I am absolutely tired. I think I have been working more hours than I am contracted to this week. Was asked to do extra last night because somebody refused to accept the fact that he is on call. ??? So I had to be called in to replace that person. sigh.
To be honest, I was feeling quite miserable when I went in. I felt that it was unfair. But then, I couldn't really refuse to not go in, especially when the consultant was the one that asked you to do so. She's the boss. It was a long night....didnt had much time to sleep as the patients seem to be coming in constantly.
I think I looked like a zombie this morning. My hair was greasy and in a mess. I didn't smell nice. My blouse was stale. My face was oily (although I did make the effort to wash it). Worse thing was, I forgot to bring my spectacles with me...so I had my contact lens stuck in the eyes for more than 24 hours! Boy, it was so difficult to remove them just now.
I am pretty sleepy now. But I think I would go to bed earlier tonight, instead of sleeping now. I have to wake up early to go to work tomorrow. sigh. Wished I had an easy 9-5 job. hehe.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Monday, December 24, 2007
Thinking of Home
In some ways, I am glad that I am on call on Christmas day. Otherwise, I would be homealone! I think I really need some company during Xmas. Its quite pathetic but oh well, tough. I miss home. Miss the spirit of xmas at home.
Friday, December 21, 2007
White Week
The temperatures have certainly been dropping for the whole week. I don't remember seeing the temperature anything higher than 3 degrees. In the morning, while driving to work, the temperature was about -2 to 0, and when I travelled home, the temperature was similar.
I actually don't mind the freezing temperature....as long as it is cool and dry....then, everything would look nice, clean, pure and white. I like it if it snows...but I don't like it when the snow starts to melt. It becomes extremely wet and dirty. I doubt that it would snow during christmas....but I am still hopeful!
The only bad thing about this weather is the fog. Driving has become increaasingly dangerous due to thick fog...reducing visibility to only 20 yards. Being the usual silly me, I didn't know how to turn on my fog lights...and I still don't!
Here are some pictures I took yesterday and today (using my good old W800 camera). It shows the effect of temperature to the weather and environment.
YESTERDAY:
A frosty morning at the compounds of the hospital.
I actually don't mind the freezing temperature....as long as it is cool and dry....then, everything would look nice, clean, pure and white. I like it if it snows...but I don't like it when the snow starts to melt. It becomes extremely wet and dirty. I doubt that it would snow during christmas....but I am still hopeful!
The only bad thing about this weather is the fog. Driving has become increaasingly dangerous due to thick fog...reducing visibility to only 20 yards. Being the usual silly me, I didn't know how to turn on my fog lights...and I still don't!
Here are some pictures I took yesterday and today (using my good old W800 camera). It shows the effect of temperature to the weather and environment.
YESTERDAY:
A frosty morning at the compounds of the hospital.
The hill is covered with frost.
Even the Fanta bottle too!
Look at the difference. The temperature this morning was -7!! It was frostier, whiter and certainly colder. There was just a slight drop of snow at that time when the pic was taken.
The children's playground at the hospital.
Also note that the water has turned into ice.
The branches were white too...and it was rather foggy.
This pic was taken at 4pm.
Even the Fanta bottle too!TODAY:
Look at the difference. The temperature this morning was -7!! It was frostier, whiter and certainly colder. There was just a slight drop of snow at that time when the pic was taken.
The children's playground at the hospital.
Also note that the water has turned into ice.
The branches were white too...and it was rather foggy.
This pic was taken at 4pm.Thursday, December 20, 2007
Effing Rota
I really do not like my rota. And yet, people are telling me that psychiatry is psycho-holiday. Absolute nonsense.
Upon looking at my rota, I realised that I am bloody working every weekend until next year! Now, how unfair is that? Everyone gets at least 1 weekend off in between weekends...but I am the unlucky one to be working every weekend...so in total, I would have worked 4 weekends in 4 weeks! arrghh! Not fair. It totally spoils my mood for the weekend, you know, thinking that at least I have 2 days off...but heck no! sigh.
Right, I know there are other people who have far worst shifts than me. But I am complaining because my colleagues do not have a rota like mine. Absolute shite.
Upon looking at my rota, I realised that I am bloody working every weekend until next year! Now, how unfair is that? Everyone gets at least 1 weekend off in between weekends...but I am the unlucky one to be working every weekend...so in total, I would have worked 4 weekends in 4 weeks! arrghh! Not fair. It totally spoils my mood for the weekend, you know, thinking that at least I have 2 days off...but heck no! sigh.
Right, I know there are other people who have far worst shifts than me. But I am complaining because my colleagues do not have a rota like mine. Absolute shite.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Random Survey
I only get the chance to listen to the radio when I drive to and fro work. It can be quite boring at times, you know, listening to the same old songs again and again, or when the DJs just talk about footie all the time! But at times, it can be quite entertaining too, especially when the radio DJs chat about a certain topic.....the most recent one that got my smiling and giggling on my way home from work (other motorist must have thought I was a mad girl! hehe) was about a random survey that BBC Radio 1 conducted.
