So today I had a patient- a 17 year old girl with a 5th metacarpal fracture. Commonly known as a Boxer's Fracture- because you usually get it from punching someone/thing. (it's always funny when kids come in and try to give us some big elaborate story about how they fell or whatever- and we just look them straight in the eye and say "no really, what did you punch?" and they get all embarrassed and freaked out that we're psychic.)

But anyway- usually teenage girls who break their hands punching people are either trashy ghetto drama queens, or really tough man-girls. Sorry for the generalizations, but, well, that's been my experience.

But so today this girl was lying on the OR table getting prepped, and we went out to scrub our hands. The nurses and anesthesiologist usually chat with the patient as they go off to sleep.

So, we came in to the room, and scrubbed, ready for our gowns and gloves. And every single person in the room is listening to the girl with rapt attention. Someone says "and then what happened? What about your sister?!" But right then she drifted off to sleep.

But so of course I had to know what this exciting story was...

Well.

This girl is 17. She has a sister who is 15. Apparently there was a bitchy girl at their school who was always bullying and teasing the younger sister, and had been making her life miserable for 2 years.

So finally one day, the sister takes a bunch of pills. I guess their mom came home and found her unconscious. She called 911 and took her to the bathroom to try to make her throw up.

And then the older sister, I guess the next day, just walks straight into bully-girl's classroom, right in the middle of class, and punched her right in the face.

That's awesome.

Not that I condone violence, but I love seeing a girl stick up for her little sister like that!

(And it's so much better than the usual "I was drunk and punched a wall" story that we get.)

Ok, so I've never had any allergies that I've been aware of.
All I can say now is that if this is what I've been 'missing'- I have a whole new sense of sympathy for allergy sufferers.

Yesterday morning I woke up with a bit of a scratchy throat and stuffy nose. No big deal. Took some aleve, made some theraflu, took a nap after work. And Airborne. (which is hocus pocus to me, but people swear by that stuff, so I figure it can't hurt.)
Felt decent this AM, a little sniffly.
So at 6am before work I took:
Airborne
1000mg tylenol
10mg claritin
240mg sudafed.
4 sprays Afrin

Got to work.
Eyes itching. Nose not stuffy, but dripping like a faucet. Coughing, sneezing. WTF!!!
This was probably 2h after taking that pharmacopeia at home.- and these meds are all supposed to last 12-24h.

But it was intolerable.
So I went to the pharmacy downstairs.
Took:
10mg zyrtec
more afrin

No relief.

Got home, took 25mg benadryl.
Still no change.

WTF!
I feel fine- except that my poor nose is about to fall off from kleenex overdose. No fever, no sore throat, no congestion. just itchy, runny nose and eyes, plus sneezing and some itchy cough.

From what I know, these are allergy symptoms. But i've never had them before. And the only places I've been are home and work- nothing new there. Yeah it's a little warmer out- but no flowers or pollen or anything.

If this is not better by tomorrow I don't know what I'll do.

Any chronic allergy people out there know any magic cures?!

So, last night I had a really vivid dream about my old house in New Orleans. So today I googled it.
And I found a pdf of some glossy report about katrina funding- showing that my house was denied.

Then I found a pdf of the minutes of some new orleans historical preservation society- from 2009.
And in the last section of the minutes, "demolition for neglect"- I found my house.

Yet google maps still shows it in all its glory... bougainvillea (sp?) in bloom... looking great. But, it says 2009 in the corner.

I am amazingly sad.

In fact, I am surprised by how sad this news makes me.

Goodbye, old friend.

:(