A man can only handle so many deformed penises, messed up scrota and men and women screaming with the pain of kidney stones before he decides that urology is not his life's dream. With that sentiment, I went running from surgical urology and towards the emergency room (ER). OK, so I found myself in the ER today jabbing asses with needles all day. Still.. Overall I count it as a step up in life since I saw no deformed penises all day. Not even one.
This is the emergency room which was trashed by the police a few days ago, and it shows. There is basically no glass left, all of it smashed by the grieving policemen. The monitors are all gone too - a couple of them were smashed, and the rest were hidden for fear of a repeat. The large oxygen tanks I remembered seeing hours before the attack have been replaced by small ones hidden under the beds - I'm told it's for fear of the oxygen leaking and consequently catching fire or exploding as a result of gunshots.
A police officer with a shrapnel wound in his head came in with a couple of his buddies. His buddies wore commando-style gun holsters around their thighs, and knife holders on their calves. All of this over their stonewashed jeans and with cheap wraparound sunglasses. It was a look so ridiculous that I had to curse them quietly under my breath.
The hospital guys with machineguns made the police guys with handguns disarm, their guns tagged and placed in the gun-check cabinet by the hospital door. Still, the doctors dealing with the shrapnel-head were terrified the whole time. Nobody wanted to be too close to them, nor do too much. In no time, the doctors played the classic doctor game of punting that they call "refer". At least it got the shrapnelhead away from the department.
Other than a few cases, the ER was not a busy place today. I knew that they had restricted the ER after the incident some days back, but I didn't know what exactly the deal was. After wondering for a few hours, I finally saw the sign at the entrance: "ABSOLUTELY NO ADMITTANCE unless you have been shot, stabbed or blown up".
tarek : )