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..

Wonderful Medical Advice

Q: Doctor, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer ; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good!

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!! ...... Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans ! Another vegetable!!! It's the best feel-good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.

And remember:
'Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO HOO, What a Ride'

AND.....

For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

3. The Chinese drink very little red wine
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION

Eat and drink what you like.
Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

Ever wondered why OT gowns and towels are green? Well, as my lesson of the day, I looked it up on Wiki(pedia). This is what Wiki said :
Originally, operating room attire was white to emphasize cleanliness. However, the combination of bright operating lights and an all-white environment led to eyestrain for the surgeon and staff. By the 1950s and 1960s, most hospitals had abandoned white operating room apparel in favor of various shades of green, which provided a high-contrast environment, reduced eye fatigue, and made bright red blood splashes less conspicuous.

A Doctor That Cared Enough

Most surgeons don't really care about the patients - they care about the disease. At least this is what I see.

Orthopedic surgeons care mostly only about the orthopedic problems their patients have. They don't really focus or even notice the other medical conditions the patient might have. But not all of them are like this.

There is at least one specialist in Ipoh Hospital who really cares about his patients, sometimes he cares to much. But last weekend, his care paid off.

There was a young boy who was admitted to us after he developed weakness over his lower limbs after a fall. The thing is, it did not occur immediately after the fall. He fell, then got up and went back home, and after a while noticed that his legs were weak. If progressively got worse (in a couple of days) and he was then referred to us.

This specialist, Mr. L was oncall last weekend.
He saw the patient on Saturday and immediately decided that he wants an urgent MRI.
What usually happens is, the specialist tells us HOs to get an urgent MRI and then walk off.

Not Mr. L. He called the radiologist oncall, explained to him why he needs an urgent MRI and got the appointment. Thankfully, the radiologist agreed to do the urgent MRI and the scan was ready by that night. By that time, Medical had already reviewed the patient and said that most probably the patients problem was related to his fall, not a medical condition.

The MRI report said there was a hematoma (blood clot). Mr. L looked at the films. And he looked, and looked. A few of us HOs were following his rounds and got quite bored looking at the films. Me, I can't understand an MRI film, or a CT film, and sometimes even an X-ray film. MRI - all I see is bones and large organs. I don't know which is a hematoma. I can't differentiate a cyst from a tumor from an inflammation from an artifact. I depend solely on the report.

But Mr. L, after staring at the films for quite some time, called up the Ortho consultant, our very own Dr. House. After discussing with Dr. House, Mr. L decided that it was a tumor and referred the patient to Neurosurgical.

The next day, a laminectomy was performed, and it was confirmed that it was indeed a tumor. The patient is no longer an Orthopedic patient, he is a Neurosurgical patient.

A different scenario would have taken place had Mr. L not taken the effort.
Mr. L could have just waited until today, when the specialist in charge of the ward would have done rounds and then asked for an urgent MRI. We might have, or might not have gotten the MRI done today. By the time we refer to Neuro, it would have been tomorrow. If the boys condition could deteriorate so much in a week, don't you think a couple of days is important?

Today, I learnt that caring makes that much of difference, at least to the patient.
Thank you Mr. L for teaching me this lesson.
Mr. L also said this (something like this) - sometimes things are just a coincidence. Medical said that the boy has an Ortho-related condition just because the symptoms appeared immediately preceding his fall. However, it has been proven to be otherwise. His fall has no relation whatsoever to his current problem. Don't dismiss things so easily. Think out of the box (easy to say, not easy to do). :)