National Nurse's Day!

May 6-12 is Nurse's Week. A whole week! I feel like there should be fun activities every day, or some sort of subdivisions to the week. And a carnival! For instance:

May 6: ICU and ER Nurse's Day, celebrate by riding the Cardiac Monitor Roller Coaster!
May 7: Pediatric and Geriatric Nurse's Day, celebrate by eating soft foods!
May 8: Outpatient Nurse's Day, celebrate by running the 10k Foot Race/Obstacle Course!
May 9: Surgical Nurse's Day, celebrate in the Nursing House of Horrors Fun House!
May 10: Inpatient Nurse's Day: celebrate with exciting competitions like "Who Can Juggle the Most?!" and "Speed IV Placement!"
May 11: School Nurse's Day, celebrate by going to the park with a gaggle of kids!
May 12: Labor and Delivery Nurse's Day, celebrate by playing Midway games like "Catch the Baby" and "How Big is This Hole?"

In honor of Nurse's Week, and Nurse's Day, I would like to thank all the wonderful nurses that have touched my life.

First and foremost, of course, is the nurse that brought me into this world. The first, and always most important nurse I have ever known. I am, of course, referring to the Labor and Delivery Nurse present at my birth.

Haha! Of course not. Though I'm sure that nurse (whoever she or he may have been) played an important role - making sure I was breathing, not dropping me on my head and all that jazz - the most important nurse (and the best!) in my life is my mom!

Here she is, at what I believe is the beginning of nursing school. She is with her friend, and my godmother, Jean. Don't they look all young and cute in their uniforms?

And here she is at graduation.

I loved going to work with her and seeing all the medical-y stuff when I was growing up. While I wasn't smart enough to follow her lead to become a nurse, I did follow her steps into the medical field. And thus, nurses have continued to play a large, and very welcome role in my life.

From the nurses in medical school, who tolerated my presence with a minimum of annoyance and only occasional (light-hearted) threatening...

To the nurses on Davis 7, who were an absolutely integral part of my education...

To the nurses in the PICU and NICU without whom many a resident (including me) could have royally screwed up a child's life...

To the clinic nurses, who have to be the bad guys and give all those shots that we insist the kids get...

To the ER nurses, both at Davis and Memorial, who are often first in the room and have to let us know who is sick, and who is less so, all while tackling 20 other tasks...

To the Memorial L&D and post-partum nurses, who I think have one of the most reliably difficult patient groups and family situations possible...

To the Memorial ICN nurses, whose presence at difficult deliveries always makes me breathe a little easier...

To the Memorial Peds Nurses, who I could not function without...

And to my friends who are nurses, who I know are the best kind of nurses there are.

I don't know if I am just lucky, but I have had a life filled with so many amazing, intelligent and compassionate nurses. I suspect it has more to do with the field of nursing in general and less to do with my own luck!

So, thank you to all of you!

I'll keep working on the Carnival idea, because I think just having a week in which we are supposed to celebrate you isn't quite enough.

May the Fourth Be With You

It may not be an official holiday (except for those who practice Jediism), but today is Star Wars Day!

While I always appreciated the Star Wars movies, they have held a special place in my heart since about 7 pm on June 26, 2007. Give or take an hour. That was when the Man Who Would Become My Husband became very solemn and told me he had a secret. As I leaned in closer, I feared what dark skeletons may lie in his closet; I listened with 'bated breath and I will never forget the words he spoke. He leaned forward, crinkled his brow and declared, "I really like Star Wars." I, equally somber, replied: "I really like Harry Potter" (this was, of course, mere weeks before Book 7 was released) And thus, a relationship was born.

I will say, for a man who brought up Star Wars within hours of meeting him, Marc really isn't crazy about Star Wars. And by crazy, I of course mean this man:


He does watch the movies frequently, but usually at bed time, and even then it is interspersed with Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, or whatever movie I choose to put in. He does, however, appreciate a good Star Wars product, which makes him super easy to buy for. Star Wars mug? Check. Star Wars wall art? Check. Star Wars toy light saber? Check.


I appreciate the good Star Wars product myself (though I'm still more drawn toward HP paraphernalia).

Like this:
I want it! Check out the light saber scissors on the cover. Awe. Some.

To further celebrate Star Wars Day, I will leave you with some pictures of amazing, and not at all over-the-top craft/art projects that I would willingly have in my life:
Death Star Watermelon!

Carbonite-bound Han Solo? Cool.

