The End Is Near

Friday, October 23 will be Andy's last day on the surgery rotation. It has been a long, long two months. These are the days that make me look fondly back at the third year of medical school - the one everyone said would be the worst year of this journey - as a kinder, gentler time. I think Andy's longest stretch this month was 19 days in a row. And his days begin before 5 am. I cannot imagine keeping that kind of pace.
To make life more interesting, Megan and I have been sick with sore throat, cough, and fever for the last week. And despite the media attention and local fervor, I refuse to believe it is H1N1. It is a cold. I believe in this atmosphere of fear about swine flu, people have lost all common sense. I am missing at least 1/4 of my students every day, and they are all convinced that they have swine flu. I, on the other hand, having lived most of my 33 years in North Dakota, understand that in September, October, and November people in North Dakota get together indoors for long periods of time. And we have weather that changes rapidly. It will be 90 degrees one day, and snowing the next. And we like to throw a little rain in there for good measure. And sometimes a person has a little sniffle. And because we pack in like sardines, the 40 closest people also get a sniffle. And then it spreads. And most of North Dakota will get a cold, or two. Or three. Or four. It happens every year. But this year, rather than saying "Jeez, this is a nasty cold," people are saying "I have swine flu and I must be isolated for 5-7 days." I think this is getting a bit ridiculous.
Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Andy has been fighting this cold as well. They sent him home yesterday afternoon after he had spent most of the afternoon huddled in a blanket. I wish we would have figured that one out a few weeks ago: Huddled in Blanket = Go Home Early. Who knew? We will file that under lessons learned.
Also, in our really big exciting news category, I am pleased to report that our friend (and my new hero!) Chester found truffle butter for us. In Boston. And that wonderful man not only bought it, but carried it home on the airplane for us. Now that I know that it is available in Boston, I am determined to find it a bit closer to home. Has anyone had any luck yet?