The topic was on Britney Spears. They asked random people on the streets in Britain 2 questions:
1. What do you like Britney Spears smells like?
2. If Britney Spears were a goat, would you kiss her?
Answers to Q1: She smells like:
- Rotten food
- Fish market
- Smelly fish
- Spaghetti carbonara
- my fish bowl that I have not washed for 3 weeks
- trout (this really got me laughing because of the way the lady said it)
Answers to Q2:
Apparently about 60% of the public said, "Yes, I would."
One of the even added that, "As long as the goat doesn't make any noises!" (hehehe....this is hilarious!)
I can't believe that people would actually think Britney Spears smells THAT bad. She has her own perfume, for crying out loud! Anyway, I found the whole survery thing pretty amusing. And it certainly helped to melt my traffic stress away!
The topic was on Britney Spears. They asked random people on the streets in Britain 2 questions:
1. What do you like Britney Spears smells like?
2. If Britney Spears were a goat, would you kiss her?
Answers to Q1: She smells like:
- Rotten food
- Fish market
- Smelly fish
- Spaghetti carbonara
- my fish bowl that I have not washed for 3 weeks
- trout (this really got me laughing because of the way the lady said it)
Answers to Q2:
Apparently about 60% of the public said, "Yes, I would."
One of the even added that, "As long as the goat doesn't make any noises!" (hehehe....this is hilarious!)
I can't believe that people would actually think Britney Spears smells THAT bad. She has her own perfume, for crying out loud! Anyway, I found the whole survery thing pretty amusing. And it certainly helped to melt my traffic stress away!
Sunday, December 16, 2007
24 hours later.....Shaken, Stressed, Sleepy
Glad to finish my first long psychiatry on call.
*phew.....so glad that its all over.
24 hours after this on call.... I am:
1. Shaken
2. Stressed
3. Sleepy
Why?
Shaken - because a patient kinda "pushed" my face real hard...in slow motion, my right jaw and cheek were pushed to the right and upwards. It wasn't too painful...but I was shocked. I did not expect that to happen. Couldn't really blame the patient, as she has bipolar mood disorder, and at that time, was in a manic phase. I did stand a distance from her, but somehow, when I was trying to listen to what her husband is telling me, she came near to me...and just in a split second, I was physically assaulted. Immediately, due to the shock, I could feel tears welling up in my eyes....but I told myself, I need to sort this out. I recomposed myself, and told her husband that I was going to issue an Emergency Detention Cert for her. (she had no insight whatsoever, and was going to leave the hospital...so no choice...had to detain her so that she doesn't harm others). I was quite shaken after that....my hands were shaking for a few minutes, while I was explaining the situation to the consultant on call.
Stressed - because it couldn't admit one of my patients to any hospital, as none wanted to take her. This girl was having on going suicidal thoughts, and I have decided to admit her. Unfortunately, my hospital was full. So I tried to contact the other two hospitals. One informed me that the patient was banned from the hospital, whereas the other one told me that it is their hospital policy not to take in any patients as they do not have any doctors oncall in their psychiatry unit. So now where should I put my patient?? It took me a good 1 hour or so, on the telephone...before one of the hospitals agreed to take her in, reluctantly. sigh. You know, at the end of the day, we all want what is best for our patient...so come on, people!
Sleepy - because errm...pretty obvious-lah... not much chance to sleep...prob managed about 2 hours or so. Quite sleepy now...but then I do not want to sleep now as I would end up sleeping for at least 4 hours...and this would upset my body clock!
Right...enough moaning. I still couldn't really stop thinking about being hit by a patient. It is quite frightening actually...later, I found out that she has once hit a doctor really hard, to the extent that she needed her hands x-rayed too! my...guess I'm lucky eh?
*phew.....so glad that its all over.
24 hours after this on call.... I am:
1. Shaken
2. Stressed
3. Sleepy
Why?
Shaken - because a patient kinda "pushed" my face real hard...in slow motion, my right jaw and cheek were pushed to the right and upwards. It wasn't too painful...but I was shocked. I did not expect that to happen. Couldn't really blame the patient, as she has bipolar mood disorder, and at that time, was in a manic phase. I did stand a distance from her, but somehow, when I was trying to listen to what her husband is telling me, she came near to me...and just in a split second, I was physically assaulted. Immediately, due to the shock, I could feel tears welling up in my eyes....but I told myself, I need to sort this out. I recomposed myself, and told her husband that I was going to issue an Emergency Detention Cert for her. (she had no insight whatsoever, and was going to leave the hospital...so no choice...had to detain her so that she doesn't harm others). I was quite shaken after that....my hands were shaking for a few minutes, while I was explaining the situation to the consultant on call.
