Charlie's Bird
living the dream with Charlie and Thandi and chirping all the way back to the nest.Archive for work
The Treadmill
…is it just me, or is the treadmill of life set to Usain Bolt speed at the moment? Just when I think I am getting on top of things, something else gets thrown at me, and I am left juggling more balls than I can really cope with. Crikey!
- Work is probably the least of my stressors at the moment, although, I am finding it inconveniently busy. Does that make sense, without sounding flippant? I am busy, not swamped, but I have so much else on the go, I wish it were easier?
- Work on the hospital committee looking at a pilot project for our region is steaming ahead, not a lot of demands, but enough to keep me on my toes.
- School commitments are extremely demanding at the moment. The Governing body is leading some ‘changes’ at our school. Not big changes, just administrative changes, and trying to navigate the egos of all the players is really hard. I have also possibly been a little complacent in my role as SGB chair, but it sounds like we may have a few management problems brewing. And I will need to face them head on, and for someone who doesn’t love confrontation, that’s hard! I am also the fundraiser in chief for the Marimba tour girls, and there is a huge market coming in 2 weeks time that we will be present at, I am obviously under quite a bit of pressure to make it a success, so that the parental costs for their upcoming tour can come down. This is where work gets inconvenient, I don’t have enough time to schedule a meeting with the other moms and dads to get them fully involved. Argh!
- Thandi is next level busy, and I am really starting to stress about her, and worry that she is starting to drop the ball on some of her commitments. Case in point, she had an oral due today, and completely forgot about it, and realised at 6 last night, and did not have the right book at home to complete it. Anyway, she will pull it off, because English is the last lesson of the day, so she has 2 breaks to get it done, but I know this can’t go on. Every time I try to talk to her about time management , she gets super defensive and won’t even listen to me when I offer suggestions. I get that she sees my suggestions as instructions, but she is being a real teenager about it. Morning swimming training starts again next week, and I cannot wait for that – the endorphin rush to start her day on a better note, and then the need to be super disciplined about time!
- The girl turns 13 this month, and one of the other moms approached me about a combined party, which in theory is a great idea, in practice I am finding it quite hard, instead of being able to just do stuff when I can, the other mom and I need to be able to get together to do stuff, which isn’t ideal… Anyway, the party is on Saturday, so, soon that will be ticked off the list. (it’s a surf themed disco, photos will follow after the party!)
- Health wise, I have had a few challenges… Early in April I got sick, I nipped it in the bud with meds, and that settled down, but obviously my immune system was down, and 2 weeks later I got sick again. Since I had whooping cough a few years ago, I really struggle with a cough after any illness, and I am currently coughing for the first team. I sound like I should be an 80 year old who smoked camel plain their entire life! And its exhausting! I had my annual PET scan in May, and all good news on the melanoma front, but they picked up inflammation in my sinuses, (obviously) and that the fracture in my foot has not healed, and I have a non union now. The orthopod says to carry on, it doesn’t make a difference, but I am finding it a little more tender of late, especially as I start trying to run again. (I also desperately need my endorphins back!)
And there is my pity party… I keep reminding myself, one eats an elephant one bite at a time, so here is to biting and chewing, and not choking…
week 7
…apologies for skipping last week… It’s been rough.
- Work – has been quite busy. The hospital is planning a pilot project, rolling out in the latter part of the year, which I am involved with; it’s going to be interesting, and I’ll share more as the plan becomes more concrete. I have been nominated for SASOG council, which is quite a prestigious thing in our gynae world. So an election will be held and we will see what comes of that. I’m not 100% sure when the election is, but I expect it in the next 2-3 weeks.
- Thandi – swam in a gala in GQ last weekend, she swam some good times, and we are optimistic about what she will do at SAJN with a month to go. So, nicest compliment ever, at the gala, the referee called our team manager aside and said that she has to please tell the parents and coach of Thandi that she is the most polite, courteous, humble swimmer he has seen on the pool deck. She thanks all the officials after every race, graciously, with a smile. #proudmom Sport has been very very busy! In other news she got glasses last week – flip, she has wanted them for years, and although she has had a minor issue with one eye, the optometrist said to rather leave alone and see how she goes. This year the board has become problematic, so retest, and the optometrist conceded that she could now have a pair… she looks so cute!
- She has also been elected as an ambassador at school. Our school did away with the apparently ‘old fashioned’ prefect system, so this is as close to a perfect as she can get. #Superproudmom
- Friends – while we were in GQ we caught up with 2 families that we had met during our new year break. It was good to laugh and catch up with them, but even better was watching T and their kids pick up where they left off last time. They squealed and smiled and talked and laughed. Made me so so glad!
