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The · Art · and · Science · of
medisina at iba pang mga raket
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About 5 hours before welcoming in the new year, I found myself in the ER with excruciating abdominal pain. No midnight snack for me, just lots and lots of pain medication and an order NOT to eat or drink anything until the doctors knew what to do with me (meaning the STAT ultrasound of the Liver, Gallbladder, Common Bile Duct (CBD) and Pancreas that was supposed to happen early the next day). Having a good view of all the paputok from Ortigas, The Fort, Metrowalk, Eastwood, etc etc etc didn't really hold much excitement for me as much as seeing my nurse with my next IV dose of Buscopan. The next day, I was wheeled into Radiology for my "STAT" ultrasound and thereafter scheduled for my cholecystectomy, which was thankfully laparoscopic (meaning susunkitin nila yung gallbladder ko like some ripe mango off a tree). That was the first time I've had general anesthesia (no fun because you're dead and they revive you post-op, instead of all the weird dreams being sedated and on spinal anesthetics give you), the first time I've had an operation that was laparoscopic (now if someone could invent a laparoscopic c-section...) and the first time I ever welcomed the new year in a hospital either as a patient or part of the staff. It was also the first New Year for my little one, but she spent it at home and Mama and Dada spent it at the hospital. So many firsts, none of them were fun... not even remotely. No "isipin mo na lang..." quips because there aren't any you could make without getting smacked in the kisser with the nearest aerodynamic object. Everything being said and done (plus allergies, diphenhydramine and solu-cortef), it's just another year... bah humbug. |
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It pains me. It really pains me to see so many children in Mindanao displaced by a useless and stupid (I am talking both from a professional and a personal point of view) war. If it were just uniformed personnel and rebels taking potshots at each other, I wouldn't have been so adamant about it - they've been at it for decades. All I would probably have said was "That again? Old news." But children and old people? Sheesh, might as well go back to the time dinosaurs ruled the earth. This long and drawn out issue dmittedly wasn't started by someone whose identity we will hide behind the monicker "Nunal", this issue started even way before the invention of the .45 caliber pistol by the Americans (more on that in another blog... remind me). This all started when our Muslim brothers (and sisters) domains in Mindanao were annexed as part of the new "Philippines", allegedly by the US (again, blame the US for all our problems!). They say that's what started this whole thing. That the Muslims really didn't want to be part of this country since they had their own identity as part of the Sultanate of Sulu's territory. They say that Nunal just poured bio-ethanol over the embers.
The bio-ethanol Nunal poured, they say, was allegedly an attempt at peace (or a giveaway to shut these rebels up once and for all, you decide). A lot of people protested vehemently over the memorandum of agreement that was being proposed saying it would divide Mindanao, that it was unfair, that it was practically giving away parts of the country. Some commentator on one news channel I watched (I seem to be watching a lot of news now, for an Apathetic Atenean) mentioned that the MOA in question had a lot of "if's". IF the rebels agree to this MOA... IF the local plebiscite goes well... IF the appropriate laws are passed... IF there is a charter change... IF the national plebiscite goes by way of approving the constitutional modification... I wouldn't sign that MOA even if they promised me Mindanao and all of the Spratley Islands. There seem to be a whole lot of IFs involved here, and with those many IFs, I think I'd be better off playing Lotto or gambling my life savings in Las Vegas!
They say that the rebels are up in arms because the MOA wasn't signed. If I were a rebel, I would be up in arms if it were signed! It is plain and simple deception, much (or even more) as Nunal has been deceiving the rest of the Pinoys for the past 8 (going on 10) years! The tactic I see here is that Nunal throws the rebels a dud of a MOA, rebels go all jihad on people's asses (Nunal didn't really put in the CIVILIANS into the equation), she declares a "state of calamity" and after some time announces that "there is no way to supress the insurgency in Mindanao except to declare Martial Law (or some form of it)". It would still work, except that the media is broadcasting pictures of orphaned little babies and widowed women with anywhere from 4 to 12 young 'uns to raise. All Nunal has going for her is the standing orders to suppress any and all demonstrations (even peaceful ones) that challenge how she governs this land. (That's democracy in action for you).
The dude who was sitting in Nunal's chair before her (the one we'll call Action Star, for lack of a better term) had it right: negotiate from a position of strength. Then again what can you expect? Action Star is still the product of the Ateneo! Let me remind the non-Ateneans out there who are GREEN with envy to re-read the heading of this particular blog entry... NOTES FROM AN APATHETIC ATENEAN DOCTOR. I am allowed my biases as it is still a free country. I digress. Action Star had it right - negotiate from a position of strength, not go begging. That behavior is much akin to begging a thief who sneaks into your house to take your dining room furniture. Whoever suggested the MOA in the first place should be dragged out into the EDSA Shrine and shot via firing squad with full media coverage. All the headlines and the news broadcasts should read: STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES. Unfortunately, there is nothing much Action Star, or the rest of us for that matter, can do about Mindanao right now except pray that the people involved gain some IQ points (enough to reach 90, minimum for Average IQ) and find a way to fix the problem.
