Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Bleh.
I feel like crap. Sore throat, couldn"t sleep, muscle aches.
Hopefully its just viral and will die down soon.
So I"m taking the afternoon off. I"m going to make myself a nice yummy lunch and have a nice long sleep.
I managed to go to ward rounds this morning, which was good fun because it seems like half the patients are being discharged today. Unfortunately we had a MDT (multi-disciplinary team) meeting today and from lack of seats, I was seated in the front row, alongside all the consultants and senior consultants.
If you haven"t been to an MDT meeting before, picture this:
A nice quiet room, the soft hum of a computer and projector, main lights are off and instead you bask in the nice warm glow of a projected contrast CT image of a patient"s lower abdomen. Beside that is a large LCD screen displaying a beautifully colourful slide, a slice of the vague metastatic growth from said abdomen.
As the drone of the radiologist slowly relaxes you, you fight.
You fight with all your will because you know the consultants have to turn to look past you in order to make eye contact with the radiologist, for politeness" sake, as well as to get his attention to ask questions, or he may go on forever.
Suddenly, out booms the voice of a certain anatomist/histologist we shall call "TT". His golden voice rings throughout the room, conjuring to mind a majestic and brave lion or perhaps an overly tanned well build older man.
"Yes!" you think to yourself, "I can"t possibly fall asleep with him talking!" But as your eyes droop, you realise far too late that histology is and has always been a trap. Luring you in with pretty colours and golden voices, it takes you and leads you, like a child, with wide eyes questioning all. But just like a child, you grow weary of such opulence, not understanding the point behind it all. Your eyes close, you sleep. Until the new day dawns.
Or at least until you start driving a pen into your leg because you really, really, really don"t want to be falling asleep in front of everyone. Really.
Hopefully its just viral and will die down soon.
So I"m taking the afternoon off. I"m going to make myself a nice yummy lunch and have a nice long sleep.
I managed to go to ward rounds this morning, which was good fun because it seems like half the patients are being discharged today. Unfortunately we had a MDT (multi-disciplinary team) meeting today and from lack of seats, I was seated in the front row, alongside all the consultants and senior consultants.
If you haven"t been to an MDT meeting before, picture this:
A nice quiet room, the soft hum of a computer and projector, main lights are off and instead you bask in the nice warm glow of a projected contrast CT image of a patient"s lower abdomen. Beside that is a large LCD screen displaying a beautifully colourful slide, a slice of the vague metastatic growth from said abdomen.
As the drone of the radiologist slowly relaxes you, you fight.
You fight with all your will because you know the consultants have to turn to look past you in order to make eye contact with the radiologist, for politeness" sake, as well as to get his attention to ask questions, or he may go on forever.
Suddenly, out booms the voice of a certain anatomist/histologist we shall call "TT". His golden voice rings throughout the room, conjuring to mind a majestic and brave lion or perhaps an overly tanned well build older man.
"Yes!" you think to yourself, "I can"t possibly fall asleep with him talking!" But as your eyes droop, you realise far too late that histology is and has always been a trap. Luring you in with pretty colours and golden voices, it takes you and leads you, like a child, with wide eyes questioning all. But just like a child, you grow weary of such opulence, not understanding the point behind it all. Your eyes close, you sleep. Until the new day dawns.
Or at least until you start driving a pen into your leg because you really, really, really don"t want to be falling asleep in front of everyone. Really.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
There's a fine, fine line...
Big day yesterday!
Had a nice sleep in (9am! Wow!) after staying up until 1am playing 4-player Super Mario Bros. on Wii. Sat around browsing the internets for random things for an hour or so before deciding it was probably time for breakfast. I threw together some goodness (ham, mushrooms, basil, chives, iggs) into a pan and a magical omelette appeared. It was magical.
Started transferring my little assorted notes taken on ward rounds into my computer. Took a lot longer than I expected, as I have horrible writing, partly due to my rush to get the information down, partly due to having nothing to adequately brace my pad on, and partly due to my own mutant inability to write legibly.
