Monday, February 18, 2008

glasses

This morning I went to the eye doctor because I've had my current pair since high school. I have ambiopia, which means roughly that I only use one eye well. I got a pair of really awesome Gucci glasses (I figured if insurance was covering a portion of my Gucci I may as well spring for the remaining cost):
The downside was that after I left the office, I had to wear sunglasses to class because my eyes were dilated, and I couldn't read what I was writing for about two hours for the same reason. So I felt like an ass and I couldn't see. This afternoon we had to go practice our interview skills on a random Parkland patient, and we had the BEST PATIENT EVER. Why? because she was perfectly healthy up until she had sudden onset of a very classic presentation of disease.
That NEVER happens. usually patients are a mixed bag of diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, heart failure, and maybe a stroke or kidney disease or gout or schizophrenia mixed in (seriously. last week a patient began giving us recipes for yogurt smoothies and then his wife told us how he stopped up the toilet and it took her two hours to unclog it). People never have simple disease process at a county hospital that serves the destitute for free. They wait until they are vomiting blood or feel like their chest is ripping into two pieces before they come in. Then they get put on 10 or more medications and a morphine drip and stay in the hospital until they are at some acceptably reduced risk for imminent death. The system makes very little sense and it's hard to sort out and try and diagnose five problems that are all intertwined. So the simple patient was a blessing.
We started Neurology this week and it's pretty terrifying. 40 lectures in 3 weeks, with about 120 drugs. yikes. pray for my patience.

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