April 20, 2009

Wow. So much for trying to keep up this blog thing regularly!

Well, I survived call. I was pretty nervous at first – couldn’t eat solid food, just milkshakes. But, by the end of the week I was eating and feeling much more confident. It was great to have another neurologist shadowing me for the week – someone to bounce ideas off, etc. I have a slightly better sense of where things are in the hospital now, although it took me several laps around the ER before I could find my way out at first! The residents were excellent too, which really helped. After all, residents really run the show.

It was “seizure” week for sure, with that being by far the most common reason for consultation. I had a few surprises when I found out I was expected at a meeting to discuss patient discharge planning, etc, and found out that I was the one running the meeting… Ah well, everyone was really very friendly and understanding.

I was still pretty zonked by the end of the week though, and still had to give that journal club presentation. All in all I think I gave a reasonable talk, but I was a bit aphasic at times (I had trouble with language – pronouncing complicated words, etc, because I was so tired).

But then it was done! And it was spring! So I got my hair cut nice and short! And then it snowed… I see that Edmonton weather is not so different from Calgary afterall…

Since then it has been back to organizing things at the lab. I just got access to start-up funds today, so I can finally begin to order stuff! My admin assistant has started (although we don’t actually have a desk for her yet…).

At the end of last week I went down to Calgary for a medical conference / curling bonspiel. Yep, I am definitely a curling geek. It was a lot of fun, but my triceps are still aching from all the sweeping. I haven’t curled for 5 years, so I was kinda rusty, and my muscles were taken by surprise.

But, now I have returned to clinical practice after a 5 year break, and to curling, after a similar break. So far so good!