lizardinlaw's New Writeups

December 27, 2009 (log)

2009-12-27T14:29:53Z

Email from the Extroverted Feeler this morning. He sent it on the 26th, two days ago, since he's 13 hours ahead. He and 7 other exchange students decided to try a small amount of alcohol. Expressly forbidden. Later, one of them wouldn't wake up. They tried and then my son went to the chaperone for help. The kid was taken to the hospital. My son apologizes because he drank and expects to be sent home from Thailand early for breaking the rules.

I am deeply proud of him. He chose to care for his friend, knowing he might get sent home. He told them that they broke the rules. I've always made him read the articles in the paper about teens dying because they've had too much to drink, vomiting and aspirated, or crashing carloads of teens. I would rather he didn't drink at 17 but after that, he made the right decision. He said that the not waking up was not from alcohol and the kid is fine. I emailed right away and said how glad I was…

December 22, 2009 (log)

2009-12-22T15:51:28Z

My son is 17, an exchange student to Thailand, for the year. My daughter is 12 and two days ago I took her to Seattle and met the X. He took her back over the mountains. They plan to be back on Christmas Eve.

I feel like my brain has melted.

We are three and a half years out from the divorce. Summer, 2006. For the three years before that we were separated for a year, together for a year, separated for a year. When we separated, the X said that he would take the kids on Wednesday night and every other weekend. "I'm not going to take them on call weekends," he said, "that will teach you a lesson."

One call weekend early on I took the kids and sleeping bags in to the hospital. There is a fancy hospice room with a fold out couch. We went up the back stairs. I changed in to scrubs and went by the desk. The unit secretary looked up. "Staying?" she said, "Do you have a labor patient?" "Nope," I said. She was looking down to the far end of the hallway, where…

December 21, 2009 (log)

2009-12-21T17:40:08Z

Job confirmed, to start Monday December 28, 2009.

I won't be around E2 nearly as much. TRY to look sad and bereft, just for a moment, ok?

One hour 40 min commute, assuming it's not icy. Well, it's only for three months. I need to get as much stuff done for my clinic as possible before then but all I want to do is celebrate, got the job, got the job. Hoorah! I was just a touch nervous (liar) because of the firing back in May and they wanted the name of my last supervisor, who, of course, is the one who fired me. On the other hand, how much bad stuff can they say if they employed me for 9.5 years?

I had a deep hug from a friend this morning, a long one. I had been reading sensei's work for an hour before that. I like the image of the nodegel and floating in it. While I was being held, I opened that door in my chest to longing. It is dark inside and deep. It expands outwards and I see stars, like the firmament. Supernovas, suns, black holes. It expands and…

Alcohol and teens (idea)

2009-12-17T13:48:02Z

Let's talk about alcohol and teenagers. I am a rural family practice doctor and get to speak to people of all ages about alcohol. I see parents nearly abandon their teenagers "because I can't control him/her." I find this heartbreaking. Teenagers need parental voices more than ever, yet some parents have essentially checked out by the time the child is 14. At Thanksgiving, we were at a friend's. Me, my X, the Introverted Thinker, my date and the friend. Gatherings are a bit like that currently. Surreal. The friend was telling us that his X had called him, concerned. She had found a container full of empty beer cans in her house. They have a 17 year old and share custody. I have a 17 year old and a 12 year old. The friend went to his X's house and they confronted the son. The friend lectured the son, saying, "Son, I'm very disappointed that you didn't recycle these cans." No message about not drinking. The…

December 16, 2009 (log)

2009-12-16T14:53:31Z

I have not gotten tons of positive feedback on Everything2 for my poetry but my Unitarian minister likes my poetry: he used Say yes in a sermon along with Robert Frost, Rumi and Mary Oliver on Sunday. Happy sigh. Last week someone said, "Isn't it nice that he uses things from the congregation to make people feel good. That's so sensitive." I'm trying to brain dump that comment. Still, it felt good. Most comments I get on E2 are along the lines of "I really like your medical writing." and occasionally include "stop posting your horrible poetry." Too bad, I'm getting encouragement elsewhere.

The sermon was part of his Christmas series: he does 4 sermons leading up to Christmas, on the themes of Faith, Hope, Love and Joy. My poem was in the Love sermon. He used Rumi's "The Guest House", which is currently on my home node. He used Mary Oliver's "The Journey" and a Frost poem that I hadn't heard before: "A Leaf Treader". I bought myself a used Complete Robert Frost a few months…

Alcohol (idea)

2009-12-15T13:28:23Z

Let's talk about alcohol.

I am a family practice physician and I talk to people of all ages about alcohol. The current recommendation is no more than one drink daily for women and two drinks daily for men, no saving it up for the weekend.

"What?" you say "No way. Come on, that's ridiculous."

My patients don't say "That's ridiculous." After all, they are paying me to do a physical exam and a preventative exam. I am supposed to give them advice. But what is the basis for that?

One drink is defined as a regulation 12 oz beer or 6 ounces of wine or one ounce of hard liquor. If it is a high alcohol beer or wine, the amount is less.

It is NOT the liver doctors that have given us these numbers. It is the cardiologists, the heart doctors. One drink in women or two in men lowers blood pressure and in general, has good effects. Go over that daily and there is a rebound in blood…