The only solution I see right now is to consult, not with advisers and opposition, duh, but with the Sultanate of Sulu. The Sultanate has been unusually quiet about the issues raised, especially since the crux of the matter is "ancestral domain" to which they have the rights to, if anyone has. Whatever the Sultanate and the government decide on as a course of action should be announced and abided by all parties involved. Anyone who goes against that will be dragged out to the EDSA Shrine and shot... after being tied upside down... by his toes. This time, the heading will be: THIS ONE (or THESE ONES in case of plurality) WAS EVEN STUPIDER THAN THE LAST ONE.
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What do you do when a so-called friend invites you and another friend to meet up at a mall and doesn't show up? Say you're 6 weeks pregnant and the doctor has told you to stay in bed. Yet you still get up, go out and make yourself meet your friends since you haven't seen them in a while. Say this so-called friend of yours suddenly tells you that she'll meet up with you in a while since they have to fix their plane tickets for their vacation somewhere but when you go to the airline's place in the mall, she's not there? So you go home bleeding more and all you did was talk to your other friend for about 4 hours. The friend you're with sees how difficult it is for you and says, "We should have just gone to your place and hung out there". So now airline girl texts you with some seemingly "sob" story about how difficult it was for them to get new tickets, blah blah blah. So you tell them that you went to the mall to meet her despite doctor's orders, and all she could say was how horrible their wait was in the airline place. Airline girl then proceeds to ask you about her son's party in 2 weeks. You reply that you don't know if you can make it since you don't know what your condition will be then and if the doctor will even allow you out of bed. In the next two weeks, your grandmother dies in another country and your mom leaves for that country to arrange the funeral leaving you and your two siblings in charge of things here. Your bleeding's stopped and you can finally go out once in a while. 1 week before the party and all your common friends are so excited about catching up with you there. Then you find out that you have been uninvited! Airline girl's text goes: I didn't include you in the list because you were spotting 2 weeks ago and you said you probably can't make it." (Put the blame on me will you?) Then airline girl adds, "It's mostly (husband's) friends and co-workers who are invited, but don't worry if someone backs out, I'll let you know." 2 days before said party and airline girl texts you: "Hey! So and so backed out. You can come to my party now." I've had enough of this egotistical selfish bitch. She is no real friend of mine. The friend who met with me at the mall is not going to the party either. Not that he got uninvited too, but more out of protest. "What's stopping her from doing that to me?" he asks. I answered that "As long as you give her kid Baby Gap, you'll still get invited to her lousy shindigs." I think I'm cutting ties permanently. |
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1. There is no such management for UTI as Inoflox 800mg BID x14days.
2. Cephalexin 500mg TID x7days is NOT the management for an abscess, especially on a diabetic foot.
3. Huwag mag-consultant's coat kung walang K. (feeling ha!)
4. Don't forget to manage the patient's concurrent diabetes kung may sugat sa paa. We've seen too many patients DIE of gangrene secondary to DM foot in the wards.
