Mentally flagging

I have determined, at this moment, that I cannot stare at my care plan one more microsecond without a protracted breather and, since it is 12 degrees outside (or feels that way to this Florida boy) and is pitch black at 5:15 leaving no outdoor options, I thought it was an opportune time for a quick posting.

Another week on oncology has come and gone. Still not sure what to think about it. On one hand, it is interesting and makes you really think about blood labs. On the other hand, it can be one hell of a depressing place. A fellow student had a patient she worked with just prior to Thanksgiving pass away. I worked with a patient in end stage renal disease with lymphoma who stated her desire to do the same. These are people with severe, and often multi-faceted problems with recovery rates ranging from pretty good to nearly hopeless. It hammers home ever further what my friend went through and how fortunate he was to come out the other side of it. On a side note, I did get to observe a hemodialysis treatment which was quite fascinating, especially the science behind how they can quickly alter electrolytes, urea, and all sorts of other things within the blood.

The picture is clarifying some in regards to where I want to fit in within the profession. No epitomes, but at least I am thinning the theoretical herd. I am learning what facets of the profession I dislike (bed baths, assisting with activities of daily living, and feces) and what I do like (patient teaching, faster work pace with higher patient turnover, opportunities to work with a collaborative health care team and not solely the provision of direct care). It is hard to be clear when each door you close leads to other opportunities you had not previously considered. I am quite literally learning of another new opportunity each and every week in clinicals. Very exciting.

In far less exciting news, life is still chaotic and school will be a big part of that chaos until the 21st of December (though the bulk of school work will be completed by the end of next week). There is still no close date for the house sale, leaving Tia frustrated and all of us up in the air about move dates. The apartment is officially ours tomorrow, but we have not found a reasonably priced mover as yet and neither of us know enough people in this area to ask to help us move it on our own. That needs to be figured out either this coming weekend or, failing that, probably not until the 21st after Tia returns from a trip out west. Wedding plans continue to be complicated even though we were striving for simple and there is little more to say than that presently because I have been able to dedicate precious little time to it as yet. On top of that there are but the usual nagging concerns of daily life to contend which always seem more overwhelming when so much else occupies your time.

Speaking of time, I am once again running afoul of it. As always, time to get back to work.