Hips

D's brother N. sent lovely almond christmas cookies, and red tissue paper, which Moby knew was just for him.

Winter whoooshed in, although it didn't feel as cold without the wind.

Weird day, obvious from the schedule, and it got worse. One nurse called in late, due to problems from the wind damage the day before. By then, I'd already set up the room, and assumed I'd be there, which I was. She got there as the first case finished, and a bugger of a case it was too. The next room along call it #2, had a surgery that went to hell on a greased slide with a handbag full of lead. Poor B had a difficult day. And room #1 - and it's surgeon- had to wait four hours for the surgeon in room two to finish, because surgeon #1 needed surgeon #2, as it was an unfamiliar procedure to surgeon #1. Surgeon #1 is not known for his patience, his catchphrase is "I feel myself Waaaiiiiting....." But he held it together pretty well, for him.

Room #3 was just three straightforward hip arthroscopies, but that surgeon had a much simpler knee scope to wedge in somewhere. Hip scopes are complicated set ups, takes a bit of time and a few hands to turn a room over to a knee, so we try to set up a different room instead. Given the delays, that looked unlikely. By 1500, I was scrubbed into the hip scope, and delighted when the knee scope went to .... room 2. So, once we were cleaned up, I went in and offered B relief. She accepted with near-glee. She certainly had the worst day, at least the other room had a gap. And it seemed good karma to kick her out. Surgeon #3 is very quick with these, so I figured it wouldn't be long. The other circulator and the charge nurse also stayed to get everything put away before we even left the room with the patient. One of those days that ends with good feelings and gratitude.