Behind the White Coat

My MRI

So I finally managed to get my MRI.  In case you don't know, I am a gimp... Well not completely, but I do have serious back issues these days.  I threw out my back mulitple times in the past few years, but in the past month, my pain has not gone away, and sometimes radiates down my leg, which makes me think it is sciatica.  So being the bad patient that I am, I have just tried to take meds for pain relief, tried a few stretches and exercises, but haven't gone to see a doc or done anything else.  Finally I decided to go to get an MRI to make sure I have no disc herniation or vertebral fracture or something that needs correction.

I order MRI's all the time of people's brain and spine to get a better look of what may be going on with them.  However, often times, especially the older or crazier patients, get all flustered and scared, and either wont' go through with it, or try and wig out and end up not completing the study, because it "freaks them out," or they are "claustraphobic", or "Doctor I cannot go into that tunnel!"  I am basically just like, Suck it up people! Stop your whining!!  Or just give them some ativan or morphine to calm them down.  Well after having my own, it's not the greatest experience ever.

I had to remove any metal, but was in my scrubs, so stripped my coat, pager and chain and I was fine.  No piercings or anything luckily for me (well not anymore at least).  They lay you down on the thin platform, and you face the two bright cieling lights, and it made me think of what all the sick dying people who are losing or regaining consciousness must see when  they are laying on those hospital beds while we work on them. Is that the light they see? Who knows...  So anyway, the platform starts to move into the machine, and let me tell you, this thing is a tight fit!  The roof of the cocoon-like interior of the MRI was no more than a couple of inches from my nose, and you go all the way in so that your entire body is covered.  It was kind of freaky.  I am not even claustraphobic, but it still made me a little uncomfortable.  I found it easier to close my eyes.  Then when the MRI magnet starts firing away taking images, it makes these loud, banging, clanky noises.  Like some red-alert alarm at an industrial factory, or some hammering of metal beams at a construction site.  Whatever it sounds like, it wasn't pleasant.  Luckily they offered me ear plugs, but I could still hear the obnoxious and disturbing noises, and thought to myself that it would seriously freak out some of my patients, especially the poor old semi-senile ones. 

When it first started, I felt this tingling sensation in my fingers.  I was like shit, why is this happening? There aint no metal in my fingers is there?  I couldnt' remember any injuries or shrapnel wounds to my hands, so I wondered if I could have some sort of undiagnosed Iron-overload condition, where there is too much iron in my blood.  Then I thought to the scene in X-Men 2 when Magneto fucked up that security guard who had the iron injected into him by extracting the iron particles through his skin with his magnetic powers, and I began to panic.... Briefly at least, until I regained my sense of reality.  But it did scare me for a second.

It took about 20 minutes to complete. Definitely not a pleasant experience I'll tell you that much.  I still haven't looked at it, since it was on the way out from work on Saturday afternoon.  Tomorrow we shall see.

Article

So it is the last week on the "Green Team" (That's the HIV team for those who are new).  I tell you, it's not easy being green.  But I will miss it.   Not only because I see all kinds of interesting infections and diseases, deal with challenging patients, have a great team, and live in fear of pricking myself every day; but, also because I am going to be starting the Yellow Team--Geriatrics...  That means lots of old demented nursing home patients coming into the hospital for sepsis and bowel obstructions.  I can't wait.

Anyways, the sarcasm from my friend Yat and others who read my blog is so noted.  Yes I do have a life outside of the hospital, as my last few posts prove to you, so now maybe they'll leave me alone!  But alas, there are so many stories to tell from residency, it is hard to resist...

On that note you can Click Here to check out Ego Magazine online, http://www.egothemag.com, where they have posted a little article I wrote regarding my "boring" medical stories.. Give you a taste of the day in the life... It's actually from a night I wrote about once in my blog....

A Night Out

It had to rain this weekend didn't it?  Not only that, it had to be 40 degrees outside, 30 degree drop from the prior week!  Just my luck to be so shitty outside when I almost got the whole weekend off.  I usually have to work at least one of the weekend days, but this time I am overnight call on Sunday, so I don't have to go in until 6pm.   That leaves me all of Saturday, most of Sunday, and Fri and Sat to go out and sleep in the next day.  Alas, the weather prevents me from roaming Soho, chilling in Central Park, or having an outdoor brunch.  But it won't stop the fun.

Friday night was part 4 of my sister's bday week--dinner and and a night out with friends.  I got outta work in time enough to head to the lower east side for dinner at Le Pere Pinard.  A hip boisterous, loungey LES restaurant/bar with dim lighting and rustic look, where you can eat at tables by the front bar, or in the dining room with the open kitchen, and weather permitting a back porch.  The mussels are delicate and flavorful, the dialy specials enticing, and the french onion soup is amazing.  Good place for drinks if you're roaming the LES as well.

After dinner we head over to this new placed Identity, on 6th and A.  Pretty sleek and and loungy feel compared to most LES area bars.  A nice place to chill, have a few drinks, listen to some tunes, and pick up some conversations.  A small area by the bar upstairs with sidelining tables, and a loungey area downstairs equipped with a pool table. Though why were they showing Power Rangers on the screens?  Regardless, nice place for a get together with friends or a lil party with no door hassle at all.

