A Shift

So 4pm to midnight shifts are good for something - blogging!
I really feel like I need to take the camera out as haven't taken any photographs since...probably October 2008. (Mainly because a) Christmas 2008 was cancelled due to night shifts and b) it rains all the time in Glasgow) And it's sunny today! (It will probably start raining shortly now.)
Yesterday's patients were like a parade of Short Cases (patients in a Clinical Exam who have interesting or classic signs/ stories and that you have to see in 7 minutes).
Here's a selection:
- new diagnosis of Henoch Schonlein Purpura
- toddler with painless limp
- new diagnosis of diabetes mellitus (not in acidosis)
- teenager with headache and weakness in one limb
- teenager with headache and photophobia
- known asthmatic with moderate exacerbation of asthma
- known nephrotic syndrome with fever and heavy proteinuria
- known cerebral palsy with community acquired pneumonia
- infant with croup
- assorted snuffly and/or wheezy babies, including premature twins
Unfortunately, it takes a bit longer than 7 minutes to sort each one out in real life - things like examining the rest of the child (not just the body system in question), taking the full history, writing up drug charts, inserting lines and taking blood if needed, explaining things to anxious parents etc. means each patient takes about 30 to 60 minutes (divided between 2 to 3 doctors). They also have a knack of turning up 3 or 4 at a time, thus ensuring that anyone not critically ill has about an hour's wait during which to wind themselves up beforehand.
OK maybe that's just being cynical. It was a good shift.