5. Nasa nagdadala yan, wala sa eskwelahan.
6. PNPGH is the best internship training ground. Di pa toxic.
7. Respectfully endorsing... huwag kalimutang gawin lagi.
8. Dapat mukhang alam mo ginagawa mo lagi, kahit minsan nagpapanic ka na sa totoo lang.
9. Don't panic.
10. Single gunshot wound? Wala pa yan. And the greatest lesson we've learnt so far?
Wag maging kups para hindi sila maging kups sayo. Tandaan, walang me gusto ng kups. Kadiri ang kups. Kadalasan mga supot ang may kups, kaya wag na wag maging kups. |
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<table width=350 align=center border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2><tr><td bgcolor="#EEEEEE" align=center><font face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif" style='color:black; font-size: 14pt;'><b>You Are a Red Wine Woman</b></font></td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><center><img src=" http://images.blogthings.com/whatkindofdrinkingwomanareyouquiz/red-wine.jpg" height="100" width="100"></center><font color="#000000"> You're not a big drinker, and when you do drink, you go for the best. You probably know a good deal about wines, and you know how to order a great bottle. When you drink too much, you tend to flirt - but only in a subtle, understated way. You prefer to date a man who's worldly and wise. He's got to be as sophisticated as you are.</font></td></tr></table><div align="center"><a href="http://www.blogthings.com/whatkind ofdrinkingwomanareyouquiz/">What Kind of Drinking Woman Are You?</a></div> <table width=350 align=center border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2><tr><td bgcolor="#EEEEEE" align=center><font face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif" style='color:black; font-size: 14pt;'><b>You Are Trinity</b></font></td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><center><img src=" http://images.blogthings.com/whatsuperheroineareyouquiz/trinity.jpg" height="100" width="100"></center><font color="#000000"> "Touch me and that hand will never touch anything again."</font></td></tr></table><div align="center"><a href="http://www.blogthings.com/whatsupe rheroineareyouquiz/">What Superheroine Are You?</a></div> <table width=350 align=center border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2><tr><td bgcolor="#EEEEEE" align=center><font face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif" style='color:black; font-size: 14pt;'><b>Your Fashion Style is Classic</b></font></td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><center><img src=" http://images.blogthings.com/whatkindoffashionablewomanareyouquiz/classic.jpg" height="100" width="100"></center><font color="#000000"> You like what's stood the test of time... Simple, well styled clothes that don't scream trendy You stay updated and modern, but your clothes stay in style for a while You wouldn't be caught in animal prints, fake fur, or super bright colors</font></td></tr></table><div align="center"><a href="http://www.blogthings.com/whatkind offashionablewomanareyouquiz/">What Kind of Fashionable Woman Are You?</a></div> <table width=350 align=center border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2><tr><td bgcolor="#EEEEEE" align=center><font face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif" style='color:black; font-size: 14pt;'><b>Your Nail Polish Color is Red</b></font></td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><center><img src=" http://images.blogthings.com/whatcolornailpolishbestfitsyouquiz/red.jpg" height="100" width="100"></center><font color="#000000"> How you're unique: You have an incredible eye for style and art Why your style rocks: You are classic and classy - and that's hot! What this color says about you: "I'm smart, sassy, and sexy. And I know it."</font></td></tr></table><div align="center"><a href="http://www.blogthings.com/whatcolo rnailpolishbestfitsyouquiz/">What Color Nail Polish Best Fits You?</a></div> <table width=350 align=center border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2><tr><td bgcolor="#EEEEEE" align=center><font face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif" style='color:black; font-size: 14pt;'><b>Your Toes Should Be Pink</b></font></td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><center><img src=" http://images.blogthings.com/whatcolorshouldyourtoenailsbequiz/pink.jpg" height="100" width="100"></center><font color="#000000"> You love to dress girly and work your feminine charms, with a bit of an edge. Your ideal guy: Is confident enough to get any girl he wants Stay away from: Jerks who only see you as eye candy</font></td></tr></table><div align="center"><a href="http://www.blogthings.com/whatcolo rshouldyourtoenailsbequiz/">What Color Should Your Toenails Be?</a></div> <table width=350 align=center border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2><tr><td bgcolor="#DDDDDD" align=center><font face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif" style='color:black; font-size: 14pt;'><b>You Are 52% Girly</b></font></td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#EEEEEE"><center><img src=" http://images.blogthings.com/howgirlyareyouquiz/girly-3.jpg" height="100" width="100"></center><font color="#000000"> You're a little girly, a little boyish, and probably a whole lot indie. You have your own unique style, and it pretty much defies gender lines.</font></td></tr></table><div align="center"><a href="http://www.blogthings.com/howgirly areyouquiz/">How Girly Are You?