The last 2 months in Bombay have been the coldest in recent memory and yes, this is winter to me. I don't have to be told about the inches of snow or the number of people dying due to the cold in your hometowns. The point I'm trying to make is I DO NOT handle cold environments very well. My sinuses start acting up, get nosebleeds, brain freezes & my kidneys obviously start working in hyperspeed & then my legs cramp up from those light-speed approaching runs to the loo to avoid being seen by the residents.
The problem with a hospital is that no matter how expensive, extensive and brilliant the air conditioning system may be, there'll always be these pockets that are insanely cold. Sadly these pockets hold that which is dearest during a night on-call - an empty bed! The story's from my OBGY rotation that had these awesome on-call rooms attached to the Labor Room. Sadly, they had a huge air conditioning duct right over the beds. The first couple of nights when I went in for some shut eye, I actually fell asleep sitting, trying to hide from the cold draught. Decided I'd be smarter the next time around by bringing some sort of blanket.
I forgot.
I was hoping my coat would be enough to sleep through the night. One thing about my gynac rotation was I hardly ever wore a white coat when the professors weren't around. I just felt it unnecessary. If I was needed, I put on the plastic aprons instead; much more effective against you know, blood, meconium and amniotic fluid flying about. Later that night when I went back into the on-call room to sleep, I found it pitch dark, tripped over someone's backpack and then almost sat down on what at first seemed like a white pillow. A few seconds of creepily staring at the pillow revealed it was my cute little tiny resident who'd regressed to the fetal position on my regular bed, with my coat on top of her! So much for staying warm tonight, unless of course she chose that bed for a reason and...
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Ahh gyn. I remember sleeping on a stretcher stuck in head low position.
ReplyDeleteHaha, this is the tale my nightmares are made of! hahaha!
ReplyDeleteThis is incredible! This is the exact same floorplan our Labour room with its attached rooms has..what is up with the central airconditioning in BMC hospitals acting up in these particular rooms! :D And hahaha! Loved the ending!
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