to the orthopedist YAR!!!

Oct 15, 2007 14:20


Originally published at Perches in the Soul. You can comment here or there.

SO I went to an orthopedist today to make sure I have someone around if there are any mishaps during clinical rotations and in case my hip fails and I am not on my parents’ or residency insurance.

Its a pretty funny story in a way. SO I get escorted from the waiting room to the exam room and the aide comes in and asks so are you supposed to have x-rays? I reply, “Well I am a new patient but i would assume they want AP/Lateral Pelvis.” I get an amused glance. She sticks her back out the door for about 30 seconds and then says yep. Ok right this way.

I got radiated for about the billionth time (my poor future mutated children….and mutated little pre-cancerous cells). Then I went back to the exam room. Then a nurse comes in and says she wants to clarify my history. I feel for her. My surgical history is long, convoluted and sort of unbelievable for a 23 yr old medical student. Anyways, we get through it, she seems confused. I try to help her. I spelled K N I E S T (LK, it was only once this time….and as far as I know there was no googling
) and explained it.

Then the doc came in sans resident or medical student which immediately made me like him. Then we go into a 5 min dance where he asked me some unrelated questions about what I wanted to go into (he had no idea what peds rehab was beyond…oh so kids with spinal cord injuries?…but thats typical), what year I was, then asked me where i was followed as a child, what my Dad did, where my parents lived and finally so Kniest, what does it do?

I explained it. I realized just how weird this was for everyone, a 2nd yr explaining a diagnosis to a clueless attending. We looked at my hip x-rays. and decided they were not that bad (by not that bad he means no surgery, for a 23 yr old there were that bad…if that makes sense…really no change though since last year) So next year? Do you think you will have any problems? I will be like everyone else except on wheels everywhere except surgery. I don’t that should be a problem, you can stand for like an hour right?

On a good day but I can’t stand for 5 consecutive hour procedures even then.  “Oh” he says.  “Also I don’t think that would be good for my joints.” I say. “OH” he says.

(captain subtext says: Oh my freaking gosh, you are joint surgeon…this should not be a big surprise…I use a wheelchair a W H E E L C H A I R to get around, I can’t stand for 7  hours….some days I can’t stand for 7 minutes)

Then NO LIE…he gave me a 10 infommerical on the wonders of doing an orthopedic rotation next year. Initially I was like where is this going but then he gave me a nugget of info for which I will always be grateful. Hand and foot surgeons SIT DOWN when they work. He ends with, “Come hang out with us, we could make it work., it would be no problem” I thanked him after an effort to downplay the shock that must have been all over my face….me play orthopedist? well I suppose I do thrive on irony.

He examined my hips well he sort of did with me sitting in a chair and then was like if you have emergencies next year or need to be seen right away here is my e-mail. I was really surprised it was his professor e-mail the one that I would use to ask him a question about lectures. I was like, are you sure sir, this is sort of abusing my patient/medical student privileges. “Well, there has to be some privilege to being a medical student, right?”

Right..

what a weird, weird doctors’ appointment…

SITTING DOWN SURGICAL ROTATION…..SITTING DOWN SURGICAL ROTATION SITTING DOWN SURGICAL ROTATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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