</a></div> <div style="width:300px;_height:250px; min-height:250px; background-color:rgb(216,233,237); text-align:center;"> <div style="background:rgb(129,172,201); height:4px;"> <img src=" http://www.quizilla.com/images/blue_drk_corner1.gif" style="float: left" height="4" hspace="0" /> <img src=" http://www.quizilla.com/images/blue_drk_corner2.gif" style="float: right" height="4" hspace="0" /> </div> <div style="background:rgb(129,172,201); padding: 0pt 0pt 5px;"> <span style="font-size:12px; color:rgb(255,255,255); padding:3px; font-family:Arial;"><strong>What expensive fragrance are you?</strong></span> </div> <div style="padding:5px; text-align:left; font-size:12px; font-family:Arial; background-color:rgb(216,233,237);"> <center><img src=" http://images.quizilla.com/N/novasugarsex/1074403304_uizBritEDP.jpg"><br/>You're a SWEET SPICE. You enjoy your girly side and you love all things warm and fuzzy. Try Burberry Brit or Diesel Zero Plus Feminine.<br/>Take this <a target="quizilla" style="color:rgb(128,0,128)" href="http://quizilla.com/redirect.php?s tatsid=17&url=http://www.quizilla.com/us ers/novasugarsex/quizzes/What+expensive+f ragrance+are+you%3F">quiz</a>!<br/> <br/><a href="http://www.quizilla.com/redirect.p hp?statsid=18&url=http://www.quizilla.co m/" target="quizilla"> <img border="0" src="http://www.quizilla.com/images/code pastes/30qzlogo.gif" style="padding:2px;" /></a> <span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:12;"> <a style="color:rgb(128,0,128);" target="quizilla" href="http://www.quizilla.com/redirect.p hp?statsid=18&url=http://www.quizilla.co m">Quizilla</a> | <a style="color:rgb(128,0,128);" target="quizilla" href="http://www.quizilla.com/redirect.p hp?statsid=21&url=http://www.quizilla.co m/register">Join</a> | <a style="color:rgb(128,0,128);" target="quizilla" href="http://www.quizilla.com/redirect.p hp?statsid=20&url=http://www.quizilla.co m/makeaquiz.php">Make A Quiz</a> | <a target="quizilla" href="http://www.quizilla.com/redirect.p hp?statsid=42&url=http://www.quizilla.co m/users/novasugarsex/quizzes/">More Quizzes</a> | <a style="color:rgb(128,0,128);" target="quizilla" href="http://www.quizilla.com/redirect.p hp?statsid=19&url=http://www.quizilla.co m/codepastes/?quizid=371731">Grab Code</a></span> </div></div> <div style="width:300px;_height:250px; min-height:250px; background-color:rgb(216,233,237); text-align:center;"> <div style="background:rgb(129,172,201); height:4px;"> <img src=" http://www.quizilla.com/images/blue_drk_corner1.gif" style="float: left" height="4" hspace="0" /> <img src=" http://www.quizilla.com/images/blue_drk_corner2.gif" style="float: right" height="4" hspace="0" /> </div> <div style="background:rgb(129,172,201); padding: 0pt 0pt 5px;"> <span style="font-size:12px; color:rgb(255,255,255); padding:3px; font-family:Arial;"><strong>What fashion designer fits you</strong></span> </div> <div style="padding:5px; text-align:left; font-size:12px; font-family:Arial; background-color:rgb(216,233,237);"> <center><img src=" http://images.quizilla.com/L/Lorac/1042048415_cturesdkny.jpg"><br/>DKNY: Classic with clean edges and very business like. You don't like to get outrageous or overly boisterous. Keep It Simple is your motto and you do it well.<br/>Take this <a target="quizilla" style="color:rgb(128,0,128)" href="http://quizilla.com/redirect.php?s tatsid=17&url=http://www.quizilla.com/us ers/Lorac/quizzes/What+fashion+designer+f its+you">quiz</a>!<br/> <br/><a href="http://www.quizilla.com/redirect.p hp?statsid=18&url=http://www.quizilla.co m/" target="quizilla"> <img border="0" src="http://www.quizilla.com/images/code pastes/30qzlogo.gif" style="padding:2px;" /></a> <span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:12;"> <a style="color:rgb(128,0,128);" target="quizilla" href="http://www.quizilla.com/redirect.p hp?statsid=18&url=http://www.quizilla.co m">Quizilla</a> | <a style="color:rgb(128,0,128);" target="quizilla" href="http://www.quizilla.com/redirect.p hp?statsid=21&url=http://www.quizilla.co m/register">Join</a> | <a style="color:rgb(128,0,128);" target="quizilla" href="http://www.quizilla.com/redirect.p hp?statsid=20&url=http://www.quizilla.co m/makeaquiz.php">Make A Quiz</a> | <a target="quizilla" href="http://www.quizilla.com/redirect.p hp?statsid=42&url=http://www.quizilla.co m/users/Lorac/quizzes/">More Quizzes</a> | <a style="color:rgb(128,0,128);" target="quizilla" href="http://www.quizilla.com/redirect.p hp?statsid=19&url=http://www.quizilla.co m/codepastes/?quizid=31161">Grab Code</a></span> </div></div> |
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| Your Reputation Is: Sweet Girl |  While you're well known, there's nothing to worry about.You're reputation is mostly good - as good as any rep can be. |
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Hi Jes! Hindi pa rin tama! Why did they allow such dialogue to happen in the first place? Hindi ba dumadaan muna yan sa mga editors after the writing pool tapos sa director? Bakit hindi umangal mga yan? Umabot pa kay Teri Hatcher. Why didn't she say anything about the line? Nung umabot sa mga film editors, didn't they THINK about the consequences of their actions? Sa ABC mismo, hindi ba nila naisip na sa susunod na punta nila sa ER o sa ospital ay malamang ung Health Care Professional na aasikaso sa kanila would most likely HAVE a diploma from SOME MED SCHOOL IN THE PHILIPPINES? Tapos APOLOGY lang?! Sila, maututan lang ng arabo galit na. I am angry. >.< Charmagne
Psalm 63:3-4 (New International Version)
3 Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands. ----- Forwarded Message ----
Subject: [N@W] 'Desperate Housewives' apologize for slur An apology from ABC. Damage has been done. Hmp! Roche (and Denis)
October 01, 2005
http://www.ebay. ph/listResults? browse=0& SellerId= bookends_ ph
http://papuriatrekl amo.blogspot. com/
