CHRISTMAS IN MEDICINE

I have one pair of hands, one pair of feet,

I have not stopped to drink or eat,

I cannot answer all the bells,

Investigate increasing yells

I cannot give you all the care,

That you deserve while lying there,

I passionately want to give my best

But winter pressures prove an extreme test.

A patient dies, I feel the pain,

But I must go back out, smile, start again,

Hide the grief; mask the fears,

No time now to shed those tears.

How can I gently break the news, try to ease the grief,

When inside I'm trembling like a leaf

A cumulative effect,

Of overwork and facing death

Back out into the fray,

Got to make it through the rest of the day,

More admissions coming in,

It's winter - will we ever win?

My stomachs burning, heads a whirl,

Bells are ringing; round I twirl,

Phones are going, relatives wait,

The list is endless, it's getting late.

Emergency!  Now I'm running,

Heart is pounding; head is thumping,

It's worked, he's back for now, Phew!

Dash upstairs, there's a bed on ITU…

Back to earth, jobs to do,

And I've still not managed to visit the loo!

Beds need stripping, Pumps are bleeping,

All I feel like doing is weeping.

Suddenly, movement, an unexpected smile,

Helps make the job worthwhile,

A lady I thought would not survive,

Is very definitely alive!

It's more poignant this time of year,

Leaving work to Christmas cheer.

But there are glimpses of joy amongst the sorrow.

Perhaps I will come back again tomorrow.