Stressed - because it couldn't admit one of my patients to any hospital, as none wanted to take her. This girl was having on going suicidal thoughts, and I have decided to admit her. Unfortunately, my hospital was full. So I tried to contact the other two hospitals. One informed me that the patient was banned from the hospital, whereas the other one told me that it is their hospital policy not to take in any patients as they do not have any doctors oncall in their psychiatry unit. So now where should I put my patient?? It took me a good 1 hour or so, on the telephone...before one of the hospitals agreed to take her in, reluctantly. sigh. You know, at the end of the day, we all want what is best for our patient...so come on, people!
Sleepy - because errm...pretty obvious-lah... not much chance to sleep...prob managed about 2 hours or so. Quite sleepy now...but then I do not want to sleep now as I would end up sleeping for at least 4 hours...and this would upset my body clock!
Right...enough moaning. I still couldn't really stop thinking about being hit by a patient. It is quite frightening actually...later, I found out that she has once hit a doctor really hard, to the extent that she needed her hands x-rayed too! my...guess I'm lucky eh?
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Ever Wondered?
There are plenty of uncertainties in this world. You never know when you will die, you never know when your car is going to break down, you never know whether or not the flight will be delayed, etc...
The same applies to psychiatry. Being a "new wee trainee" in this job, or rather the most junior member of staff, I really find it difficult to judge whether or not a patient is telling me truth, or whether he/she is simply manipulating me. It all boils down to experience, I suppose. But being on call by myself, is pretty scary.
The other day, I was asked to review a young lad, who has a 18 month history of depression. He wanted to kill himself, by hanging himself with a rope in the woods. He also drinks too much alcohol and abuses illicit drugs. Now, he said he couldn't find a rope, and hence, ended up drinking pints of beer. When asked whether or not he still thought about commiting suicide, he said "no." He seemed very alert and lucid. Although he did have the alcohol stench, he was not intoxicated or withdrawing from it. So I thought that he was speaking from his heart. Unfortunately, I wasn't really sure if I was going to send him home.
I spoke to the consultant who advised to send him home, and we will review him in the community. He explained that as he doesn't have any ongoing suicidal ideation, he will be grand. However, deep inside of me was thinking, "what if he was just telling me what I wanted to hear? What if he goes home, wakes up in the middle of the night, get a rope to hang himself, or jump off a bridge?" Lots of thoughts went through. But, then again, I have no experience in this field, and the consultant certainly has seen plenty suicidal cases. So I informed patient of the plan and he left. His partner wasn't happy, as she was concerned that once he goes home, he would start to be angry or start to drink more, and would probably throw things around the house or argue with her..etc... hmm....right, so despite being depressed, he could be rather agitated too. So I explained to her that, there wasn't any indications for him to be admitted. Yes, agree that he could be throwing a tantrum at home, but that is certainly not an indication to stay in the hospital.....at least that was what I thought anyway. hmm...I thought again, "what if he decides to abuse his wife? he has done it before, but not for the past 3 yrs. Will I be held responsible for that?" sigh...I do not know. But, I soon rationalized that, he has a lucid mind, and if he said he is not going to do anything nasty or kill himself, I should trust him. *note I'm "trying" to use my ant-sized clinical judgement. So home the patient went. At the same time, I felt sorry for his partner, as I can understand her fear.
Overnight, I wondered....*shit, I really hope that he doesn't commit suicide. otherwise, I would take my own life away! I also hoped that he doesn't harm anyone. But then again, if he really wanted to kill himself earlier on, he would have persisted to find the rope, instead of buying cans of beer.....that's me trying to convince myself that it was the correct decision to let him home.
I discussed my uncertainties with my consultant. He said that 1-2 % of people who attempted suicide, but failed, will proceed to kill themselves in 1-2 years. Right.
He added that we could never predict when that person will do it. So there is never a clear line about when you should send a patient home. However, obviously, if the patient continues to say "yes, I am going to drink 10 bottles of bleach when I go home," then that is probably an indication that the patient should stay and be assessed further. It all boils down to experience. Right.
There are some many uncertainties.
The same applies to psychiatry. Being a "new wee trainee" in this job, or rather the most junior member of staff, I really find it difficult to judge whether or not a patient is telling me truth, or whether he/she is simply manipulating me. It all boils down to experience, I suppose. But being on call by myself, is pretty scary.
The other day, I was asked to review a young lad, who has a 18 month history of depression. He wanted to kill himself, by hanging himself with a rope in the woods. He also drinks too much alcohol and abuses illicit drugs. Now, he said he couldn't find a rope, and hence, ended up drinking pints of beer. When asked whether or not he still thought about commiting suicide, he said "no." He seemed very alert and lucid. Although he did have the alcohol stench, he was not intoxicated or withdrawing from it. So I thought that he was speaking from his heart. Unfortunately, I wasn't really sure if I was going to send him home.