http://www.unilab. com.ph
http://www.smartpar enting.com. ph/parentchat/ index.php ==========
'Desperate Housewives' apologize for slur
http://www.gmanews. tv/story/ 63051/Desperate- Housewives- producers-
apologize-over- racial-slur LOS ANGELES - A scene in TV's ''Desperate Housewives'' that used
Philippine medical education for a punchline prompted angry calls
from viewers, an online petition demanding an apology and criticism
from Philippine officials. In the season premiere that aired Sunday on ABC, Teri Hatcher's
character, Susan, goes in for a medical checkup and is shocked when
the doctor suggests she may be going through menopause. ''Listen, Susan, I know for a lot of women the word 'menopause'' '
has negative connotations. You hear 'aging,' 'brittle bones,' 'loss
of sexual desire,''' the gynecologist tells her. ''OK, before we go any further, can I check these diplomas? Just to
make sure they aren't, like, from some med school in the
Philippines? '' Susan fires back. Viewers called the network to complain but the number of callers was
not available, an ABC spokesman said Wednesday. As of Wednesday
evening, more than 30,000 names were attached to an online petition
seeking a network apology. ''A statement that devalues Filipinos in healthcare is extremely
unfounded, considering the overwhelming presence of Filipinos and
Filipino Americans in the medical field,'' the petition read in part. The TV episode even became an international incident, with reports
on it topping Philippine news shows and drawing newspaper headlines
as officials there registered their displeasure. Filipinos could
judge the scene for themselves when it was posted on YouTube. ABC responded with a statement Wednesday. ''The producers of 'Desperate Housewives' and ABC Studios offer our
sincere apologies for any offense caused by the brief reference in
the season premiere. There was no intent to disparage the integrity
of any aspect of the medical community in the Philippines, '' the
statement said. ''As leaders in broadcast diversity, we are committed to presenting
sensitive and respectful images of all communities featured in our
programs,'' it concluded. In Manila, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said he was writing
the producers of the show to seek an apology and note the
country's ''vehement protest.'' Senior cabinet member Eduardo Ermita
told reporters that an apology should be sought ''on behalf of our
Filipino professionals. '' Kevin Nadal, 29, a Filipino-American college lecturer who lives in
New York, posted the online petition calling ABC to task for the
scene. ''I had to rewind it over and over again to make sure I heard it
right,'' Nadal said in an interview Wednesday. He watched the
episode online after hearing about it from a friend. ''I was immediately offended and, really, just hurt. These days,
people are supposed to be more sensitive or more aware of what's
considered appropriate, '' he said, adding that he was hearing from
people worldwide who were distressed by the scene. He appreciated ABC's apology, he said, but said he also wanted to
see the dialogue removed from future airings and DVDs. ABC, owned by The Walt Disney Co., said Wednesday it was considering
editing the episode. Nadal also suggested that the show's producers and ABC executives
could make a more substantial gesture than an apology, through
scholarships or donations for Filipino and Filipino-Americans and
community groups. Filipinos and other minorities also should be depicted on TV
as ''prominent, positive role models,'' Nadal said. - AP
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I am, proud to say, from "some med school in the Philippines," (UERMMMC). I trained in a Filipino Military hospital (PNP General Hospital) and am currently working for a wholly Filipino-owned HMO. I don't need to order blood work to know that my patient is going through menopause. All it takes is a good history and physical examination - that's already 90% of all the diagnostics you will need to do. All the rest is confirmatory.
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I started working at this HMO last June-ish this year as a lecturer/resource person for Stress Management. Of all the topics God would allow, He gave me the one that I need to keep my reminding myself about. I see the wisdom in that since, in a month, I lecture on the topic about 5-8 times a month. I've been at this for about 3-4 months already so I can probably lecture it in my sleep by now. Last week of July, I got assigned to the Ortigas Clinic of the same HMO (as well as lecturing). The people are okay. If there are politics involved, I am so dedma. (dedma - origin: patay mali --> patay = dead, ma... well, it's not the same as dead wrong but more like being indifferent). The only thing that gets to me is that I am/was the only GP in the whole damn clinic. It was a bit difficult (still is) maneuvering around consultants and specialists. Thank God most of them aren't the big d**kheads I have encountered in the past or like them. I say was the only GP, since yesterday, one of the former GPs of the clinic came back. She stays from 8-12 M-Th, while I stay from 8-5 MWF. It's pretty cool since there are times when there are so many patients that my head spins. So it's good that at least in the mornings of Monday and Wednesday, there's another GP there. With the lectures, it is challenging. I am enjoying myself, maybe too much. As those who are closest to me know, I have a bit of a star complex. LOL. I get to make my slides, and present them to different people. I get to travel (so far, pampanga, batangas, laguna, cavite). Now, I have to stop writing here, and get back to my slides.
