Patients and Patience

Visiting hours is the worst time to review or take blood from patients.
When you ask the patient a question, the relative will help with the answer.
All of a sudden, you get a heap of complaints, sometimes not from the patients, but from the relatives.

Today, a friend of mine wanted to take blood for a dengue patient,
When he pricked the patient, her daughter was the one 'tsk'-ing in pain (don't know how else to put it).
Won't you find that disturbing?

Another short story - I was reviewing a patient.
I was just going through her previous notes before I started asking her questions when another lady by her side suddenly asked me something (I forgot the question). I answered and continued with my work.

All of a sudden, this lady asks me, u are doctor...and I told my name.
Then, she told me, "I am Dato' XYZ".
I thought, "So?"
Does she think I am going to treat her differently just because she is a Dato'?
Do I have to go around and introduce myself with a Doctor in front?
Come on!
It's not like you were born with it...so why introduce yourself with it?

However, this I MUST say...people do treat you differently based on your profession.
Teachers get respect.
Policemen/policewomen are feared.
Doctors are ...I don't know.
All I know, when I am wearing my labcoat, more people tend to look at me and smile at me compared to when I am not wearing my labcoat.

I just have one message to everyone out there - when/if you are a patient, please remember this few things :
1 - tell us your complaints, no problem, but please, don't go on and on and on! Keep it short and informative.
2- please do not change your answers. There have been many times when when I ask a patient a question, and when the MO or specialist ask the same question, the answer changes. The diagnosis depends on your answer. You give a different answer, the specialist says we didn't get a proper history!
3- please remember that you being in the ward means more work for us - extra 1 person to review, extra 1 person to take blood from, extra one bed occupied. If it were up to us, we would dischage everyone and keep the hospital empty. I am getting SICK of people who tell us that we like keeping them in the ward and not discharging them.
4- if you are given medication, please that them at home. Don't not take your medication, don't default your follow up. In the end, you are the one who is going to suffer - and when you are readmitted for your non-compliance, we will not be as nice to you as we previously are because you simply REFUSE to listen to us!

That's all for now, can't think of anything else.
Stay healthy!

Disappointed!

Today, for the first time, I got very very frustrated and disappointed with a patient because she was SO DUMB!

I have had patients who can't speak Malay or English.
I have had patients whom seem to be too blur to understand what you say and make you repeat your question many times.
I have never scolded them, never criticized them (at least notto their faces), although I don't understand how anyone can call themselves a Malaysian, and live in Malaysia and not know Malay.

But this patient was just too much.

She is a known case of TB, supposedly completed treatment about 6 years ago.
Came due to cough and SOB (shortness of breath).
X-ray looked really bad - is it the TB again, is it a cancer?
We were not sure - so we decided to get it reported.

I went for reporting - the radiologist wanted her old x-rays to compare with before commenting on the latest x-ray.

I went back to the ward and told the staff nurse to trace her old notes.
The thing is, old notes of 6 years ago is not easy to find.
They told me to call the chet clinic - I did.
The person in the chest clinic said that notes more than 3 years old will be at the record office.

I called the record office, and they said they have her records.
But, they asked me, why don't you want the latest notes?
I was dumbfounded.
Latest notes? She was admitted recently?
Then I told them to just send whatever they can up to the ward.

Guess what - she was admitted twice this year.
The first time was in April - she was admitted for a month, and the 2nd time was an elective admission for bronchoscopy.
The X-ray finding was about the same as what we found this time.

I just went through her old notes randomly - she has had CT abdomen and lungs, she has had a BMA (bone marrow aspiration) done, she has had a bronchoscopy done, she had had a skeletal survey done (basically x-ray of her whole body).
How can she neglect to tell us about all these?
What the &*%$@

Then I went to her and asked her - were you admitted earlier this year?
Then she says yes.
Then her grandchild says yes.
Come on!
How can you forget to mention this when you first came in?

When she was discharged previously, she was given an appointment to follow up in our clinic - claims she didn't come because she lost her appointment later.
ARGH!!!!!!!
What can you do with such people?!!!!

Housemanship and Complaints

The truth is, we (housemen) have it easy.
Are you surprised that I said that?
Do you think I am crazy?

Think about it - right now, we have about 30-40 HOs per department.
It used to be about 10 last time (by last time, I am talking about 5 years ago).

Nowadays we have about 4-5 HOs per ward - it used to be 1-2 HO per ward.

We have an average of 6-8 calls per month.
Used to be 15 calls per month.

Our pay is higher than before.
Our allowances are more.
And yet, we complain.

Why?
Because it is human nature.

Do you think that we compare ourselves with what the HOs went through last time?
Of course not!

We compare our working hours with those who do a 9am-5pm, 5 day job.
We compare our pay with our friends who are working in different countries or who are doing different jobs.
We compare our call claims with those who get paid per hour - like staff in factories.

And when we compare like that, yes, we are at a loss.
We don't get to sleep late on weekends.
We don't get to take MCs.
We get paid (for oncalls) at a rate of about RM6 per hour on weekends.

I have done my fair share of complainings.

My theory - if life is tough, you learn to cope with it.
E.g - in O&G, when you do the maternity call, you cover the 1st Mat, 2nd&3rd Mat, the high risk ward and also ward 14. When at one point there was a so-called shortage of HOs, only 1 person was oncall to cover all these wards; when there were more HOs, then 2 people did the oncall.
I did 5 maternity calls by myself, and I coped - I did whatever was necessary. Yes, I had to run up and down doing stuff, but I did it. And then I did many other calls with a partner - and again, we managed to do whatever was necessary. We didn't have to hurry that much, that was the only difference.

I guess, as HO, nowadays we tend to take things easy, because we have it easier.
Yes, we are in a way pampered.
Yes, I know we do less work that what the HOs did previously.
Yes, we have more free time.
Yes, we get to go out, get to have a life.

But please, don't blame us for it.
We didn't ask for thousands of us to graduate at the same time.
We were just lucky, I guess - or unlucky, since there are many things that we don't get to learn because of the huge number of us.

What's my point?
I don't know.
As usual, I am just writing whatever is running through my head - and now I seem to be hanging in the middle of nowhere.
*sigh*
(makes you wish you never een started reading it, right?)

I think it's about time I stopped writing.

Am I going to stop complaining?
No.
I am a houseman.
I HAVE to complaint.
That is what we are supposed to do.
:P

Rantings

Dear Diary,

Today, I feel....alone.
And it's because I am alone.
It's not too bad a thing..I used to love being alone.
I used to enjoy having the whole house to myself.
What changed?
I have no idea.

Yes, I read a story book, a really nice one, one I really enjoyed.
I browsed through facebook.
I played farmville.
I even went to work and went for a wedding after work.
But I still feel empty.
Something is missing.

