Thrombectomies = 2
Right, now, where was I? Oh yes… the French… what a wonderful people! So kind, so friendly!
One of the radiologists is actually an Israeli neurologist who is doing a two year fellowship to become an interventionist. She’s desperate to get a job in Australia eventually so is being terribly helpful to me. I’ve tried to explain that I’m actually from New Zealand but she just brushes it off, so that’s fine I think. Got my first GA stroke case today, and it was laughably straight forward. Don’t know what all the fuss is about.
The anaesthetist whom I wrote to about coming here then invited me to go for a little walk with him and his daughter after work. Rather than a gentle stroll to a playground or whatever, and in a sadly typical fashion for this sabbatical, we ended up rock hopping for two hours, scrambling up 650 metres over 5 km for two hours. His daughter is in her mid20s, ex French national champion in motocross and award winning cyclist.
The photo doesn’t capture the sweatiness of the moment, luckily.
After we’d finished our trek, we went back to their house for dinner – a mine field for a social inept such as myself. Note the whole afternoon and evening is being conducted in French as Eric and his wife speak no English. We arrived back at seven and she is completely flustered because we are so early. No refreshments, wine, food or anything is offered until 8:30, when we sit down for an aperitif and nibbles. Then a guest arrives for dinner, an anaesthetic registrar who is a friend of Eric’s and another super fitness nut. He comes over to me and kisses me on both cheeks, Oh God it’s super awkward and I can tell there was supposed to be a third cheek kiss in there somewhere but I pulled away too early and now it’s too late. And is it air kisses and/or “mwah” or pressing cheeks together or actual lips touching actual flesh? Horrifying for anyone with anglo-saxon heritage. And I still have no idea what his name is. Eventually we moved to the table, and had the pate course, followed by a veal casserole. Everything was going swimmingly, although I may have drunk a little too much as I was so dehydrated from our walk and I hadn’t had lunch. My daughters will know, however, that when the red wine came out with the main course, that there was trouble ahead. I still have no idea how it happened, but during the cheese course I suddenly found myself with a full glass of red wine shattered at my feet, and a cheese knife impaled in the side of my hand. Very difficult to come back from that with your dignity intact, but everyone was very nice about it, and after dessert and another round of kissing (3 per cheek, all round), I was dropped back at my Airbnb. So, I’m thinking on balance it was a good day but it’ll take a few hours of anguished introspection to really get some perspective.
Anyway, it’s the weekend.