Apple Green Birefringence

I wandered into CT, to do a wet read on a needle biopsy.

Radiologist:  "I don't really need you, but heard you were on service this week.  I just wanted to see that beautiful smile."

Me:  "What?  You didn't call me in for my brilliant intelligence?"  I looked at radiology tech.  "Ha ha.  Kidding."

Radiologist, about patient on table:  "She has a history of ** cancer.  We are in a node."

Me:  "What kind of node?"

Radiologist:  "Groin node."

I walked into the room with the microscope.

Cytotech:  "I hope I didn't mess this up for you.  It was air dried, so I did a rapid pap smear."

Me:  "Not a Dif-Quik?  Yikes.  I'm going to need your help.  Look with me."  She looked into the other eyepiece on the double headed scope."

Radiologist:  Wandering in.  "So what do you see?"

Me:  "Who did that fad pad aspirate in radiology last week?"

Radiologist:  Smiling, "Me.  I consider that an area of expertise of mine."

Me:  Laughing, "What a claim to fame.  We do those too.  They are never positive.  Yours was.  You got so deep - fat and muscle!  I looked at the Congo Red first.  The stain for amyloid.  It lit up like a Christmas tree."

Radiologist:  "You are speaking in tongues."

Me:  "When there is amyloid, we see the characteristic apple-green birefringence when we polarize the Congo Red.  I looked at that first, and was shocked to see all that green!  Shiny and lovely.  In the muscle.  In the fibrous tissue around the fat.  Highlighting the small capillaries.  It was textbook!  I was so excited I showed three people before I could move on to the next case.  On the H&E you could see that amorphous pink stuff infiltrating the fat - just like in Robbins."

Radiologist:  Proud, "Fantastic.  I do those a lot.  The patients ask if I can do it again - to get more fat."

Me:  Laughing, "We have that joke too.  What a painful way to get liposuction - over and over with an 18 gauge needle.  Look here.  I see background lymphocytes.  You are in the node.  See those epithelial clusters?  They shouldn't be there.  This is not my stain, so I am going to be conservative and call it suspicious for metastatic malignancy.  But I think you got good material.  How's the day?"

Radiology tech:  "Busy.  Pelvic mass.  Lung.  Thyroid."

Me:  "OK great.  See you soon."

Mars Needs Moms

Bedtime tonight.

"Mom, I love you."

"Love you too Jack.  I hope I don't get sucked up by Mars.  Remember when we saw that (not so great) movie?  Mars needs Moms?"

"??"

"Just kidding sweetie.  No one here is going to another planet.  You are stuck with me for the long haul, sorry.  I'm going to go make lunches, Jack.  I'll stop back by in 5 to say goodnight."

Five minutes later . . .

"Mom, I've got something to tell you."

"What?"

"Mars doesn't really need Moms.  Suns (Sons) need Moms."

Smile.  "Great one, J.  Fantastic.  I'm here for that.  Night, sweet dreams."

Happy Valentine's Day

Here's to 7 months.  Time flies.  Your knowledge base/skill set is insurmountable and unparalleled, and I continue to be surprised on a daily basis.  Surprises make the world go round.

Thanks, S - My valentine.

Fecal Transplants

Read it, over at MiM.

tUnE-yArDs - Powa (4AD Session)

Octaves, Schmoctaves.  This voice spans the entire freaking piano.

Enjoy.

Elton John - Your song

As a lusty alto (rare breed I hear), per Rex/Eric, I have always felt much more comfortable singing along with men than women.  Love this song.  Enjoying my singing lessons.  Voices are instruments.  Trying to hone mine for fun is a reason, post perfecting pathology, to wake up in the morning.

Would You Rather?

Cecelia and Jack were riding in the back seat of the car tonight.  I picked them up from their dad and stepmom's after my post-work Tuesday routine of running, dinner, and yoga (on a good Tuesday, ha ha).  We were on our way home for crunch time involving chapter book, snuggle, and bed.

I asked, "How was your day?"

Cecelia rushed in.  "Daddy took me to the end of the season basketball thing.  I got to run out at halftime when my name was called and throw beads to the crowd, wearing my uniform.  I didn't actually run, I skipped.  It was awesome."

Jack said, "It would have been more awesome if you would have raised your arms and confetti shot out of your underarms."

Cecelia and I laughed pretty hard.  I said, "Jack, that was so cool to think of, didn't we get that out of that sleepover book I bought for y'all?"

Cecelia said, "Yes!  It is called 'Would You Rather.'  I think that one was:  Would you rather be able to shoot confetti out of your underarms or have glow in the dark poop?"

I laughed, "Now I remember.  As cool as it would be to have glow in the dark poop, I think I like the confetti out of your underarms better.  But wouldn't it be even cooler if you had a dial that switched things up?  Like you could change the confetti to whipped cream if you wanted?"

Both kids loved that idea and they took off with suggestions.  Cecelia said, "I would love to be able to shoot whipped cream, or chocolate sauce!"  Jack surprised me again.  "What about love potion?"

Cecelia and I both giggled.  I watched in the rear view mirror as Jack mimed a flirty grin to Cecelia, said, "How you doing," and raised his arm over his head for a pretend squirt.  Cecelia and I laughed and laughed.

After we exhausted imagining a bleacher full of people covered in all sorts of various food items vaulted from our underarms (Chunks of cheese!  Cheese sauce!  Confetti on top!  Etc. etc.) the drive was over and the bed time routine was carried out.

As I was tucking Jack into bed, he voiced one more suggestion.  "It would be cool if I could raise my underarm and make smoky words come out.  You know, instead of talking.  All our mouths would be moving, but it would just be smoky words from right here."  He pointed to his underarms and I could see the smoky words.

I smiled and gave him a good night hug.  He's going to be a helluva writer someday.