Merrily We Rogue Along

When we last saw that mystery Rogue, it was way back in March; back before I discovered that I apparently can’t walk and drink at the same time. Here is where we left off with the Rogue tale:

This week I decided to tackle this again. My hand still doesn’t like knitting cables in heavy worsted wool, but I figured I needed to get back at this. I’ve managed to get about a dozen rows done on the hood this week, though very slowly. At this pace I’ll finish it by winter.

I finished my first week back at work yesterday. The fingers made it through OK, though after ten or twelve (or sixteen) hours of writing in a day, I needed ice therapy.  It wasn’t nearly as difficult as I worried that it would be. After three months of enforced “vacation”, I easily remembered all the essential information I needed to get through my day. I remembered where the bathrooms were, all the nurses’ names, which doctors go with which specialty, and the phone numbers that I call regularly (emergency room!). It helped that it is summertime, and our hospital census was on the manageable side. After a seven-day, roughly 80-90 hour work week, I now have a week off to recover until the next one. And maybe get some knitting done.

I did discover one good thing this week. I really missed work. I love what I do, and though I do my share of bitching (or is that birching?) about a variety of crap on a regular basis, I really did miss it.  My work can be a challenge at times. I function as the “lead” doctor for up to six or seven hospitalists in the hospital that I mostly practice at. In addition to seeing a full roster of patients daily, I am in charge of managing the “patient list”: I make sure that every patient that our group is supposed to be seeing is assigned to a doctor, which isn’t always as simple as it sounds. (Organizing doctors can be a little like herding cats some days.) I coordinate admissions via the ER and outpatient offices, as well as the occasional transfer from other smaller hospitals in the region. And triage what seems like hundreds of phone calls daily.

And amongst all the whining that I can do about how difficult and energy-sucking it sometimes is, I rediscovered this week that I wouldn’t want to do anything else but what I am doing.

Author: Lorette

My name is Lorette. I learned to knit in 1999, and took up spinning in 2009. I'm a physician specializing in internal medicine, and live in the Pacific Northwest. Enjoy my blog!

24 thoughts on “Merrily We Rogue Along”

  1. Wonderful news! As soon as I saw that you had updated, I thought – I wonder how it was being back! I’m glad you’re happy about it and I’m glad you’re pushing your hand around. Show it who’s boss – so then you can boss your knitting around.

  2. I like the herding cats analogy. Ice *brrrr*
    chills my blood just thinking about it.
    Maybe try something DK or lighter? Save Rogue for serious PT.

  3. I like the herding cats analogy. Ice *brrrr*
    chills my blood just thinking about it.
    Maybe try something DK or lighter? Save Rogue for serious PT.
    I sure hope work is fun for me.

  4. Congratulations–it sounds like a practically perfect week. Tiring, yes, but reaffirming . . . and that’s SUCH a good thing!

  5. glad you had a good week back. I feel the same way when I don’t see patients for a while. Guess we’ve chosent he right career.

  6. I had completey forgotten you were knitting Rogue! At this rate you’ll be done before I am. Mine is all knitted and sitting in the sewing basket waiting to be sewn (things has been known to disappear in there). I am office manager to two dentists and keeping them together is more like organizing earthworms!

  7. Hey Lorette:
    It’s so good to have you back: back blogging and back knitting and back to work! So glad it’s going smoothly so far! I hear you about charting/writing and how tired the hand muscles become! Hang in there!

  8. It’s so good to have you back! And I am really pleased to see the return of rogue. I can’t wait to see it finished…I keep meaning to make one for myself.

  9. You are so lucky to have chosen a career that you love. Unfortunately it’s too uncommon.
    Glad you had a good (although busy) week back at work.

  10. Glad you got to go back to work! An 80-90 hour work week! Wow! That sounds crazy… At least you get a week off in between!

  11. Hey Lorette! Glad you are back. Yay! on finishing a week back at work. I know what you mean. I love what I do too, and I wish I could do it more. In fact, I’ve been working part-time for a physician (FP) with an office-based-only practice. I am in negotiation with a GI doc about doing his consults and rounding. I miss the hospital. When I did my IM rotation in PA school, I was a bit intimidated by inpatient medicine, but now, I think I prefer it.
    Happy knitting,
    mk

  12. Glad your week went well, I’ve thought of you several times over the past few days. So happy that you still find joy in your profession.
    I love that neckline on Rogue.

  13. Isn’t it wonderful to be able to do work that you love? I am happy to read that you are healing and back to work. Rogue is looking great!

  14. Welcome back! It *is* nice to hear someone who loves their job. I, for one, am comforted that there are doctors out there who do (who knows, maybe there are more than I think…)
    I’m also excited to see Rogue back here! Take your time, it’s looking fantastic!

  15. this seems like a timely post; we’re in a class learning how to write admit notes/orders, pre/post op notes and everything else that needs writing up. Each time I sit down to do it I think to myself, “this is a lot of paperwork; am I sure that I’m really going to like this?” Your understated enthusiasm was a breathe of fresh air just now, and it’s great to hear that you really do love what you do. (it’s also great to see Rouge; I need to buy the pattern and get going on mine!)

  16. Happy cabling to you, even withtheh ice therapy. While I was on the night train to Chaing Mai the other day I met a med student from NY who knits and reads your blog – small world hey. She is travelling here while she enjoys her post boards break before her 1st rotation.I need convince here to be a blogger as well. Enjoy working on Rogue.

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