I spoke to the consultant who advised to send him home, and we will review him in the community. He explained that as he doesn't have any ongoing suicidal ideation, he will be grand. However, deep inside of me was thinking, "what if he was just telling me what I wanted to hear? What if he goes home, wakes up in the middle of the night, get a rope to hang himself, or jump off a bridge?" Lots of thoughts went through. But, then again, I have no experience in this field, and the consultant certainly has seen plenty suicidal cases. So I informed patient of the plan and he left. His partner wasn't happy, as she was concerned that once he goes home, he would start to be angry or start to drink more, and would probably throw things around the house or argue with her..etc... hmm....right, so despite being depressed, he could be rather agitated too. So I explained to her that, there wasn't any indications for him to be admitted. Yes, agree that he could be throwing a tantrum at home, but that is certainly not an indication to stay in the hospital.....at least that was what I thought anyway. hmm...I thought again, "what if he decides to abuse his wife? he has done it before, but not for the past 3 yrs. Will I be held responsible for that?" sigh...I do not know. But, I soon rationalized that, he has a lucid mind, and if he said he is not going to do anything nasty or kill himself, I should trust him. *note I'm "trying" to use my ant-sized clinical judgement. So home the patient went. At the same time, I felt sorry for his partner, as I can understand her fear.
Overnight, I wondered....*shit, I really hope that he doesn't commit suicide. otherwise, I would take my own life away! I also hoped that he doesn't harm anyone. But then again, if he really wanted to kill himself earlier on, he would have persisted to find the rope, instead of buying cans of beer.....that's me trying to convince myself that it was the correct decision to let him home.
I discussed my uncertainties with my consultant. He said that 1-2 % of people who attempted suicide, but failed, will proceed to kill themselves in 1-2 years. Right.
He added that we could never predict when that person will do it. So there is never a clear line about when you should send a patient home. However, obviously, if the patient continues to say "yes, I am going to drink 10 bottles of bleach when I go home," then that is probably an indication that the patient should stay and be assessed further. It all boils down to experience. Right.
There are some many uncertainties.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Daemons (inspired by the movie The Golden Compass)
The movie "The Golden Compass" wasn't as good as I thought it would be. I felt that there were alot tales to be unfold, but time was limited. Hence, the movie did not flow very nicely.
Daemons were one of the few interesting features of the movie. According to the official website, "a person's soul lives on the outside of their body, in the form of a daemon - an animal spirit that accompanies them through life. A person's daemon is usually of the opposite sex to its human partner. In this real world, it is possible that we have daemons too, only that they are invisible."
The website was pretty cool as it allows you to discover your own daemon. Please go to http://www.goldencompassmovie.com/ for further information. All you need to do is answer a set of 20 questions and they will reveal your daemon.
I have done mine....and my daemon is a Chimpanzee, who is flexible, responsible, modest, inquisitive, & clever. These should ideally fit with my personality...hmmm...let me see, I agree that I am flexible, responsible, pretty modest and can be inquisitive at times. Clever? I don't I am that clever. I suppose everyone is clever, but in different fields. For eg, you can be clever in studies, you can be "clever" in sports, or you can be "clever" in telling lies!
So, people, feel free to answer to the questions in the daemon window above, about whether or not you think it suits my personality. Cheers!
Daemons were one of the few interesting features of the movie. According to the official website, "a person's soul lives on the outside of their body, in the form of a daemon - an animal spirit that accompanies them through life. A person's daemon is usually of the opposite sex to its human partner. In this real world, it is possible that we have daemons too, only that they are invisible."
The website was pretty cool as it allows you to discover your own daemon. Please go to http://www.goldencompassmovie.com/ for further information. All you need to do is answer a set of 20 questions and they will reveal your daemon.
I have done mine....and my daemon is a Chimpanzee, who is flexible, responsible, modest, inquisitive, & clever. These should ideally fit with my personality...hmmm...let me see, I agree that I am flexible, responsible, pretty modest and can be inquisitive at times. Clever? I don't I am that clever. I suppose everyone is clever, but in different fields. For eg, you can be clever in studies, you can be "clever" in sports, or you can be "clever" in telling lies!
So, people, feel free to answer to the questions in the daemon window above, about whether or not you think it suits my personality. Cheers!
Monday, December 10, 2007
I am Ando Masashahi
I just did a set of questionaires on Facebook to find out which Heroes character I am most likely to resemble.
Apparently, I am Ando.
"You have no super powers at all. Really, none. You're normal. Deal with it. But you make a really great sidekick."
