Posts tagged sleep

Sick Leave

I showed up to the ward, hoping to be productive or at least to lend a helping hand for the day. I managed to round on all of my patients.

But I despite my best efforts, I could not quite hack. Having barely a voice is not conducive to this line of work.

After just two hours of work, I am taking the rest of the day off to sleep and rest. I shall see you guys on the other side.

Sincerely,
Tom of the Medical State of Mind

Come on, son. If you are going to be a doctor one day at least try to look the part and shave. And do not try to pull that “I have not slept for forty hours” excuse on me, young fellow. That story is getting old.
An elderly patient with multiple past visits to the hospital for their numerous comorbidities complains of my day’s worth of stubble and tired appearance after working extra hours post busy call and not having time to shave.
Going to Bed. Got up at six. Started at seven. Finished at nine. Repeat in less than ten hours. This has been one of the busiest and longest days I have had to work excluding my call days. Due to the long weekend and the amount of patients in holding patterns to get into the ward, we were inundated with patients left, right, and centre.  Despite our best efforts, we ended up having to work through break, lunch, and dinner. These have been an overwhelming two days on my outbound elective and at the moment, I am just a little rough around the edges. It is a workflow I have not dealt with before though I have been told it does simmer down once the overflow from the long weekend are dealt with. Until then, I am going to just go to bed and hope for the best tomorrow. Cheers.

Going to Bed.

Got up at six. Started at seven. Finished at nine. Repeat in less than ten hours. This has been one of the busiest and longest days I have had to work excluding my call days. Due to the long weekend and the amount of patients in holding patterns to get into the ward, we were inundated with patients left, right, and centre. 

Despite our best efforts, we ended up having to work through break, lunch, and dinner.

These have been an overwhelming two days on my outbound elective and at the moment, I am just a little rough around the edges. It is a workflow I have not dealt with before though I have been told it does simmer down once the overflow from the long weekend are dealt with.

Until then, I am going to just go to bed and hope for the best tomorrow.

Cheers.

A Daylight Savings Adjustment

Even after having a whole entire day yesterday to adjust myself to the new hour, I still found myself struggling to get out of bed.

I had lost count of how often I had pressed snooze on my alarm. I yearned for another hour of sleep. But duty called. And so the day continued in my half awoken slumber.

I would meet it with an adjusted, stronger coffee regimen.

The Rest of Us

  • Me: *I have time this morning...Maybe I should go check out the grand rounds.*
  • Grand rounds topic: Sleep disturbance conditions
  • Me: *This sounds interesting...*
  • Presenter: So studies have shown that for adults, sleeping less than six hours has been associated with increased all cause mortality. So if you have patients who are having trouble getting six hours of sleep, you should really advise them to get some shut eye.
  • Me: *But...but...but...what about the rest of us?...And how?..."
Sleep is the golden chain that ties health and body together.
Thomas Dekker (1572-1632).

Mass Withdrawal

  • Presenter: Thank you all for coming to the grand rounds. I know the hour is early and people have places to go. There is coffee and muffins in the back. Please help yourself.
  • Me: *Free coffee! Awesome!*
  • 5 minutes later...
  • Me: *This coffee tastes funny...*
  • 30 minutes later...
  • Me: *So sleepy...what is going on...*
  • Presenter: I can see that about half of you are falling asleep. I have just been informed that the caterers only had decaf available. I am so terribly sorry.
  • Doctors rouse in realization, agreement, and grumpiness.
Life of a Medical Student. Studying for an exam while preparing pre-readings for the rotation. Sleeping late and waking early. Day in and day out. Classic.

Life of a Medical Student.

Studying for an exam while preparing pre-readings for the rotation. Sleeping late and waking early. Day in and day out. Classic.

Night Watch. I changed into my scrubs, grabbed the pager, and unpacked my dinner. From then on, it was a waiting game. I stuffed myself with food, not knowing when the pager would sound off its high pitched squeal and when I might take my last bite. It is better not to work on an empty stomach.

Night Watch.

I changed into my scrubs, grabbed the pager, and unpacked my dinner. From then on, it was a waiting game. I stuffed myself with food, not knowing when the pager would sound off its high pitched squeal and when I might take my last bite. It is better not to work on an empty stomach.

Sleepy or Hungry?

There are some days on the ward where I feel both. However, if I could go through a day feeling only one, I would choose being sleepy rather than hungry. I simply cannot stand not having food.

Which would you rather feel?