Suit Up

The community hospital to which the specialized hospital at which we're enrolling patients is now annexing TB patients has some infection control issues. As a proxy for actually solving the problem with expenses like new ventilation and UV lighting, we wore surgical gowns while working there today. It was fun to gown myself after a few months: shaking out the gown and attaching it behind my neck before inserting my arms. It wasn't meant to be sterile but it was still nice to remember the routine. Funny how normal waste looks in the OR and how quickly perceptions change when even the grocery store charges for a plastic bag.

I need to get myself some N90-small masks. I am fit-tested (mother approved!) for the N90S, but they stock only larges here. Given that we spent the whole day dataforming in the TB wing, I wore my mask all day. The metal bit rests right at the bridge of my nose, on top of the broken bit, in an attempt to keep all those mutant bacilli out of my respiratory system. Today was the first time in a long time I gave serious thought to my grandmother's open offer to pay for my nosejob. I would argue that 'occupational hazard' should rank above 'deviated septum' in the spoiled brat's excuse to have a perfect nose.