I really feel like talking, having a good chat, but then whom to talk to?
Somehow, today everyone has something going on.
It's not like I am blaming anyone, but it's how life is, huh?
At one point, it seems like you have no time to 'layan' everyone, and at another time it seems like no one has time to 'layan' you.

Sometimes, I really don't know what I want.
At times, I just want to be left alone. I want to be free to do whatever I want.
And sometimes, I just want to have something to do, something to keep me occupied.

Argh..what am I crapping?
Maybe all I need is sleep.
Maybe.

It's All About Sex

In the past 3 days, 3 different articles caught my attention in The Star.

This is the first one : It's in the genes.
Basically what it was trying to say was that if a couple has almost similar genes - a so-called biological match, then this means they will have better sex, less cheating, longer-lasting love and perhaps even healthier children.

A day after this article was published, a letter was written to The Star, titled 'we reap what we sow in a marriage'.
It was written by a guy, and this is part of what he said:

Having thus married, the maintenance of harmony in the home is entirely in the hands of the newlyweds, though it must be emphasised here that the wife plays a pivotal role in the joint effort for wedded bliss.

If a busy working wife is so preoccupied with her daily working schedule to such an extent that she inadvertently or otherwise neglects to attend to her husband’s natural carnal needs, the seeds of discord are sown in the matrimonial home, opening the doors to the free inflow of serious consequences.

Most husbands in the above situation, understandably, have little or no ability to withstand any wife-imposed sexual starvation and they are thus forced to seek their pleasures in the outside world where a variety of sexual services are readily available around-the-clock.

I have to admit, when I read this, I was pissed off. Does he actually mean what he said? Did he actually think before writing this crap? Is he blaming infidelity on women, because the women are not 'attending to their husband's natural carnal needs'?

Today, a reply to his letter was published, Your wife is not like your mother.

Obviously, it was written by a lady. She was, naturally, against what he said. If you are interested in what she had to say, please just click on the link, it's just a short letter.

Anyway, here is what I have to say.

Sometimes, guys just don't understand. It is easy for you guys. Study, graduate then work. Once you think you are ready, get married, have children. Then, you just continue working and plan on making more babies. No one is going to ask you to do anything else.

For the fairer sex, they have to do everything that the guys do. But at the same time, they are expected to do housework and cook and take care of their children. If a child's upbringing is not good, it is the mother's who get the blame first.

I am talking from my own personal experience. A party in my house - the children eat first, naturally. Then, either the women or men eat. Once the women eat, they clean up after themselves. But the guys, they just leave everything, sometimes they don't even wash their plates! Then, the guys continue chit-chatting or watching TV and the women have to clean up.

Come on guys - how many times have you taken a plate from a lady and washed it for her? How many times has a lady washed your plate from you?

If a lady doesn't cook at home, that is an issue. Has anyone questioned a guy why he doens't cook at home even though he has a kitchen? In fact, if a guy says he cooks, everyone says that the wife is a lucky lady. Why is it never vice versa?

All I am trying to say is, more things are expected from women compared to men. Most men don't lift a finger around the house. The lady of the house has to come back from work and do everything herself. At the end of the day, is she expected to be not tired? Is she expected to 'fulfill her husband's carnal needs'?

Guys, if you want it, work for it. Help her with her housework. Let her get some rest. Then maybe you can get some action - if you are still up for it, of course.

P/s I am just talking about guys in general - there are a handful who are nice, who do help around.

Medical, Here I Comes

It is very rare to get a 'chill' day in the labor room.
Something is always happening.
There is always something to do.

But that day was different.
There really wasn't anything to do.
Even the MO found it weird, but hey, enjoy the moment while it lasts, right?

So, there I was, trying to complete my log book.

Then, I saw my specialist walking in, with a nurse pushing a patient in a wheelchair into suite 1.
Now, suite 1 is our 'special' suite - we only put 'critical' patients in there - patients with severe PE (pre-eclampsia) or IE(impending eclampsia) or patient's with heart disease.

My friend immediately went into suite 1 to see what she can do and do the necessary.
Everyone who comes in will need blood investigations, so I started taking all the tubes necessary (I assumed that it was a PE case) for the blood tests.

I was about to enter the suite when I saw drops of blood on the flood. I stopped, went back to where we kept all the tubes and took another bottle, which was necessary for any patients who are bleeding.

2 others started setting branulas and taking blood.
1 pushed in the scan machine for the specialist.
I started filling up the blood forms.

Specialist scanned - confirmed an abruptio placenta (placenta separated from the uterus wall) and (as we would do in any emergency situation) we prepared for LSCS.

One HO ran for blood, one HO scrubbed in OT.
Baby was out in less than 10 minutes.
__________________________________________________________________

Right now, I can't think of any more stories.
Tomorrow will be my last day in O&G.
I am going to start my medical posting.
As much as I hate tagging, hate starting a new department (it is like learning a new subject alltogether) I am glad I have not been extended.

EMERGENCY!

It was a busy day in the labor room.
All 8 suites were full.
There are 4 beds in the ABC - we even had to put patients in active labor there.

One MO was in the OT.
Another one was running around in the labor room.

Then, suite 7 had prolonged 2nd stage (basically, the baby was not coming out as fast as it was supposed to).

MO consulted specialist, decided for vacuum.
While the vacuum was being done for suite 7, one patient in ABC had fetal bradycardia.
MO was busy, told one of us to call the specialist.

Called specialist, specialist came over.
Suite 7 delivered by then.
Specialist decided that the patient in ABC should go for vacuum.
She started to prepare for vacuum, but we couldn't really get a CTG reading for the baby.

The ultrasound machine was pushed in.
The fetal heart rate was really slow.
Specialist decided then and there - LSCS NOW!

Preparations were made for LCSC (thank God the other LSCS in the OT was over).
Patient was pushed in as fast as possible.
Paeds team told to standby.
Baby was out in less than 5-10minutes I think.
Baby born crying.
Hurray!!

Came out to labor suite - suite 1 also had prolonged 2nd stage - another vacuum delivery.

That day, we had SO many deliveries that there were about 12 babies in the baby room at one time (usually we have about 4).
____________________________________________________________

It was 4am. I was oncall.

The CTG for patient in suite 7 showed some fetal deceleration (I think it was Type II).
My friend did everything that was necessary, but nothing worked.
And patient had some bleeding.

My MO was in the VE room.
I decided that we shouldn't wait for him to come in.
I tore off the CTG and went straight to him.

MO wasn't very worried, but he attended to patient.
Hmm..why was patient bleeding, he wondered out loud.

He did a VE.
His face changed.
2 words - cord prolapse (basically the umbilical cord has fallen out).
Everyone rushed to do whatever necessary - inflate bladder, raise buttock, prepare for LSCS.
I ran and called the other MO who was oncall.
Ran into OT.
Baby delivered within 5 minutes - not crying at first, but was eventually OK.

The Labor Room

O&G was not like the other postings.
There were more emergencies. More excitement.