Already got the pattern printed out, and plenty of yarn waiting to be Ewok-ified.

Only the smartest babies travel by AT-AT.

It's cross stitch, but I'm sure it could be altered into a knitting pattern.

Happy Star Wars Day to everyone! (and let me know when Harry Potter day is!)

...my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes... -Yoda

National Teacher Day!

I have decided that I will celebrate a different holiday every day this month. Because of my procrastinatory skills, I already missed May Day and Holocaust Remembrance Day.

But I certainly didn't want to miss National Teacher Day!



I may not be in the majority here, but I loved school. (May explain why I went through the 20th grade - 23rd if you count residency) Certainly a large chunk of that was my friends, but the experience of learning new things, and the feeling of accomplishment I'd get from doing my work well... that was great! If I hadn't had the right teachers at the right times, though, I'm sure it would have been different. There are certain teachers that are indelibly part of me - I think of them, and decide to try just a little harder, or to listen more, or to look at something from another perspective.

Once upon a time, I thought I could be a teacher. Then I took a summer job teaching an arts and crafts class. Arts and crafts - easy-peasy, right? Not so much. I got just a hint of what I would have been like as a teacher, and it turns out, I'm not very good!

I have some friends that have become excellent teachers, though - the kind of teacher I would have loved as a student.

So, yay teachers! Here's a day to celebrate you. Not enough for all that you do for your students, the future, and humanity as a whole, but thank you all very much.

If a doctor, lawyer, or dentist had 40 people in his office at one time, all of whom had different needs, and some of whom didn't want to be there and were causing trouble, and the doctor, lawyer, or dentist, without assistance, had to treat them all with professional excellence for nine months, then he might have some conception of the classroom teacher's job. ~Donald D. Quinn

Dinner on the River

Discussing the umami-ness of the meal.

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Beauty Everywhere!

I'm at work. Again. This is my fifth shift in the past 12 days. By the time I drag my weary self home tomorrow morning, I'll have been at the hospital on 10 of the preceding 13 days. I am tired of being here, and bored of looking at the same things over and over and over again.

Like the break room:


But today, even in the midst of my over-worked ennui, the beautiful orchids by the window caught my eye.They've been there forever - or at least since I started working here (almost 2 years ago!)

I don't know who brought them, or who maintains them.
I certainly can't keep a plant alive for more than a month or two.

But these plants are gorgeous, and certainly a much-needed reminder to appreciate the beautiful things in life.
Even when you'd rather be any where else in the world!

Incidentally, my 5 shifts in 2 weeks works out to be about 60 hours a week. Significantly less than what I did as a resident during the busy months. Only two years out of residency, and I already canNOT imagine going back to such a ridiculous life. Or how I managed it in the first place!

Slow Day at Work = Easter Origami!

Two bunnies and a flower! Brightens up the call room significantly.

Incidentally, my phone auto-corrected "bunnies" up there to "junkies." Gives it a whole different perspective. Also, I don't think I could make Origami junkies.

But perhaps I should try?

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Spooky!

The post-partum area in our hospital is in serious need of remodeling and updating. I would venture to guess that the last time it was re-vamped was about 1988, complete with pastel prints of happy children on the wall and dirty off white and teal-ish vinyl floor tiles.

Several months ago, the artwork was (thankfully, mercifully) replaced with some wonderful pictures of babies taken by a local photographer. SO much more appropriate than the Children of the Corn paintings up before.

In the last couple of weeks, they tore down the grungy pastel wallpaper, and re-painted the eggshell white walls a more beige-y white color, which is much easier on the eyes.

And now they are finally replacing the floor! Hooray!

Post-partum happens to be quite slow (aka lacking in patients) at the moment, so they sent those patients over to the Pediatrics area. Leaving me in my little call room, with this scary looking, half torn up floor right outside my door.



I appreciate the coming metamorphosis (changing to a faux wood linoleum flooring), but I'm a tad spooked by the empty, run-down looking view I get when I leave my room. It feels like I've fallen into a scary B movie, where I'm trapped in an abandoned hospital with a psycho clown killer... Gonna make for some great sleep tonight!

The Day After

A picture I just came across (on my camera, of all places) of me and Marc, the afternoon after the wedding. I still have on a LOT of make up, as I neglected to wash my face after the wedding, or to take a shower the next morning. That's just how I roll.

And, Susan - name the date, and I'll meet you in Florida :)

I Dream of....

