Thursday, April 26, 2012

I can SHOCK u now:)

After a month of preparations...*kononnya, supposed to read the manual from front to back to front! because we have 120 TRUE and FALSE questions to answer*

2 FULL DAYS of intensive course on Advanced Life Support.
Lectures + Multiple practical sessions of 'SHOCK you and SHOCK you and...'
Varies ECGs to interpret. Tachy? Brady? Cardioversion? Pacing? Drugs! Chest compressions! Secure airways!! INTUBATE laaaa.....
Worked HARD dong dong...Adrenaline rush like mad for the last two days.
To think that the whole course cost 375 pound, u just don't want to waste it just like that, right!

GOOD NEWS:
I am finally FULLY Qualified to deliver a shock!
* whether it is a good thing or not? Hah...i tak tahu*
I guess when the cardiac arrest crash call bleep goes off, I will still have the palpitations :S


But at least this course has trained me to be more competent!
To take full control of a cardiac arrest event..
To know when to shock and not to shock.
To perform GOOD QUALITY chest compressions
TO SAVE LIVES..the main aim!:)

I PASSED my ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT!
Woohoo....
Thank GOD!





wasSup Doc: Sing above the storms of life, sing through the darkest night.
Jesus saves


Friday, April 20, 2012

Missing home..

My sister sent me this picture yesterday.
*heart melts 999*

It was taken when I was back home for my brother's wedding last November.
I miss home.
Miss having endless talk with my sister.
Eating out with family.
Cuddling in my mum's arm
Clinging on my dad's warm hand and walk around the mall.
 Just having them around make me happy.

But am now thousand miles away.
Persevering to be a competant doctor.
Called to make a difference, to be the light and salt of this world.

wasSup Doc: God..Let YOUR will be done, i pray.
 

Monday, April 09, 2012

The Difference

So am into my 3rd day of Surgery posting. Everytime I tell my fellow colleague that am doing Breast surgery, their reply would be ' ah, that's the CHILLEST job ever. U will always sit in the doctors' mess and wait for the time to go home. Nothing much to do at all'. Yea right, all were LIES!

I started my first day, having my consultant being on call, we had to do the post take ward round of 30 patients around hospital! And yes, all other jobs will add on to our list... do the bloods, request for CT scan, Ultrasound scan, speak to the radiologist, break the bad news to the family..etc..and my partner and I had been going back home at 630pm since day 1 because the endless jobs!

One thing I realised in surgery...the patient and doctors' relationship aren't that GREAT.
Most patients are discharged 2 days after surgery. U dun even have time to talk to them, and off they go from the ward! *some even self-discharge theselves before the consultant says OKAY*!

Last Friday when I was on call on a busy bank holiday, my consultant's gentle words made my day though:]
MR P was donig his post take ward round of maybe 20+ patients with me.
There were already a few emergency patients awaiting him for surgery, but he was kind enough to see these new admissions with me till quite late- about 3pm! *bear in mind, surgeons usually do ward rounds of only 2 hours MAX and they'll vanish into the theatre straight after*
Nvm, as we were walking to another ward..this was our conversation
Mr P: Angelene, who do you work for?
Me: Mr Prasad, the breast surgery team.
Mr P: Oh, he is so lucky.
Me: Why you say so??
Mr P: Because you are very energetic, and that's good. He's lucky to have you in his team!
Me:.......*smiling inside myself*

The hyper-ness in me was noticed! :) *Haha, all I cud whisper to myself was.. Jesus living me!* :D
It was still a busy havoc on call day, but that comment just made my day feel much better.


That aside,
I start to miss my elderly care ward. Maybe I have this soft spots for the old men in my previous ward. I lurve to stop by their beds and see how they are doing. You might think I'm too free and got nothing better to do, u're WRONG, just because this makes me happy.

I like to make them a cuppa of coffee and tea, to sit by their side and chat with them about their favourite food/family. * i had one patient who loves Fish&Chips!*

I like to ask them to promise me that they will eat and drink so that they can feel better.
- An old patient of mine, came in with general deterioration, reduced appetite to eat and drink, later developed a heart attack. Went into CCU and came to my ward later for rehab. I insisted him to promise me that he will eat more. I reached out to his little finger and entwined with mine, making a pinky promise! Since then, everytime he sees me in the hosp, he would show me his little finger. Lol...then he was discharged. 10 days later, I saw him in another ward when I was on call, he was re-admitted for being breathless. To my surprise, he could recognise me and showed me his little finger and gave me the most enlightening smile! *my heart just melts*

I miss having these old men whose little acts can make me smile, and make me feel so satisfied at work!

Ah, i shud not complain further.. Surgery, oh bring it on! :)

BTW, I celebrated my 25th birthday just recently.The church friends threw me a surprise partah without me knowing it! :D
Mint Lii baked this Strawberry cheese cake for me! *pretty & NYUMS*
Happy Bday, Angie!


WatsSup Doc: A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun.
Yes, I will enjoy the trip!