It's because in the other 2 postings that I went through, Paeds and Ortho, all cases are screened in the A&E before they come to the ward. If the patient is unstable, they are stabilized before being sent to the ward.

In O&G, the labor room is our A&E. All pregnant ladies are sent there (very few are sent to the A&E). So, you see and play a part in managing emergencies in the labor room.

It's not to say that you see an emergency very often, but you see it enough.

There are some stories that I would like to share..these are the things I saw, my experiences. They are better stories, but then I wasn't part of it, so can't really tell those stories properly, so most probably won't be telling them.
(I will try my best to tell it as simple as possible, but am not going to explain everything (cos then it would take very long), so if you are curious enough, please google for it)
____________________________________________________

My MO was doing a Caesarean Section (LSCS) in the OT. Our specialist(S) was doing rounds in the labor room. S received a call and was on the phone, so I decided to go to the VE room (where we clerk patients before deciding whether to admit them to the labor room or to the ward or to discharge them) to see if there were any patients to clerk.

One lady was there, doing CTG (cardiotocography - to see the fetal heart activity). It was her 5th pregnancy, and she had already delivered 4 children via SVD (vaginal delivery). She came due to contraction pain.

I asked her all the questions I needed to ask, and then left her to finish the CTG (which takes about 20 minutes) and started writing down the clerking. She came after completing her CTG and looked quite uncomfortable, so I decided to do a VE first before proceeding with the clerking.

I did all the necessary examination and then did the VE (vaginal examination). I was shocked!! I felt a feet, and I could feel the whole feet. I panicked, and told my friend to call the MO.

I waited for my friend for what I felt like eternity. Then, I decided that I can't wait any longer. I told the lady to just lie down and not push and ran into the labor suite myself. Then I was told that there were no MOs around, only the S.

I went straight to the S, and told, Dr. L, there is a patient in the VE room, feet presentation. The S immediately came with me and attended to the patient. Confirming the presentation, she said prepare for LSCS (which mean you have to take her blood, set line, get the op consent and blood consent and send the booking slip).

But we only have one MOT. Dr. L decided that she would go into the OT to finish up the op that was going on so that this lady can be pushed in faster, before this baby decides to come out. At the same time, there was another emergency inside the labor room, a fetal distress. That makes it 2 LSCS waiting with one OT occupied.

The solution - fetal distress was sent to GOT (an ambulance will bring the patient to the main building for that) and feet presentation will go in after either of the LSCS (whether in MOT or GOT) is done.
________________________________________________________________

I didn't expect 1 story to be that long!
Although now, I feel it's not as exciting as when it was happening.
Will try a different story tomorrow.
Hopefully that will sound better once written down.
Good night!

Boob-Staring Is Good For You?

Spotted in The Star today..

HERE’s a simple “secret” to ensure longevity for men – stare at women’s breasts for 10 minutes a day to live an additional five years.

Both Sin Chew Daily and China Press reported that a German research published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that men ogling at breasts for 10 minutes a day was equivalent to a 30-minute gym workout.

Sin Chew Daily reported yesterday that the team had spent five years researching 200 men.

Results showed that men who liked to stare at women’s breasts have lower blood pressure, suffer less cardiovascular disease and have slower heart beat.

The daily also quoted gerontologist Dr Karen Weatherby as saying that sexual desire ensured better blood circulation and led to better health.

However, it was reported that reporters had attempted to search the article in the journal’s website but failed. Thus, there were doubts whether there was indeed such an article in the journal.

______________________________________________________________

I guess all men can now cancel their gym membership and buy porn videos instead.

The Child In Me

I am not allowed to take more than 4 days off (including the weekend) at the end of my posting. Since I had an extra day to spare, I took today off.

As anyone who has a day off would do, I woke up only at 10am.

Wondering what to do (besides filling up my log book and cpd book and skt form - all of which I am yet to do), I decided to go to Jusco, just for window shopping.

Then I thought that today would be a good time to get myself a handbag and a pair of jeans - something I have meant to do for quite some time now. I expected Jusco to be empty, but was rather surprised to see that quite a number of people were there. It's the weekday - how come so many people have nothing else to do during weekdays?

Thankfully though, the crowd was not too bad and I went ahead with my mission. I walked in and out of many, many shops to no avail - couldn't find anything that I liked enough to buy. Just about then, I gave up.

Then I remembered that I have not yet bought my niece a birthday present (her birthday was ages ago) and decided to get her something.

I thought of getting her a pencil box with stationery, but another shop caught my attention. The shop had some interesting stuff, and I ended up buying some coloring like thingy from the shop for my niece.

But that was not all.
Suddenly, I felt like doing some 'art work' myself.

And so, here is what I bought for myself.


The end result :
Not too bad for a first timer, right? :P

p/s I am planning to give it to someone, the someone should be able to guess by now that it is for him/her.

Cinema, Cinema, Cinema

I had no idea that 2012 is SO popular until I tried getting tickets for it.

I tried on the 21st...no luck.

I tried on the 22nd...no tickets available.

Frustrated, we decided to go for Christmas Carol instead.
I was really looking forward to the movie because of Jim Carrey..but in the end, came out from the movie rather disappointed.
You would already know how the story ends right from the beginning of the movie!

Back to 2012 - I thought, that after about 3 weeks, the tickets would be a little bit easier to get.

I thought wrong.

Last Saturday, I went to get tickets at 12pm, and the only tickets available was at 12.30am, that too, the front 2 rows.
Since Rajiv and KR were already in Ipoh, we decided to just get the 2nd row seats and go for the movie.
(Best part, I was oncall on Sunday.)

I have to admit - the special effects was cool. They must have really worked hard to get it to be the way it is.
But then, the story is kind of predictable. Someone realized that the end of the world was near. Plans were made to ensure the continuity of the species. Disaster struck. Plan worked.

Someone at the cinema commented that they could have just bought a CD and watched it at home. I don't agree. Movies with special effects like this should be watched in a cinema. Only then it will be properly appreciated.

My next movie on my list-of-movies-I-want-to-watch is The Princess and The Frog. Waiting for it to be released. Hope the tickets won't be as hard to get as 2012 (I still don't get what the big fuss is about).

Before You Get Married

I received this via e mail the other day...I think it is a good one, which every guy should read..:)

Tomorrow you may get a working woman, but you should marry her with these facts as well.

Here is a girl, who is as much educated as you are;
Who is earning almost as much as you do;

One, who has dreams and aspirations just as
you have because she is as human as you are;

One, who has never entered the kitchen in her life just like you or your Sister haven't, as she was busy in studies and competing in a system that gives no special concession to girls for their culinary achievements

One, who has lived and loved her parents & brothers & sisters, almost as much as you do for 20-25 years of her life;

One, who has bravely agreed to leave behind all that, her home, people who love her, to adopt your home, your family, your ways and even your family name.

