Neurosurgery Badass

After I placed an emergent ventriculostomy in one of my patients and had him slowly wake up over the next day or two, the brother came up to me all excited, thanking me for saving his brother's life. It was a little embarrassing to get that much praise for doing my job in the middle of the busy ICU, but it felt nice nonetheless. The funny part was that another patient's husband came up to me after seeing this spectacle and commented, "See, you're such a badass." Haha.

One of my friend's used to ask if I was going into neurosurgery because it was such a "badass" field/thing to do. I think a comment I heard in passing the other day to the effect that "it's not the same world anymore where doctors hold a place at the top of the social ladder" describes my sentiments best. People don't go into neurosurgery to be "badasses." If I wanted that kind of a title I would have went into investment banking and dated a escort named Vivian or something, owned my own plane, brought crates of food/supplies to the survivors of natural disasters and stuff like that. Working 100+ hours a week, being able to see my family only once or twice a year, and being constantly fatigued to a point where 12 hours of sleep will only restore me enough to realize how tired I am isn't exactly the most glamorous life. But I guess behind all the smoke and mirrors the idea of violating and salvaging the sanctuary of the human mind is appealing.

Being chained into the hospital though does have its advantages. I feel a heightened sense of awareness of the outside world, and appreciate things I never really enjoyed before. These are the best moments of the past couple weeks.

- Playing poker with the guys on a boat by candle light, cooking some dogs on the grill while we chatted the night away.

- Leaving the hospital after operating all day, cookie in hand, taking the long route to my car so I could take in the fresh smell of rain that scented the setting sun.

Life is a gift, and so long as we are not bound by the shackles of death anything is possible. My friend sent me this link about a great man I once had the opportunity to work with. His story reminds me that there's still so much to do, and still so much more to be greatful for. He reminds me that making the impossible a reality is truly a worthwhile goal to strive for.

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/hmn/W07/feature1.cfm