...Disney.

I haven't been to Disney Land since July of 2009:
Check out my intensity. I totally rock at the Buzz Lightyear ride.

And I haven't been to Disney World since December of 2007:
Christmas castle!

Anyone want to join me? Bonus points if we can do Disney AND Harry Potter world (or whatever that is called)

Say Yes to the Dress: Sisters!

A few weeks ago, I was able to go home for a short (like 24 hours short) trip to do some wedding dress shopping with my sister. Melissa is getting married to her own Mark (awesome name) in July. It was great to be able to see my little sister try on some dresses as she prepares to become an extraordinary bride herself. And, I was lucky enough to be there to see the dress that she ultimately chose. Woo-hoo!

I got some fun pictures of the day, and finally got around to loading those onto my computer today. It inspired me to go back to my own days of trying on dresses to compare. We're awfully similar...

If your name is Mark, you should leave now. But if you are Marc, you can read on. Subtle, but very important distinction. (I won't actually post pictures of the dress she is going to wear, but she will be shown in white...)

We had a pre-dress meal:
February 2010

February 2011. Apparently, being a bride makes Melissa more genteel.

We smiled a lot:



We tried on dresses with pleats:



We pretended the dresses were eating us/we were melting:



We frequently adjusted the dresses:



We had fun with the trains:



We tried on dresses that weren't quite our style:



We even had the same reaction to the same dress:



At the end of the day, Melissa found her dress at this store, while I thought long and hard about getting this one:
but ultimately went another direction.

Now, all that's left is seeing Lindsay try on dresses!!

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Having a pint of Guiness and a chocolate chip cookie to celebrate

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Bring Me Pi!

It is March 14 - aka "National Pi Day." You know, for 3/14, like 3.14, the first few digits of pi. Which, if you'll remember from school is a number that has something to do with circles. And is a number celebrated by nerds and geeks everywhere. I'm not totally certain what the exact appeal of pi is. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that the number, which is universal for ALL circles, NEVER ends! Computers have calculated it out to over a trillion digits. A trillion! It is like the Girl Scout song - a circle's round and has no eh-end, except here it is Pi is about circles and has no eh-end.

Anyhow, in honor of National Pi Day, I've decided to make a list of Totally Useless Super Powers. Not that it has anything to do with pi, or circles, even, but useless super powers are totally geeky/dorky/nerdy, like the love of pi.

Useless Super Powers
by, Brenna

1. The ability to levitate Pringles out of the can
2. The ability to fly, but only in an eastward direction
3. The power of invisibility, but only to babies
4. The ability to change the font of any printed material
5. The ability to win every game of Solitaire
6. Laser snot
7. Knowledge of every plot twist
8. The ability to pull off any fashion accessory
9. The ability to draw a perfect circle (ha! I got circles in there!)
10. Being impervious to tongue scald burns
11. World's strongest ring finger

That's all I've got for now.

What Totally Useless Super Power would you make for yourself?

Shadow Man!

Got to do a little wine tasting in Sonoma County today with some great friends. We had to try wine at the castle! BTW, castle wine isn't any better than non-castle wine.

Here's a picture Tom was taking of his shadow. Heidi, Dana and I snuck into the background.

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Natty Gann Says...

...bed's taken. Better find some place else to sleep.

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Invasion of the Bed Snatchers!

For many reasons, I wish I had a perfect memory*. Not the least of which would be the fact that it would allow me to remember all the funny/awesome or even tragic/depressing events of my life. As it is, my memory is pretty shady and selective.

For instance, earlier today, I related the story of how my neighbor used to trace around the lines of coloring books super dark, then fill in the area lighter, and how that drove me crazy, and how I yelled at him from coloring that way in my coloring book when I was seven. But, for the life of me, I couldn't tell you who I shared a locker with in any of high school (if anyone).

The point of the reminiscing, is that I feel like I should write more. When I look back at blog posts of olde, I am instantly transported back to the setting I was writing about. It's like a time travel machine, and it is awesome. The same is true with journaling, but I'm as sporadic with that as I am about actually writing in my blog.

Well, I have decided that, for today at least, I am going to write about my day. I have been hesitant to do so for fear of violating HIPAA - the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which figuratively ties our lips about referencing anything that could possibly maybe sort of let someone else figure out what patient you may or may not be referring to.

