I Never Cry

Alice showing why he is rock's consummate performer in a classic and heart-felt performance of my favorite ballad

Thought I'd take a slight detour while I'm in between rotations and serve up some pure music. This entry is dedicated to Alice Cooper, who was a local legend for me growing up in Detroit, and again over the past decade as I've lived in Phoenix.

Alice recently played at the ASU graduation ceremony, performing his epic scholastic anthem "School's Out" (how cool would that be if you were graduating that day?) He performed the tune with his son Dash, who is a current ASU student, and also shared the stage that day with some guy named Obama.

At any rate, I have enjoyed Alice's music and tour-de-force live shows that are Broadway musical-meets-arena rock for most of my life. I'm sure you all remember the infamous scene from Wayne's World where Wayne and Garth get backstage after an Alice show and instead of the expected booze-n-broads shenanigans are shocked to find out that Alice is both intelligent and eloquent. On a related note, I recently digested the audiobook version of Mr. Cooper's recent release, Golf Monster. In this book, you are treated to a fascinating look into the life and career of Alice. He talks about his childhood in Detroit and moving to the West Coast, his early band years and subsequent rise to fame, hilarious encounters with his many celebrity friendships (Peter Sellers, Dali, etc), as well as his spiral into alcohol addiction and recovery. Also, there is plenty of golf talk -- some might be surprised that Alice has been a devotee for many many years and is actually quite a good shot. The audiobook is read by Alice himself, and you can't help but be drawn in by his spellbinding oration -- he pulls off some great impressions and really comes across as an intelligent and passionate guy. The audiobook consists of 4 discs and there isn't a dull moment to be had. I highly recommend it to anyone. Alice, thanks for being an inspiration over the years...

Border Song

Just a little note to say that I've survived my ER rotation, maybe not unscathed, but I did make it. Also, I completed the remediation from my last clinical assessment, which went fine. I was still nervous, but things went much smoother. The official clinical assessment day this go-round went well this time too. I passed the computer exam as well as the practical exam with the standardized patient as well as the SOAP note write-up.

As a matter of fact, guess how many of us in my class passed the practical exam this time? Read Gary's lips:



As some of you may or not may know, I did my ER rotation on the border of Mexico. Shifts were usually 4 12-hour days or nights in a row. I was able to see & do a great deal. Here are some of the diagnoses or procedures I was able to perform:

• suturing a-plenty: eyes, cheeks, chins, lips, ears, knees, elbows, legs, arms, you name it, I stitched it
• full codes -- ranging from heart failure, aystole, diabetic keto-acidosis, stroke, etc
• various and sundry insect/animal bites/stings ranging from scorpions, rattlesnakes, spiders, ants, and dogs
• neuro procedures like lumbar punctures
  
• gastrointestinal disorders including pancreatitis, cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, peptic ulcers, reflux, small/large bowel obstruction, diverticulitis, etc.
• fractures of all kinds, ranging from long bones, fingers, wrists, and even skulls resulting in intracerebral hemorrhages
• Psychiatric diagnoses including schizophrenia & bipolar disorder
• Helicopter transfers of serious cases
• Reducing a dislocated shoulder and dislocated jaw
• Removing a toenail
• pulmonary disorders like pneumonia, atelactasis, lung cancer
• HEENT disorders like peritonsillar abscess, otitis externa, corneal abrasions (with slit lamp exam), strep throat, herpes zoster (aka shingles)
• Plenty of interesting pediatric cases such as a young girl who superglued her eyelids shut and another one who stuck a necklace bead up her nose (removed via suction and alligator forceps)
• Cardiac cases like atrial fibrillation, malignant hypertension, pericarditis
• Renal/Urinary disorders such as UTI, pyelonephritis, nephrolithiasis, BPH
  

This is only a smattering of the cases -- most of the general areas fell in these parameters, but I know I'm leaving a few extraordinary cases out too. The 6 weeks went by in a blur, and before I knew it, I was driving back home.

Unfortunately, I did lose 2 patients during the rotation, which was not entirely unexpected but still tough to deal with. I have worked in nursing homes and hospitals in the past, so it wasn't the 1st time losing a patient, but it never gets easy. And perhaps the most difficult and gut-wrenching thing I had to do was inform a 40-something pregnant woman that her vaginal bleeding was a spontaneous abortion.

I got to work with a wide variety of doctors and learned quite a bit from the techs and nurses as well. To be honest, I was able to get everything I had wanted out of my Emergency Room rotation. I met lots of great people and while it was tough being away from home this summer, I am very thankful for the experience. To sum it up: