Pokes

Low autumnal sun, cuts under the brim and pokes our eyes. Over 93˚F,34C - irritates.


Eleanor immune, seemingly.

Sunflowers looking ratty and sad. Minimal thinning so far, but I think it's time to hack and slash. Their day is done, all gone to seed. Some will remain for bird perches.



Nearly got sideswiped then run over by a large construction truck last block from work this morning. Nothing like a good start to the day.


Hand surgeon asked me about my wrapped finger, so I told him in accurate shorthand, and that his colleague had examined and x-rayed me on Friday. Dr. H. says "ok." Subject dropped.

Later, a resident who I find utterly obnoxious, and always have, who uses my first name way more than is normal in conversation, comes in and notices the wrap.

"Zhoen. You hurt your finger?"

"Mm." Acknowledgement, but deflecting in the extreme.

"Zhoen. What did you do?"

"(silence)" None of his business, he-who-cannot-take-a-hint.

"You should have Dr. H look at it for you!"

"(silence)" (Anyway, I'm busy.)

"ZHOEN!?" As though I couldn't possibly be ignoring him.

"Yes?" Yup, I know you've been being nosy and inappropriate, what do you want, Doctor?

He finally twigs that I'm not telling him anything. He's not my doctor, I am not, nor would I ever ask the little asshole for advice, ever. I've seen him screw up way too often, out of ignorance and stubbornness. Entitled twit.

Most doctors, in training or otherwise, are bombarded by requests for medical diagnoses by family and friends, strangers, and at some point in medical school, actively avoid involvement unless it's clearly appropriate. Those of us who work with full fledged doctors, will have them make a quick check if we have an issue, well within their area of specialization. And even that we do only with great discretion. Sure, I've gotten basic directions on sore knees and fingers, lumps and concerns. Only of the surgeons I've most respected, and am most comfortable with. These are very short, to the point, and wholly in jargon. If it looks like more is needed, we are eager to simply make an appointment. Mostly, the MDs wave that off, and consider it a professional courtesy, which we accept as a kindness, not a right.

I have never before had a resident push to offer his opinion. If I've ever given this particular one any encouragement, it was all in his mind. Because I've striven to always do the opposite. He struck me as incompetent, argumentative, and useless from the first day he barged into the OR, contaminating himself, then refusing to be corrected.

In the OR, if anyone sees a potential contamination, the hard rule is, it's a contamination. If in doubt, throw it out. Doesn't matter if it's the Medical Director of the hospital being told by a first year visiting nursing student, if something got touched, dropped too low, the ONLY response is, "ok, may I have a new (whatever got contaminated)?" No defenses, no excuses, if someone with the right view saw something, a correction will be made. For the vast majority of times, that is exactly what happens.

So, when an intern blows in, does something blatantly wrong, and two old surgical nurses tell him No, and he Argues it? ("That's what they do in the Cath Lab!") That was my first meeting with this dude, and I've never seen anything to change that initial impression. He must've gone to a Dale Carnegie course, or maybe EST, at some point, as a kind of charm school, which makes him ohsomuch worse.

He will be gone one day, and another with a different set of abrasive character traits will arrive. Such is life. Thankfully, he is the rarity, not the norm. Most of the folks who come through, and those who stay, are decent, intelligent, hardworking and capable.

Closed on Friday, so I plan to make a lot of sink progress this weekend.

Finger stable, if nowhere near happy yet. Long, slow, process, healing tendon/ligament.