One, who is somehow expected to be a master-chef from day #1, while you sleep oblivious to her predicament in her new circumstances, environment and that kitchen

One, who is expected to make the tea, first thing in the morning and cook food at the end of the day, even if she is as tired as you are, maybe more and yet never ever expected to complain; to be a servant, a cook, a mother,
a wife, even if she doesn't want to; and is learning just like you are as to what you want from her; and is clumsy and sloppy at times and knows that you won't like it if she is too demanding, or if she learns faster than you.

One, who has her own set of friends, and that includes boys and even men at her workplace too, those, who she knows from school days and yet is willing to put all that on the back-burners to avoid your irrational jealousy, unnecessary competition and your inherent insecurities.

Yes, she can drink and dance just as well as you can, but won't, simply because you won't like it, even though you say otherwise.

One, who can be late from work once in a while when deadlines, just like yours, are to be met.

One, who is doing her level best and wants to make this most important relationship in her entire life a grand success, if you just help her some and trust her;

One, who just wants one thing from you, as you are the only one she knows in your entire house - your unstinted support, your sensitivities and most importantly - your understanding, or love, if you may call it.

But not many guys understand this......

Please appreciate "HER"

Handle With Care

For the past 2 days, something has been bugging me.
It made me lose few hours of my sleep last night.
I was wishing that time would move slower just so that I could have more time.

I was reading a book - Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult.
This is the 2nd book of hers that I'm reading, the first being My Sister's Keeper.

The story is about a girl who was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta - brittle bone disease. Basically, her bone can break anytime, anywhere. A small hit, a slight bump, a slip, even reaching out to something can cause a fracture.

She was diagnosed in-utero, and so her parents and the doctors were prepared for it when she was born. In fact, she already had fractures even when she was in her mother's womb.

She lived with her parents and elder sister.

A visit to Disneyland and a fracture somehow led them to a lawyer's office where the idea of sueing their obstetrician (and best friend) for wrongful birth was put into their head - basically they were going to sue the obstetrician because she did not give them the choice of terminating the pregnancy when they could.

Her parents and sister loved her very much. But they had financial problems and the Mom thought that if they were to sue and were to win, they would have enough money to let the child live a comfortable live, something they were not able to give right now. But it would mean that they will have to say that they wished their child would never have been born.

Mom wanted to sue, Dad didn't.
So Mom sued, and Dad supported the opposing side.
They even wanted to get a divorce.

In the midst of all this, her elder sister had her own problems. She wasn't jealous of the 'heroine', but she did feel left out, after all, she herself is a child. She had her own problems - she lost her best friend, she became bulimic, she started cutting herself.

How would all this end?
Read the book for yourself.
It is really, truly a good read.
Although I didn't particularly like the ending.
Like I said for My Sister's Keeper - too abrupt and end.
And after My Sister's Keeper, this one was a little predictable.

I would definitely try another one of her books just because the way it was written was so good! But I really hope the ending would be something different.

She's Married!

A good friend of mine got married last weekend.
She was my group-mate from Russia, and I had been planning to go for her wedding ever since I heard about it.

There are a few reasons I wanted to go for the wedding.
1. She is my friend, and she is getting married (duh!)
2. I had leave that I could spare.
3. I knew that if I went for the wedding, I would be meeting my other friends as well.

And I did all 3!

Not all of my friends were there, some were tagging and some couldn't take leave. But I had friends who came all the way from JB and Kedah for the wedding!

I think all of us had a good time just chatting and catching up. We were one of the few who sat at the table even after finishing eating.

I didn't realize up to then how comfortable I felt with these people, friends I 'acquired' in Russia.

They are people I had lived with for 6 years.
They have seen me in my pajamas (which is basically what I wear in my room whether sleeping or not).
They probably have seen me asleep.
They have seen me sick.
(Of course they have seen me awake and healthy as well)

We have gone for classes together.
Gone for picnics together.
Made fun of lecturers together.
Celebrated birthdays together.
Cooked and eaten together.
We have even ponteng classes together!

These were the people I saw everyday, day in, day out for 10 months in a year.
We may not have been the closest of friends, but we were more than just friends. Something more or less like family.

And now, we work in different hospitals in Malaysia.
It's been more than a year since I've seen them.
And yet, I still feel close to them.
Still feel that I can talk to them freely.
I don't know how to explain how I felt that day, how I feel today.
I miss them, that much I know.

My Arm Still Hurts....A Little

Not too long back, H1N1 was one of the many hot topics we had.
Nowadays, you rarely hear about H1N1.

However, I have heard of people talking about the 2nd wave of H1N1, more 'deadly' than the previous virus.
True or not, I have no idea.

But then, our hospitals now already have the H1N1 vaccine in stock.
And it is free for us, health personnels.

I will be finishing O&G soon.
I will be going to either medical, A&E or surgical.
I am hoping that I will go into medical.
If so, I would be meeting many patients who might be having the so called 2nd wave of H1N1.

Although I think H1N1 is over-rated, but there is no harm in getting a vaccine, right?
So, that is what I did.
I got myself the vaccine last Friday.

However, there is one vaccine that I have not decided whether or not to take.
The HPV vaccine.

HPV is basically a sexually transmitted infection, which in the female population can cause cervical cancer.
The vaccine is actually quite a recent discovery, but is said to be protective against the cancer.

Yes, I really think it is a good vaccine, as in, it is quite beneficial.
But it costs RM200 per dose, and one has to put 3 doses which comes to a total of RM600!!

RM600!
Which is why I am still thinking whether or not to get the vaccine for myself.
Do I really need it? :P

Sleeping Like A Pig!

I was done with my assessment last week.
I did my OT list last week.
I prepared for my presentation last week and presented it last Tuesday.
I had only 2 calls in the last week.
But it's been a week since my last post.

Why?

Because I was busy with my story book..
The Girl Next Door by Elizabeth Noble.

It is about the lives of the tenants of an apartment building in New York.

I like the book mainly for 2 reasons.

1. The story is about the lives of many different people, so there are many different stories, not just one character, one issue. It's like many small stories in one book.

2. The book is written in such a way, where you get to be in each of the characters head. In each chapter, there are many sub-chapters, where the story is told from different point of views. Since I always like snooping into other people's head, of course I would enjoy the book!

Nowadays, I am taking quite long to finish reading my books because I tend to sleep very early every day. I am no more willing to compromise on my sleep to read, unlike the times when I was still studying. I remember sitting up till 4am just to finish reading a story book, when I had to go to school the next day.
(This is where I am supposed to say "those were the days", but I won't, because I think that makes me sound old!)

Well, things change. Priorities change. Life goes on. Right?
Right.

I Do, I Do, I Do

I love reading.

Sometimes, I am in the mood for something funny and light. A book that I know will have a happy ending and will leave me in a good mood.
Sometimes, I prefer to read something more serious, more heartfelt.

