Vampy's Weblog - Life of a Medical Officer

Hi! Seasons greetings... I went to watch a Chirstmas carol concert yesterday at the Sydney Opera House... It was a exhilarating concert performance... It was fun-filled, nicely cheorographed and full of laughter. The contest did a few classic carols like "Slient Night", "O, Holy night!" "God, Rest Ye Gentlemen" to name a few and some aussie carols. I especially like the way they intoduce the song "The Twelve Days of Chirstmas". They did it by getting someone to read a letter supposedly sent by the true love of that person and as the lover went on, it's obvious she got more and more pissed... cos' of all the fowls, and milk-ladies and bag-pipers in her house that were sent by her lover... It was hilarous!!!

On my way home, I saw a public bus-driver all decked out in Santa suit ferrying passengers home! I must say I don't see that back home... But I guess it does help that the bus is air-conditioned... or I wouldn't be very happy wearing that suit...

Urghhh! I have Gastroenteritis! Not feeling too good now... My stomach feels like someone is wrining on it... and my ummm rectum is sore... Went to see a doctor... the upside is that I have already made to see the doctor prior to me getting GE so at least I had a doctor's appointment and I finally got my last Hep A shot done... Need to take it easy for the next week or so... Hopefully, I'll be well before my parents are here...

HI, all! Wondering what I've been up to? Well, I have just finish my first week at emergency departement. How's things? You know how in ER where you see patients with bleeding head and limbs, gunshot wounds come in with blood trailing behind them and alarms going off every minute? Well, doesn't happen in realife... The most exciting thing that happen to me on my first day is seeing a patient with a huge hernia and that wasn't even the reason why she came into ED...

The other "exciting" thing that happen to me during this week was to see a patient who came in through "Bat" call - it's their way of saying it's a urgent case, possibly life-threatening (you know Batman and his Bat signal ). Anyway, the patient came in with status epileptic. On the same day, I saw another patient who came in after falling off a ladder and broke his kneecap. I was acting as a translator while the ED doctors were accessing his conditions. And I got to perform my first real-life venupuncture on a real patient!!! Yes, I know... it's no big deal... but guess what I take what comes my way... So till next time...

Whohoo! I admitted my first patient into hospital today! Yup... I got the chance to admit a patient into hospital today!!! By that I mean that I got to do the history taking as well as a full physical exam and I got to write all my findings into the patient's chart! Okay, I admit that when I was first asked to do it, I was scared. Hell! I'm a first year med student who knows nuts and I'm asked to admit a patient into hospital?

But I must admit that while I was doing it, it actually felt great! For the first time, I felt that I was being useful instead of being an "ornament" in the wards. But I was nervous as hell. I'm sure I did things which none of my consultants or registrar would do but I learnt a lot today through this exercise and it further strengthen my convictions that this is what I really want to do.

Bet ya think I'm going to talk about medical stuff that happen to me... Wrong! Actually the title of this post is the title of this book I just bought today. It is a story of a doctor's diary which he kept during the Second World War. I have not finish reading it yet but so far I really enjoyed it. It tells of the heart wrenching decisions and experiences of the doctor and his mates. I don't think the aim of the book is to vilify anyone but it's told in a matter-of-fact way that in war, the true nature of human's ugliness comes out most plainly.