X-rays and infants

There is a troubling lack of regulation in the U.S. concerning the operation of radiological equipment ---
X-rays, CT scans, and related equipment.

In this, one of the most bureaucratic and paperwork-heavy countries in the world,
where all medical details are regulated to such extremes that even physicians find it difficult to navigate the tremendous quantity of rules imposed on their practice,
it seems that any idiot with a basic amount of training can become qualified to operate dangerous radiological equipment.

For this reason, scans often come back incomplete, or poorly performed, requiring more time and stress from the patient, and holding back doctors from performing their diagnosis and applying treatments. Worse yet, radiation technologists can easily miscalibrate equipment, administering inappropriate doses of radiation to vulnerable patients.

The education requirement for the technicians who administer radiation is extremely low, and unlike physicians, there is no requirement for continuing medical education while in practice. There are multiple ranks for radiation technologists, with "Medical Physicist" typically being the highest: these are people with Master's degrees or higher who have an actual understanding of the risks and dangers associated with radiation, most of the other operators do not know what they are doing.

An example is provided in a New York Times article from this weekend, where premature babies were irradiated with full-body x-ray scans when only simple chest scans were requested. To further exacerbate the issue, proper radiation shielding was not implemented for radiosensitive organs:

The Radiation Boom: XRays and Unshielded Infants


Completely unacceptable.

Anesthesia

Today I accidentally inhaled some anesthetic fumes while conducting an experiment.
I'm a rookie so I make mistakes like these sometimes.

The vapors are not harmful but they are unpleasant,
I become drowsy and developed a slight headache.

Bermuda sensei said I looked like some kind of junkie,
stumbling around with my eyes half-closed.

. . .


I left work and headed to the nearest bar.
A few beers and a burger later, I felt much better.

On my way home,
the beer and anesthetic had a synergistic effect,
making me even more sleepy.

I struggled to stay awake on the subway,
(pickpockets are always watching for sleepy commuters).
I took out Ryu Murakami's "Coin Locker Babies",
which never fails to keep me interested and awake.

. . .

Exiting the subway,
I inhaled fresh air.
A small drizzle descended from the rainclouds above,
combining with a refreshing breeze.

It was chilly today,
but not cold enough to be painful,
which lately has been the most we can hope for.

. . .

I need to be more careful with the anesthesia...

Some experiments

Lately there have many experiments to run.

I have been working on several projects,
its enough to make me confused at times.
Timing is everything.

I have been repeating a certain experimental procedure many times,
with limited success,
while other experiments succeed almost immediately.
Predicting what will come easily and what will come with difficulty,
is not a simple task.

I am interested in performing some flow cytometry experiments next.
I become dazzled,
looking at a screen with vast amounts of technical graphs and data.
(Though I understand little of what I see, I need to study more and more.)


That will have to wait till next week perhaps,
this weekend I am drinking with some friends from the army.

Soldiers are very hardcore drinkers.
I must not fail the medical profession.
I must keep up.

And I will.
That I am confident of.
My experiments, less so.

Snow

The weather is odd,
very unstable.

Friday was beautiful, sunny, and warm.
Saturday was ridiculously windy.
Sunday cold.
Today, it snows.

I can't make sense of what season it is.
One can never predict what type of clothing is appropriate.

Wind

Terrible wind,
it blew off my hat,
as I was walking this afternoon,
cake and flowers in hand,
to visit an elderly relative.

Luckily, I retrieved it.

I sat inside and drank tea for a very long time,
not wanting to leave,
walking through the wind towards the subway.

Finally, I left.

My brother's apartment is nearby,
so I thought,
"maybe I'll visit my brother before I take the subway home."

I call him,
"Hey, I am in the area and was going to go home soon,
I thought I might drop by and visit for a few short minutes,
before I head back home,
is that okay?"

My brother replies,
"Sure, you still have the backup keys to my apartment right?
Just go ahead and let yourself in."

I enter the building with my key,
take the elevator up to my brothers apartment.
I knock on the door of the apartment.

I knock again,
this time ringing the bell.

"He must have music on or something,
or perhaps he is very busy."

I use my key to enter.

My brother is nowhere to be found.

I call him,
"Hey, where the hell are you???"

He replies,
"Oh, I'm not home,
I thought you just wanted to drop by and relax in the apartment,
sorry."

"You fool! Why would I want to visit an empty apartment !?"

"I don't know, I was wondering the same thing.
Thought you were tired or something.
Either way, I'm not home.
See you next time!"

------------------

What the hell was I supposed to do?
I walked in and turned on the radio.