Catch Your Breath: The Secret Life of a Sleepless Anaesthetist

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We have all lived a shared experience in the last two years, but for some, the essential workers, the experience was much more acute, it took all they had and more. In the second half of the book we get a glimpse into life in early COVID times as an anesthesiologist in the UK.

A funny and well-written book, that is a necessary read to understand what really went on in the ICUs. Comedians' Surgery podcast - where I interview comedians about their health and medical stories, with some features and games thrown in. Yes it is a memoir that hits you at moments like a hammer blow, yes it will upset you, cause you to reflect, but also it will have you rolling around laughing so hard you will need tissues to wipe away tears of laughter. Had the audience in fits of laughter’ (The Scotsman) 'Extremely funny' (Telegraph) 'Masterful, playfully provocative writing' (Chortle. At the same time, perhaps that relatability is why I can’t give it a higher rating, yet I still recommend it to some readers.From the 'Foreword - A Doctor's Note' I knew I was going to love this book because I felt like I was reading something by Adam Kay (and I have read and loved all of his books). This is a human, mature, yet humorous account of life as a junior medic, in perhaps the most testing of times. The writing was also really comical at times with some dark humour thrown in so if you loved This Is Going To Hurt by Adam Kay then Catch Your Breath is definitely a book for you. He has performed across the UK, including at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and hosts the "Comedians' Surgery" podcast where he speaks to guests including Joe Lycett, Rose Matafeo and Reginald D Hunter about their health stories and experiences.

The author clearly enjoys the often comedic value of his work - I know from personal experience you cannot survive the NHS ward life without a dark sense of humour. of 'This Is Going To Hurt', there are mentions of patients he encounters from paediatrics through to the geriatrics, as he works in challenging NHS conditions to do his work effectively; that being, keeping people alive.Hilariously funny, moving and truly insightful, it follows Ed's journey from bewildered medical student in Aberdeen to unflinching anaesthetist on the NHS frontline. The thing is, whilst we all lived through it to one degree or another, unless we were frontline healthcare workers like Ed Patrick, we didn’t really live through it at all. This book highlights the importance of the multidisciplinary team within medicine, the role of specialized nurses in anaesthesia and the fact that doctors rely on nurses as they often have a much closer rapport to the patients. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average.

Nothing in their training could prepare them for the onslaught of the loss of life, the relentless waves of admissions, lack of governmental support and the terrible knowledge that there was little they could do!What struck me most was the realization that their contribution extends far beyond the operating room. A gut punch of a memoir by a doctor - and comedian - whose job is to keep people alive by putting them to sleep. On top of this it's moving without being overwrought, and insightful about the issues facing the NHS without being preachy. The most striking part I read was where he described going into the ICU day after day, listening to the beeps of the respirators, spending entire shifts just maintaining the airway of unconscious people he never got to know, who all left without without any exchange of conversation, through death or recovery. I read this book in one sitting because it was simply brilliant, even when my Apple Watch told me it was time to move around I stood up and carried on reading because I didn’t want to put it down!