I just got back from a 3.5-mile hike in the Black Hills. The weather did an about-face over the past week and there was a high of 60 degrees Fahrenheit today with a beautiful sunny sky. I wasn’t going to let that opportunity pass by. I didn’t see another human being the whole time I was out there. It was just me, the forest and the wind. At one point, I caught myself singing “Colors of the Wind”.
Svikki MD
The other Family doc was out of the office this week. They have been in the area for decades and have a well-established panel of patients. I was on call four times last week. Between covering the other doc’s messages and prescription refills while on call and having quite a few of their patients stop by for same-day appointments, I was pretty busy last week.
Clinic
I am currently still seeing mainly same-day appointments as patients are establishing care with one of the other providers when able. It’s only fair to the patient, I’m only around for 5 more months. The same day appointments have led to some pretty interesting cases. I’ve called up other specialists more than once last week. Although our clinic only has Family Medicine and Internal Medicine physicians, I can find most other specialists either in Spearfish (20 min drive) or in Rapid City (50 min drive).
My instinct to call the specialists turned out to be right every time. Sometimes, I feel doctors are afraid to ask for help because they think they should know how to manage it themselves. I see no shame in consulting a colleague who has more expertise on a subject… at the end of the day, it’s best for my patient’s care and my ego can take it.
Hospital
I took over several of the other doc’s admitted patients while they were on vacation. Consequently, I had a different swing bed patient to check in on every day. My second to last clinic patient on Friday ended up needing admission. That bought me my second weekend in a row going in on the weekend days as well for acute care visits.
On call
There were a lot of call shifts last week. Two docs were out of the office which left me and one of the internists to cover the call schedule. Luckily, the nights were quiet. During the day, however, I was covering calls, prescription refills, and patient messages which kept me busy between clinic visits.
So why Svikki?
I wanted to use this week’s post to explain why my site is called Svikki. Most people know me as Viktoria or Viky or Vik. Only a few people call me Svikki…well, really, it is only my aunt and uncle that do. I have used the name for my social media handles ever since it’s creation though. My aunt is the one who came up with it many, many years ago.
My aunt is a master of fabric crafts. Her quilts are prized possessions in our family. Her basement has a room filled with fabrics, a fancy sewing machine, and colorful creations on the walls. One of my favorite things to do when visiting is hanging out in that room with her. She had fabric tags made for me that say “Svikki” on them so that I can sew them into the things I make. If only I wasn’t hundreds of miles away from my stored things, I’d be able to show you what they look like.
I’ve also used “Svikki” in art work I’ve made for my aunt. For example, this painting I made based on a 1950’s Zwicky Ad. I replaced the cat in the Ad with one of my aunt’s favorite cats she’s had, Pauli. He was a pretty cool cat.
Happy Halloween
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I’ve always been in awe of the annual parties Heidi Klum would throw. When I moved to Germany for medical school, I started hosting Halloween parties of my own. Halloween really wasn’t that big in Germany. It came as no surprise to me that for the first year, I saw a lot of your classics: witches, mummies, ghosts. The people kept on raising the bar year after year though and there were some really impressive costumes over the years.
I would start grocery shopping a week in advance of the party because I would bake so many Halloween themed treats. I’d decorate the apartment for days. Every year was unique and so much fun. Each year the party grew in size and popularity. I love hosting parties and seeing others get invested in the holiday brought me so much joy.
Working in Miami for a year, Halloween was a particularly fun time to be there. I had partied in Miami during Halloween before. However, working there with a crew of super fun people and dressing up for themed nights took it to another level!
The scariest Halloween yet… 2020
Sadly, I spent this year’s Halloween on the couch watching a movie. I’m sure I’m not alone in this. Unfortunately, I also am aware that many people were out celebrating this year. Trick or treating can be done in a safe, pandemic aware fashion, but what truly scared me, more than any scary movie could, is how many people I know went out to clubs or house parties to celebrate.
I TOTALLY understand wanting to dress up and head to the club for a night of fun, but people, we are in the middle of a raging pandemic. Many sacrifices have been made, many get-togethers canceled,… I understand. But last night probably should’ve been another one of those sacrifices. We aren’t ready for that yet,…not safely anyways. It scares me to think about how many more cases will be fueled by this. It scares me to think about my fellow health care workers and myself who have put their own lives at risk to take care of Covid patients.
The ICUs around the country are filling up. The USA does not have the capacity like some other countries do in terms of ICU beds per capita. Even less so in rural areas like Deadwood, South Dakota. Yet, the people were out last night. I don’t want to be mad at people because I know people have sacrificed a lot and want to go back to how life used to be. However, today’s decisions carry much heavier consequences with them currently. I can only hope you are spared but I can in no way guarantee that. So please, stay healthy, stay kind, stay strong, and be considerate of your fellow human beings.
One thing I love: scrolling through old pictures on my hard drive. I’ve had so many fun times in my life and time-traveling back to those times brings me a lot of joy.
One thing I drank: Hot apple cider. It’s that time of the year and I can’t get enough!
One thing I’m grateful for: my friends and family sending me packages. I LOVE getting (and sending) mail. From winter care packages to edible arrangements. Thank you! <3
mfg
