trying to pray better in spanish. the past few times, i'd stop after a couple sentences and say "oh forget it!" and then switch to english.
today i made it through an entire prayer with an occasional long pause followed by an english word. i'm glad my assistant and patient found it entertaining.
-_-
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
welcome to the [neighbour]hood
took a walk at lunch yesterday. our clinic is almost kiddie corner to a walgreens. right at that intersection (across the street from walgreens) was a man holding a prescription drug bottle, and he was counting pills and placing them into two women's hands.
WHICH IS EXACTLY WHY I'M NOT GOING TO WRITE A SCRIPT IF YOU ARE EVIDENTLY NOT IN PAIN!
WHICH IS EXACTLY WHY I'M NOT GOING TO WRITE A SCRIPT IF YOU ARE EVIDENTLY NOT IN PAIN!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
as i sit and embrace my hot tea
nothing to do with philadelphia or kensington.
but i really like dunkin' donuts' tagline about their hot chocolate this season:
"BETTER THAN MITTENS!"
but i really like dunkin' donuts' tagline about their hot chocolate this season:
"BETTER THAN MITTENS!"
new tats
ok, if i tagged my blog posts, i would probably have the most posts about tattoos.
today Ike (name has been changed) came in for a filling. i asked how his weekend went, if he did anything interesting (like i ask everyone). his big news was that he got a new tattoo.
what kind of tattoo?
then he pulls up his entire shirt and there's a giant "Lucky" on his chest, which sadly looks like ballpoint pen. hope he goes in again for a touchup.
anyway, i guess latino men don't always have chest hair! (previously thought it was just the east asians).
normally i ask way too many follow-up questions. but this time i'm sorry i asked. i really didn't need to see his tattoo. i would have taken his word for it.
apparently i can't help myself though... and subsequently asked even MORE follow-up questions. what's lucky for?
that's his girlfriend's name.
but then i was confused.
coz later on he mentions that he has a wife.
and that's when i stopped asking follow-up questions.
maybe i should have. so that either a) i would no longer be confused. and/or b) he could confront his issues.
more entertainingly, he absolutely LOVED lidocaine 2% w/ 1:100,000 epi! (not novocain... which is no longer used in dentistry). no one likes injections. if someone says they like it, they're weird. Ike really is one-of-a-kind, though. after he felt the numbness he wanted more. he asked if he could get some for his girlfriend. and after we finished his filling, he exclaims, "this is dope s***!" most of our patients aren't comfortable using expletives like that in the clinic. Ike was evidently feeling very much at ease.
today Ike (name has been changed) came in for a filling. i asked how his weekend went, if he did anything interesting (like i ask everyone). his big news was that he got a new tattoo.
what kind of tattoo?
then he pulls up his entire shirt and there's a giant "Lucky" on his chest, which sadly looks like ballpoint pen. hope he goes in again for a touchup.
anyway, i guess latino men don't always have chest hair! (previously thought it was just the east asians).
normally i ask way too many follow-up questions. but this time i'm sorry i asked. i really didn't need to see his tattoo. i would have taken his word for it.
apparently i can't help myself though... and subsequently asked even MORE follow-up questions. what's lucky for?
that's his girlfriend's name.
but then i was confused.
coz later on he mentions that he has a wife.
and that's when i stopped asking follow-up questions.
maybe i should have. so that either a) i would no longer be confused. and/or b) he could confront his issues.
more entertainingly, he absolutely LOVED lidocaine 2% w/ 1:100,000 epi! (not novocain... which is no longer used in dentistry). no one likes injections. if someone says they like it, they're weird. Ike really is one-of-a-kind, though. after he felt the numbness he wanted more. he asked if he could get some for his girlfriend. and after we finished his filling, he exclaims, "this is dope s***!" most of our patients aren't comfortable using expletives like that in the clinic. Ike was evidently feeling very much at ease.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
life would be sweeter if...
yesterday patient came in. saw his birth date on the chart and told him, "wow! you had a big birthday this year! 80 years!"
he smiled and replied with, "now is the dessert phase of my life!"
i love dessert.
life would be sweeter if we lived as if we knew time was short and today could be our last.
he smiled and replied with, "now is the dessert phase of my life!"
i love dessert.
life would be sweeter if we lived as if we knew time was short and today could be our last.
