DYING TO DIE

I could write a whole blog about end of life. Was on palliative consults this week, and can't believe how many families are like, "when God is ready to take him/her, that's fine, but until then continue to aggressively treat them [with painful, futile, inhumane procedures that only extend their suffering]."

I just want to scream and pull out my hair!!

Modern medicine allows us to extend life indefinitely with tubes and machines and chemicals, but these people are already dead, for all intents and purposes. I know it's enormously difficult to let a loved one go- but at some point you have to realize how selfish it is to keep them suffering because YOU can't let go.

Waiting for God to "make the decision" will NEVER HAPPEN. That's because it already happened, when we put the tubes in, turned the machines on, and started dumping the chemicals into them.

TGIF

Another great thing about consult months: Fridays are really Fridays! And no worrying about patients over the weekends- their primary team can deal with that mess.

'ROID RAGE

Don't consult a team for a question if you're not planning on listening to them at all.

Ask about giving steroids, and then give them even though we said it would be inappropriate?

Fastest way to get us to sign off.

CONSULTING FIRM 2

Love those 4:45 pm consults.

Sir, your patient will be seen in the morning.

CONSULTING FIRM

First month of consults. First off, I don't have to be up at 5 or stay late. In fact, since we didn't have any patients for the first two days I got to leave by 3:30pm!!

Consult months = weekends off, no prerounding, no hand offs!

COUNTRY GRAMMAR

Love that I write up the whole case report and everyone else wants a piece of that pie. I asked them to at least add SOMETHING and all I get is "I'll email you a few grammar suggestions." Not sufficient people!

(By the way no one ever emailed me those grammar suggestions. Hope it wasn't too bad because I already hit the submit button!)

SHORT COAT ENVY?

Finally the sense of terror is starting to recede, no longer craving my short coat like a passifier.

WAKE UP CALL

I've now pushed 2 patients who thought they were years away from dialysis over the edge, and both are now on dialysis...so sad. (Hey neither were ACTUALLY my fault.)