Secrets of your trade.

[Confusedfornow]

I have worked in my current area of expertise for the last 20 years or so. It's in Aviation, can't say exactly what or for who as it's a relatively small community (for my role) and it would be VERY outing. Before this, my only other "job" that I did for a few years was dancing (yes, that kind ). So I don't have massive experience of the world of work.

But I was chatting with some people in a bar over the weekend and conversation turned to jobs and then to my role. I was telling them about some stuff which is perfectly normal to me, but was absolutely news to them.

For instance . .

When a plane is "parked" and everything is switched off, the aircraft is referred to as being "Cold and dark".

If a helicopter has engine failure, it won't just fall out of the sky. The pilots are trained in a procedure called "autorotation" and can usually land safely even if the engine isn't running at all.

All British Airways flights use the call sign "Speed Bird". It's unique and no other airline in the world uses it.

Last one . .

Pilots can't wear polarised sunglasses. They make the electronic displays on the flight deck appear black, and you can't read any information from them.

So, what do you know from your jobs that is mundane for you but which most people wouldn't have a clue/be surprised by?

Stick it all down your bra if you like Pyongyang

I'm an anaesthetist.

A large proportion of the general public don't realise that we're doctors. We don't just "put you to sleep" and walk off. We're there throughout, constantly giving drugs, adjusting the anaesthetic dose, giving fluids, looking after your position, eyes, temperature etc etc. We essentially look after all your body's functions while an op takes place (I.e keep you alive!)

The most important thing you can do to reduce your anaesthetic risk is to stop smoking - even a cheeky cig morning of surgery will have a negative effect.

If you have a very high BMI please be patient with us, everything is more difficult - cannula/monitoring/positioning/airway/spinal/epidural. Most of us won't say at time as don't want to embarrass you.

Just to clear up some of the info on epidurals for labour. The vast majority of them work really well. Baby's position can cause intense pressure if back to back but this can be overcome with different drugs in epidural. Also, they do NOT cause a significant increase in complications as PP said. The evidence shows they increase time of second stage and you are more likely to need assisted delivery (kiwi/forceps) but this is not a cause and effect relationship. And they don't cause back pain! Being pregnancy and delivering a baby do.

Must love to my midwife colleague o think you're great.

Oooo, anaesthetist!

Why do some people remember a lot despite ga?

I have seen others coming and going to theatre and a woman screaming as she came out of theatre and being taken back in again! I remember not breathing for instance.

I think you're talking about accidental awareness under anaesthesia? It's tricky to comment on without knowing the specifics of cases. There was a nationwide audit called NAP4 which looked at this. Incidence is 1 in 19,000 anaesthetics but risk much less in some groups (those where no muscle relaxant drug is used : less than 1 in 100,000) and more in others (cardiac surgery, GA Caesarean section, emergency surgery in very unstable patient).

Awareness is much less common than in decades gone past as out monitoring has improved. We monitor the level of anaesthetic gases which equates to "how asleep" someone is, also heart rate, BP and now even electrical brain activity (though no firm consensus on this). The most common causes of accidental awareness in non emergencies lie in either human error (not noticing gas level too low for example) or equipment error (monitoring malfunction for example). In emergencies is more related to underdose due to instability of patient or rapidity of needing patient asleep and operated on. Though new drugs are more heart stable so this shouldn't happen.

Also some people who have had a procedure done under sedation report awareness. This can be very distressing for someone if they were expecting no memory of procedure and is generally due to a lack of explanation around what sedation means. Sedation does not mean no memory or awareness (although some people experience this).

Mine was across many procedures, recall theatre lights and team as a child having tonsillectomy, had laparoscopy, saw the woman being wheeled out screaming from theatre and wheeled straight back in (confirmed when medical staff told her that they removed a cyst but bleeding meant she had to go back in for hysterectomy),
Had wisdoms removed and remembered being wheeled out of theatre and watching the clock go round in recovery, also the immense pain! And complaining about that having jabs for it.
Most recently several scopes, they ended up dosing me really well, but still I fought enough to prevent them getting a biopsy!

I dont have a memory of the heavy sedated scope, but with the laparoscopy couldn't breathe when told to, just stared at the team around me and my lungs were not working and I couldn't make them, they out a mask on me.

So the tonsils I would put down human error/ the slash and grab way tonsils used to be done.

The lady you saw go back for hysterectomy - not sure whether awareness caused the screaming. More likely to be pain from blood in pelvis which caused her to scream? But difficult to say without full details.

Wisdom teeth - some people are woken in theatre so perhaps this happened to you. also it's normal to remember being in recovery - and yes wisdom teeth extractions can be very painful post op.

Scopes generally all done under "conscious sedation" usually not by an anaesthetist. Depending on what drug were used will lead to how much amnesia of procedure you'll have had.

Laparoscopy - what this at end of procedure?

Sorry, I detailed the lady screaming because it was proof that I was aware of everything around theatre and recovery, not because of her awareness or otherwise...BTW, she had no clue, but was screaming in pain with bleeding I'm assuming, its just I was aware of everything g going on

Laparoscopy was the procedure (when I saw the lady screaming (so knew I hadn't imagined or dreamt it) and the not breathing/paralysed lungs

Sorry I misunderstood you! If you were in recovery seeing people being wheeled back and forth that's normal. The not breathing/paralysis sounds like you've been woken but not all muscle relaxant has worn off or being reversed fully. Alternatively too much opioid painkiller

If you have concerns I'd contact your hospital to arrange a meeting/debrief so you can go through your medical notes with an anaesthetist so you can get firm answers.

