Nobody ever believes me when I say this, but I'm always so sad to leave the ICU. Maybe it's just because I'm not a resident taking care of high-maintenance, fussy, demanding patients ("What? You mean you DON'T want that ridiculously long thick inflexible tube down your throat making you choke and hyperventilate?? What nonsense. Stop whining."), but I just love that there's so much to do and learn and get involved with. And I also love that when patients turn around, they really do it.
My "kid", as I've started to call him, is doing wonderfully. I don't want to jinx him, but he's so good that he's started giving everyone attitude. I don't know how you do that when you're sedated, intubated, restrained and still have an open belly, but there it is. He isn't swollen anymore, he can actually move his legs, he's asking for food and he's getting pissy. LOVE IT =) It's just cool because this kid was THISCLOSE to death and now it looks like he's really going to have a shot at a normal life. Honestly, hats off to the (admittedly warring) attendings who managed him so well. It really goes to show what being vigilant and acting fast can do. There were so many places where he could have been mismanaged, simply because he was so sick that minor errors could turn into major problems. But they didn't, and he's pissy. It's just terrific!
I'm home for the weekend, and have been officially booked by my parents to attend an all day wedding. And by all day, I mean that the family actually expects guests to be there at 8 am for the pre-wedding ceremony, followed by the wedding, followed by lunch, followed by hiatus, followed by reception, followed by dinner, followed by looooong drive home. The worst part is, that's what everyone's going to do! My mom asked me about coming to this wedding, and I agreed because it would be a chance to see family members, etc. But she then later got upset that I wasn't going out of GENUINE INTEREST IN THE BRIDE AND GROOM, which I couldn't quite understand because I barely know the chick. (I did one cultural dance with her, over 10 years ago, in a group of at least 10 kids. Give me a break.) And though she did have a point about not going to someone's wedding and wasting money, etc if I don't actually care about the bride, it brought up a broader point between my mom and I when it comes to socializing.
My parents are generally speaking, social butterflies. They are well-respected in the community, are involved in multiple organizations and charities, and are each quite talented in their own way. My sister, being a terribly diplomatic and friendly girl, is also. But I have never been, and while I have a large and well-connected group of friends dating back two decades, I've never really appeared social to my parents. And predictably, this has been exacerbated by medical school. It is singlehandedly the most isolating experience of my life, despite there always being classmates or patients or other doctors around, because it always feels like your friends and family don't get it. Things they take for granted, like simple hanging out or spontaneous parties, I couldn't, and so when casual events like weddings for non-family/BFFs came up, I just couldn't be motivated. It just seemed INEFFICIENT to be putting that time towards people that didn't feature majorly in my life, since I couldn't even devote time to them the way I used to. On the other hand, it is somewhat useful to practice that skill that is known as chit-chatting, so I don't evolve into a total hermit. And so, I shall go tomorrow, without complaint. Except for when my dress starts to cut into my respiration.
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