Then late night,  we head over to this newish club, Love, in the West Village.  For the true lovers of the house music scene, this hidden dark and sultry club has probably the best sound system in NY. Catch a glimpse of the DJ booth and you'll see the setup passes that of the old Twilo, and the sound system and acoustics will blow you away.  It's not huge, kind of reminds me of a mini Vinyl crossed between Filter 14.  But always good DJ's and not so crowded since its not over promoted, and no door hassle.  The $10-$15 cover is better than the prices you'd pay elsewhere. Catch my friend Jason Jollins playin there on some Fridays.  If you like progressive house, you won't be sorry with Love.

I managd to get into bed by 6am.. I figure it's all good since my next call is Sunday night from 6pm till Monday afternoon.  So I'm just readjusting my sleep schedule, and having some fun at the same time!   

Sunday Encounters

I was overnight call last night.  3pm Saturday until whenever I finish Sunday, which happened to be around 1:30pm, not horrible I suppose.  I actually was quite efficient, finishing most of my admissions by 1am, and gettin some sleep.  Of course at 5am I was woken up to do my 5th and final admission.  Argh! That was kind of annoying.  Talk about last minute.  Anyways, at least I got some shut-eye, which left me some conscious time post-call to enjoy a nice sunny, 65 degree Sunday. 

I ran into some random people today.  I first got out of my car to walk to my apt around 2pm, and run into these two girls from Med School, Yulia and Diana.  I was supposed have seen them Sat night at a bday party, but couldn't make it, because I was of course, on overnight call.  But it was quite the random encounter!  We had a little chat, and went our separate ways.  After that I chilled a bit and walked over to my friend's place and we went to wander around a bit to grab some grub.  As I was walking down 2nd avenue, I heard my name called, and I see Ted, one of my college house mates during my senior year of college!  I haven't seen him since, and I find out he is practicallly my neighbor!  Talk about a smal world.  We swapped contact info, and hopefully I'll get to see him around.  After that we ended up in union square to eat some lunch.  We chose coffee shop so we could sit outside, but were met with horribly slow service.  I mean the waitresses are beautiful and all, but we almost got up and up and walked out.  Alas, we opted to sit and wait and smile at the model-esque staff. We are weak.  Anyway, after that walkin down towards barnes and nobles, I see in the distance, my roomate from med school, Steve, and his girlfriend.  Good lord!  Is NYC that small??? We chat for a bit and laugh at our run-in, and about my day of running into people.  As we part ways, and cross the street I hear, "Long time no see eh?"  I look up and who do I see? Diana and Yulia yet again, with another med school friend and some others.  60 blocks and 4 hours later.  What are the chances?

So that was my Sunday of wandering and random encounters.  Now I am back home, tired, with an achy back. Yes poor me.  Tomorrow 5am wake up awaits me.  Gotta love it.

Sleep? What's that?

I don't know how I managed to function on such little sleep this past week.  Waking up at 5 or 6 am every morning, making some effort to go grab some dinner or a drink after work, while my friend is visiting me for the week crashin at my studio, doesn't really allot much time.  Plus, I need some time at home to read up on stuff to sound somewhat intelligent at rounds and be able to teach something to my big time gunner medical student.  Sure I guess I bring it upon myself getting 4 hours of sleep because I go out and about, but hey, if I didn't maintain some sort of a social life, and be a participating member of society, I'd go insane.  Sometimes you gotta take one for the team you know?  I feel the ones who do nothing at all are the ones who lose it!  If I go through a 13 or 14 hour busy day of work and have nothin to look forward to when I leave but go home, order take-out, and sleep, I am probably slower and less efficient as well (though I have many of those nonetheless!).   Well I'll sacrafice the few hours of sleep to keep hope alive....

On a side note, it is April 8th. Today I drove through sleet.  Gotta love New York.

Life is Not Fair

I have plenty of stories and tales to recap from this past weekend, as it i was a goin away party for our friend Yat, and a back to NY party for my old roomate Anuj and other visitors including Terence et al.  Alas, I cannot get into a good enough mood to think happy thoughts, and that is because I have lost everything... All of it is gone.  I have nothing.

I am talking about my old computer.   My laptop died on me last week. Windows would not start properly, it was a dismal situation. So I did what any normal person would do.. I went to the Geek Squad.  That's right. Right inside of Best Buy.  They said they would at least recover the data from the hard drive.... But, as I went to pick it up today.... They informed me that they had failed.  Oh lord why me?  5 years of music, documents, and pictures. Oh the pictures. Thousands of them. All my memories from medical school and all my trips from Hawaii to Costa Rica, all the parties and events, everything!! I have nothing backed up. I have nothing!!!  40 gigs of MP3s that took me years to collect.  Data for work projects, write-ups, my resume, everything. I tell you, it's just not fucking fair.  This is going to be a shitty weak.. SHITTY.

I hate computers.