Wednesday, April 04, 2012

Bye bye Medicine! Hello Surgery! :)

It has been a good 4 months of MIA.... thanks to MEDICINE job.
After paeds, I was posted to Elderly Care Medicine. A posting I much looked forward to when I first started, but now, am relieved it's OVER.

MEDICINE job, is the MOST challenging job EVER. It is so demanding and stressful. The patient will go OFF anytime. And U, being the medical team, just have to be PREPARED. I had my worst medical ward on call. That was the time, u feel like throwing your bleep into the toilet bowl and flush it away. Just within 15 mins, it can go off like...?4-5 times..How dreadful it was!

Tears + Blood + Sweat = HARD. But thank God, for His strength, that I managed to pull through and passed this posting allright. To be honest, this posting is where I learned most as a doctor. The different presentations of sick patients triggered my brain cells to think and re-evaluate if my management plan was appropriate! *i have one SHO who is very capable, i felt so stupid in front of her everytime i make silly mistakes* But just working along with her inspired me to want to be better each day!

Allright, let's talk about the ward I worked in...LOWTON WARD. A place famous for their rude nurses! And yes, I as stucked there for 4 months. The first impression people gives to this ward - TERRIBLE HORRIBLE DEPRESSING ward! Yes, it was tough for me personally because I have to face them EVERYDAY! But, after these 4 months of TLC towards them, they are VERY LOVING people afterall:) :) :)
My little private desk that I worked on everyday!

Lisa.. She is an auxillary nurse whom looked after me MOST. She called me 'Angelina Ballerina' or sometimes, the ASIAN DOLL! Lol..but she is very very sensitive. I remembered vividly there was once when I was scolded by a patient's family for not arranging a scan on time. She came up to me and gave me a BIG HUG and kissed my forehead, telling me that ' DO NOT LET anybody talk to you like that next time k!' Her cheerful presence made Lowton ward so lifely!Sister Barb + Lisa! :D

Sister Barb..she never smile when I first saw her 4 months ago. She has this very stern and strict look! Days, months passed and to my surprise, her lovely smile one day led me to squeeze her arm! and hahaha...since then she treated me QUITE NICE:) *there was once she pulled me aside and asked me not to go too close to this old gentleman because he sezually assaulted a nurse in the ward! Her gentle advise of 'I just want you to be careful' melted my heart:D

Helen..this beloved, my favourite nurse of all is the STAR! She is like a doctor dy. Sometimes, when I am stucked and literally dunno wat to do for the patient, she will advise me and calm me down, guided me and explained what is best for the patient, because she is already so experienced! She is the most efficient nurse as well, her neat-ness in reminding us, doctors to prescribe medications and fluids on her little post-it colourful pads just make me job in Lowton so much easier:D She gave me a tourniquet today as a farewell gift. To you whom dunno what tourniquet is, it is a rubber band thingy that we used when we take bloods and it is PRECIOUS in the hospital! Lol...The other thing that is precios in Hospital is..BLACK PEN because NHS is not cutting budget on stationary and so NO FREE PEN anymore, but we have to write write and write ALL THE TIME!Danieele, Sue, Karen, Brenda

Karen and Sue...the MOST gentle people in Lowton. They will greet me ' Good morning' everytime I walk into the ward. What a nice feeling, right :) My day surely starts off cheerful with such lovely greetings :)

Brenda..She is a coffee/tea lady. Met her in the restroom one day. I introduced myself to her and vice versa. I told her I'm from Malaysia and we started chitchatting. Then I overheard her conversation with another friend that her son is going to see a dentist soon. And I desperately wanted to see a dentist for a check up. So I asked her for advice as in where can I find one emergency dentist? Hah, she didn't really know, but she went ALL OUT to search for me. She called up the different departments and after 3 days, she literally came back with a list of contact numbers that I can call for appointment! I'm truly touched by what she did. Since then, her kindness of offering me coffee/tea when she pushed the trolley around the ward just made me feel so loved!

The list goes on and on...a lot of the nurses' minute action/words literally has made LOWTON WARD a better place to be. One of them will always offer me orang juice knowing that I dun like to drink hot drink in the congested ward. And when I'm on call, another lovely nurse will wrap up some patient's sandwiches for me, so that I can eat on a GO. Another younger nurse will put on a sunshine smile when she sees me walking into the ward....

Yes, no doubt, there were times that I was annoyed and frustrated with them being very demanding, but the majority of the period when I was there, I truly enjoyed it. It felt like my hiding place from the hustle and bustle hospital life out there.

I am sure all of us are special in our ways and as long as we put some effort to know them, they are actually very nice people to hang out with! I LOVE THEM TO BITS!
I will surely miss these people shouting 'ANGELINA BALLERINA' in the ward.
and so, since I love them so much, teehee..bought some snacks for them as a token of appreciation for all the love and care they showered upon me.
Why Food? Because they constsantly need to boost their energy at work:]


Allrighty,
FAREWELL to Medicine.
Hello Surgery!
Am going breast surgery, next!
Woohooo.



waSsUp Doc: Second posting OVER. MOVING on 3rd posting loo.
By God's grace, am STILL alive!