Dr. Engholdt

Dr. Engholdt

Inner Strength Will Get You Thru Anything

"If there's something you know you can do....but your mind keeps throwing up road blocks...just drive right through them!"

My Life As An ER Intern...

This is the story of my life as an Emergency & Critical Care Intern at the Animal Emergency Center. I wanted to start this page as a way for my family and friends to keep in touch with me. I have discovered that for the next year of my life, I will be a slave to this internship...you won't see me and possibly won't hear from me. I apologize already...and that is why I want to give something back to each and every one of you for standing by my side through what may be the toughest year of my life. I don't want to lose any of you...I want you to know what I am going through...I want you to experience it with me...so I have decided to place it all here within these pages. Please let me know what you are all up to...this will help to keep me sane...and it will give me a reason to smile on those days when I find myself locked inside the clinic bathroom cyring!! (yes it does happen...in fact the clinic bathroom is fast becoming my place of calm in the middle of what I like to refer to as Hurricane AEC)

I think about you all and I wonder what you are up to...I wish I could talk to each of you every day...especially on those days when I just need to hear a friendly voice. I want you all to know that without your support I will not make it through this year...so stick with me through the rough times because I think I see some clear skies ahead.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Moose

So, Moose, the big sheepdog I had told you about before who I admitted and was waiting to undergo surgery...he did and our surgeon did find an obstructed bile duct...so she canulated it with a red rubber catheter and we will see how he does...when I left sunday he was still doing well. So sunday I was the 8am to 8pm person...and I got out of there at 1am!!!! I admitted 5 inpatients. I hate Sundays!! I had two surgeries...one dog had a laceration and it ended up lacerating an artery and tendon...so had to take her right away as blood was pulsating out!!! I ligated the vessels and then did a Bunell stitch on the tendon and topped it off with a spoon splint. She should do ok, but I am not sure about function from that tendon. The other surgery was a mastiff who had chewed open his own knee...he was a post of TPLO (cruciate repair) and the owners took the cone off his head for 5 mintues and he completely chewed his knee open...so I had to fix that back up. Then I admitted a G shepherd with a fractured femur...placed a splint and then he was getting a surgical consult and repair monday. I saw another kitten with a fractured femur as well but they had no money so sent him home with pain meds and the number of the low income clinic in the area...they will likely have to amputate the limb...which is sad but at least they will still have their kitten...'Chuck the kitten'. Then I admitted two cats, one kitten with a fever who wasn't eating, bloodwork and ultrasound were normal and as soon as I got him rehydrated and the fever down he ate like a champ. Started antibiotics because of high WBC - he likely went home the next day. The other cat was Moe, a big black 12yo MN DSH who wasn't eating and was vomiting. Bloodwork all normal. Radiographs showed no obstruction, gall stone. Ultrasound confirmed gallstone, thickened intestines. Discussed intestinal biopsies with owners if re-feeding did not work. I placed nasogasrtic tube to feed him as well as he was a big fat anorexic cat and I did not want him to develop hepatic lipidosis on top of whatever else he has going on. I am conerned about a diffuse gi neoplasia or IBD. Not sure what happened with him. I saw some other outpatient things too but I cannot remember then now as I was so tired that night. Now I am writing my paper so that I can start the long process of trying to get it published before I am done with this internship. 5 months left!!!! Yay!!!!
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The Story of the Five Balls

Imagine life is a game in which you are juggling five balls. The balls are called work, family, health, friends, and integrity. And you are keeping all of them in the air. But one day you finally come to understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls - family, health, friends, integrity - are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered...either way, it will never be the same and may be lost forever. Be careful when life starts to get rough...juggle carefully. And, once you truly understand the lesson of the five balls...you will have the beginnings of balance in your life.