Monday, January 09, 2006
Belly talk
Somehow the drawstring bluescrub bottoms I had on were a bit lopsided, weighed down by the bleep. My hair kept poking my right eye.
Somehow I felt myself falling apart this morning. The stethoscope kept slipping down, the ear piece kept pinching my right boob. Is that right? Boob for one, boobs for two?
I was standing in between two consultants in a heated discussion about scepticaemia from Staph aureus. The patient was on the ventilator. In between them, I tried casting my eyes on the septic numbers. Without making it obvious that I was multitasking. They were bound to turn and ask me what the numbers are even if they were right under their noses.
There was a severe compromise in my visual field. It looked like, as they were talking, the distance between their bellies narrowed and I promise you the bellies were almost rubbing against each other. When they laugh the bellies jiggled. Dugdugdugdugdug. They had no idea that physically, they were closer than they thought they were.
I think if you draw eyes, nose and big lips on their bellies, you could make a sketch. It’ll be called Between Two Bellies. It could be a romantic scene, between two people in love. Maybe making promises that they are going to keep in touch, no matter how far apart they are going to be. It’s the last meeting before one goes away to work at another hospital. They draw themselves closer, and their eyes locked and their gazes intertwined, cascading down at each other’s lips and they pucker up..
‘So shall we change it to ciprofloxacin? What do you think Naj?’
They both looked at me. The bellies popped out. Vanished.
‘Sure, I’ll do that’ I blurted, while rummaging through for the treatment chart.
Ward round I tell you, ITU or not ITU.
Somehow I felt myself falling apart this morning. The stethoscope kept slipping down, the ear piece kept pinching my right boob. Is that right? Boob for one, boobs for two?
I was standing in between two consultants in a heated discussion about scepticaemia from Staph aureus. The patient was on the ventilator. In between them, I tried casting my eyes on the septic numbers. Without making it obvious that I was multitasking. They were bound to turn and ask me what the numbers are even if they were right under their noses.
There was a severe compromise in my visual field. It looked like, as they were talking, the distance between their bellies narrowed and I promise you the bellies were almost rubbing against each other. When they laugh the bellies jiggled. Dugdugdugdugdug. They had no idea that physically, they were closer than they thought they were.
I think if you draw eyes, nose and big lips on their bellies, you could make a sketch. It’ll be called Between Two Bellies. It could be a romantic scene, between two people in love. Maybe making promises that they are going to keep in touch, no matter how far apart they are going to be. It’s the last meeting before one goes away to work at another hospital. They draw themselves closer, and their eyes locked and their gazes intertwined, cascading down at each other’s lips and they pucker up..
‘So shall we change it to ciprofloxacin? What do you think Naj?’
They both looked at me. The bellies popped out. Vanished.
‘Sure, I’ll do that’ I blurted, while rummaging through for the treatment chart.
Ward round I tell you, ITU or not ITU.
