DVTs

Of course I learned a lot in PT, or I wouldn't have my license, but I think the thing that stuck with me the most is CHECK FOR DVT. I remember sitting in the hallway at Belmont waiting to take many a lab practical.I would always be running through a mental check list of things I had to make sure to do in order not to fail. One of the things that was on my list was checking for DVT (deep vein thrombosis aka a deadly blood clot). It didn't matter what the lab scenario was....I was checking for DVT. If they had knee surgery - check for DVT. If they had Shoulder Sx - check for DVT. If they had a headache -- Check for DVT. Of course those last two are overkill but I was making sure I wasn't going to fail.

Also, we are taught to touch the patient...meaning the problem may be a simple as fracture that of course is painful to touch.

Today today those two principles came into play. One of my previous patients came into the clinic from the plant floor complaining of having a charlie horse in his calf for 4 days. I leaned down to touch it and knew immediately that is was not a cramp. I was sure it was one of two things: a blood clot or compartment syndrome. Both are not good and need immediate medical attention. The Goodyear nurse and I finally convinced him to leave work and go either the ER or to his primary physician. Later in the afternoon the nurse came to tell me that the patient was admitted to the hospital with a blood cot. The scary thing with those is they can dislodge and he could be dead within seconds.

So thank you Dr. KRob for failing us when we forgot to test for DVTs. Here is an illustration of a DVT and some common signs and symptoms.

When blood clots outside a blood vessel, this is a normal process which protects the body against losing blood. If the blood clots inside a blood vessel however (as with DVT), this can be dangerous.

Symptoms of DVT:
In most cases of DVT, the clots are small and do not cause any symptoms. The body is able to gradually break down the clot and there are no long-term effects.
Larger clots may partially or totally block the blood flow in the vein and cause symptoms such as:
1. Swelling of the calf

2.Pain in the calf: calf pain that is noticeable, or worse when standing or walking

3. Redness and/or a glossy appearance to the skin

4. Pain in the calf when squeezed

5. Warmth to the touch

These are not always a sign of a DVT, but if you experience them, you should seek medical advice. Like my patient today he only had swelling and pain.

Next: Car wrecks and 911 calls

MY FIRST VACATION ......

In 14 days I will be going on my first vacation as a working adult.
I am very excited. Not only will there be blue water and white sandy beaches, but I will get to see one of my friends get married.
My plan is to sit, read and look at the ocean. Oh and eat too!

Her is the link to the resort we will be staying at:

http://www.meliacaribetropical.com/services/

I'll be the one in the blue swimsuit.

Goodbye Gilmore Girls

So ..... THE BEST Tv show....ever is done. NO more Gilmore Girls. I cried my eyes out during and after the final episode.

WHY I LOVED GILMORE GIRLS

* The Townies: The characters provided the right recipe for success for this show. Mrs. Patty, Babet, Kirk, Sookie, Jackson, Mrs. Kim, Cesaer, Gypsey, Michel and Taylor that provided rediculus story lines that gave the show that added character, and gave the viewer a deeper insight to the life that Lorelai and Rory had in Stars Hollow. Sookie gotta love her. Remember her chasing Jackson down the middle of the street after he caught her looking at strawberries that he had not grown.

* Lane Kim: Rory's best friend. What I loved about Lane was her innocence to life, except when it came to music. GG amazing music references were best brought to life through Lane and her obsession to "rock."

* Richard and Emily Gilmore: Although there were times that I wanted to scream at them for being so bull headed when it came to Lorelai, yet so overboard in their love for Rory. I think that the episodes that were the best were the ones in which the grandparents had a more substantial role. If the writers had not included them we would not have known where Lorelai got her sarcasm.

* Luke Danes: Although he thought he was "normal" in comparison to Lorelai he was, in reality, just as insane. Example: Buying a building just to prevent Taylor from buying it, or building the ice skating rink in Lorelai's front yard.

*Lorelai and Rory: The best thing is the friendship they have, yet the respect for each other. I think one of my fav Lor/Ror moment was at the Stars Hollow movie theatre in the town library when they were on a double date and were watching Pipi Longstockings, and they sang the Pipi Theme songs, along with the who ha ha's and everything. And who can forget during season one when they had the "No, yours boobs are bigger" fight.

* The dialogue: I have not seen another show that can even compare to the pop culture references and wit of the writing. I liked how the writers did not dumb down the "jokes" but instead made us have to think or even research the references.

I was talking to Cindy after the final episode...well actually I was bawling and she was laughing at me. I didn't have a little tear rolling down my face I had the ugly face my cat just died/Harding cry going on. I couldn't breath through my nose and my face hurt. When I finally composed myself enough I asked Cindy why she thought GG ending was affecting me so much. What Cindy said, I think, nailed it on the head. She said, "Anna, over the past year you have gone from Nashville to Dyersburg to Florida to NYC and back. During that time you were away from family and at times (NYC) you were totally alone and without cable...so the Gilmore Girls DVDs kept you company and they became your family. So, Anna, tonight you were having to say goodbye to your family."

I know there are more important things in life, but I wanted to give this show a little send off of my own. So, Goodbye GG..goodbye Lorelai and Rory.. thanks for 7 great seasons...thanks for the laughs and thanks for the memories.

Here are some great quotes:

"How can I break up with you? I’ve never been out with you." "Well yeah, but that’s what today was supposed to be, a date." "A date where we need a secret plan and a two-honk drive by and a decoy cousin?" - Henry and Lane, "A Tisket, A Tasket"

"We have not been waiting forever."
"Godot was just here. He said ‘I ain’t waiting for Richard,’ grabbed a roll, and left. It’s been forever."
"When we gather as a family, we eat as a family. We don’t eat in shifts." "You know, you’re bound by the rules of the Geneva Convention, Mother, just like everyone else." - Emily and Lorelai, "Back in the Saddle Again"

"Rory, honey, do you understand, the Gilmores do nothing altruistically. Strings are attached to everything." "There are no strings... I just have to pay them back starting five years after I graduate, and I have to start going back for Friday night dinners." "Um, hello, Pinocchio, those are strings." - Lorelai and Rory, "Those Are Strings, Pinocchio"

"My mother - she was here. I can feel it. Smell that? The room smells like guilt and Chanel No. 5." - Lorelai, sensing Emily in Rory's room, "The Hobbit, the Sofa and Digger Stiles"

"Dating. It's a horror." "It's the only cure for the singleness thing, barring ordering a spouse off the internet." "If I had dated a lot, I'd still be single. I'd just have spent a lot of bad nights at Tony Roma's." - Luke and Lorelai, "The Fundamental Things Apply"

"That had all the tact of a Nazi storm trooper." - Rory, after hearing Paris break up with a boyfriend, "A Family Matter"

"Rory... right now is the point in the horror movie where the entire audience is yelling, 'Don't go in there.'" - Lorelai, bracing himself for a family dinner, "Afterboom"

The cats -- they know that I've broken up with Jason and that I'm alone and they've decided it's time for me to become a crazy cat lady... they can see it in my face. 'She's single again. She couldn't make it work again. She picked the wrong guy again.' - Lorelai, attracting cats, "Luke Can See Her Face"

Now here is one that I can relate to:

"Lesson number one - when your mom or your grandmother starts trying to pin down your specific whereabouts at a specific time and place, and she's smiling kind of weird, begin evasive maneuvers immediately." - Graham to Rory, "Last Week Fights, This Week Tights"

The end has come

Today this was posted on the MSN homepage:

"Gilmore Girls' is ending after a seven-year run.'Gilmore Girls' to Wrap After 7 Years


I will post later after I collect my thoughts