00t).... this rotation is the one with the Fri/Sat/Sun overnights and the 3 days straight of stress and sleep deprivation. Not fun. I'll be REALLY glad when this is over. This as in the rotation, but this as in the internship. I am really getting very tired. You can do anything for a year, but this has certainly been a hellacious year.
Other things going on.... so that vacation? Booked. Only thing is, most of the people who were interested bowed out. So the only people who are going are me, Sean, Annie, and Janice. It'll still definitely be fun though. I'm excited... I haven't been on a vacation in 2 years (since the little mini one to the Bahamas that Sean and I had in 2008). We're going to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. All I can think of is sitting on the beach with a drink in my hand, the sun on my face, listening to the ocean waves. That's really all I want to do right now. Just to allow a year's worth of exhaustion and stress to seep out of my core into the sand and leave it there for good. I CAN'T WAIT. We got our passports in the mail, and we've gotta meet with the other two to discuss little details as things get closer. And of course, we have to pay the travel agent the remainder (and pay Annie once she returns from Hong Kong). I swear, that girl is a travel nut. I wish I got around the world as much as she did!
Last week, Raven became pretty sick. She vomited, wasn't eating, and was quiet.... and if you know Raven, you know two things. She loves to eat, and she is loud as hell. So I brought her in, and did diagnostics. Rads were pretty boring, bloodwork was sent down the lab, and while I was waiting for that, I put her on the ultrasound table. Lo and behold, her gall bladder was enormous. And then her bloodwork revealed sky-high liver values and Tbili. Boo. :( Hillock ultrasounded her the next day and found evidence of pancreatitis. Which, he said, would fit more with the acute onset of her clinical signs and the fact that she is painful. He thought the gall bladder was an incidental finding.... but he said the GB was definitely a mucocoele, and that it would need to come out, lest it burst and cause bad juju in her abdomen. So she was hospitalized and I was stressed the whole time haha. She responded well to therapy though, and was actually able to come home the next day (she prooooobably could have used another day on fluids, but she was screeching and I couldn't handle it; plus she was eating and not vomiting). So we'll recheck her liver values this weekend to see where they're at. She's on a week's worth of meds, a low fat diet, and of course Actigall. Hillock said we should recheck her spec CPL in 3-4 weeks and make sure it's normal. Then if it is, she can go to surgery to remove the gall bladder. I'm definitely nervous about that.... but she's my old lady, and I definitely don't want to wait til the gall bladder starts causing serious issues. Most people sent their support and good thoughts, and I definitely appreciated it. So for now, we're feeding her twice daily and offering her her oral meds, and then we'll deal with the surgery later.
Eeek... time has slipped away from me. It's almost time to shove off and start the overnight shift... bleh. Last night was terrible for Alisha, she looked exhausted this morning. I know it's probably going to be the same for me, and I'm kind of dreading it. Until next time....
Other things going on.... so that vacation? Booked. Only thing is, most of the people who were interested bowed out. So the only people who are going are me, Sean, Annie, and Janice. It'll still definitely be fun though. I'm excited... I haven't been on a vacation in 2 years (since the little mini one to the Bahamas that Sean and I had in 2008). We're going to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. All I can think of is sitting on the beach with a drink in my hand, the sun on my face, listening to the ocean waves. That's really all I want to do right now. Just to allow a year's worth of exhaustion and stress to seep out of my core into the sand and leave it there for good. I CAN'T WAIT. We got our passports in the mail, and we've gotta meet with the other two to discuss little details as things get closer. And of course, we have to pay the travel agent the remainder (and pay Annie once she returns from Hong Kong). I swear, that girl is a travel nut. I wish I got around the world as much as she did!
Last week, Raven became pretty sick. She vomited, wasn't eating, and was quiet.... and if you know Raven, you know two things. She loves to eat, and she is loud as hell. So I brought her in, and did diagnostics. Rads were pretty boring, bloodwork was sent down the lab, and while I was waiting for that, I put her on the ultrasound table. Lo and behold, her gall bladder was enormous. And then her bloodwork revealed sky-high liver values and Tbili. Boo. :( Hillock ultrasounded her the next day and found evidence of pancreatitis. Which, he said, would fit more with the acute onset of her clinical signs and the fact that she is painful. He thought the gall bladder was an incidental finding.... but he said the GB was definitely a mucocoele, and that it would need to come out, lest it burst and cause bad juju in her abdomen. So she was hospitalized and I was stressed the whole time haha. She responded well to therapy though, and was actually able to come home the next day (she prooooobably could have used another day on fluids, but she was screeching and I couldn't handle it; plus she was eating and not vomiting). So we'll recheck her liver values this weekend to see where they're at. She's on a week's worth of meds, a low fat diet, and of course Actigall. Hillock said we should recheck her spec CPL in 3-4 weeks and make sure it's normal. Then if it is, she can go to surgery to remove the gall bladder. I'm definitely nervous about that.... but she's my old lady, and I definitely don't want to wait til the gall bladder starts causing serious issues. Most people sent their support and good thoughts, and I definitely appreciated it. So for now, we're feeding her twice daily and offering her her oral meds, and then we'll deal with the surgery later.
Eeek... time has slipped away from me. It's almost time to shove off and start the overnight shift... bleh. Last night was terrible for Alisha, she looked exhausted this morning. I know it's probably going to be the same for me, and I'm kind of dreading it. Until next time....