Whining

Warning: The following post contains vast amounts of whining!

So tired today. This is the longest weekend of the whole year, Easter weekend which includes Good Friday all the way to Eater Monday. I had the misfortune of "taking one for the team" and being on call for a large portion of it. Yesturday, Good Friday, I was on call. When I got to the OR there were only 4 cases, none of which seemed like they would take super long. Knowing how things sometimes progress slowly in the OR, I thought I would probably be finished around supper time. Somehow, none of those cases turned out to be the straight forward cases they were booked as - for example, a half hour tracheostomy turned into a 3 hour fiasco. Then, we were blessed with 3 more actually straight forward cases and I was finished by 11pm.
OK, so now you are thinking, that doesn't sound bad. Why is she so tired? Well, as luck, or unluck, would have it, it didn't end there.
No sooner was I tucked into my bed, cuddled with my kitties fast asleep, then does my pager go off! An emergency case to come back for, and the surgeon warns me that she probably has another one after that. Long story short, I was home for an hour and a half, and then worked straight until 8 am. That means I worked almost 24 hours completely solid! Yuck!
Normally, I would take today and recoup. Sleep in really late knowing that I had the next day as well to return to normal. Alas, not on this long weekend. I have less than 24 hours before I am back at it again doing a Labour and Delivery shift for 24 hours. Again, yuck.
Yes, I am whining. But, sometimes I feel like people (especially the nurses) don't care. I worked with two different groups of nurses (one for 8 hours, the other for 16). They don't care that I worked through lunch, and barely had time for dinner. They don't care that my cases are continuing, and continuing. They have someone to relieve them for coffee, and lunch, and coffee, and dinner, and coffee. And, when they are done their shift (at most 16 hours) they know someone is there to take over for them. Not so for me. I feel like when I tell them I want to stop for something to eat, they look at me like I am lazy. It drives me nuts.
Most the time I love my job. I get along great with all the nurses and surgeons (with a couple of exceptions). I find my job stimulating and enjoyable. I just don't like call. No, not true. I don't mind the usual call when I just work until midnight or even until 2 am. I just don't like never going home or working for 24 hours straight. Yes, whining again. It does pay off, though. I must remember that. How can I afford to go to Greece for 3 weeks in June? I work my butt off once in awhile to pay for it!
Well, I am making a home made sticky toffee pudding to take to the pot luck Easter family dinner we were invited to attend tonight. At least it smells good in here, is lovely outside, and in 24 more hours I will be finished this stretch of call. I can do it. I just need a little more chocolate to tied me over! And, maybe a nap in the afternoon tomorrow if it isn't busy (in the call room, not at home). The good always comes with the bad.