Our first patient this morning had the phases of the moon tattooed on his arm.
Oh goody! I thought – someone else with an interest in astronomy. But no, his conversation with my technician revealed that it was part of his interest in yoga. Apparently, for his version of the practice, the phases of the moon are very important, because of the high content of water in our bodies. There was also something else about it, but he confessed he didn’t really understand it himself. Something to do with shakras? I was able to keep my face neutral during this discussion – after all, this part of a procedure is a busy time for the anaesthetist. Luckily my tech was able to fill the silence with some chat of his own. “My first wife used to change with the phases of the moon.” He said “She’d be out there in the garden in the middle of the night, baying at the moon.” As everyone else in theatre was female or gay, this sally didn’t get quite the reception he was expecting, but it did get an eye roll from me.
It’s lucky it’s Monday morning and my bullshit tolerance is still high after the weekend, that’s all I can say.