Thus, I cannot write about: the really cool diagnoses I've seen; or: the mother who got her kids mixed up for almost a whole day; or even: the multiple complaints/rants I have about various situations I have been in in the past year and a half. So rough! I'd like to write about it more, though, so I'm going to try.

Today started out like any work day. I got up, got ready, drove to work, hoping the entire time that I wouldn't walk into a hectic service. I logged onto the computer to see how many patients I would have, saw 7 (not so bad for March), then did a double take at one of the names: Hortensia (not actually Hortensia, but an equally old-lady sounding name that doesn't quite have that 'so-old-fashioned-it's-cute' sound to it). Then I looked closer, and realized that Hortensia was 83 years old. I looked even closer at the list, and saw that 3 of the 7 patients were over 40 years old.

Adults! On my floor! NoooooooOOoOOOoOOOOOOOOO!!!!


They've been threatening to put adults on the pediatrics floor forever. We moved to a new, bigger (and much, much, much nicer) floor in December. We always knew they intended to put adults on the floor when the hospital was full. And last night, it happened.

Now, for those of you not familiar with the difference between pediatrics and adult medicine, let me tell you one important thing: Adults are not just big Kids.

Thankfully, I am a pediatrician, and can gleefully ignore the presence of over-18s, but the poor nurses are not so fortunate. And oi. vei. This has been quite a day.

See, Hortensia is not only 83 years old. She's 83 with about EVERY medical problem known to man, on lots of medications, and for all intents and purposes, completely non-verbal.

Here's an SAT question for you.
Which of these pairings is wrong:
A. Pediatric Nurses and non-verbal infants
B. Pediatric Nurses and non-verbal adults with a billion co-morbidities

If you guessed B, you're right! If you guessed A, you annoy me.

Anyway. So that has been my day so far: hearing people complain about adults. And they're totally right! They chose to be pediatric nurses for a reason. Adult patients are annoying! And stinky! And I wish I was in charge of the world, or at least this hospital so that I could make things right.

Add to all of this - now I have 3 pediatric patients I have admitted (I sent 2 home first) So now we're almost full, and I can't technically admit any more patients until we get more nurses in here, which might not happen. Which means I'll have to close pediatrics (say no to any more admissions). And for me to close pediatrics, I have to call the nursing supervisor, the shift administrator and the hospital's Chief Operating Officer. No kidding. All because there are stinky adults on my floor!

I'm a tad annoyed.

And apparently, I really wanted to remember this...

(I'm re-thinking the writing about my day idea)


* Has anyone else read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series? You know how Lisbeth Salander has a perfect/photographic memory, but she's all weird and ashamed by it? That alone led me to believe her character was down-right crazy. Photogenic memory would be awesome!

Rock the Fanny Pack

I find that some days aren't very picture worthy. Case in point: today I got up, had coffee, did laundry, went for a run, groomed the cat, worked on my closet-turned home office, and started making invitations to my sisters bridal shower. Hmm. Maybe the invitations are picture worthy (really, they are going to be super cool), but that will have to wait!

Instead, another blast from the past. Me, 21-ish years ago. In my head, the math originally worked out to 11-ish years ago. Then I realized that I was incredibly wrong, and I'm actually 10 years older than I think I am. Sigh. I bet I could still rock a fanny pack this hard, though. Oh, yeah. I'm a Fanny Pack Rock Star.

If you look closely at this picture, you will realize that not only am I wearing a fanny pack in the traditional 'round the waist' location... See it? Oh, yes. I have a fanny pack on my wrist as well. Double Fanny Pack Rock Star!!



Incidentally, for those of you who know the story: I believe this picture was taken mere hours before my toenail was brutally ripped off my toe. Which hurt. A LOT. By this door:


Don't believe me? Here's proof:

How to be...

28 weeks pregnant... with twins! I had a great time this past weekend at the baby shower of a friend and former co-resident. I hope that whenever I get around to being 28 weeks pregnant, I look as good as she does!

Lots of baby presents - in pink, and in multiples of two!

Cute cake!

Lindsey and me.

Lindsey and Amanda.

An Ode to Purple Scrubs

I have worn many scrubs in my life
In which I've had pain, and anger and strife
(Though not all days are a dud)

From my medical school's "jade" green
To residency's blue, with tangerine
(Or maybe that was blood)

But now that I'm a "grown up" doc
Who gets paid to work round the clock

I don the color once meant for royals
As I examine babies and lance some boils

And I remind myself every day:
Nothing rhymes with purple