- Valentine’s day – as is my custom in hosted my annual Valentine’s dinner – it was themed along a trailer Trash murder mystery dinner – it was a hoot. I don’t have photos yet, once I have them I will give you a blow by blow account, but it was fun with lots of laughter and hysteria!
- Family – yesterday was 7 years since my Dawny passed… I miss her every damn day.
week 5+3
…phew, a lot happened last week, and we were on the road on Friday morning, therefore, no blog.
- Thandi – had an up and down week. The highs included some great swims at pour provincial top 8 trials, where she swam mostly PB’s and thoroughly whipped her competition. She was so happy with her results. On Thursday morning she was due to leave with her waterpolo team for the Oakhill tournament which takes place in Knysna. It is a fantastic festival which takes place in the lagoon, the construct floating pools in the waterfront area at Knysna. Absolutely incredible experience for the kids. She was exhausted when she went to bed on Wednesday, and when I woke her up on Thursday morning, she was under extra blankets and she was on fire, with a massive fever. So, like any good doctor, I loaded her up with paracetamol, send lots of meds along and sent her on her way. To get a call to tell me she’s throwing up and is looking terrible. Anyway, the teachers managed the situation quite well, they kept her hydrated and managed to get her fever broken. Poor girl, she was finished! She didn’t play on Thursday afternoon, and was good to go on Friday, but the sparkle faded and by the last game of the day, that temp was up again and she was all teary and upset. Anyway, Saturday was better, by the final game of the festival the entire team was tired, but they managed a great result! They finished 3rd on the log, having only lost 1 game (no team was unbeaten by the end of the fest) and Thandi played some great polo, some okay polo, and spent some time on the sidelines.
- Running – this was a tougher week, and I struggled with my energy again. It has been extremely hot and humid, and I have not enjoyed those conditions. On Saturday while in Knysna, I suggested to Charlie that we go for a run, all was going well until I tripped and fell off a pavement, in the process breaking one of the bones in my foot. So, there’s that. Thankfully no surgery required, but, not my best day out.
- Work – steadily ticking over.
Catching up again
…can someone just stop this bus! Jingoes. Whenever I think it cant get busier, it does!
The last 2 weeks were good! TAFKAD was in town for her father’s 80th birthday, and we had been invited to his party on the Saturday. So special to celebrate with them, and just honour their dad. Made me miss mine a lot too! Anyway, while we were celebrating Dr PS, Thandi had travelled down to GQ for the waterpolo IPT, they were only due to play their first match of the tournament the following day, so crack of dawn, we headed down and settled in to watch their first match. Bearing in mind, she was playing for the B team, they played well, showed great cohesion as a team, and we were so impressed with them. As the tournament progressed we saw ups and downs. Thandi did not have the most game time, but she had some really nice games, and even scored a goal! The team were full of really nice girls, and they all got on well, such a positive experience. Anyway, they ended up 10/16 teams (should have been 8th, but, lessons learnt!) We are super proud of them.
After the tournament, I headed home to get some work done, (for a day), and I then returned to GQ for a gala. Charlie and Thandi stayed on, and the girl got some down time. And what a gala it was, she swam like an absolute champ, and out of the 10 events she did, only 1 was not a new PB. I am so proud of her! I am. however, all poolside sat out, and am very relieved there is a bit of a break before our next gala. Phew!
We really were treated with good weather while we were there, there were a few crazy days when we had 4 seasons in 1 day, but on the whole, really nice!
I’ve been back at work this week, and it has been quite busy, but, its that weird time of the year – medical aids are done, so it’s quiet, but some workers who have their holidays now want to sort things out, those who have problems who thought they could push through to January are realising that they can’t and are rushing in, and obviously pregnancies keep ticking over. So, we do what we have to do.
The dying art
…of blogging. Flip, I cant believe how I am struggling to blog at the moment. I sit at my computer, with lots to say, but, just cant compose anything. I appreciate that my little ‘dear diary’ is now old fashioned and probably boring to many people. As my daughter ages, it is getting harder too, to share her stories, as I appreciate that she might not want me to splash everything all over the interwebs. so, lets give a brief update.
- Work is weird. Money is tight, the hospital is seeing, year on year, fewer deliveries, and we are the quietest we have ever been. The outpatient work in the rooms fluctuates. Somedays are busy-ish, some days are a waste of me getting dressed and putting make up on. But, bills must be paid, and staff must get salaries, so we carry on.
- Running is going okay, obviously I’ve lost a little bit of my mojo, but the few runs I have done since the marathon have been great. The weather isn’t playing along over weekends, and it has rained every weekend, so I’ve been a bit reluctant to climb out of bed on a wet morning.
- Our house renovations continue. The bathroom is finally complete, I’ll take some photos and share soon, the painting continues, and we have been re arranging all our art work and family photos. It feels a bit like a new home.
