My Pockets

Speaking of my pockets, here is a list of what is typically in my pockets when I am at work:

1 stethoscope (I guess technically it is attached to my waistband)
1 William Shakespeare notebook
3-5 folded-up pieces of lined paper (contents vary: to-do lists, homework lists, ideas, etc.)
1-2 ball-point pens
1 Sharpie
1 penlight (for neuro checks)
1-2 tubes of miscellaneous ointments (mostly Nystatin cream lately; for treatments)
1 piece of paper with the current day's residents and notes on it
1 set work keys
5-15 alcohol preps
1 set home/car keys
1 wallet
1 cell phone
1 tube lip balm
2-3 pair latex gloves
2-3 tissues
1 pair bandage scissors
1 copy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
Plus...
2-3 lancets, 1 glucometer, 1 bottle test strips (if I am getting blood sugars)
4-6 4X4 gauze pads, 1 spray bottle of wound cleanser, 1 tube barrier ointment, 3-4 non-adherent pads, 2-3 packets bacitracin ointment, 2-3 vials normal saline, 2-3 gauze rolls, 1 tube a&d ointment (if I am doing wound care)

As you can imagine, I look ridiculous when I need to empty out my pockets for any reason while I am dressed for work. On the other hand, I usually feel prepared...

Inaugural Post

I came across a note I made on a piece of paper, and I can't throw the paper away until I've transferred the note to another place. This is what I do: I will have a thought, grab a piece of paper, write down the thought, and then put the paper in my breast pocket (I always try to wear button-up shirts for this very reason). It sits there until I have something else to note. If I have a day without the right shirt and my papers aren't with me, I use a new piece and add it to the pile later. At any one time I have five to ten pieces of paper in my pocket. Every once in a while, I will consolidate all the thoughts/to-do lists which are still relevant onto a fresh sheet and the pile diminishes.

What I need, I've decided, is a new Palm or other PDA. That way, I can just keep adding to my notepad entries or to-do list. Unfortunately, my last Palm died repeatedly, rendering it effectively useless as a tool for convenience. Until I can afford a new one, I'm stuck with the old-fashioned method. And, because I eventually would like to only carry one or two papers in my pocket (plus, of course, my handy dandy William Shakespeare notebook), I need a convenient place to transfer these files which will not fit in my pockets. Hence, the blog.

Anyway, the thought of the day is this, written down while I was attending a Diabetes education class in Layton, UT: men who are chronically hyperglycemic yet too lazy to get treatment should be aware that the number 1 complaint of men with uncontrolled Type II Diabetes is erectile dysfunction.