When I want a feel-good book, I usually go for the 'little black dress' collection.
I don't even bother reading the summary at the back of the book most of the time.
If the cover looks nice, then I buy it, because I know that the story will be nice.

So, that is why I bought 'I Do, I Do, I Do'.
I started reading it a few days ago.

Starting to read a new book is always interesting.
You never know what to expect.
There are many ways a story can go.
You have to read at least a few chapters before you get the flow of the story and get engrossed in it.
Which is why you usually get addicted to books only after reading it for quite some time.

Halfway through this book, I decided that I didn't like it.
It had way too much description.
There was not much drama.
There was not much story.

I'll give you an example.
At one point, the heroine wanted to buy a bike.
She went to the person selling the bike.
The guy told her to go for a test ride.
She took the bike.
They described the whole route she took, the things she saw.
She reached another small town.
She felt thirsty.
She took the bike and rode to a shop.
She bought a drink.
She had the drink.
She rode all the way back to the owner.
She thanked the owner.
She walked back home.
(All these things were told in detail, constituting to almost a whole chapter!)

I could have summarized the whole thing in 2 sentence.
"She wanted to buy the bike and so she approached the owner. She took the bike for a test ride and after that, went back home."
Does this change anything in how you would understand the story? NO!!

Well, anyway, I've finished the book now and moved on to my next book.
Hope this one will be better (am reading something more serious this time around).

All In A Day's Work

2 things happened at work today which I would like to share here.

Story 1

There are some cases which are done in elective OTs. For these cases, dates are given in advance, so the patient can prepare and just get admitted 1 or 2 days before their op. They would usually see the anaesthetist prior to the op.

About 2 weeks ago, Dr. Z gave me the list for 16th of this month, and told me to call all the patients scheduled for op that day and pre-pone the cases to another date because Dr. A who is supposed to be doing the op won't be around.

There were 3 names on the list.
1 could not be contacted.
My friend,L, managed to contact one of the people on the list.
And I managed to contact one of the people on the list.
L documented in all the tickets regarding the change of dates.

The patient I contacted said that she was in another state and had some family matters and so would prefer to postpone the op.
I got her a new date and called her back and gave her the new date.

Today, I received a call from Dr. Z regarding the patient that I called.
The patient came for a routine check up at our clinic today and claimed that no one called her, and she did not know that the date has been changed.

So, I went down to the clinic myself.
She was talking in a loud voice, angrily, demanding to know who was it that said that she has been informed.
I told her that it was me.

She turned to me and said, "Excuse me, but not one called me..."
I didn't let her finish (sensing that she would probably never finish talking) and said "I called you, and you said you were in ...... because ........)

She stopped talking.
Dr. Z got a call asking him to go to the OT and he took the chance and escaped.
The lady started mumbling something about mixing up this and that and finally said that she thought it was the dental doctor calling her about her dental appointment.
(I remember clearly, telling her that I was calling her regarding her O&G surgery, but I just let it pass).

She was finally given a new date, but up to the end, she did not admit that she did a mistake and she did not apologize for raising her voice - she said that she had a miscommunication with me and that was it. At one point, she was basically trying to blame me, saying I did not clearly say that I called regarding her O&G surgery.

ARGH!!

Story 2

A lady was referred from the A&E.

Single, 19 year old.
Fainted somewhere.
BP in A&E was low.

Came to the ward, BP was normal.
But she seemed to be lethargic.
Able to answer questions though.

When her mother was not around, we asked about her sexual history, and she admitted to having sexual intercouse last month - never had sex prior to that.
Said her last period was last month.
That history, combined with the fact that her urine test was positive for pregnancy and that she has left sided abdominal pain, we thought of ectopic pregnancy, naturally.

Then, we saw the A&E notes, and they suspected an abruptio placenta, with a pregnancy of about 32 weeks.
We were shocked.
What?
We palpated the stomach - 2 of us did- nope, can't feel the uterus.

Specialist came for rounds at the same time - bring the scan machine, he said.
He scanned.
It was a pregnancy of about 34 weeks.

The MO laughed at us.
"How do you guys take history?"
"How do you guys examine the abdomen"

Embarassing.
Yet, funny.
Patient was eventually sent to the labour room.
(she still insisted that she had her menses last month)
Haih....

Thoughts To Ponder

1. If time doesn't wait for you, don't worry! Just remove the damn battery from the clock and Enjoy life!

2. Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is like expecting the lion not to attack you because you are a vegetarian. Think about it.

3. Beauty isn't measured by outer appearance and what clothes we wear, but what we are inside. So, try going out naked tomorrow and see the admiration!

4. Don't walk as if you rule the world, walk as if you don't care who rules the world! That's called Attitude! Keep on rocking!

5. Every lady hopes that her daughter will marry a better man than she did and is convinced that her son will never find a wife as good as his father did!

6. He was a good man. He never smoked, drank had no affair. When he died, the insurance company refused the claim. They said, he who never lived, cannot die!

8. So many options for suicide: Poison, sleeping pills, hanging, jumping from a building, lying on train tracks, but we choose Marriage, slow but sure!

9. Only 20 percent boys have brains, rests have girlfriends!

10. All desirable things in life are either illegal, banned, expensive or married to someone else!

11. Drinking is our biggest enemy- Jawaharlal Nehru
We should learn to love our enemies- Mahatma Gandhi
Now, whom to follow and which one to choose?

12. 10% of road accidents are due to drunken driving. Which means - it a logical statement that 90% of accidents are due to driving without drinking!!

What Would Your Choice Be?

Ever since I started O&G, one thing has been running through my mind - for Caesarean or for SVD (vaginal delivery).

No, it's not like I am planning to get pregnant anytime soon.
But then, seeing pregnant women everyday, I can't help but wonder what I would choose were I the one pregnant.

SVD is of course the better choice - it is the natural way, and it is how it is meant to be.
But then, it is also associated with a lot of pain - some say equivalent to 'shitting out a watermelon'.
Sometimes, I see ladies in so much pain, and I wonder if that is what I want.
Although, some of the staff nurses (who have given birth) said that the pain is all in the mind.

Of course, there is the choice of epidural.
Painless birth.
Labor can take the whole day long, and you won't feel a thing.

But then, if it is your first child, and you don't feel pain, you just don't know how to push and when to push.
Which is why quite a number of primigravidas (first time pregnant women) tend to go into poor progress. When a labor is in poor progress, there are 2 choices - for forceps/vacuum or to go for caesar.

Then let's talk about vacuum/forceps delivery - big episiotomy wound, possible 'marks' on the baby's face. If you fail vacuum/forceps, then you go for Caesar.

Oh, that reminds me - if you choose SVD, then you have to have an episiotomy done, especially if it is your 1st delivery. Extra pain.

Now, let's talk about Caesarean section.