Finally noticed the time and after a warp speed shower, threw together a ham/cheese sandwich and rushed out to get to the city, where a group of us saw Avenue Q!
It was amazing!
I"ve been listening to the soundtrack now for a few hours, with my favourite song in the title above. Personally, I still liked Wicked better, partly due to the easier sung songs (yes, I like to sing, despite having the vocal range of a deaf mute bear), but Avenue Q had very memorable moments (and one in particular that cannot be unseen...) and was hilarious.
Went to a friend's place afterwards for a house-warming, which was really good. Had okonomiyaki, cold rolls, and beer/cocktails/wine/mead (yes, mead!). Good food, good drinks, good company, what more can you ask for? An amusing quote? Yes, that was done too. An amusing period of confusion as a friend on the phone was confused as to the people that were at the party. Ah, good times.
[EDIT: I forgot to mention the dessert! Banana cake with a cream cheese/icing sugar icing, with ice cream covered in chocolate flavoured topping, chocolate and rainbow sprinkles!]
So now its Sunday, I have minimal work done, I have washing to do, cleaning to do, music to listen to. So much to do, so little time...
Maybe if I sit here for a while, things will just go away...
A fine, fine line between reality and pretend.
Had a nice sleep in (9am! Wow!) after staying up until 1am playing 4-player Super Mario Bros. on Wii. Sat around browsing the internets for random things for an hour or so before deciding it was probably time for breakfast. I threw together some goodness (ham, mushrooms, basil, chives, iggs) into a pan and a magical omelette appeared. It was magical.
Started transferring my little assorted notes taken on ward rounds into my computer. Took a lot longer than I expected, as I have horrible writing, partly due to my rush to get the information down, partly due to having nothing to adequately brace my pad on, and partly due to my own mutant inability to write legibly.
Finally noticed the time and after a warp speed shower, threw together a ham/cheese sandwich and rushed out to get to the city, where a group of us saw Avenue Q!
It was amazing!
I"ve been listening to the soundtrack now for a few hours, with my favourite song in the title above. Personally, I still liked Wicked better, partly due to the easier sung songs (yes, I like to sing, despite having the vocal range of a deaf mute bear), but Avenue Q had very memorable moments (and one in particular that cannot be unseen...) and was hilarious.
Went to a friend's place afterwards for a house-warming, which was really good. Had okonomiyaki, cold rolls, and beer/cocktails/wine/mead (yes, mead!). Good food, good drinks, good company, what more can you ask for? An amusing quote? Yes, that was done too. An amusing period of confusion as a friend on the phone was confused as to the people that were at the party. Ah, good times.
[EDIT: I forgot to mention the dessert! Banana cake with a cream cheese/icing sugar icing, with ice cream covered in chocolate flavoured topping, chocolate and rainbow sprinkles!]
So now its Sunday, I have minimal work done, I have washing to do, cleaning to do, music to listen to. So much to do, so little time...
Maybe if I sit here for a while, things will just go away...
A fine, fine line between reality and pretend.
Friday, February 5, 2010
FIGJAM
A nice and early finish today, which is great for a Friday. Nothing worse than hanging about all afternoon wishing you could be out doing... stuff...
Yeah.
So a very exciting ward round today, especially one patient who seemed to have actually* had every possible medical problem previously. She was in high spirits though, despite the pain and it seemed that she needed blood taken for random tests (specifically FBC, EUC, Coags and LFTs). Being the great blood thief that I am, the task was left to me.
So as the ward round continued on as I was set loose on the ward looking for tools of the trade, being tempted by the copious amounts of food left out in the open...
The patient being a nurse, as well as having a rare blood condition (essential thrombocythemia!) was very used to taking blood and having blood taken from her (amusingly, a name I recognised in her history was her haematologist, a past lecturer and course coordinator with the initials BK...). She happily consented to my thievery of her blood and decided that as I looked quite amateurish (despite me taking the time to prepare my "confident face"), would talk me through it. I started by asking her to sit down and expose a preferred arm for me, which she obliged, showing me the one vein she liked to call "old faithful" (right arm, cubital fossa). She confidently stated that there was no chance of missing it, and I gave a polite little laugh, all the while thinking that she"ll probably regret challenging me like that...