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i decided to give up on the pre-residency. i went to my rheumatologist yesterday and he said that the polymyositis might have returned. i'm praying na wag naman sana. fact still remains tho, that the pre-res at st. martin is not doing me any good - health wise. i'm planning to try for emergency medicine later this year at makati med. easier hours and more opportunities. the emergency medicine residents are being pirated by australia and new zealand. (so more choices - i can choose to stay there or use it as a stepping stone for the USA) then there are so few ER Med doctors here (and so many ERs which can't function without an ER Medicine specialist - by law) that it would be easier to make a name for myself, instead of surgery where ang dami dami nang surgeons sa Pilipinas. i hope i can get the residency. if if is God's will to put me there, there will be very few glitches. lola isn't too disappointed, especially after all my kwento about what goes on at st. martin. my mom is okay with it too. she likes the emergency medicine more than the surgery thing. she likes the part about getting pirated. better daw. my brothers are more concerned now about my health. the significant other is supportive naman. our friend used to be a resident in the emergency medicine program at makati med and is going to help me get in. sayang lang talaga the opportunity with st. martin, but why cry over spilt milk? di talaga eh.
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this is turning out to be harder than i thought... but i wake up, i think that today is the day i just give up, not go to work and go back to sleep... then i wake up again and tell myself i'm going to be late for work if i don't get my ass out of bed. i must really love what i do despite of myself. But the question here is technique... i was trained in a no nonsense approach to surgeries - combat surgery, being trained in a military hospital, whereas here where i am, there are so many steps that i see that are unnecessary and inefficient. take a thyroidectomy as a case in point. where i came from, there is just the surgeon, the intern (me), one scrub nurse and one circulating nurse (who may just be the anesthesiologist on duty grabbing stuff for those who are scrubbed in)... from cutting time to specimen out is just 30 minutes, then hemostasis and closing takes only about an hour to an hour and a half. here, with a surgeon, two surgical residents, a scrub nurse, a student nurse and a whole lot of kibitzers, it takes an hour from cutting to specimen out... and a lot longer than that for hemostasis and closing. don't tell anyone (LOL), but i am asking around for a surgical residency at a military hospital. it may mean i have to enlist, but i was really intending to do that anyway. there is much to be said about military hospitals. for one, there is discipline. oh-seven hundred hours means oh-seven hundred hours... not oh-seven thirty or oh-eight hundred. it may mean oh-six hundred though. second, there is organization. if you're on duty, you're on duty. if you're not, you're not. there is no: "oh i forgot to tell you, but you're supposed to be on duty tonight." damn civilians. my dear husband (soon-to-be) tells me to be extra patient with them, what can you expect from civilians? (actually what he said was, "remember they're civilians, they're not as organized as us") and still he bemoans the fact that an hour from cutting to specimen out is considered "fast" in these parts. "wtf? they think that's fast? that's slow at crame." yes, it is slow for crame. whoever did that would be the laughing stock of the whole surgical department and that is not good especially when these military surgeons come from big time hospitals as well as military ones (where, cutting to specimen out for a thyroidectomy is faster than an hour). maybe this isn't the right fit for me. maybe crame has spoilt me for civilian life. my brother ralph always said that i'd make a good military doctor. what is it? the bearing? the no nonsense approach? or just the fact that i prefer efficiency and organization to the haphazard point and maybe it'll go off approach i find here. out of bed, soldier. it's oh-six hundred. you're already running late. |
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Ralph is in the hospital right now and I am one of those bitchy relatives who complain about the services of the allied medical staff and the management of the attendings. But you can't blame me. The Nurses' Station wouldn't respond to my calls when my brother was having VIOLENT chills at a temperature of 38.5C, and one of them even had the audacity to tell me "ganyan talaga kapag nilalagnat" (it's like that when one has a fever). First off, the pathophysiology of fever she was explaining to me wasn't in any textbook or journal I have ever read and I have lectured on Fever Of Unknown Origin. Second, how dare this person make light of what was going on, wasn't the purpose of going to the hospital and getting admitted getting adequate professional medical and nursing care? Thirdly, I know from experience as a doctor that one can do so many things with a fever - from oral to IV meds (my brother had an IV line running), to the usual nursing care stuff like sponge baths... All it takes is one order in my brother's chart saying "May give Aeknil 1 amp every 6 hours for fever > 38.5C" I have to gripe about the way the attending is managing my brother... she puts him on meds lower than the ones she started (so what does that do for the bacteria? gee, even a second year med student can answer that one!), then she stops it... "his fever may be a drug fever" which sent my (and my friends) eyeballs rolling, because it was contrary to the definition of what a DRUG FEVER is. After all is said and done (including a throat swab), she tells my brother that he has an upper respiratory tract infection and refers him to an otorhinolaryngologist. DUH! That was what I wanted them to do since day one! That's what should have been done since day one! But then again, can't she even manage a simple "Upper Respiratory Tract Infection"? Interns do that all the time.