You will be under spinal/general anaesthesia.
No pain during the op.
But then there will be pain after the op.

Recovery time is longer.
Possibility of operative complication - injury to bladder, ureters, colon.
Possibility of post-op complication - infection.
What if something goes wrong intra op?
There is also an increase of risk for placenta previa or placenta accreta/increta/percreta during your subsequent pregnancies.

But then, think about it - if you choose SVD, and then let's say you go into poor progress,or if there is fetal distress and eventually you have to go for C-section, then it is double the pain and suffering. Right?

My friend said that you should at least give SVD a try first.
If it really doesn't work out, then too bad.

Most of the MOs and specialist would say go for SVD.
But there are still some who say they would elect for Caesar.
You see how confusing life is?

So, which would you choose?

I Did It!

Yesterday I went for a party - the Perak MMA (Malaysian Medical Association) Night (I don't know what is the proper name for the event).

I didn't really know what to wear, but since it was a formal function, I decided to tie a saree.

Now, I call myself an Indian, but I have never ever tied a saree for myself before.
I know how to do it, as in I know you go this way and you do this, but have never tied it for myself, and have no confidence whatsoever in tying it for myself.

So, I asked my room-mate to help me with the trying.
She said OK, but she had a wedding to attend on the same day, in KL, in the afternoon.
Fine with me, the function doesn't start till 7pm anyway.

Yesterday, after work, I had an ultrasound scan teaching, and so I only came back at around 4pm. Since I had the time, I thought - why not just try to tie it myself. Then my room mate can concentrate on getting ready herself.

And so, I tried, and tried and tried.

At 5pm, I gave up and tried calling another friend of mine - she was asleep and did not pick up the phone. Then, I tried another friend, who was at the saloon and so couldnt' help me.

Choiceless (my room mate was delayed in KL) and frustrated, I removed the saree and decided to give it another go.

This time, I somewhat managed to get something that remotely resembles a saree.

I guess it was OK, since it did not fall off even when we were on the dance floor.

Not bad for a first timer..:P

The 'product' of my hard work

Quote of the day - maybe a man will only learn how to swim when he is drowning..

Problem Solver

I am pretty sure that sometime in your life, you would have heard/read this story, or a story similar to this.

A farmer and his son wanted to sell their donkey in the market.
So, they walked to the market, pulling the donkey along with them.

They passed by a field and met another farmer who called out to them, "What's wrong with the both of you? Why are you walking when you have a donkey that you can ride on?"

The farmer looked at his son and told him to ride on the donkey.
The son obliged.

A while later, they met a lady who was on the way back from the market herself.
"Shame on you, young man," she said. "How can you let your father walk all the way to the market while you are riding on the donkey? Get down this instance and let your father ride the donkey".

The son, red-faced, got down from the donkey and told his father to ride it instead.

Not too long later, they met a couple of farmers who were working on their fields.
"Look at that," one of the farmers said to the other. "The father is having a good time riding the donkey, while his son has to suffer the heat and walk."

The farmer and his son were dumbfounded.
Finally, they decided that they would both ride on the donkey.

The donkey, struggled to walk as the combined weight of the farmer and his son was just too much for him to bear. As it was trying it's best to put one step after another, another farmer walked pass.

"What are the both of you doing? Are you crazy? Can't you see that you are too heavy for the donkey? It is the both of you who should be carrying the donkey to the market, not the other way round."

The farmer and his son then got down of the donkey. After a while, they decided that the donkey is too tired to walk to the market and decided to carry the donkey themselves. They tied the donkey to a stick, upside down, and carried the stick over their shoulders.

The donkey, who had had about enough that day, did not like being upside down. It kicked, and brayed and struggled and managed to get itself free. It then ran away, as fast as it could.

The moral of the story : There is no way you can please everyone.

But then, the story does not really teach us to solve the problem, does it?
It gives so many variants of solutions, but none seems right.
In the end, the donkey escapes.

Problems, however, don't just disappear.
If you don't solve them, they just multiply.

So, what can you do?
Is it actually possible to solve a problem in a way that would make everyone satisfied/happy?

3 Not-So-Simple Tests

A Short Neurological Test


1- Find the C below.. Please do not use any cursor help.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

2- If you already found the C, now find the 6 below.

99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
69999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999

3 - Now find the N below. It's a little more difficult.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMNMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Supposedly, if you were able to do all 3 tasks, you are not on the verge of getting Alzheimer's. I don't know if it is true or not, but hey...wasn't it fun looking for the hidden word?

Of Statistics And Life

Let's start with 10000 pregnant woman.

10-25% of them will end up with a miscarriage (we'll take an average of 15%).
Which leaves 8500 viable pregnancies.
There is an average of 8 deaths per 1000 life births.
We now have 8432 babies who survived their 1st week of life.

1:800-1:1000 of these pregnant women will deliver to a baby with Down's syndome.
That leaves about 8424 babies.

About 1:2500 babies will be born with Turner's syndrome.
We are left with 8420.

1:700 will be born with cleft palate.
8408 left.

1:120 will be born with a heart disease.
There's 8338 healthy babies so far.

Spina bifida 1-2:1000.
8324.

1-2 out of 1000 are born autistic.
8312.

There is a long list of other congenital disorders - more than a hundred.
We'll give an average of 1:1000 of each of these disorders.
8212 healthy babies.

8212 healthy babies from 10000 pregnancies.
82 out of 100.
8 out of 10.
4 out of 5.

A father, a mother and their 3 children.
That is 5 people.
1 out of 5 babies are not born, or are born with some anomaly.

Aren't we lucky to not be that 1?

p/s - All the information here are those that I got off the net. I have no idea how trust-able it is.

What The Future Holdsr

I have to say - I am rather shocked.
Only 5 posts so far this month.
I didn't even realize how fast time flew by this month.

Maybe there was just too many things going on.
Or maybe it's because of the labor room - a place where time just doesn't seem to matter.

One thing I like about the labor room - they (the ladies) come, they deliver, they leave.
We don't have to see the same patients over and over again for a few days and wait for them to get better slowly.
In fact, most of them who come to us are not even sick, they are just delivering, which is a normal process of life!

I have decided that this is what I like - seeing patients for a short while, as in handling a particular patient for a particular moment and then moving on to the next patient.

I don't want to have to wait for a patient to get better over a long period of time.
I want to see, treat and tell the patient that they are well and they can now leave.

So, what field should I get into?

Medical is basically a chronic field- some even say people come there to die.

Kids are just too complicated.

Surgery - not interested.

Ortho is basically surgery - not interested.

O&G - kind of nice, but don't like the surgical part of it, so, once again - not interested.

A&E - never been there, have no idea what it is like. But then, yes, acute management. Either patients come there and die or they get stable enough to be transferred to other wards. But, is there a future in A&E? Why do people say that those who are in A&E are those who can't get into other departments?

Ophthal - can't even do a fundoscopy properly.

