Dreaming of spring-cleaning

Too often I forget that I'm the mistress of my own life, and do stupid things like working all the time because I was taught that this is what I'm supposed to do. Just because my parents/society/the establishment (whatever that may be) have banged that into my head since I was little, doesn't mean I have to listen to it. 

So, next week I'm taking a week off! I have no commitments, no scheduled shifts, and I decided to say no to any work and yes to everything my little heart desires. To say I am majorly stoked about next week is a gross understatement - I am positively giddy with excitement!

I thought I had Covid-19

I wake up in the middle of the night from my nausea. I feel so sick that I think I may have to throw up, so I stagger into the bathroom and kneel down in front of the toilet. My entire body is shaking, and I can feel every inch of it. Normally we are not aware of our body; it's just there, unnoticed, doing its job quietly without disturbing us. But now I feel the coldness of my feet, the shaking of my legs, and a soreness in my upper body that clings to me like a wet blanket. It's awful. After a couple of minutes I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to throw up, so I heave myself off the floor, take a Gravol and a Tylenol, and stumble back to bed. My aching body makes sleep impossible, and as I try unsuccessfully to get comfortable, a terrible thought strikes me: I x-rayed a patient with Covid three days ago. Did I get Covid?

10 things I'm loving right now

Happy Sunday and happy Valentine's day! Personally, I'm not a fan of V-day, because I think it creates a lot of pressure in relationships and makes people who are single feel bad, but if you love it, ignore me. Celebrating love is definitely a good thing, and something we all need more of! Also, how cute is that swan photo? I got it from Pixabay, the free website where I get all my photos that are not taken by me. Everybody can upload photos to the site, and if it's approved it's free to download and use without having to credit the photographer. I have a page there as well, with more than 40,000 downloads! Which reminds me, I have to dust off my camera and start taking DSLR photos again. I haven't in over a year, yikes!

The heaviness of being a witness to the worst news

They called me in for a patient who was short of breath. That's one of the most common reasons we take chest x-rays - they happen every day. 

On the way from the emergency department to my x-ray room she apologized for me having to come in. On weekends, we don't have scheduled shifts at the hospital; we are on call for emergencies. About 10% of the patients apologize for having us called in, and I always find it very endearing. After all, that's the purpose of us being on call, and it's not like we are doing it for free, which is what I usually tell them, and what earns me a relieved laugh.