Ahhh, life is good

Clearly in the last post I was bragging about being paid to have a quiet on call shift and this is something which a woman of my age and experience should've remembered as in the 'not to do' category. I awoke to a 4:30 am call for abdominal pain, which was likely menstrual related. "it's a 10/10" when attempting to rate it but after the toradol IM (my on call go to friend) I had to wake her to try to get a urine specimen "drink lots of water" so she gulps back about 500 ml quickly and can you guess what happens? Oh yeah, power puke of the previous night's supper and "I feel lots better now" but still can't pee so she suggests "maybe I need an IV" this is quickly vetoed because if you are a frequent flyer enough to know this as an option then you are going to have to be seriously dehydrated before that happens! To rate the pain "it's 7/10" so I check her Hbg only 85 hmmmm then I draw bloods, and she says "I just want to go home to bed and sleep" Oh really? You think I don't want to crawl up over those stairs and get even an hour of shut eye myself? I think this but refrain from saying it out loud, however I do tell her that she has to pee in the jar or can't go home. At 6:45 am I wake her and firmly insist on a urine sample - negative - and send her on her way - across the snow covered ground, lots of big winter wonderland flakes during the night. Just time to shower and breakfast before the day. Lovely. I confer with Nellie, who was my second on call and ask if she can think of anything I missed and she says "only about two and a half hours sleep you're never getting back" and grins. 

Health centre construction

So the day was painful with the sleep deprivation. The usual booked (both office and lab) and walk in visits for the morning and multitudes of immunization and well baby examinations in the afternoon. The construction zone just outside my office (and apartment) windows creating our new health centre is drilling rigs anchoring metal posts into the bed rock for 12 hours a day so you can imagine not conducive to listening to newborns lungs. It will be worth it in the end a couple of years from now when there is a wonderful new health centre and housing. In the meantime it is a blessed relief when they stop for lunch or end their work day. I'm as pleased as the departing Inuit workers when the silence sets in. 

Writing of tradesmen reminds me that the nurse daughter's carpenter boyfriend received word of (as he's already half way across the country so won't be attending) his graduation with honours from the programme he completed. Had messages from the baby daughter as they settled in to their new place in North Battleford, Saskatchewan as I paste here:

Made it to north battleford :)  our place is soooooo nice so much space and our stuff arrived today so we're actually pretty moved in.  It seems great so far,  small but about 20000 ppl I guess and has a lot of things (stores  etc).  We're super excited to start our new chapter here and couldn't have done it without yours and everyone's help :)

Had some messages back and forth with the electrician daughter as I was concerned about the flooding in Alberta. She wasn't enjoying the wet and mud at the workplace and it sure doesn't seem as if water and electricity should be mentioned together but apparently all was well with her and hers. When there were evacuation orders issued and the Calgary Saddledome and Zoo were flooded , then Red Deer declared a state of emergency, I was concerned. She assured me that all was well and they were 5 km away from the worst area and hadn't known about it. She said the kitties had their backpacks packed with toys, family pictures,treats and their blankets and were diligently looking out the window (as is their way) for any developments. She is heading over to visit with her Saskatchewan sister who she hasn't seen since New Years. She was also rather upbeat as she'd been doing a few days for a company which apparently has global jobs, one country is……..Cuba! The rotations are one month on and one month off in the northern area where there is oil production which would lend itself nicely to visiting on the south coast (aka our home away from home) in the month off. And of course the language and cultural knowledge would only be an asset. What a perfect set up if they allow apprentices.

Yesterday was another full day as there were lots of last minute requests for meds (shopping I call it) as folks readied to go 'out on the land' to their cabins. It had begun earlier in the night for my coworker as there were lots of inebriated locals who had started drinking early to celebrate Aboriginal Day or 'drunk people' as our caretaker described as in "did you hear the drunk people yelling last night?" as opposed to drunk dogs I guess. Someone who was drinking, had a fight with the boyfriend and overdosed on benadryl. Which incidentally I had been the most recent one to dispense but I console myself with the thought that she can purchase these at The Northern Store. So my coworker had a repeat of my night on call and the resultant sleep deprived day. Gotta love those holidays. Although Friday afternoon is supposed to be administrative time and there are no booked appointments the waiting room was constantly full until after 5 pm. 

Geese overhead

I was too cranky to go for a walk with my coworker as I was fighting with the internet. It appeared that I had 'some' conductivity as I had a really slow connection (about 1/3 of the speed she had next door) so I finally disconnected the airport express modem and connected the direct wired one I brought as backup and voila! Connected with my umbilical cord to the outside world. Since the modem is worth $100 and only has been used since April, I am not impressed. After I got my online issues resolved I headed out for a walk - as walks aren't regulated by such parameters as hours of sunlight. Out towards the airport, left to the dump road and then I decided to take a detour down to the beach. What a lovely spot.

Down by the bay....

It reminded me a bit of home with it's white sand beach and scrubby vegetation butthe rocks were different and oh yes there was the issue of the large chunks of ice. And the skidoos towing qamatiks going by on the sea ice offshore (which is still about seven ft thick) to their cabins. Must be pretty in the summer down there. As I was walking up the road I heard some honking and swish of wings and got my camera up in time to capture a flock of geese. One of the patients asked me, when I mentioned walking, if I'd been collecting eggs from the nests  so I explained I had no idea what the nests look like and she said "well they're starting to hatch now anyway". There were lots of critter skeletons on the sand which are well preserved in the frigid winter conditions.

Caribou skull with horns

A group of preteen boys were 'golfing' in the roadside sand and when I asked who was winning the chubbiest lad identified himself as the champ while his buddies agreed. Lots of Hondas going by to the lake cabins as well, loaded with groceries and kids, even saw one towing a sled. Birds flitting about with beautiful songs and the community very quiet as it is for the most part deserted. So after a glass of butterscotch schnapps and an early bedtime….the world looked like a better place this morning. 

Direct line from lobby

I was up in time to plug the clinic phone in for 9 am as I'm first on call. Sort of had a little walk in clinic with an otitis, UTI and a dental pain in a series and then up for lunch. It's a nice day and that sometimes leads to less (or more) calls - no way of telling. I haven't picked up the phone to hear "Good afternoon, how are you doing? I'm in the foyer and I've got crafts to sell" yet today. The foyer is a rather grand term for the entryway I assure you. I have had a request for tylenol which went like "we've been to both stores and there's no tylenol to buy, we need some as we're going back out on the land this evening". Call me weak and don't tell Nellie but I did go downstairs and get it. We are to tell such shopping expeditions that they will be called if we go downstairs for an emergency and only then. My thoughts are 'out on the land, one less call' at this point.

Trying to get ready for the Dr.'s visit next week with referrals, prescriptions to be signed, chart notes, and organizing of the office. Nellie manages both but she is a firm believer in order and cleanliness being next to godliness so we all pitch in. If the Doc brings along his first year medical student daughter to get some clinical experience she will be rooming with me I'm told. Sure wish I'd listened to him when he was telling me if it was June or July he was hoping to bring her with him. Oh well, will be nice to have a few days of company if so.