ENT - once again - surgery.

Derma - boring?

Anaest - seems interesting. But seems like it needs lots of knowledge - will I be able to know all? What if I can't get a line for a patient? Whom do I turn to?

Did I miss out any departments? I don't think so.

Hmm...I just don't know what I want.

Am I supposed to decide now? Some say that the faster you decide, then the faster you can start to study to become a specialist and so you won't have to be an MO for long (being an MO is NOT EASY!).

Maybe being a chronic MO (being an MO forever) is not too bad (as long as not in a GH).
Maybe be an MO in a KK or district hospital.

Do I even get a choice or will I just be posted out?
I wonder.

Why is life so hard?
So many decisions, so many uncertainties..

Sleep, Sleep

It's been 1 week since my last blog post.
I've been rather busy, actually - this time, for real.

I have had 2 calls this week.

I have had to go Deepavali shopping.

I went and bought a bus ticket for myself and ended up getting Rajiv to come pick me up in Ipoh.

I went and bought the famous Ipoh kacangs - ended up buying so much - which is why I decided not to take the bus.

I had to study for my assessment which was on Friday morning.
Thank God I passed!!
Thanks to YG, actually, who told me to study about ovarian cyst - if not I would have been dead!

Deepavali eve - Friday, I was postcall and had pm off.
We left Ipoh after lunch and reached Seremban at about 5.30pm.
Then, we went for a Deepavali eve party in Cheras.

After makan, I felt really sleepy and ended up sleeping upstairs, where all the kids were running around and screaming and playing.
My Aunty found it weird that I could actually sleep, but truth be told, I did not hear a single sound.
Even when KR called me up at 12am to wish me Happy Deepavali, I picked up the phone and spoke and don't remember a single thing about it.

Anyway, we left Cheras at about 1-2am and reached home about an hour later.

The next day, Mum cooked at home and I helped.
My Aunties and Uncles and cousins (2 families) came over for lunch.
After lunch, it was sleep time for almost everyone, except for some of us ladies who ended up chatting (read : gossiping).

Here are some shots of the sleeping arrangements - my Dad and his 2 brothers were sleeping upstairs in 3 different rooms.

Cute- right..Notice the feet sticking out from the back of the sofa and the other 'body' sleeping like a guard in front of the door

I think everyone just fell asleep at the spot where they were sitting

That night, there was a Deepavali party in another cousin brother's house in PJ, which we went to. We were back by about 1am today and then I slept, and slept till 10 this morning..a really good sleep!

See, I had perfectly good reason why I didn't blog for such a long time.

By the way, Happy Deepavali everyone!

Me And Cholesterol

Many of us don't really go around doing routine check ups.
We only go to the doctor when we are unwell and that too, usually after not getting better even after taking Panadol or whatever medicine that we have at home.

However, recently, I took some blood tests for myself.

From the blood tests, I found that:
1. I am not anemic.
2. I don't have diabetes.
3. I have high cholesterol level.

Actually, I kind of expected the high cholesterol level.
You should just see the kind of food I eat everyday.
Chicken and chicken and more chicken.

I love fried stuff, so there is no way I can have a normal cholesterol level, unless I actually starve myself or eat food that I don't like.

For me, eating should be enjoyed.
Which is why, if I don't like a certain food, I don't eat it at all!
Call me choosy, call me picky - whatever. I eat food that I like and that's that! You can't force me to eat something I don't want to.
Opps - I am rather deviating from the topic.

So, I have high cholesterol level.
My roommate, before realizing that the results was mine wanted to start me on Lovastatin.
I guess I have to do something to lower my cholesterol level.

Stop eating my favourite food?
:(

Exercise?
That is spending what little time that I have on something other than the internet and my story book.

I don't know.
Maybe I should just not care.
Hmm...

Or maybe I should eat more of the stuff suggested here.

I think I prefer the last idea.
:)

A Friend In Need..

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package.

'What food might this contain?'
The mouse wondered -he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.

Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning.

'There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!'

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, 'Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it.'

The mouse turned to the pig and told him, 'There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!'

The pig sympathized, but said, 'I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers.'

The mouse turned to the cow and said, 'There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!'

The cow said, 'Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose.'

So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap-- alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house --like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey.

The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught.
In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught.

The snake bit the farmer's wife.

The farmer rushed her to the hospital and she returned home with a fever. Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient.

But his wife's sickness continued,so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock.

To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.

The farmer's wife did not get well; she died.
So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.

The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.

So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn't concern you, remember -- when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.

We are all involved in this journey called life.
We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another.

THIS IS TO LET YOU ALL KNOW HOW IMPORTANT YOU ALL ARE.
REMEMBER: EACH OF US IS A VITAL THREAD IN ANOTHER PERSON'S TAPESTRY; OUR LIVES ARE WOVEN TOGETHER FOR A REASON.

One of the best things to hold onto in this world is a friend.

A Collapsed Building

One earthquake.
More than a thousand people dead.
About 3000 people missing.
Thousands of people lost their loved ones.
Thousands don't have a place to stay.

And it all happened in Indonesia - our neighbour.
So near, yet, thankfully, far enough for us not to feel the effect of the disaster.

If you are one of the ones who follow the news closely (or if you live in Ipoh), I am sure you would have heard of the building collapsing a few days ago in Ipoh.
It is literally next to the hospital, just walking distance away, but I only heard about it the next day.
And today, I passed by the place (on the way to buy food) and saw the building for myself.

For some reason, I felt sad, especially thinking about the 2 people who died in the collapse.
It was like a shot out of a movie, the building crumpled down like that.
Really a sad scene to see.

I can only imagine what it looks like in Indonesia right now.
If one collapsed building looks so sad, imagine a whole town of collapsed building, no electricity, no clean water, no food, no shelter and dead/injured people everywhere.
All we do is read about the news, feel sorry for the people who are there.

But imagine if you are there.
Imagine being one of those who lost everything in the quake.
I tried, but I can't. Or maybe I just don't want to.
Why would I want to make myself feel sad, right?

It is really quite devastating, the fact that so many people died.
I often wonder..what do people think the few minutes or seconds before they die.
In this case, who knows how many people were trapped for how long before they died.
What was running through their mind?
Did they know they were going to die?

Those people who died - who knows what plans they had.
It is actually worse for the people who survived - to have to live through the loss of a loved one, loss of all their belongings, having to start life all over again.

And to think, this all happened just about a thousand kilometres (maybe more, maybe less) away from us.

Shut Out From The World

Finally.
After almost 2 months, now I am at the O&G headquaters - the labor room.

But life in the labor room is isolated.
You are practically there the whole day long.
You don't go out for lunch.
You don't go out to get a drink.
You just sit/walk in there as the day passes by.