Glad to know that I am normal...but deep inside of me wished that I had some supernatural powers....let me see, if I were given a choice, I would like to be "Peter Patrelli" in Heroes. He could absorb other people's powers, which makes him extremely powerful! Wished I could do that too. hehe. Then, life would be easy breezy.
Apparently, I am Ando.
"You have no super powers at all. Really, none. You're normal. Deal with it. But you make a really great sidekick."
Glad to know that I am normal...but deep inside of me wished that I had some supernatural powers....let me see, if I were given a choice, I would like to be "Peter Patrelli" in Heroes. He could absorb other people's powers, which makes him extremely powerful! Wished I could do that too. hehe. Then, life would be easy breezy.
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Michael Buble - Lost
Absolutely love his voice in this song. Love the part which says:
"Summer turned to winter
And the snow it turned to rain
And the rain turned into tears upon your face
I hardly recognized the girl you are today
And god I hope it's not too late"
And also this part:
"Life can show no mercy
It can tear your soul apart
It can make you feel like you've gone crazy"
=) Agree with him that life can make you go crazy. But that if it doesn't, life will be meaningless and unexciting.
Ok...I am Obsessed
hehehe...just to add more sugar and honey to my festive mood, here is a picture of a different type of wooden xmas tree, which I bought from Germany recently. It is special and one of a kind!
Lovely isn't? :)
Lovely isn't? :)ok...yeas, I know I am crazy and obsessed with this xmas thing, but I can't help it. I guess it is because my family members are faraway, and I'm just trying to channel the feeling of loneliness, into xmas decorations and stuff. But heck, you gotta admit that this hand-mitten tree so very cute! Check out the tiny train on top.
Saturday, December 08, 2007
I am Feeling Festive!
ho ho ho....its the time of the year again....the spirit of giving and family togetherness.
I was feeling extremely festive this week. It all started on Tuesday, when my friend gave me an early christmas pressie. It was a santa door hanger, with a bell on the hat. Love it. :D
The following day, my housemate, Helen, and I decided to put up our christmas tree. It was fun. And this year, our tree looks prettier because we have added new tree decorations, some were bought by Helen, while I got those cute little wooden decos (look out for them in the pictures below!) from Germany.
Oh...oh....oh did I mention that I bought a small blue wooden christmas tree from Germany? It is quite special and I absolutely love it...Helen & I assembled it together the other day, and boy, it is so so so cute. *tee hee hee
Sorry..please excuse my excitement! I have also just bought a set of star lights today.... I am planning to hang them at my window...ahh...I could picture it now, it is going to be very pretty!!!! can't wait!!
Here are the pictures!
My Christmas Tree
A closer look at the tree. The pressie underneath it is for Helen.
Cute little santa sitting on a moon.
A wee angel & a candy stick!
The blue wooden xmas tree from Germany.
The santa door hanger....it is so cute, agree?
I was feeling extremely festive this week. It all started on Tuesday, when my friend gave me an early christmas pressie. It was a santa door hanger, with a bell on the hat. Love it. :D
The following day, my housemate, Helen, and I decided to put up our christmas tree. It was fun. And this year, our tree looks prettier because we have added new tree decorations, some were bought by Helen, while I got those cute little wooden decos (look out for them in the pictures below!) from Germany.
Oh...oh....oh did I mention that I bought a small blue wooden christmas tree from Germany? It is quite special and I absolutely love it...Helen & I assembled it together the other day, and boy, it is so so so cute. *tee hee hee
Sorry..please excuse my excitement! I have also just bought a set of star lights today.... I am planning to hang them at my window...ahh...I could picture it now, it is going to be very pretty!!!! can't wait!!
Here are the pictures!
My Christmas Tree
A closer look at the tree. The pressie underneath it is for Helen.
Cute little santa sitting on a moon.
A wee angel & a candy stick!
The blue wooden xmas tree from Germany.
The santa door hanger....it is so cute, agree?You Have a Mental Health Problem
Only a few days into psychiatry, I already have an uncomfortable feeling about it. I don't know. I think it is not easy getting information from these patients, because, the first thing they want from me is trust. It is certainly not easy for them to trust me, especially when they have a mental health problem.
Getting the history from them has been really challenging. A patient today explained that he has made a video of himself and this video, has been shown worldwide. When asked about the content of the video, he replied, "I know you have seen the video. I am not going to talk about it." Then, on a different occasion, I asked him if he has been hearing abnormal voices. He said, "Yes, but I do not want to talk about it." Sigh...so how am I supposed to get a history from him?! It gets a bit frustrating.
I find the whole job extremely slow-paced. You know, most of my jobs in the past year or months, have been pretty busy, with doing ward work, clerking-in, and reviewing sickies. But now, all I need to do is wait for referrals, which totals up to about 5-6 a day, compared to the usual 20 a day in medical wards. I find it difficult to settle in (but i'm sure with time, I would actually appreciate the extra free time).
