Palpitations

Good palpitations: the kind you get when you see Gregory Peck gazing longingly at Audrey Hepburn in the press conference scene in Roman Holiday.

Bad palpitations: the kind you see on an anesthesia monitor when a patient's heart is fibrillating, and the rate's not controlled, and there was no indication at all from the history and physical that this was what you were going to see when hooked up the monitors, and you know you're going to have to cancel the case and the irate surgeon already hates you for something else which actually wasn't even your fault (but he feels like blaming you anyway)...

More bad palpitations: the nurse comes in after you drop the patient off in the holding area and asks you how to spell your last name because the patient wants to write it down.

Good palpitations: then the nurse tells you it's because the patient wants to be sure she can request you as her anesthesiologist once the cardiologist clears her for surgery and her heart rhythm's under control, because she was so glad you were paying enough attention to catch the problem and really appreciates the time you took to explain what was going on.

There are days when I am discouraged and encouraged about my profession all at the same time. This can lead to palpitations...