What Was the Most Viewed Post of 2020?

This has been a really strange year, just when I thought that I'd seen just about every thing, the Corona Virus pops up and attacks some of the most vulnerable members of our population. Dr. Slambow, my surgeon hero of yesteryear, always said it was the things you cannot see that should cause you the most worry. I suspect he was talking about lesions hiding out somewhere in the small bowel, weird anatomical variations, latent coagulopathies  or breaks in sterile technique. Viruses were not on the radar back then, but I thought of Dr. S. many times while the COVID19 mortality and morbidity numbers were flashed across my computer screen. He was right about hidden danger being the ultimate source of worry.

There has been a flight of ideas coursing  through the remnants of my nervous system about subjects to post;  the long tenure of ether screens (anything that lasts for over a century grabs my attention), questionable adjuncts to ventilator therapy (proning, the latest and greatest of these interventions prompted this idea), the demise of doctor's dining rooms, the disappearance of ortho beds with traction frames and a personal tale of TPN addiction.

It's sometimes a long road from an idea to typing up a new post. Declining eyesight and gnarly fingers from IP joint arthritic changes have put the brakes on my once upon a time nimble fingers. My latest status post encephalomyelitis MRI showed a loss of brain volume, so I best get cracking before my vintage memories evaporate in that looming cognitive abyss. Oh well there is always next year and I will strive to post more than once a month which was my 2020 goal.

The most viewed post of 2020 by a swarming plethora of views  was...drum roll please:oldfoolrn: March 2020. I was really taken off guard by the popularity of a post about such an unsavory topic. I think there is a post languishing in my unpublished drafts about every old nurse's favorite colonic, the 1...2...3... enema. Maybe some day I'll hold my nose and publish it, although I was never one for over rated enemas and their associated backside buffonery.

 My personal favorite was about the crude, but effective Wagensteen suction oldfoolrn: Wagensteen Suction - Elegantly Simple Without Electricity In this electonically complex world filled with flat screen monitors and assorted doodads, it's a delight to see a simple mechanical device do it's work. Just because we were ludites doesn't mean we were stupid or lacked creativity.

Happy New year and I appreciate your loyal readership of my never ending  foolishness. You give an old man a sense of deep rooted purpose.