That's what the digital clock read when I convinced myself this morning that I had GI lymphoma. It must have been a half dream, but the circular fans were cycling overhead and I felt like it was real. Far from dismay, I started to plan. Ugh I'm going to have to get an endoscopy for a diagnosis. Hopefully, and I was kind of sure of this, it was something low grade. Maybe follicular, or a MALT driven by H.pylori. This is doable, I decided, I just had to get my big girl panties on like when I had small kids and was in residency. The more you have on your plate the more efficient you become. I'll take Rituximab, if that is still the thing. I haven't done lymphomas in over five years, and things change.
I guess I still could have a GI lymphoma cooking, but what a relief to wake up and it be all a dream for now. I think it was probably work anxiety - Sunday's after a holiday are particularly stressful. Mine almost went South with my headspace after the family left but Jack saved me with a Merlin and a deep dive into Season 2 of White Lotus made it hard to stay in a funk.
This morning was challenging. I told Michelle after I called her about a consult that I misjudged Friday, we all did. It was horrible. Lots of crazy cases, took me a couple of hours this morning to climb out from under them all. Michelle said, yeah, I always forget the Monday after Thanksgiving is the good day. The Friday isn't usually that bad, but the last one was a doozy.
I thought I was on call when I woke up, and I knew we had a med exec committee meeting at YaYa's from 6-8 tonight (what crazy person dreamed that up as a good idea the Monday after a holiday?) so I dressed to the nines and was so relieved when Tina told me no, Shaver is on call, not you. I was even more relieved when after consulting Shaver about a degenerative specimen that fell out of a lady's uterus in the ED over the weekend (he helped me with wiggle words - CYA type sign out) he told me to leave when I was done. Which was before 11. WHEW. Time for chill and nap before dinner.
I am also having one of the worst GI days I've had in a while, will not bore you with details. It started off fine, I entered the dr. lounge and greeted Shirley who works there and asked how her holiday was (she worked the cafeteria on Thanksgiving). Then I noted Zach Roe was sitting down to a big breakfast as I was getting coffee. Hey Zach! I said. His sister shadowed me a couple of times a few years ago. I've not seen him much since.
How is your sister? I asked. He said I was just texting her she's in her first year of medical school. Thanks for asking about Grace. Tell her I said hello please. I told him one of Cecelia's best friends is a scribe in the ER Anushka, we ate with her a few weeks ago at Three Fold. I told Zach that I had gone to high school with Lane England and to med school with Jon Palmer and Wayne Lyle so I feel like I know the whole ED. I told him I asked Anushka who is your favorite? She said Zach Roe.
He smiled and said she is such a good scribe. Hendrix grad, trying for med school. They all are, I said, it's good experience, one of my recent shadows is in his first year after scribing for three years after college. His dad is a med tech in micro I've know for years. When people get as good as Anushka, Zach said (I could be spelling that wrong but it feels right over Zack) we silently and selfishly vote for them not to get into med school. Although we are always appropriately happy when they do. I've worked here long enough to see scribes finish residency, Zach said. I'm no spring chicken either, I quipped. It's fun to watch the new generation. Happy Monday! Much love, Elizabeth