I worked a 12 hour shift.

I got every difficult case,  new case and new doctor.

Aorta bypass:  4 hours and we did nothing more than dissect down by the femoral arteries and found out the patient was inoperable; arteries hardened so much from diabetes, cholesterol and smoking that the patient will lose a leg above the knee at the very least.  They cannot fix the damage so all they can do now is treat the symptoms.  Sad.

Lung resection:  2 hours to remove a lobe of the lung of a AIDS patient.  Full blown AIDS, severely emaciated, constant wheezing.  Another patient we will end up losing.  This was strictly palliative.  I did this procedure with a surgeon new to the hospital.  We kept having to ask what he wanted.  Tiring.

Intervertebral fusion:  2 hours on a new procedure with a new product.  Simple surgery and the outcome is promising but still exhausting because we don't know exactly what we need for the case.  Lots of running around to gather supplies.  The best part about this surgery is the high you get from the bone cement! lol!

Automobile Accident trauma:  broken arm, broken legs, broken neck.  2 hours and counting.  I left before they finished but it was a packed room.  They were working on the arm and the leg at the same time so I had doubles of everything.

The rest of the day, I spent giving people lunch breaks and cleaning up rooms for the next day.

My feet hurt, my mind is pooped out, and physically I'm exhausted. 

I'm going to bed....Good night!