Laboratory by Nod Ghosh
It’s quiet in the laboratory today, so I do some paperwork. The office has made a code for thingy-maternal hemorrhage kits, so I can order one without typing the f-word. Without appropriate testing and treatment, pregnant women might develop antibodies. In subsequent pregnancies, the thingy is thingy and might develop haemolytic disease of the newborn. Then all sorts of weird shit might happen. Like, they might die.
We discuss lymphoma diagnosis. An thingy-based approach to lab testing is important. Intuition is fine, provided it’s legitimized with thingy-based facts.
My payslip suggests I’ve been overpaid. I ask H.R. to check my thingy.
We use normal ranges to interpret laboratory test results. Values vary within the population due to genetic thingy. Levels for men and women may be different. For example, guys have higher haemoglobin concentrations.
On quiet days we do competency and professional development work. Answering questions on scientific (oops) thingy-tific articles in the Institute Journal earns C.P.D. points. There’s an item about thingy people. Their haemoglobin may not conform to either male or female values when they begin treatment.
At home, away from prying eyes, I paint a fetus to illustrate my story about the fetus a vulnerable woman carries.
My partner has emptied the rubbish bins and left them outside for two days. We argue. Her friend Russell told her to do it because u.v. light kills germs. I don’t think that’s evidence-based, otherwise germs wouldn’t proliferate in sunny countries. You’d think operating an MRI scanner and doing science-based work all day would make my partner more skeptical of Russell’s ideas.
Russell is a nob. He complains about the sense of entitlement indigenous groups have. He’s uncomfortable with diversity. He used to castigate transgender people, though he’s been quieter on that topic since my partner’s surgery.
Nod Ghosh graduated from the Hagley Writers Institute in Christchurch, New Zealand. Stories and poems feature in various New Zealand and international publications. Nod’s day job involves working in a scientific laboratory, diagnosing cancer and monitoring foetal-maternal bleeds amongst other things. Further details: http://www.nodghosh.com/about/