Four Degrees

That is the current temperature outside as I write this post. Nearly 1:00AM and I am still awake. What a surprise.... I suppose that has become the new normal over the past few weeks. Probably due to the changes in my work schedule; I have no doubt that the modifications I've made recently have contributed to the weird hours I keep these days.

One of the changes is relatively recent; I started working in the Emergency Department at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester a couple of weeks ago. I was hired for 24 hours per week to work up front, and I am orienting in the department now. It will take me approximately 5-6 weeks to get through the department orientation, but I think once it is done it should be a pretty interesting job. It will certainly add to my experience, and that is something I look forward to. More learning, but it is good to learn new things. Learning is like exercise; the more you learn, and the more different things you learn, the more well-conditioned the brain becomes. And I believe the folks at Lumosity have gotten it right, in terms of the word "neuroplasticity"; the neural networks we possess expand exponentially when they are stressed. And that is as it should be.

We got a load of snow out here yesterday. My back step had a total fall of approximately 10 inches, which was more that what was predicted. And the temperatures reflect the snow counts as normally when there is no snow the air is a bit warmer. Not now, I'm afraid; it is simply cold. But it is winter in New England; shouldn't it be cold? And this one is as I remember it when I was growing up.

As I write this I am working. Not a surprise there; it is technically Friday morning, and I have been here for a bit shy of 7 hours. We got in from a call a little while ago: an elderly male with mental status changes. Hallucinations and visual disturbances, to be more accurate. Pretty interesting and diffucult at the same time. History of end stage kidney disease - he is supposed to have a dialysis shunt implanted soon. Maybe that will take care of some of the issues, but it is hard to know. Also a diabetic; this always compounds things because of the nature of diabetes. It is an insidious, vicious disease that destroys organ systems over time because of the damage done to peripheral nerves if glucose levels are not controlled. And there is no such thing as age discrimination as it can affect anyone no matter how healthy the person is. But it has to be tough to deal with when you're already compromised metabolically, not to mention physically. And the damage to his kidneys is already pretty much complete. Between the two pathologies that are present, he will likely continue to have a rough row to hoe as time goes on.

I am hoping not to have to deal with the cold again tonight. Hopefully I'll be able to get a nap in. But anything can, and usually does, happen, so if I expect crazy things to happen I won't be disappointed when they do.