It is quite a happening place.
You never know when an emergency will surface.
Sometimes, when you have to be fast, you have to be fast.
Patients get pushed in for caesarean in 5 minutes.
By then, you have to prepare everything - consent, booking slip, make sure bloods taken, make sure blood is available at the blood bank, set line, inform anaest, inform paeds.
You just have to, somehow.

Since life is just labor room and nothing else, I can't think of anything to say.

But I've been getting some rather interesting e mails recently, 2 of which I would like to share..

_________________________________________________________________

The Bathtub Test

During a visit to the mental hospital, I asked the Director 'How do you determine whether or not a patient should be admitted to the hospital.'

'Well,' said the Director, 'We fill up a bathtub, and then we give a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the patient and ask him to empty the bathtub.'

'Oh, I understand,' I said. 'A normal person would use the bucket because it's bigger than the spoon or the teacup.'
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

'No.' Said the Director, 'A normal person would pull the drain plug.

Well... Would you prefer a bed near the window?'

______________________________________________________________

Dan was a single guy living at home with his father and working in the family business.
When he found out he was going to inherit a fortune when his sickly father died, he decided he needed a wife with whom to share his fortune.

One evening at an investment meeting he spotted the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Her natural beauty took his breath away. "I may look like just an ordinary man," he said to her, but in just a few years, my father will die, and I'll inherit $200 million."

Impressed, the woman obtained his business card and three days later, she became his stepmother.

Women are so much better at financial planning than men!

Do We Need An F1 Team?

It wasn't until a couple of days ago that I heard that Malaysia is going to have it's own F1 team.

My first response...WHAT??!!
How I feel now...WHAT THE HELL ARE WE THINKING?!

1. What do we get by sponsoring an F1 team?
There is almost zero chance that we are going to win - unless of course if all the other cars crash or have some technical problems.

2. Look at the name we chose - 1Malaysia...
I know that it is supposed to show our togetherness and bla, bla, bla...but isn't it just a bit too much?
Imagine the commentator saying this -
'The 1Malaysia has crashed'.
'1Malaysia failed to finish yet again'.
Of course, it would be wonderful to hear 'As expected, 1Malaysia has won the race yet again!', but how often do you think we would get to hear that?

Another thing that caught me by shock - our driver.
Alex Yoong.
It's not that he is horrible, but I am not saying he is great.
In fact, I am not going to say anything at all.
I am sure everyone knows him..

Here is what Wikipedia has to say...
"Backed by the Malaysian lottery company Magnum he was given the chance to drive three Formula One races in 2001 for the Minardi team, debuting at the Italian GP. He thus became the first Malaysian F1 driver. The deal was extended for the whole 2002 season, however after a good result of seventh in the Australian Grand Prix he struggled to be competitive. After failing to be remotely close to the 107% rule for many races, he was replaced by Anthony Davidson for two mid-season races. Although his form did improve afterwards, his Formula One career ended at the close of season. He competed in 18 Grands Prix with a best result of 7th in the 2002 Australian Grand Prix."


I really don't understand why we are getting into this F1 business.
Do we really have THAT much money?
Do we have nothing else to spend that money on?
Is there a purpose behind this plan?
I'm sure there is - we wouldn't do something just for the fun of it, right?
I just wish I knew why.

And I want to know why I am not getting my bonus this year - is it really because we have already spent a lot of money battling the H1N1?

What Being A Houseman Is About

There are many different jobs in the hospital. Each job comes with certain duties.

Here is a list of what a houseman is supposed to do:
1. Clerk new cases
2. Inform the MOs about the new cases.
3. Do morning rounds. Sometimes have to do afternoon rounds as well.
4. Do rounds with the MO.
5. Do rounds with the specialist.
6. Do rounds with the consultant (if he/she comes for rounds).
7. Trace results.
8. Take blood.
9. Review all the investigation results and if abnormal, inform the MO or try to correct it.
10. Fill up xray/ultrasound/CT scan/MRI forms and other investigation forms.
11. Get ultrasound/CT scan/MRI appointments.
12. Go for xray/ CT scan/ MRI reporting.
13. Set line.
14. In O&G - interpret CTG.
15. In Ortho - put on backslab or POP.
16. Attend to patients who suddenly feel unwell/collapse.
17. Assist in OT.
18. Write OT notes.
19. Fill up COTDS form and also key in COTDS in the computer.
20. Get consent.
21. Check blood before transfusion.
22. Try your best so that patients don't collapse.
23. Collect blood from the blood bank (if need it urgently, or if need special orders like DIVC regime).
24. Send the blood to the lab if you want to get the results fast since most PPKs can be quite useless.
25. Do discharges.
26. Do OT list.
27. In medical and surgical - have to do other procedures like setting CVL, do PD, etc.
28. Refer cases to other departments if necessary.

This are the things I can think of for now.
Imagine doing this day in, day out, and getting scolding for not managing to do everything.
What's not to love, huh!

A Raya With A Difference

This year Raya is my first one as a working person.

For obvious reasons, the non-Malays did not take leave for Raya. It's not that we were told that we cannot take leave, it's just an understanding, and so we didn't.

I was oncall on Raya day.

It was quite a good call since I was doing maternity call.
You see, people generally want to celebrate raya with their family, so psychologically, they want to be healthy, and so this helps in keeping them healthy.
Psychology really does play a part in keeping people well.

I didn't have any admissions (cos all admissions went to the labor room) and all the patients were stable.
The best part, I went to 3 different open-houses.
1 in First Mat, 1 in High Risk Ward and 1 in 2/3 Mat.
Each had their own kuihs and lemang and rendang.
I really had a nice time since I am a HUGE fan of rendang.

We had lemang and kuih for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
It was my first call that I did not feel hungry at all, since there was a constant supply of foodstuff.
I even had lemang and rendang for breakfast the next day!

Now that Raya is over, you can see the sudden influx of people.
Everyone seems to want to deliver, everyone seems to have some problem or the other.
A full labor room is not a good thing, especially since I am oncall there tomorrow.

Well, there is nothing left to say for now. I just hope I have a good call tomorrow.

Here's a mail that I received yesterday - I have received it before, but this is the first time that I am reading it and can actually connect it to my life.

When I Take a long time to finish,

I am slow,

When my boss takes a long time,

he is thorough

When I don't do it,

I am lazy,

When my boss does not do it,

he is busy,

When I do something without being told,

I am trying to be smart,

When my boss does the same,

he takes the initiative,

When I please my boss,

I am apple polishing,

When my boss pleases his boss,

he is cooperating,

When I make a mistake,

you're an idiot.

When my boss makes a mistake,

he's only human.

When I am out of the office,

I am wandering around.

When my boss is out of the office,

he's on business.

When I am on a day off sick,

I am always sick.

When my boss is a day off sick,

He must be very ill.

When I apply for leave,

I must be going for an interview

When my boss applies for leave,

it's because he's over worked

When I do good,

my boss never remembers,

When I do wrong,

he never forgets.