Monday, October 11, 2010
needle stick today. my first one ever!
i'm not shaken by the big things (fear that i might have contracted hepatitis from a patient w/ a history of hep c, or fear that i might even have contracted hiv since the pt's spouse has current hep c, making him/her high risk for hiv.)
no, disasters like that don't particularly scare me.
but it's frightening to see how my attitude turns so sour at the thought of having to file an incident report, having the inconvenience the patient with getting a blood test, and having to inconvenience myself with getting a blood test and what other paperwork.
whatever.
anyway, since i had to stay at work a little late waiting for my hiv test, i got to talk to my patient a little more. these complications only happen to the nice patients!
and then i got to observe a patient's family in the waiting room. the dad was looking slick, which is uncommon for this community. he looked like he had an 'important' job, that he was a career man. that's great. but, i saw how easily it can get to someone's head as well. once he entered the waiting room, he went straight to the mirror to check out his hair, like diva style.
the two little kids were reading this book called "the wiggles", which is one of the latest television crazes with kids these days. i've never seen the tv show, but it doesn't look that impressive.
i'm not shaken by the big things (fear that i might have contracted hepatitis from a patient w/ a history of hep c, or fear that i might even have contracted hiv since the pt's spouse has current hep c, making him/her high risk for hiv.)
no, disasters like that don't particularly scare me.
but it's frightening to see how my attitude turns so sour at the thought of having to file an incident report, having the inconvenience the patient with getting a blood test, and having to inconvenience myself with getting a blood test and what other paperwork.
whatever.
anyway, since i had to stay at work a little late waiting for my hiv test, i got to talk to my patient a little more. these complications only happen to the nice patients!
and then i got to observe a patient's family in the waiting room. the dad was looking slick, which is uncommon for this community. he looked like he had an 'important' job, that he was a career man. that's great. but, i saw how easily it can get to someone's head as well. once he entered the waiting room, he went straight to the mirror to check out his hair, like diva style.
the two little kids were reading this book called "the wiggles", which is one of the latest television crazes with kids these days. i've never seen the tv show, but it doesn't look that impressive.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
reflection on last week
last week was utterly draining.
two of our medical patients died. i can't remember if i had seen one of them at the dental clinic, but the ripple effects of heaviness still affect me. one was a 35 year old woman, leaving behind a 10 yr old and 13 yr old. the other was a young boy, who was killed in a house fire as a result of someone smoking hash.
i've never heard of so many house fires until i've moved here.
when it rains it pours.
on top of that, two of my assistants had funerals to attend (family members). one was a 35 year old woman, unexpectedly had a heart attack. the other was an 18 year old who was shot to death.
bleak, i suppose.
but i love this psalm (20):
May the LORD answer you when you are in distress;
may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
May he send you help from the sanctuary
and grant you support from Zion.
May he remember all your sacrifices
and accept your burnt offerings.
May he give you the desire of your heart
and make all your plans succeed.
We will shout for joy when you are victorious
and will lift up our banners in the name of our God.
May the LORD grant all your requests.
Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;
he answers him from his holy heaven
with the saving power of his right hand.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.
O LORD, save the king!
Answer us when we call!
two of our medical patients died. i can't remember if i had seen one of them at the dental clinic, but the ripple effects of heaviness still affect me. one was a 35 year old woman, leaving behind a 10 yr old and 13 yr old. the other was a young boy, who was killed in a house fire as a result of someone smoking hash.
i've never heard of so many house fires until i've moved here.
when it rains it pours.
on top of that, two of my assistants had funerals to attend (family members). one was a 35 year old woman, unexpectedly had a heart attack. the other was an 18 year old who was shot to death.
bleak, i suppose.
but i love this psalm (20):
May the LORD answer you when you are in distress;
may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
May he send you help from the sanctuary
and grant you support from Zion.
May he remember all your sacrifices
and accept your burnt offerings.
May he give you the desire of your heart
and make all your plans succeed.
We will shout for joy when you are victorious
and will lift up our banners in the name of our God.
May the LORD grant all your requests.
Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;
he answers him from his holy heaven
with the saving power of his right hand.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.
O LORD, save the king!
Answer us when we call!
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