Falling in love...

On Thursday night, I was all set to write a dour description of "The Talk", the conversation you have with your patients when they are going to die.

I was going to compare it to "The Talk", the conversation you have with your partner after they tell you proudly that they don't read books. And "The Talk" you have with your family when you realize your life choices are going to disappoint them, yet again.

Luckily, Thursday night I was too full of Xiao Long Bao to breathe, let alone type.

Friday brought new thoughts. We have a new Registrar, a smart, sarcastic funny woman who is 19 weeks pregnant and loves medicine.

We saw every patient, and she actually solved problems. Not "patient has itchy foot, apply calamine lotion" problems. More "patient has been confused and disoriented for weeks, let's check his growth hormone level, realise he has pan-hypopituitarism and replace his pituitary hormones" problems! Giving families of brain-injured patients new hope! Getting chemo for our cancer patients!

We call her "SpiderReg" and Adge and I hum as we whip through the work. "SpiderReg, SpiderReg, does whatever a SpiderReg can..." That's right. She has super-powers.

She sat us down in the afternoon and taught us things.

I can now name the 5 components of a haemolysis screen. The 5 DIC markers. The effects of hypoadrenalism on the body (Conn's Syndrome to you). This is the first time I've formally learned anything THIS YEAR. I could feel my brain yawning and stretching, saying "Ooh, this feels good, why haven't we done this more?"

So, Friday I'm in love. With my job, with medicine, with my Registrar. I'm on the ball with my Canadian applications (reference letters are such a great confidence booster). My team is set up to win the Grand Final this weekend. I no longer have to listen to Lawyer Talk at home. There are home-made sausage rolls cooling on the counter.

Life is sweet.