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hospital |
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annoyed |
Current Music: |
TV | |
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I hope to upload the pictures of my oath taking as a physician soon (when the parental unit and the SO decide to upload the pics from their respective digital cameras, that is). It was held at Manila Hotel's Fiesta Pavilion last 12 March 2007 at 130pm and ended at around 5pm. Now I need to find work...
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at home |
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 bouncy | |
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There were 2,233 of us who took the exam over 2 weekends, 4 days, 3 exams per day. Each exam was 100 items each. Out of the 2,233, only 1,193 made it. I am one of the 1,193. You may check out the list on www.mb.com.ph for the details.
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at home |
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bouncy |
Current Music: |
silence | |
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The other night my friend SMSed me from Australia to tell me that she had broken up with her boyfriend of 14 months. I was able to talk to her the next day, and she confessed that she got turned off by something the asshole had said to her after they had broken up. He had told her that when she returned to the Philippines they would have sex, and that "there was no need for words". I told her that it wasn't just a turn off, but inappropriate. Rude was a word that was too kind to describe what he had said. Now this friend of mine has a habit of squealing... she told the ex, and lo and behold the troglodyte YMed me, calling me "pota" (yes the meaning is the same as the Spanish) and asking me if I knew how his mind worked (sad to say but I do know how people of that ilk have mastered basic neuronal functions). I insisted that what he said was rude. He countered with "You're rude" (for lack of a better argument... why do I even bother with lower life forms?) I challenged him by asking him if sex was all he was after with my friend. Lo and behold, he couldn't answer me. Instead, the neanderthal countered with attacks to my person, saying that I was just "nagmamalinis" or acting holier than thou. Good thing I think faster than I type and answered with "I know what I am and who I am, do you?" That shut him up and sent him back to "You're rude" mode. Then he started calling me a bitch, to his consternation (and my amusement), I reply, "THANK YOU. I KNOW THAT ALREADY." I sent the thread to my friend (Tho by now I am having serious doubts about this fact), and challenged her with "DO you still want to get back with this person?" I also sent the thread to a good friend of mine who stays in the same area as the troglodyte. My fiance, to whom I told this little incident to, was practically chomping at the bit. It was only the fact that the asshole lived on another island that stopped my hubby to be from beating the boor to a pulp then some. "That's harassment," my fiance told me. "Yeah," I drawled. Payback is a science as well as an art. The things we women have to put up from philistines, makes you wonder what kind of wiring God had installed inside. No female should have to go through any kind of abuse in any form from anyone. As for knowing who and what I am, I also know what I am capable of. Let's leave it at that, shall we?
Current Location: |
in my head |
Current Mood: |
bitchy |
Current Music: |
Misty (Jazz version) | |
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9 days to the boards and my brain has liquefied. What else is there to say? I have gone beyond hitting my head against some random vertical concrete surface, all I can do is stare off into space and try not to drool.
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at home |
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stressed |
Current Music: |
... | |
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Reviewing for the boards is tough. I didn't realize that it would take so much out of me. Then again, medicine takes a lot out of you. My life is on hold... AGAIN. (How many times have I said that sentence? I've lost count.) This time, however, it's different. Last time my life was 'on hold', I was sick (literally!) with no idea when this 'hold' status would end or if it ever would! Now, somehow, my life is moving forward despite being 'on hold' again. The difference is now I can work towards my goal. When I was sick and on immunosuppressants, I didn't know what would happen to me. Would I be able to become a doctor? Would I be able to walk? Would I end up in a wheelchair and die by 40 because my respiratory muscles would give? and HE was all I had. HE knew what would happen to me, even if I didn't. HE saw how hard it was for me, what an effort a single step was. Again, HE knows my name, and my every thought, and sees each tear that falls and the tears I hold back. HE lifts me up, and makes me walk again. Do you know what a joy it is to be able to walk? Or hold a mug without being afraid of dropping it? We take the little things forgranted until it is taken away, or almost taken away, from us. My life is on hold, but I am making progress. I can do all things through CHRIST Who strengthens me. ;)
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Home |
Current Mood: |
 drained |
Current Music: |
Game k n b? | |