I don't like the fact that I have to interview the patient in a special room....the precautions I need to take when interviewing them, are such a pain! I need to let the patient sit first, I need to sit near the exit door, I need to make sure I bring an alarm with me, I need to make sure I approach the patient with my body sideways (because if I face the patient like how you would normally greet someone, I am exposing myself to more danger).....sigh...so many things to bear in mind!
I tried to throw these negative thoughts away...and approached this job positively. hmm...let me see....oh, yes, I get to do the ward round while sitting on a nice comfy chair. I get to drink coffee during the whole ward round (which takes hours!!!). I do not have to do 7 consecutive night on calls...this has been replaced with 24 hours on calls. Nothing else positive that I can think of.
I think at the end of the day, I myself get abit depressed....or you never know, one day, I will come home from work, with paranoid ideas and hallucinations! I know mental health problem is not a very nice illness to have, so I need to be more understanding and be more professional! *slap myself...wake up and be enthusiastic.
Getting the history from them has been really challenging. A patient today explained that he has made a video of himself and this video, has been shown worldwide. When asked about the content of the video, he replied, "I know you have seen the video. I am not going to talk about it." Then, on a different occasion, I asked him if he has been hearing abnormal voices. He said, "Yes, but I do not want to talk about it." Sigh...so how am I supposed to get a history from him?! It gets a bit frustrating.
I find the whole job extremely slow-paced. You know, most of my jobs in the past year or months, have been pretty busy, with doing ward work, clerking-in, and reviewing sickies. But now, all I need to do is wait for referrals, which totals up to about 5-6 a day, compared to the usual 20 a day in medical wards. I find it difficult to settle in (but i'm sure with time, I would actually appreciate the extra free time).
I don't like the fact that I have to interview the patient in a special room....the precautions I need to take when interviewing them, are such a pain! I need to let the patient sit first, I need to sit near the exit door, I need to make sure I bring an alarm with me, I need to make sure I approach the patient with my body sideways (because if I face the patient like how you would normally greet someone, I am exposing myself to more danger).....sigh...so many things to bear in mind!
I tried to throw these negative thoughts away...and approached this job positively. hmm...let me see....oh, yes, I get to do the ward round while sitting on a nice comfy chair. I get to drink coffee during the whole ward round (which takes hours!!!). I do not have to do 7 consecutive night on calls...this has been replaced with 24 hours on calls. Nothing else positive that I can think of.
I think at the end of the day, I myself get abit depressed....or you never know, one day, I will come home from work, with paranoid ideas and hallucinations! I know mental health problem is not a very nice illness to have, so I need to be more understanding and be more professional! *slap myself...wake up and be enthusiastic.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Ratatouille Rocks!
Just watched Ratatouille. I know, I know, I'm uber outdated. I know its been showing for a long time, but I've tried to catch it last month, and the tickets were sold out. So today, my friends and I sought the opportunity to not study, and watched this funny animation instead. hehe.
No regrets. It was a fantastic show! I loved it. I laughed...probably the loudest amongst all the other viewers. The people behind this animation...boy, aren't they creative? The little rat, Remy, is so cute, and so is his brother. Somehow, somewhere deep inside of me wished that a "tiny chef" would appear and show me how to cook! I suck at cooking. Well, the only things that I can cook properly are pasta, fried rice, ABC soup, roasted pepper with couscous, wantons, fried omelette....hmm..i guess that's about it. None are exciting dishes to be honest. Wished I could cook something special or cook something "with perspective."
Anyway, its time for me to go to bed. Tomorrow I start as a SHO in psychiatry...yikes...pretty intimidated by it because:
1. I never liked psychiatry.
2. I don't think I could interact well with psychiatric patients.
3. I don't think I could keep a straight face when someone tells me weird stuff. (so unprofessional eh?)
4. I am worried that I do not know how to react to what the patients tell me, and I simply do not know how to treat them!
5. I am also very concerned that these patients end up manipulating me due to my lack of experience!
So....fingers & toes crossed, that tomorrow will be alright. Wish me luck.
No regrets. It was a fantastic show! I loved it. I laughed...probably the loudest amongst all the other viewers. The people behind this animation...boy, aren't they creative? The little rat, Remy, is so cute, and so is his brother. Somehow, somewhere deep inside of me wished that a "tiny chef" would appear and show me how to cook! I suck at cooking. Well, the only things that I can cook properly are pasta, fried rice, ABC soup, roasted pepper with couscous, wantons, fried omelette....hmm..i guess that's about it. None are exciting dishes to be honest. Wished I could cook something special or cook something "with perspective."