Surprisingly, she was right.
After marvelling at my choice of instruments (butterfly + vacuum) and allowing me to alcoholerise her skin, I waited the customary few seconds for complete dryness and dove straight in. Immediate flashback. I somehow managed to maintained my "confident face" instead of reverting to my "shocked face" and started plugging in the tubes, one at a time, starting with the coags (yes, must remember that...). I started to wonder whether I had struck an artery, as each of the tubes filled in approximately 2.4 seconds. I then realised how nice it is taking blood from a (relatively) healthy and young woman, rather than a ninety-something old man with calcified veins and powder for blood.
After that was all done, she congratulated me and stated that it was wonderfully done, handing me her imaginary "FIGJAM" cape. As I hadn"t heard that term before, I had to ask her what that was, and the answer made me feel a lot more confident for the future.
FIGJAM.
* as opposed to those interesting patients who just think they"ve had every possibly medical problem previously...
Yeah.
So a very exciting ward round today, especially one patient who seemed to have actually* had every possible medical problem previously. She was in high spirits though, despite the pain and it seemed that she needed blood taken for random tests (specifically FBC, EUC, Coags and LFTs). Being the great blood thief that I am, the task was left to me.
So as the ward round continued on as I was set loose on the ward looking for tools of the trade, being tempted by the copious amounts of food left out in the open...
The patient being a nurse, as well as having a rare blood condition (essential thrombocythemia!) was very used to taking blood and having blood taken from her (amusingly, a name I recognised in her history was her haematologist, a past lecturer and course coordinator with the initials BK...). She happily consented to my thievery of her blood and decided that as I looked quite amateurish (despite me taking the time to prepare my "confident face"), would talk me through it. I started by asking her to sit down and expose a preferred arm for me, which she obliged, showing me the one vein she liked to call "old faithful" (right arm, cubital fossa). She confidently stated that there was no chance of missing it, and I gave a polite little laugh, all the while thinking that she"ll probably regret challenging me like that...
Surprisingly, she was right.
After marvelling at my choice of instruments (butterfly + vacuum) and allowing me to alcoholerise her skin, I waited the customary few seconds for complete dryness and dove straight in. Immediate flashback. I somehow managed to maintained my "confident face" instead of reverting to my "shocked face" and started plugging in the tubes, one at a time, starting with the coags (yes, must remember that...). I started to wonder whether I had struck an artery, as each of the tubes filled in approximately 2.4 seconds. I then realised how nice it is taking blood from a (relatively) healthy and young woman, rather than a ninety-something old man with calcified veins and powder for blood.
After that was all done, she congratulated me and stated that it was wonderfully done, handing me her imaginary "FIGJAM" cape. As I hadn"t heard that term before, I had to ask her what that was, and the answer made me feel a lot more confident for the future.
FIGJAM.
* as opposed to those interesting patients who just think they"ve had every possibly medical problem previously...
Thursday, February 4, 2010
A brand new da- team.
So the wards have been abuzz with the changing of the guard, which started yesterday, and was probably supposed to end too, but we"re still missing our RMO...
Luckily, we have a temporary RMO, who"s here for one day. That must feel weird, working a job for one day...
Our Senior Fellow is with us now though, which is great! She"s an amazingly focused woman, but also able to joke. Best of all, she actually teaches us! She had me listen to some lungs, she quizzed us on some x-rays and CTs, and taught us a heap of presentations and treatments, some of which I even managed to write down so I can type them up later... Lunch break for now though, then off to read some anaesthetical things...
Luckily, we have a temporary RMO, who"s here for one day. That must feel weird, working a job for one day...
