Christmas is NOT in the air

I cannot think of a year when I have felt less Christmas spirit than this year. Despite the guys selling tinsel on the street it just doesn't feel christmassy without family and parties and mad last minute trips to the shopping centre.

The patient's stories as well make it hard to feel all merry and joyful. A lady this week presented to the ED with severe slash wounds to both hands, wrists, cheek and head. Here hands were left barely attached and the wounds were deep. The story was that she had been working and her husband had not and, sick of handing all her money over to him everyday, she set up her own little bank account to save some money. When the husband found out about this he must have been displeased because he went at her with a machete.

The doctors in my department have been tying to send as many people home as possible in readiness for the expected influx of stab wounds in the next coming days. As my consultants put it, 'Christmas is great, everyone gets together for church and celebrations and alcohol and then they all stab each other.' The ED doctor sees this as a learning opportunity and has encouraged us to spend new years eve in the casualty department for what her described as a 'historic moment' in our careers, where we would 'walk on floors covered in blood' to mark the occasion. We'll have to see about that one.

I had many photos to share with you today but technology has failed me. Hopefully I will get them up tomorrow. I finally got a chance to test out the DSLR Neil got me for Xmas and it was fantastic. Hope all the last minute Christmas preps are going well. Just take some time out though to appreciate how truly lucky we are in Australia. It's amazing what goes on in this world.

Merry Christmas x