Anyway, its time for me to go to bed. Tomorrow I start as a SHO in psychiatry...yikes...pretty intimidated by it because:
1. I never liked psychiatry.
2. I don't think I could interact well with psychiatric patients.
3. I don't think I could keep a straight face when someone tells me weird stuff. (so unprofessional eh?)
4. I am worried that I do not know how to react to what the patients tell me, and I simply do not know how to treat them!
5. I am also very concerned that these patients end up manipulating me due to my lack of experience!
So....fingers & toes crossed, that tomorrow will be alright. Wish me luck.
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Still Schleeppyy...
Its amazing how sleepy I am still feeling until today. After coming home from work on Friday morning, I slept from 3 pm until 5 am the next morning! I thought that should have sorted my tiredness out, and put me back to normal daylight....not!
I was rather sleepy last night....could feel eyes becoming puffy and watery. I was at Peter's dinner party at that time....we had an awesome steamboat, and LOADS of desserts...maybe that added to my sleepiness...but heck, it was a nice meal. By the time I got home, it was nearly 11pm, and I went straight to bed...couldn't keep my eyes open for another minute.
This morning, I woke up just before 8 am, with a terrible backache. Must be either my sleeping position or PMS. After my breakfast, I thought I would sit down and do some work...but I decided to lie down to rest my back......and yeah, ended up sleeping again, probably for another hour.
I've been rather awake since then...but my back is still killing me. I've been strecthing myself all day, still no effect...think I just need to go back to bed. keke. Hopefully, by tomorrow, I would be less sleepy.
The group of us at dinner.
Thanks peter, and your lovely landlord & landlady, for the lovely meal. :) Can't wait for your BBQ plans.....
I was rather sleepy last night....could feel eyes becoming puffy and watery. I was at Peter's dinner party at that time....we had an awesome steamboat, and LOADS of desserts...maybe that added to my sleepiness...but heck, it was a nice meal. By the time I got home, it was nearly 11pm, and I went straight to bed...couldn't keep my eyes open for another minute.
This morning, I woke up just before 8 am, with a terrible backache. Must be either my sleeping position or PMS. After my breakfast, I thought I would sit down and do some work...but I decided to lie down to rest my back......and yeah, ended up sleeping again, probably for another hour.
I've been rather awake since then...but my back is still killing me. I've been strecthing myself all day, still no effect...think I just need to go back to bed. keke. Hopefully, by tomorrow, I would be less sleepy.
The group of us at dinner.Thanks peter, and your lovely landlord & landlady, for the lovely meal. :) Can't wait for your BBQ plans.....
Saturday, December 01, 2007
My Last Day in Paediatrics
My last day in paediatrics can be considered as the most exciting and memorable one.
I was doing my last night on call for paeds. The night kicked off busy, with 4 waiting to be seen and 2 awaited. So I cracked on and started to see one after another. Halfway through them, my registrar's page did not stop bleeping. She added more names to the admission sheet.
I really could not believe how busy the night was going to be. I hardly slept the whole day. Well, I tried, but couldn't. I had to go back to the hospital to meet my supervisor at 2 pm. After the handover in the morning, I had to attend a teaching. So by the time I left the hospital, it was 10.30am. Got home an hour later due to bad traffic, washed up and sat down for awhile to rest....before needing to leave at 1 pm. After the meeting with my supervisor, I met up with my friend, Laura, who just found out that the guy she loved, as been having a relationship with another girl! I went over to make sure she was alright....I mean, it is pretty obvious she wasn't going to be ok. I chatted with her till nearly 6pm. Now, by that time, my eyes were so painful, and I could feel a headache starting to build up. The only sleep I managed was 3 hours the night before. With hardly any sleep, I was really slow at work.
Not too long after that, she received an urgent call to go down to resus in A&E to see a 26 day old baby with sats in the 80s. So off she went, and continued to see all these patients. The only good thing about working in the last day is I have experience...well, 4 months worth of experience. Therefore, once I have seen a patient, I feel confident enough to make a decision as to whether or not to admit, or observe the patient for a few hours. My registrar came back an hour later from resus with a small little baby that has been stabilised.
The rest of the night was spent revieweing one patient after another. Some patients, in my opinion, should not even be seen by us, because the child was absolutely well, except for a cold. This could be easily sorted out by their GP. One of the babies that I saw needed a full septic screen, which included a lumbar puncture. It took awhile to sort that baby out as he was pretty sick. Anyway, while I was busy seeing another patient, I heard my registrar shouting, "I need help here!"
I dropped what I was doing and ran over to see what was happening. I found a dusky coloured baby lying down on the cot. *Yikes!
The baby's saturations were dropping to about 70% despite having 10 L of oxygen, with a heart rate of only 90 bpm. To be honest, I have never really seen a baby in a periarrest situation. I have certainly very sick children with DKA or severe asthma exacerbation. My adrenaline started to kick in. We took the baby (who is only 10 days old) to the treatment room, because our resus trolley was there.
