𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘶𝘮𝘢, 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥𝘺 - 𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙮'𝙨 𝘼𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙮 (ON HOLD)

ninety - four - "harriet kepner-avery" - ninety - four

"In the earliest days of medicine, we're going back thousands of years, doctors spoke of healing as a reunion. When we close a patient, connect severed tendons, repair a liver, we're just reuniting the tissue. Restoring what was there before the illness. Ideally, it's a happy reunion, but things get tricky when we fail to make the right connection, or worse, when we reunite two things that were best kept apart. We do our best to reunite the healthy cells and tissue and if we do our jobs right, there's another kind of reunion: the patients and their families, their loved ones, their lives. But those reunions can get tricky, too. If you had troubles before going into the OR, they won't magically go away now that you're healed. Some things will get better, others could get worse. Because when you let your guard down, you're a lot more likely to go down a dangerous path."
-Meredith Grey, S16E3, "Reunited"

"If you're in an OR and you feel like the sky is falling, that's because sometimes, unfortunately, it is. I was once doing a laparoscopic appendectomy, perfectly routine, when out of nowhere, my patient developed an air embolus. Carbon dioxide that was filling his abdomen leached into his circulation. His blood pressure plummeted as the air bubble went to his heart, causing utter chaos. I started CPR, trying to keep blood flowing to his brain. We placed a central line as quickly as we could but before we knew it, his lungs were filling with fluid. A routine lap appy was now a case of multi-organ failure. And there wasn't a damn thing I could do to stop it. After multiple transfusions and emergent dialysis and the fastest central line I've done to this day, my patient pulled through. But it taught an important lesson: there is no such thing as a routine surgery. Every time I step into an OR, I'm ready for the worst. It's not a guarantee against bad outcomes but it does mean, when the curveballs come, when the sky starts to fall, hopefully you're less likely to get completely knocked off your feet."
-Meredith Grey, S16E4, "It's Raining Men"

"Some of the world's top trauma specialists have proven that our brains may forget the traumas we survive, but our bodies, especially our nervous systems, always keep score. Memories are stored in our shoulders, spines, stomach or hands, without us ever knowing. We assume a painful backache or shaky hand is something harmless, random, but it could be more. It might be our bodies reminding us of what we've endured and warning us not to let it happen again. Trauma doesn't tell time. It can't tell if we're eight or fort-one, if our kids have the chicken pox or if we have the biggest surgeries of our lives to perform. And when it sneaks up on us, it's easy to think we're right back at square one. But the truth is, even when our brain convinces us we're lost, if we try hard enough, our bodies always remind us there's a way back. And prepares us for whatever fight lies ahead."
-Meredith Grey, S16E5, "Breathe Again"

"Researchers have theorized that nightmares are the brain's way of processing unsettling events of the past. Others believe nightmares are how our subconscious mind prepares us to do deal with our real-life fears. Either way, they agree that nightmares are most commonly brought on by one thing: stress. Sometimes, your worst nightmare comes true but you find it's really nothing to worry about. Occasionally, you discover that what you most dread is really a blessing and your life is better because you persevered despite your fears. But sometimes your worst nightmare is truly scary and it feels like it's never going to end. That's why support from friends and family is vital. You wanna surround yourself with people who will wake you up from your nightmare and help you live your wildest dreams."
-Meredith Grey, S16E6, "Whistlin' Past the Graveyard"

"Are you nervous?" Colton asked, pulling into the parking lot of Pac North early one morning.

Anna shrugged, "Not really... I just don't want to make a mistake that turns out to be a huge mistake and... I'm getting anxiety now."