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I was sick at the start of the month. High grade fever then flu-like symptoms. I thought it was Dengue. After 3 days of being sick at home, I went to the ER for blood work and a urinalysis. The urinalysis results (pus cells 10-15) didn't match up with the CBC results (wbc 2.9 - lower end normal is 4; with a predominance of lymphocytes - a viral count; and a platelet count of 253 - normal is 150-440). If I were the attending, I would expect that there would be a predominance of neutrophils in the differential blood count for a urine pus cell count of 10-15. The first doctor was kind enough not to talk down to me, even before she knew that I was an under-boards physician, but a physician nevertheless. She told me that at that point in time, she couldn't rule out Dengue since she had patients whose counts would suddenly drop. She said to come back for a repeat CBC in 2 days. She also prescribed an antibiotic for the UTI. I saw the same doctor the next day - I was getting worse. We repeated the CBC. My counts went up, but only very slightly. Repeat CBC after 2 days again, but we were still going to treat the UTI so continue the meds. For the next couple of days whenever someone at home would ask me about my sickness, my sentences would usually start with "Sabi ni Doktora..." ("The lady doctor said..."). When she found out that I was an under-boards physician, her demeanor hardly changed, except that she would explain things more on a "non-layperson" level (In other words, we'd talk in Doctor-speak). I came back the third day since my fever wasn't going down and my tourniquet test was positive. They gave me a different doctor. One who talked down to me and made me feel stupid. One who made me feel incompetent as a patient and as a sick person. I did not get any validation that 'yes, people do get sick'! I was made to feel that I couldn't even get getting sick right! She put down my tourniquet test saying that not all positive tourniquet tests + fever = dengue. (Hey, I thought that was the protocol!) I might have done the test improperly, she said. (Don't get me started on this one!). It was like she didn't have any trace of humanity! She even criticized my doctor (the first one, who, when I see again will ask if she's accredited by my HMO and where her clinic is!) calling her a "resident". (Actually she said, "Who saw you the last time? Tsk, why did she give you only 3 days of antibiotics, this should be at least a week." -- note to the reader: it is UNETHICAL for a doctor to criticize another doctor's plan of treatment in front of a patient. Best solution here is NOT to say anything at all. But hey what do I know? That was just what my grandmother (MD for 60 years), my professors in med school AND my bosses at the hospital where I interned said!) The scary part was I saw myself in the bitchy doctor. I began to ask myself how many times did I bitch like that in front of my patients? I saw the error of my ways. I resolved to be more like my doktora (the first doctor who saw me at the ER) and not like the other one. Being sick is hard enough as it is.
Current Location: |
At home |
Current Mood: |
 productive |
Current Music: |
watching Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends | |
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The medulla oblongata is the part of the brain (lower brain, actually) that controls respiration and circulation, among other things. [more serious info on the medulla at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medulla_oblongata] I think the Physiology professor at the review center has been watching too many white kung-fu movies. She claims that "karatistas" or martial artists in general are taught to hit that particular part of the brain in order to produce either death or a coma. The first thing a "martial artist" is taught is to avoid conflict if possible. And even if they did teach you that, it would be almost impossible to execute (except in Hollywood or Philippine cinema, I guess), since you need to know how much force to use and in the heat of battle, get behind the poor dude and "karate chop" him. Ki-yaaaaa! This is an example of "Little knowledge (of martial arts), Big trouble. Kids, do not imitate. If you want to know the "danger points" in the body, then you are most likely someone suffering from an antisocial personality, mania with violent tendencies, schizophrenia with violent tendencies or any odd mix of psychiatric disorders and you need to check in to your local mental hospital or visit your friendly neighborhood psychiatrist ASAP! Back to my review again...
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Home |
Current Mood: |
 predatory |
Current Music: |
My TV won't go on | |
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You have to read. Read, read, read, then read some more. There is no end to reading. There is only books, text with hardly any pictures, unless it's anatomy and you have an atlas. There are lectures where the professor teaches like she is on speed- having a measly four hours to teach four regions of the human body. It is simply not enough time on normal speed, hence the super fast forward teaching technique. It leaves one in shock. Can you say, "Information Overload"? Given that we've all supposedly studied the subject matter in our academic years in medical school, but at the barest minimum, that was about 4-5 years ago. I repeat, BAREST MINIMUM. Our review adviser asked the class a simple enough question yesterday: "Are you normal?" Wouldn't anyone want to be NORMAL? The majority of the class, if not all, nodded their heads. "Doctors aren't normal", she said, "Normal means you are part of the norm - the majority, the regular people of the world. "When did a doctor ever become part of 'simple ordinary folk'? Wanting to be a doctor, that is normal. But actually becoming one? Heh, abnoy ka." (You're abnormal.) She looked at 36 bewildered expressions (and one fascinated one - mine), and answered our silent query: "Let's take an example. In my high school batch, we were 560 students. Only 4 became doctors." Given that line of thought, does that mean that my family is not normal? My grandmother and grand-aunt were doctors. My aunt is a dentist (oral surgeon) - still a doctor, damn better than other MDs I've seen, mind you. Following that same line of thought, my friends are not normal either... most are doctors. The few who did not go into medical school have MENSA-eligible IQs also. But then normalcy is relative. Reviewing is a real stressor. My mind just floats away. This week it is all anatomy, anatomy, anatomy. I have to start on my biochemistry real soon. My fibromyalgia is starting to act up, along with what I think is Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Both have stress-related components. It is time to fry my brain again... |
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amused
crappy