Our Senior Fellow is with us now though, which is great! She"s an amazingly focused woman, but also able to joke. Best of all, she actually teaches us! She had me listen to some lungs, she quizzed us on some x-rays and CTs, and taught us a heap of presentations and treatments, some of which I even managed to write down so I can type them up later... Lunch break for now though, then off to read some anaesthetical things...
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Rotation 1 - Surgery - Day 1
Alright, so its 2 weeks past my first day of 3rd year, and I"m typing this on Wednesday, but Monday was such a productive day that I"ll have to talk about it.
While I"m at it, I"ll talk about today as well. Tuesday should be stricken from the history books though.
Monday, a beautiful morning, a smooth transition from waking up to ward rounds.
Always a good start, but it would get better. The ward rounds went smoothly, lots to learn but also lots learnt. Coffee break was a great change from our usual routine (no coffee), a nice treat from our Registrar, who has moved on to greener pastures (or maybe not... Modbury?).
I topped off the morning with a nice and easy bit of blood thievery, using for the first time a butterfly needle/vacuum tube. Left handed. Without a spoon.
Tuesday. Bleh.
Wednesday, today, a good morning which started with great anticipation, as the great handover would occur. Our new Registrar managed to find us, but our RMO was nowhere in sight. Luckily her pager was available. Sitting on the computer in front of us. Convenient, but understandable as they apparently have a full day orientation session. Probably high ropes and lots of clapping and laughing (yes, that is an inside joke, but you can laugh with me anyway whoever you are reading this).
So after about 30 minutes our Registrar left us, leaving the ward round to 2 interns, a GEMPIV and 3 GEMPIIIs. Big G* was eventually left behind, getting some paperwork done leaving Dr T* to lead the team. For amusement"s sake, I began to write "Colorectal Ward Rounds - Dr T* & Team" in the patient notes, half hoping that he would be called out, leaving us medical students to continue the ward rounds, perhaps flounder and drown. Moments later, Dr T"s pager pinged.
Unfortunately, we weren"t to be left to our own ward rounds. A patient on the wards had the Met team called, which gave us the chance to see what happens in a real Met call. Nowhere near the excitement of television, but interesting anyway.
To top off a fun morning, there were brownies in the intern room.
Ah, good times.
*Note: Names used are not their real names, but amusing replacements which the author has made up on the spot. They amuse me.
While I"m at it, I"ll talk about today as well. Tuesday should be stricken from the history books though.
Monday, a beautiful morning, a smooth transition from waking up to ward rounds.
Always a good start, but it would get better. The ward rounds went smoothly, lots to learn but also lots learnt. Coffee break was a great change from our usual routine (no coffee), a nice treat from our Registrar, who has moved on to greener pastures (or maybe not... Modbury?).
I topped off the morning with a nice and easy bit of blood thievery, using for the first time a butterfly needle/vacuum tube. Left handed. Without a spoon.
Tuesday. Bleh.
Wednesday, today, a good morning which started with great anticipation, as the great handover would occur. Our new Registrar managed to find us, but our RMO was nowhere in sight. Luckily her pager was available. Sitting on the computer in front of us. Convenient, but understandable as they apparently have a full day orientation session. Probably high ropes and lots of clapping and laughing (yes, that is an inside joke, but you can laugh with me anyway whoever you are reading this).
So after about 30 minutes our Registrar left us, leaving the ward round to 2 interns, a GEMPIV and 3 GEMPIIIs. Big G* was eventually left behind, getting some paperwork done leaving Dr T* to lead the team. For amusement"s sake, I began to write "Colorectal Ward Rounds - Dr T* & Team" in the patient notes, half hoping that he would be called out, leaving us medical students to continue the ward rounds, perhaps flounder and drown. Moments later, Dr T"s pager pinged.
Unfortunately, we weren"t to be left to our own ward rounds. A patient on the wards had the Met team called, which gave us the chance to see what happens in a real Met call. Nowhere near the excitement of television, but interesting anyway.
To top off a fun morning, there were brownies in the intern room.
Ah, good times.
*Note: Names used are not their real names, but amusing replacements which the author has made up on the spot. They amuse me.
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