La Gripe

The Miami word for cold is La Gripe. I like it. It sounds much more sinister than a common cold, and sinister is definitely what I had. Shortly after my last post, I spent 12 hours in the OR with a lung transplant. The next day I had a scratchy throat, but shrugged it off as no sleep. By Friday, I was officially sick. I had the fever, cough, chest congestion, runny nose whole shebang. There were even three days where I had no voice! As hard as that may be for you to imagine, it was even harder for me to live through.

The worst part was that all of my colleagues were in Toronto at the AATS. I had no choice but to come to work each day and actually work. The last 10 days will definitely not go into my highlight reel of favorite moments, but I survived (as thankfully did my patients). I still have a runny nose and an annoying cough, but I think the worse of La Gripe has past.

Now I have to face the terrible reality of my Thoracic Oral boards being only a month away. Time to buckle down and remember where the heart actually lives. I see a few more sleepless nights in my immediate future.

To all friends in Nashville, my thoughts and prayers have been, and will continue to be with you all.