Never Again Eating Bacon

Today, I was in Radiology all day. When I observed in the ER, I donned an official lab coat. Everyone knew I was administration and was highly poised around me. I eventually ditched the coat and the dress clothes and found some old scrubs. I got the "real" picture of life in the ER! I didn't want the same thing to happen today, so I went up there in scrubs (got myself a newer pair and they're quite comfortable...thinking of getting a pair for jammies).

Ohmigoodness, I saw some stuff. I saw a guy who came in with a diagnosis of pulmonary embolism but after the chest xray, lung cancer was increasingly suspected. I saw a baby have a barium swallow in which they diagnosed a narrowing in the esophagus. Among other routine x-rays, the most notable experience happened in Interventional Radiology. You know, the place where they unplug arteries and veins? Well, everything except the heart-related stuff. That happens in Cath Lab and I'll visit them another day!

So in Interventional, I watched a case in which they ran a 2 ft wire up a patient's artery, through the femoral vein (groin). They have a big, fat needle to start the procedure then "downgrade" to your average knitting needle. I sort of felt faint but then the yuckiness I felt was quickly replaced by disgust when I realized that they were, essentially, roto-rootering this guy's artery. And the crap coming out was arterial plaque, caused by cheeseburgers, bacon, fries, etc. He did this to himself, with his eating habits! It looked like bits of tapeworm and when they suctioned it out of the device, I imagined the plaque as grease straight from those cheese fries!

We're NOT talking about how I indulged in bacon-wrapped scallops just last night!

So...yeah...I will not be on that table anytime soon. I'm not so keen on fast food, fatty foods, and bacon is forever a part of my past!