That utility companies can't remotely turn off your gas/electricity.

If you want a different gas or electricity capacity your looking at 12 weeks from beginning to end and potentially large expense if your existing supply isn't up to the job. So when your buying that new big gas cooker make sure you check this!

Gas and electricity meters are hardly ever wrong.

Smart meters are not the work of the devil

When people talk about a Mortgage Company demanding a specific credit score, no. That's not how it works.
Each individual company will build their own system, and allocates "points" based on their own criteria.
For example. If you miss a couple of catalogue payments, but always make them up the following month, you are actually not a "bad" customer, because they will always make extra money from you. Conversely, if you ever miss a mortgage payment, you will always find it difficult to access mainstream lending.
Also, anyone who is declined for credit, has a statutory right to have a human being re-look at their application, if the decision was made based on an algorithm.

Something I think is lovely about a former job.

When someone donates their organs (after death) they are never left alone til the body is taken to the mortuary of the hospital. The organ donation nurses are so respectful of the donors and wash and clean them once the surgery has taken place and then will sit and wait with their 'patient' til the porters come to take them. (This unfortunately can be an hour or so during the middle if the night or weekends unfortunately.)

Thank you Likethefruit as you can see I've had issues with every sedation/GA!

recall theatre lights and team as a child having tonsillectomy,

This would be very normal, as typically you'd be conscious in theatre for a few minutes before being anaesthetised. I had my tonsils out at about 8 and have clear memories of both theatre and recovery.

Cel this wasn't a one-off, but a part of a long list of anaesthesia experiences.

Sorry to divert the thread
@tescovalue when you order tablets do you get to choose the brand? One of mine has just changed brands and made me Ferrell as sick as a dog. My chemist shop is lovely though, and the staff are so helpful. I was going to ask them about it on Monday but couldn't work out how to phrase it without sounding shirty, as I'm assuming they are probably a cheaper version, which, considering I don't pay for them I would feel churlish moaning about. I'm crossing my fingers I get used to them.

Fab thread op, I've really enjoyed reading it. It's very interesting.

Thanks everybody.

I work in litigation.

Not a secret, but lots of people don’t know that gavels aren’t used (and never have been used) in courts in England and Wales, or in Scotland.

Whaaaaaaaat!??

The MN is a thing apart though, surely?

The MN

I was a carer and we do a marvelous job ,however , when you pay for your relative to have 1/2 hour care in their home we often , actually at the company I worked for NEVER stayed 1/2 hour it was 22 minutes to be exact , we would log out of the home after 22 minutes to get to the next job and do the same because every single day we would have more clients added on to our daily list ..but adult social care would be charged 1/2 hour.
Same with 1 hour ones , 45 minutes tops but the company would charge 1 hour to adult social care
If the client doesn't have a phone to clock in and out with they'd get the basics , changed pad , repositioning on the bed , tea made , meds given and off we go ..one particular lady without a phone would get 15 minutes but be charged 1/2 hour

@Careradvice2019 not saying that you're fibbing or even that your care company is the only one... but just to reassure people reading this that I've worked for 3 care companies where this isn't the case and we stayed the whole visit time!

Even though this thread is quite old I just thought I would correct what a PP has said upthread re country's rights to drill for oil under the sea.

The continental shelf is a geographical feature - it is the relatively shallow waters that surround a country's coastline (approx average depth 0 - 500M) as opposed to the deep ocean (average depth 4000M). The boundary between the continental shelf and deep ocean is known as the shelf break and is a steep slope on the sea bed. The continental shelf around some countries extends far out eg around the UK it is about 400 nautical miles (NM) some not so much eg Chile (5-10NM). That said these are all geographical features and have no bearing on a country's rights to exploit the seas commercially.

Every country with a coastline can claim Territorial Waters (TTW) up to 12NM from their coast (some claim more but these are usually not recognised by other countries, a very few claim less). Within TTW the law of that country applies. Outside - international law applies. Countries can claim up to 200NM from their coastline as an Economic Exclusion Zone (EEZ) within which they have exclusive rights to economically exploit the resources within be that oil, gas, fisheries etc. (again some claim more but these are usually not recognised by other countries). These limits have nothing to do with the continental shelf.

My own trade secrets are from Shipping (not the cruise or commercial kind).

As with aircraft (up thread) ships have their own terminology for moving about. You don't go downstairs or upstairs, you go down below or up top. If you head toward the bow (front) of the ship you go for'd, if you head toward the stern (back) you go aft. The floor is known as the deck, the ceiling - deckhead, walls - bulkheads, stairs - ladders.

Most ships have a Main Broadcast (tannoy) over which "pipes" (as they are known) can be made from several locations about the ship. Some of these locations are not occupied 24 hours a day. Ships will often get themselves a "ship's cat", which is a mysterious "meow" coming over the main broadcast at random times.

If two crew are piped to the bedding store shortly after a run ashore - it means they hooked up.