Haven’t had one of these for a while! Reading through it, I see I was complaining about the weather even back then…
From: Kirsty Jordan
Sent: Friday, 18 August 2017 1:17 p.m.
To: Wellington Anaesthesia All Staff
Subject: Race
Hi All,
Feeling a bit too overwhelmed to comment on global events today, when it seems like we are all going to Hell on a handcart (or a fast car). Although I did enjoy this joke I saw the other day: An Islamophobe, a racist, a sex offender and a white supremacist walked into a bar. The barman says: “what’ll it be, Mr Trump?”
Had a busy time this week. Had to take my car in to get assessed for repairs after I crashed it the previous Wednesday. I was fleeing in terror from an overaggressive rubbish truck and ended up reversing into a bollard. (What on Earth is the point of a bollard, anyway??) I watched a video on you tube on how you can fix dings in your car with a jug of boiling water and a bathroom plunger, but I think I’ll leave it to the professionals this time. Then on Tuesday I went to dinner with the neuro team. We went to Noble Rot, which is very flash, and certainly has a very extensive wine list. Much to my chagrin I accidentally ordered a $147 bottle of wine (the waiter talked fancy to me! I got confused!). Spanish on Wednesday (hola to Sheila who is in the class after mine); and then parent teacher interviews last night. I’ll be very glad when the girls finish school and we can dispense with these things. It’s like a depressing version of speed dating. At times like these I catch myself thinking: “ I must apologise to Mum for making her go to these all those years ago!” Too late for that now: sorry, Mum! I’m guessing she understood it’s just part and parcel of the crap that comes with parenting: having your spare time (and money) sucked away from you is in the mix with guilt, shame, and anxiety*. Yay!
I would hazard a guess that our staffing levels next week are at record low levels. We have 25 anaesthetists on leave next Thursday. Most of the senior registrars off next week are sitting their part 2 exams: best of luck, guys! The SMOs are at two completely different meetings (or “junkets”). Some are frolicking on the beach in Bali (“airway course”), and most of the rest are frolicking in the snow in Queenstown (“AQUA”). Many thanks to everyone left behind for being so understanding, and for those working extra to help keep things running.
Tuesday
I am DA.
Starting to feel the staffing pinch.
Claire and Kirsten doing a paed case in the morning with Mark S, a 3yo with a pancreatic mass too sick to go to Starship apparently.
Similarly, Simon B has a patient on the acute list with a platelet count of one**, who is in urgent need of a splenectomy and is too sick to be farmed out to Auckland. Let’s hope this patient wins the fight for an ICU bed over the cardiacs, a gyne onc case, the paed, and the Whipples, because Simon is flying overseas in the very near future. Golly the DA today is going to earn their salt! Oh…
…
Hope you all have a lovely weekend, and don’t get wet or blown over (boy am I sick of chasing my wheely bin down the street!). I found out by chance yesterday that I’m on call this weekend, fingers crossed it won’t be too busy as I have tickets to see Dunkirk at the embassy on Saturday night. (Too optimistic? Anyway, if I wasn’t doing that, or, indeed, working, I’d be ferrying teenagers around to various pre and post ball events, so I’ll take the risk.)
Cheers,
Kirsty
*of course, I wouldn’t be without them for the world
** I’m thinking of running a competition to name this one lone platelet. Any ideas? And, no, I will not accept “Platelet McPlateletface”