Best gift

I have worked 12 hour night shifts in the ER for the last two nights. I don't think I've ever wanted a shift to end as much as last night's. Around 2 AM, I actually broke down crying in front of two of my fellow second years and two sweet nurses because of some horrible experiences from earlier in the evening added to my total inability to sneak away to eat anything substantial for my entire 12 hour shift (I didn't even get a bathroom break til 8 hours in). There was quite a bit of confrontation last night, most of it unnecessary, so being the total peacemaker I am, I was visibly shaken by some of the things that happened. I checked out to one of my sweetest friends this morning, and as I was getting ready to leave, she hugged me and said, "Sarah, you're a great doctor; don't forget that, and don't let anything make you question that. I love you." I got all choked up and teary again, so I left as quickly as I could so that no one would see me cry. This friend had never said that before, so hearing it at one of the moments I needed it most makes me so grateful for such a great friend. Lucky for me, Hubby got home last night, so I was at least able to get a reassuring hug from him this morning to remind me that everything will be okay.

The reasons parents bring their kids to the ER in the middle of the night absolutely astound me. Some of them are totally valid, but there have been several times over the last two nights where I enter a room, talk with the family, and think to myself, "You have waited seven plus hours for this?!?" All you future parents, please call your child's pediatrician before you take your kid to the ER for a cold (or call EMS to bring your child into the ER for a cold). Don't get mad at us when we tell you that she doesn't need antibiotics and that we have no medications to recommend for your baby. No, we are not trying to be mean, and no, we are not trying to make money by telling you not to give your child medicine that the FDA has deemed dangerous for your baby. We are just trying to keep your baby safe; if we wanted to make money, we would have chosen another specialty. Please remember that this is an emergency room. When I don't come by your room for over an hour because your child is on room air, smiling and happy, please know I am not trying to ingnore you; I have probably been in the trauma bay dealing with major badness, and trust me when I say that I would much rather not be back there!

On a different note, Hubby and I agreed ahead of time that we weren't going to make a big deal out of Valentine's Day. To me, it's a big ploy by retailers to get your to spend money. That said, I did use it as an excuse to buy him a Wii game that I had planned to get for Christmas but couldn't find in stock, and he surprised me with delivery of some beautiful pink and white tulips yesterday (my fave!). However, the best gift of all came this afternoon. The construction workers building on the empty lots immediately behind our house have been intermittently playing their music so loud that we can hear it inside the house. We have called to complain at least 3 times in the past two weeks; it's annoying to listen to the thumping bass, but when I only have nine to eleven hours at home between shifts, I need every minute of sleep that I can get. This afternoon, the workers yet again parked their truck immediately behind our fence and proceeded to blast music at the top of their speakers. Unbeknowst to Hubby who was working in the office upstairs, it woke me up, but I was so tired that I couldn't drag myself out of bed. Apparently as soon as it started, he called up someone at the front of the subdivision, but an hour and a half later, they still had not done anything about it. He tried again with the girl at the front of the subdivision, and when she basically twiddled her thumbs, he told her his plans to file a noise complaint with the police. Her response? "Yeah, that's a great idea! It will definitely make them stop." So he did, and the music magically died (I think word got out he called the police because the music stopped 10 minutes later). It truly was one of the greatest Valentine presents ever. Love is trying to ensure your sleep-deprived resident wife can get a good nap uninterrupted by someone else's music!