Flight of ideas

a belated reflection on psych, with some loosened associations in the flight of ideas, maybe slightly tangential:
- first rotation and i really enjoyed it, looked forward to getting to the hospital because i know i might be meeting some new interesting patient, or checking up on that hyper-manic & psychotic pt to see if they are doing better with medications (it's amazing what antipsychotics and mood stabilizers can do to calm the mind)
- i wonder if i'll see some of my pt on the street sometimes, and what would i do if i see them... turn around and walk away? good thing i wasn't the attending, they prob don't remember me... hopefully, i really dislike the idea of stalkers (esp since my attending has been stalked + called at home before!)
- one pt that i followed with first psychotic break, came in with grandiose ideas that he's a famous musician/actor/genius/super marketer, and that we are all in his movie, which is been shot right now by hidden cameras in the sky. He had a good dream though, to establish an empire for poor kids all over the world, with beautiful houses+ garden + playground (which he drew out on a paper), and to educate these kids to be the best they can be.   Had very little insight into his own condition, insisted that he's going home or he'll sue us. In the end, when we were going to bring him to court for commitment, he eloped from our locked unit, took the elevator down and walked right past security with no shoes. Hopped on to the bus and went home.... the police was called to chase him down, but his family prob hid him. Last day of my rotation, heard that he went to jail and his family has finally realized he should be treated by psych.
- psychotic break can be quite scary, esp since it can present in various ways, not just seeing or hearing things.   It can happen to anyone, esp in their 20s!  like your college or med school friends...
- illegal drugs are also crazy, people actually dip marijuana in formaldehyde ("Fry"), and smoke it, that's just...gross.
- a well-off pt , chronic alcoholic, who drank isopropyl alcohol and took plenty of sleeping pills, ended up unconscious.
- And a high schooler getting high on opiates and can't stop... and use hospital opiates in the room.
- Chronically depressed pts who just can't stop been suicidal and depressed with fixed delusions.
- Manic pt who's the next prophet after Christ, and in about year he will be broadcasting the secret message from God to everyone, and then everyone will know he has been telling the truth, including his 90 years old grandmother who he lives with.
- Fun times with free snacks, some by drug reps or pt's families or the hospital.
- reasonable work hours
- sure there were some other things that i didn't enjoy as much, but looking back now, i miss psych

Ob reality now:
- waking up before 5:30am has been tough, and i know it's not THAT bad yet since i'm not on surgery this week, but still..big change from waking up before 7 for psych...
- so many pelvic exams/pap smears/ bi-manual exams.... none of which i get to do yet, except on a standardized pt who has kindly taught us how to do these (seemingly painful) exams.
- you never know when the baby wants to come out... could be the next day, week, months... gets kind of boring when they don't come out for a long time (although that's good for the baby)
- labor looks awful, having 6+ babies sound awful, and twins sound not so fun neither (more things could go wrong when the roommates are sharing a studio apartment)
- OB delivery is a bloody mess... and i'll be in this mess next week during nights. hopefully i'll get to catch some placentas... don't see how else i can contribute to the quick & intense delivering process...

Admist the crazies, i'm so thankful for God to have provided for me during times of high stress/ freak outs/ lows. I see God working in my life everyday, despite my many inadequacies and sin.
It's nice to take a step back sometimes and marvel at the wonders of the human body.

Hope to see lots of baby miracles next week. And to all the women in the world, happy International Women's Day!