Week of Misfortune
Misfortunes were pouring during the week just like the rain that poured in after a stretch of hot summer time. Then again, we in the tropics don’t really have summer well not actually. The tropics only have two seasons well actually three seasons - the hot dry season when draught is a common, the cool wet season when floods are a definite event especially in a country going through modernisation in a haphazard way with greed as the background and the third is the transitional phase that occurs between the first two season around the months of April and October when climates can be unpredictable just like the politicians we have, with strong winds and high tides rushing angrily towards the peninsular.
Life can be as such too. In fact mine was as such in the last one week - all the three seasons hitting me without mercy. Hopefully it had stopped as it looks like it is getting quiet towards the end of the week. I hope to see cherry blossoms then and pray they continue as the months come.To think about it, it actually has not been all that rosy for a few weeks now.
Well it appears that it just wasn’t only me but a few of us. Even my sister had a disheartening week. Patients that came were either very ill to start, some were about to go home and suddenly turn bad then for the worse within hours and others well and later developed complications. All this makes the day very stressful but is it a common scenario? I suppose many are reluctant to discuss such issues. My sister on the other hand, had to put up with 2 deaths of people close to her which brought back many sad memories for her. Well that is another article altogether.
Just yesterday, a 56 year old lady was involved in a motor vehicle accident and presented to us with communited fractures of her 8th to 11th right rib and 10th and 11th left ribs. She also had a deep laceration wound in her liver.She was also paraplegic from the event. She was talking when she arrived and this morning despite all efforts of resuscitating her, her pupils have dilated fully and unresponsive.
Then there is another personal phobia. A sense of dejavu. Would it be strange that all I have to do is have a moment and say something and trust me 80% to 90% of the time it would happen! I just wished it was the same for my social life but this only seem to occur in my work. So if it was a emergency splenectomy I wanted, then the chance is that within the same call or the next call, I will end up having one. It has reach a point sometimes where I seem to be able to predict what would happen next and lately it just occured the moment I tell my interns or medical officers. Hmmm! Maybe I should just keep my thoughts to myself!
February 23rd, 2007 at 9:00 am
Here’s hoping you will have a great weekend to recuperate from all the current stress
February 23rd, 2007 at 12:18 pm
I have not recovered from it as yet. First was the mother of my colleague, who suffered from throat cancer passed away on the 16th FEbruary 2007. I have visited her twice in the hospital and all I could remember was how Raj suffered. It is terrible to see and watch how the cancer patients die in front of you. Called my brother and told him to change his profession. Cannot imagine what he is going through everyday with patients dying away in his presence. One death is enough to make me feel so bad. The next day,17th February 2007, a student of mine, passed away due to heart infection. During my days of teaching him, his fingernails were always blue black. What I admired about him is his determination to study right to the very end despite knowing his illness. I am told by the College to write a word or two about him. This is the forth student dying on me. The first, passed away in a freak accident in 1996 due to car racing, the second was an International student, who passed away due to stomach cancer and the third is a disabled boy, who passed away after sitting for his Final year exams due to an illness i cannot pronounce. He was given an honoury award for completing his degree and the award was accepted by his parents during our graduation ceremony in 1998 with a broken heart.
I have another colleague, whose mum is suffering from nose cancer now, after suffering from breast cancer for 7 years. She had to resign to take care of her mum. Another friend is suffering of breast cancer…she is only 26 years old. God knows whats next. Life is short. Live life to the fullest. Tomorrow will never exist…it is God who decides. I have to keep my mind occupied to forget all this incidents.
February 23rd, 2007 at 3:27 pm
As they say, live every day as if there is no tomorrow. Appreciate the little things happening around us. Our family, friends are the assets we have. Cherish that.
February 23rd, 2007 at 3:36 pm
Sherly, I understand your morbity now.
I hope the lives of the loved ones of those you mentioned have been challenged for the better .
February 23rd, 2007 at 4:42 pm
George, Eat, drink and be merry…..BUT not before you go into your surgery theatre! Have a great year ahead!
February 23rd, 2007 at 5:51 pm
Yo all bloggers are back - was feeling a little under coz all on leave.
just me, like all weekends - just a day or two to recuperate - but to think about it - seeing my other patients well have renewed me somehow! How was the break for you?
Sherly, you will pull through like always! Try not to let this affect you too much!
February 23rd, 2007 at 6:04 pm
Sister ya very true - live everyday as if there is no tomorrow! Wow! I wonder where that would take me!HeHe
Judy, Hi! nice to hear from you! In the movies, surgeons in the west love to have a shot of alcohol before surgery or maybe more than a shot, to calm their nerves! Maybe I should start that - I would end up chopping while singing! oh forgot the photo snapping sessions in between!! OT would be a party! Wow
February 25th, 2007 at 1:05 am
George, I had a good break with loved ones, thanks!
February 25th, 2007 at 5:03 pm
Good for you, just me!
February 26th, 2007 at 5:53 pm
George, reading your reply, my mind goes to the series, ‘House’. Is there really a doctor out in the world somewhere who is like him?
You make my mind boggle, but I wonder again, you must have been taking snaps in between operations otherwise where do you get your photos to post on your blog here?
I can imagine, “OK, hold the needle and thread, this will make a nice picture for my blog.” Then you have your photographer assistant standing next to you in the theatre taking the snaps.
This now makes me wonder if there is a new post called ‘theatre photographer’ so that doctors/surgeons who blog have photos taken by the theatre photographer.
February 26th, 2007 at 6:13 pm
House? ya maybe there is but I know not one. Not applicable in Malaysia society though.
Well, I do take the pictures myself sometimes and occasionally have a “theatre photographer” who is either the intern or the nurses or the attendents to take the pictures but it seldom turns out well.
I started taking pictures following the footsteps of my mentor, Prof Ramanujam, a paediatric surgeon who took lots of photos for presentation, teaching and self-education by himself. I only recently started taking pictures for my blog.