- Thandi continues to amaze me. She is committed to her swimming and is seeing the rewards for training hard. She has been selected for the provincial /13B waterpolo team, which as an /12 is quite an achievement. She is training hard for that. Musically she continues to achieve well, and her academics are solid! She has dancing exams coming up in all disciplines – ballet, tap and modern. So an extremely busy term.
- There are lots of school commitments coming up in my role as governor – marketing workshops, end of year functions, prize giving, farewells… It’s busy!
- And tonight is halloween! And I’m cooking!
Better week
…thankfully, my week has turned out ever so slightly better at the moment. I’m still tired, the increased training is exhausting me, in a good kind of way, I guess. And work, work is still driving me a bit moggy, but it has been a better week of patients so far. phew.
So, last night we went out to dinner, just the 3 of us. We haven’t had a chance to do that in a while. And it was really nice to enjoy a meal I didn’t prepare. We went to a spot called ‘The Kitchen Table’, it’s a small intimate restaurant that only does dinners 2 nights a week, I suppose that it why we seldom get there.The menu nis small and changes regularly.
I started with aubergine potstickers on a toasted sesame seed puree – the puree was amazing. Slightly sweet, with those nutty sesame flavors (sorry, TAFKAD – sweetish nuts are delish!) Thandi had Chicken potstickers with a sweet vinegar chilli sauce. Very good! And Charlie had pork croquettes which he raved about. Mains were a mixed affair – I had fishcakes with a coleslaw (not a traditional mayonaissey coleslaw), Charles had a beef tataki and Thandi a potato rosti with a heap of other roasted veg – peppers, marrow, spinach and a divine lemony hollandaise sauce. Everything was beautifully presented and really delicious. We laughed and talked and joked, a lovely relaxed evening. My heart was happy when I climbed into bed last night.
yours, insulted
…something very weird happened in the world during the pandemic. I chatted to colleagues in different specialities and different cities, and I am definitely not alone in feeling this way. People have really gotten mean, nasty, inconsiderate and downright rude. Through this testing time, we are finally seeing people’s true colours.
This weekend demonstrated a case in point. I was on call, and one of my partner’s patients came in, in early labour. She was booked for a repeat caesar later this week, it was her second pregnancy. She really really did not want me to deliver her, and the debate was whether she could hang on until this morning (Monday) when my partner was available. I saw her at 7am yesterday, offered the caesar, declined. She spent the day niggling in the latent phase of labour, I came in to do my rounds at about 4;30pm, and once again, I examined her, again, offered the caesar, and again, was met with ‘but can’t I just wait’. I explained the risks of waiting as her labor progressed and that having her baby at 3am, when SHE decided she might be ready would increase her risks all round – to her and baby. I tried to really get to grips with what her hesitation was – and it was just me. Eventually she had the staff and the anaesthetist explaining that I was a good doctor and that my partner wouldn’t work with me if he didn’t trust me. Finally she agreed, but not before telling the anaesthetist that she had had such a good experience with my partner, and everything had gone so well, and she wanted that again, and not me. Not once was I given a chance. Not once was I actually acceptable to her. And this to a women I had never even met previously. A woman who I was now about to operate on.
Okay, so reading back over that, it doesn’t sound bad. But, I had been ready to proceed at 7am, when I was there, with an entire team (anaesthetist, theatre staff, paediatrician), doing another case at that time. She again was reluctant when I was back later that day, again, with the whole team there, they were busy with a colleague doing another case. My time didn’t matter to her, in fact I was definitely dismissed by her, but I was the person who had to be there for the emergency situation. If she had again declined, I would have been the one who would have had to get up at 3am when she was progressing in labor, wake up the theatre team, the anaesthetist and paediatrician to deliver her.
Everything I do, I do with my patient’s best interests at heart, the timing of their delivery, the mode of their delivery – none of that is for my convenience. Yet, I am met with a casual dismissal that I don’t care about them, their babies and their experience. And actually, that is all I care about.
My family, my friends, myself – all secondary to my patients’ needs.
And another
…week goes by.
Thandi is home from the gala and swim camp. She had a good time, and sounds like she coped well with the time away. One of the moms said that she c Ould see she was a little overwhelmed at first – really not used to being with so many others all the time, but by the end of the gala, she had found her place in the team. I got a couple of really beautiful complements on her manners and behaviour too, so I was a proud mom! Coach gave the kids a few days off, and she was back in the pool yesterday, starting to prep for the next gala – next weekend! It looks like we are in for quite a season!
Work has been busy, and stressful, I am feeling completely stretched by it all, but, anyway, we will persevere and get through it. My partner is at least back from his holiday, so I am ‘off the hook’.