I felt nervous but excited. We worked through the basic ABCs....the only thing we really struggled was the circulation part. My registrar tried like nearly 8 times to cannulate her, but failed. In the end, we had to seek help from the neonatal registrar to set up an IV Access. He got it after 5 attempts too. We decided that the baby was septic....so we started to prepare antibiotics. The baby was really not doing great. She kept running into apnoeic episodes with colour changes, her Hydrogen ions were 50 and potassium was 6.1!
We worked on that baby for a good 2 hours, and had to call the consultant on call to come in. It was 9 am (which is handover time) by then. Being the SHO, I had to ensure the handover sheet was updated and of course, I had to go back and complete my examination on that child that I was seeing initially. As so many things happened overnight, I became really confused as to which patient came in with what particular problem. It was 9.30 am before us, the night team, did the handover.
*phew, what a night! Filled with sick children...and a periarrest! Before I left, I heard that the wee baby girl needed to be transferred to the bigger children's hospital in Glasgow city. They would need to intubate her as well, because she simply wasnt really coping with her breathing.
I was glad the night was over...it was exciting though. My last day in paeds certainly ended with a bang! Next up, would be psychiatry for me....something which I absolutely dislike.
I was doing my last night on call for paeds. The night kicked off busy, with 4 waiting to be seen and 2 awaited. So I cracked on and started to see one after another. Halfway through them, my registrar's page did not stop bleeping. She added more names to the admission sheet.
I really could not believe how busy the night was going to be. I hardly slept the whole day. Well, I tried, but couldn't. I had to go back to the hospital to meet my supervisor at 2 pm. After the handover in the morning, I had to attend a teaching. So by the time I left the hospital, it was 10.30am. Got home an hour later due to bad traffic, washed up and sat down for awhile to rest....before needing to leave at 1 pm. After the meeting with my supervisor, I met up with my friend, Laura, who just found out that the guy she loved, as been having a relationship with another girl! I went over to make sure she was alright....I mean, it is pretty obvious she wasn't going to be ok. I chatted with her till nearly 6pm. Now, by that time, my eyes were so painful, and I could feel a headache starting to build up. The only sleep I managed was 3 hours the night before. With hardly any sleep, I was really slow at work.
Not too long after that, she received an urgent call to go down to resus in A&E to see a 26 day old baby with sats in the 80s. So off she went, and continued to see all these patients. The only good thing about working in the last day is I have experience...well, 4 months worth of experience. Therefore, once I have seen a patient, I feel confident enough to make a decision as to whether or not to admit, or observe the patient for a few hours. My registrar came back an hour later from resus with a small little baby that has been stabilised.
The rest of the night was spent revieweing one patient after another. Some patients, in my opinion, should not even be seen by us, because the child was absolutely well, except for a cold. This could be easily sorted out by their GP. One of the babies that I saw needed a full septic screen, which included a lumbar puncture. It took awhile to sort that baby out as he was pretty sick. Anyway, while I was busy seeing another patient, I heard my registrar shouting, "I need help here!"
I dropped what I was doing and ran over to see what was happening. I found a dusky coloured baby lying down on the cot. *Yikes!
The baby's saturations were dropping to about 70% despite having 10 L of oxygen, with a heart rate of only 90 bpm. To be honest, I have never really seen a baby in a periarrest situation. I have certainly very sick children with DKA or severe asthma exacerbation. My adrenaline started to kick in. We took the baby (who is only 10 days old) to the treatment room, because our resus trolley was there.
I felt nervous but excited. We worked through the basic ABCs....the only thing we really struggled was the circulation part. My registrar tried like nearly 8 times to cannulate her, but failed. In the end, we had to seek help from the neonatal registrar to set up an IV Access. He got it after 5 attempts too. We decided that the baby was septic....so we started to prepare antibiotics. The baby was really not doing great. She kept running into apnoeic episodes with colour changes, her Hydrogen ions were 50 and potassium was 6.1!
We worked on that baby for a good 2 hours, and had to call the consultant on call to come in. It was 9 am (which is handover time) by then. Being the SHO, I had to ensure the handover sheet was updated and of course, I had to go back and complete my examination on that child that I was seeing initially. As so many things happened overnight, I became really confused as to which patient came in with what particular problem. It was 9.30 am before us, the night team, did the handover.
*phew, what a night! Filled with sick children...and a periarrest! Before I left, I heard that the wee baby girl needed to be transferred to the bigger children's hospital in Glasgow city. They would need to intubate her as well, because she simply wasnt really coping with her breathing.
I was glad the night was over...it was exciting though. My last day in paeds certainly ended with a bang! Next up, would be psychiatry for me....something which I absolutely dislike.
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