Tough Day

July 7th, 2004

Wow, today was quite the day. I'm quite emotionally exhuasted. I have just completed day 3 of my anesthesia elective, and wow, i've learned so much. It has really been great. My preceptors have been incredible. They're one of the funnest bunch of docs so far. The OR staff have been incredible...and periodically, my Dad who works in the same hospital comes and 'checks on his baby'... oh dear.

I have been so intrigued by medicine..by anesthesia...eventhough I can't see myself going into anesthesia, but the mechanisms are fascinating. So i'm behaving like a nerd...reading up in my little spare time and spending way too much time in the hospital...my preceptor made me go home at 9pm today. ha!

But it was a tough day today. One of my preceptors tried to teach me how to start an IV, and well, the first one was pretty disasterous...with blood gushing all over my preceptor's un-gloved hand...and the other, well, that didn't work either. Add the fact that my small hands seem to have trouble with holding a patient's jaw and pressing an oxygen mask onto their face...and that makes for a pretty tough day. I felt like a failure, I honestly wanted to cry. Plus i'm reading alot and studying, but it's all mumbo-jumbo right now.

So i took a 'breather' for a few hours to go to the dentist (not my idea, it was pre-booked), and worked out with some blaring worship music and the bike/elitical, and then went back to it. But as i said, i got sent home at 9pm. Apparently, he thinks 'I"m crazy' to want to hang out there like that.

OK, gotta do more studying...i leave for Angola on Sunday...things are happening too quickly. If you read this, reply, will ya? i'm feeling kinda lonely.
love,
s