The thoughts and words that I want to share
I will be enjoying more eggs and cheese based on heart foundation nutrition advice. There will also be less butter, cream and red meat.
This week saw the death of a star. Most readers know that I’m a keen fan of Star Trek in all its forms, even to some extent the Jar Jar movies in the Kelvin timeline. This week saw the death of a star in Barbara March who played the character Lursa (one of the Duras sisters along with B’Etor [played by Gwynyth Walsh]) who appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space 9, and the movie Star Trek: Generations.
Another health and wellbeing update from me today. A few months ago I recorded that I’d been to see my general practitioner (GP) and he referred me to pathologists for some pathology tests. The results reflected that I was a typical adult man in Australia. I’m overweight. My waist circumference is too large. My fasting insulin three months ago was a warning that I was following my father and paternal grandmother into diabetes mellitus. Just as worrying, my cholesterol and lipids plus my mild hypertension, all pointed to metabolic syndrome.
How can it be August already? Where has this year gone? I mean I know it’s the middle of the year because my skin is dry and cracked and I’m in discomfort every day. I also feel less productive because I seem to always be striving to warm up whether I’m at work or at home. I know at home I could increase the thermostat on my heater, but that means greater expense, and the cost of electricity in Canberra is ridiculous. At work, I can’t do anything apart from wearing more layers of clothing.
Personal efficiency is one of those things I’ve never thought of much. I mean, when I was a resident, I equated being a lazy resident with some sort of efficiency. That probably doesn’t make much sense unless you’ve experienced repeated weeks of busy ward call double shifts, long weekend shifts, and being back in the day when registered nurses weren’t allowed to administer paracetamol or temazepam without a medical officer’s prescription.
There were well-known residents who were called lazy, but when I looked at their workflow, they handled priorities well. Rather than treat every task the same, they apportioned time, effort, and intellect accordingly. The popular residents were the ones who said yes to everything, however, they always looked weary, and they were often late to something important.
Personal efficiency though extends well beyond a busy shift at work. As I have aged and matured professionally and personally, my personal efficiency and effectiveness have waxed and waned.
Continue reading “Personal efficiency”
A brief dip below 80 what? Below eighty degrees? Eighty degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit? Nope, a dip below 80 kilograms.
NAD means no abnormality detected. It is a common acronym used in medical shorthand along with SOB (shortness of breath), HR (heart rate), RR (respiratory rate), BS (breath sounds), and many many more. Of course, there are some which are crass and crude and unwelcome in 2019. I’m guessing someone will know about FITH and GOMER. These are altogether inappropriate acronyms in any patient health record.
The warm loving embrace of Brisbane engulfed me last week while I was there visiting my parents and daughters.
Around this time of year in Australia, we start seeing advertisements with the acronym EOFY. I usually have to think about it when I see it. EOFY is an acronym for “End of Financial Year”. It’s also the end of the taxation year here in Australia.
Have you ever experienced last-minute panic? On Monday morning I had a flight at 06:20 AEST from Canberra to Sydney. I realised at 04:00 AEST that I needed to go to the airport via my desk at work because I’d forgotten something on Sunday afternoon.
