A 'fitting' end to nights...

Tonight I think I will have a generalised tonic clonic seizure because:

a) I have only had 3 hours sleep in 2 days - decided to work then get up and go to Katoomba to run a seminar for mission houseparty training then drove back (thank God I didn't crash) in time for my next overnight shift thereby ensuring sleep was a luxury I was not able to afford

b) been drinking way too much Coke and eating bad food thereby disturbing my electrolytes and so I'm probably hypo/hypernatraemic - discovered that night shift is great cos you only eat one meal a day and lose weight, but probably put it all back on with the amount of junk food one snacks on whilst prowling the wards at 4am and trying to stay lucid 'for the patient's sake'.

c) the stress of work is not good for me - see below mentioned gripe*

d) I've been seeing lots of pt's on the neuro ward who decide that my shift is the best time to start fitting having seizures - this young lass decided to have 5 absence seizures and 1 big ole tonic clonic whilst I was on duty and the nurses made me call the consultant at 3am (yeah, never a good idea) to 'let him know cos he likes to know when they have this many seizures'

It's been fairly good this week on nights. Compared to the anarchy of Whoop Whoop hospital, the Zoo is so much calmer and relaxed. If anything I get bored watching too much Foxtel every night (although have developed a liking for the trashy "Sunrise" show on Channel 7... it's so bad it's good)

Had the privelege of sleeping on my friend's floor during the day this week as she had the unfortunate luck to have her roof kicked in which meant I got to play 'guard dog' whilst I slept. Of noticeable concern though was the giant hunting knife left on the table for me to defend myself with if the thieves decided to come back for round 2. However I really doubt that had someone come back I would have been awake enough to make it to the tabele in time to arm myself with such a weapon and instead it most likely would have been used on me.

Thankfully they didn't come back and now I'm left to have my seizure!

* Pager: [Beep]
Dr J: Um hi, it's J here
Nurse: Oh hi Dr, we have patient with blood sugar 1.6 You come see now? (sic)
Dr J: Yeah I will, don't start that 2nd unit of blood until I get there ok?
Nurse: Ok
When the aforementioned doctor arrives on the ward he tells the nurses to give the patient 50mLs of 50% Dextrose. They tell the aforementioned doctor that they are not 'comfortable' with giving IV dextrose and tell him he has to do it. Fuming doctor gets dextrose ready and goes to inject patient, only to find that nurses have started that second unit of blood against his orders thereby rendering the cannula unable to be used and necessitating the insertion of another cannula in a large lady with poor venous access.
Moral of story? If you call the doctor for advise and he tells you to do something... LISTEN TO HIM!