Editor’s note: Mind to Mind is pleased to include our first performed song. To hear the musical selection that accompanies the text, please listen to Supplemental Digital Content 1, http://links.lww.com/ALN/B70, or use your smart phone’s camera to scan the QR code to the right of the title above and hear “This Is My Every Day.” Note that a QR app reader may be needed.
Body:
I forgive my wife for not understanding everything it is I do as an anesthesiologist, and so I also forgive the general public for thinking I only put you to sleep. It smarts a little though, and I think that it is safe to say, that my medical and surgical colleagues also have no idea of the breadth of what an anesthesiologist does. Only we know what we do.
In tribute to the variety of what anesthesiologists do, I dedicate this song. In each verse is a patient we all know and an anesthesiologist too: in the ICU, in the cancer center, in the trauma bay, in the induction room. You sustain comatose patients. You preserve humanity and give life in the final moments before death. You move swiftly to alleviate the suffering of children. You notice pain in the forced smile of a parent and your hand brings comfort – and yes, you are the master of the art of gentle induction, and original purveyor of personalized pain relief to the parturient.
I think that the incredibly complex and diverse field of anesthesiology is made to look subtle by the expert anesthesiologist. A hundred times a day you turn complication in darkness to bright light…and this is your every day.
This is my every day (Supplemental Digital Content 1, http://links.lww.com/ALN/B70)
Musical arrangement / Songwriter: David A. Edwards, M.D., Ph.D.
Vocal Performance: Kristoffer Hyldegaard
Musical arrangement / Production: Daniel B. Rothman
Verse 1
She needs to stay asleep
Her body is still too weak
She’s been here for a while
But someone is staying close by
The cancer worked within
The old man is still smiling
He has his chance to say goodbye
I’m there to ease his time
Bridge
Complications
Darkness and bright light
Doctors, patients
Fighting the same fight
Chorus
This is my every day
Reading and learning and searching for new ways
Trying to change
Chaos to beautiful things in the same place
This is my home
The road and the hospital’s places where I roam
Where do I go
Running to you, deciphering codes
Verse 2
A kid with broken limbs
Stops screaming as the drugs kick in
He tries to prove he’s cool
My job is to help him through
I see the pain in his smile
Waiting for his youngest child
Scared to be afraid
I’m here to take his pain
Bridge
Complications
Darkness and bright light
Doctors, patients
Fighting the same fight
Chorus x2
This is my every day
Reading and learning and searching for new ways
Trying to change
Chaos to beautiful things in the same place
This is my home
The road and the hospital’s places where I roam
Where do I go
Running to you, deciphering codes
Chords:
Verse
| A | D9 | F#m | E6 |
| A | D9 | F#m | Esus4 E |
Bridge
| Bm7 | C#m7 |
Chorus
| A D9 | F#m E |