On the home front we are planning some renovations – The floor in Thandi’;s bathroom has slowly been subsiding over the last 18 years, my builder brother told me I had about 20 years before it really became an issue, so, we are tackling that before we have a plumbing crisis. A paint job, some reupholstery and a redesign of and move to the other spare room for Thandi is on the cards. Her redesign is very exciting – involving a mezzanine platform and spiral staircase! I will share pics as things unfold.
Running has been going well. I have roped my friend SS in to help me get some quality sessions in too try to improve the fitness and the brain. I have endurance, in buckets, but I am frustrated that even though I am running so much, and so much more comfortably now, I am slow and still feel as though I am lumbering along. This morning we ran a speed session, my toes are still defrosting – it was 8 degrees! Even though it was cold, I am still glad I showed up, and pushed myself out of my comfort zone!
This weekend we are going to see my brother! I haven’t seen this one since my Pops died, so I am really looking forwards to that. He is coming down to a village nearby to attend/officiate a funeral ( he is a pastor) and we are meeting in a nearby mountainous village. I am so excited! When they head off to the funeral though, we are heading back home and then travelling to a seaside village to see a friend who is out from New Zealand! So a jam packed weekend of reunions and love!
Really?
…did I really only post once last week? It was a full week, so, ja.
Friday saw the end of term 2, and at final assembly my Thandi got a triple gold – gold academic award (and a birdie whispered in her ear that she came top of the grade), gold cultural award (for all her success at the local Eisteddfod) and a gold sports award (for swimming, they neglected the lifesaving, which should have earned a second gold sports award) She came home very proud with an excellent report.
And then Charlie and Thandi were off to GQ for the first gala of the season. It’s the first time she is staying with the team, and not with one of us, that in and of itself is fine, but then after the gala, they are staying on for a 3 day swim camp, and Charlie is coming home for that time. So, she is with her team for a full week. I think its going to be quite tiring towards the end, but she has lovely roommates, and they are all a little older and are looking after her nicely. The gala so far is going well. She has swum a couple of PB’s and matched the rest. 2 more days of swimming ahead of her. And she has already swum a SAJN qualifying time, so the pressure is off for this season!
I have been home alone, I am on call again, and my partner has travelled overseas. Well I hope he has. he has taken this 10 days of leave 3 times previously and not travelled for various complicated passport and visa reasons. The 1 in 2 call rotation is starting to wear very thin. I desperately need a break. Thankfully the weekend was quiet – I think the cold weather kept the babies in, but I really wish I could be with my family! It’s especially hard when Missy asks during the week ‘Are you really not going to come to PE at all, Mom?’
I got some more decent runs in this weekend, but I am tired! Yesterday really was a slog, but I will train in the gym this evening, giving the running a rest, and hopefully soon I will be feeling more energised. But how beautiful are these views?
A long
…and weary 10 days it has been. Between work, and school demands, it has been tough.
I’ve seen a lot of challenging patients in the last few days – not that they were sick with really weird and complicated stuff, but rather lots of emotionally challenging circumstances. Like the 19 year old who has just seen the GP with some pain, who has now got an unexpected + pregnancy test, and everything is awkward in front of mom and dad. Like the 39yo infertile women who has been told she will never have her own children, with 2 adopted children now, who finds herself pregnant, and is completely conflicted about that…
Anyway, it’s been quite a time.
In terms of the school, we are having lots of meeting regarding our new pool, and the challenge of being the new guard who want to change things up, and the old guard staunchly stuck doing things in a certain way, because ‘that’s how its always been done’ with no flexibility… Argh! And then, while the high and primary schools are building a pool, the Prep school is hoping to open a Grade 000 pre school. They have recently bought a house and the planning process has begun – and the objections from the neighbours have begun too. Yoh. Some people can be rude! We had a meeting last night with them, and the way some of them performed, without actually listening to anything that was being said… Anyway, I appreciate their concerns, but most of them related to things like noise and traffic, given that they already live across the road from a (different) primary school on a very busy road, and just up the drag from them is a preschool with over 70 children! So our 20 probably wouldn’t impact their neighbourhood dramatically… So we will see. They really were aggressive and unpleasant. (you know when someone say ‘with all due respect’ (with an eye roll) they literally do not mean that at all, and have zero respect for you)
Thandi has come home with some awesome exam results, including 100% for maths and for Natural science. Her English and Afrikaans were also really good, and she managed an average of 96%! What a little champ she is. We are now getting stuck into some training for the first gala of the new season – someone has her head screwed on well with some big goals for the season, and she is ready to smash them! I really am so excited to see how she does!
The long weekend looms ahead, and I am NOT on call! It feels quite miraculous! Enjoy your day of the Youth!
Charlie's Bird 