One Week in the ICU

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Just spent the past week in the intensive care unit in neurology. It was a heck of a week. So many ups and downs. But I survived it. What doesn't break you only makes you stronger, I guess.

Well I'll start with the Ups. We were all given patients on the first day in the ICU. We had to follow up their daily progress or decline..  I had a female patient and long story short by day four she was transferred to the female ward. This means she improved. Was so cool to be given your own patient and basically follow up. Everyday you walk into the ward with so much hope, hopping that your patient  has improved, and it gladden my heart when day in, each day I watched her improve. I can only Imagine how doctors feel when there patients get better. Trust me its one of the best feelings in the world.

I've also had so many downs this past week. I just got so fed up of everything that I just wanted to pack my things, quit and leave. I had, had enough of all the stress of reading (and not remembering most of what I read). It hasn't been easy juggling practice and reading.
On the other hand while my patient got better I also watch so many other patients deteriorate or show no improvement. It was too much dealing with this emotionally, having so much sympathy. Which I am not supposed to as a doctor. show empathy but not sympathy, that's the rule. But on the other hand I am human and I can't always numb my feelings.
Also dealing with being away from home. I miss my family so much and this is my first summer away from home ever. And since I had no break between my fifth year and beginning my 6th year I am physically exhausted. Plus the heat is blazing here.. wow!!!!

Well I had to deal with all this this past week. and It has been one of my most trying weeks yet in this Journey. But I'm still going, still pushing. If it takes hard work to get to the finish line then I'm gonna work hard.

I start my final week in Neuro tomorrow. I know its gonna be a less stressful week as I have completed all of my obligatory duties, ha ha. So more time to study. It also means  my exams are coming soon, scary..lol.

Keep smiling and always stay positive, love

Two weeks in what I would like to call Hell.. Neurology

Seeing that I have been quite absent on blog ville, you will agree with me I've been in hell.. Its been 2 weeks of waking up 6:30am, walking 25-30mins to get to neurology department, morning meetings 8:15am, Ward rounds 9:15am consultations/labs from 11am till 3 or 4pm, call days stay late. go to the library afterward till about 9:30pm, get home around 10pm, so tired can't do anything not even face book. lol. sleep off by 10:30 or 11pm, this has been my week days. And weekends spending my whole time studying morning till late.Plus it like 40degrees here, seriously the heat is killing.

Ask me where is the time for family and friends. I feel like I don't have a life anymore, I feel I am changing into a doctor. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO  I don't want this kind of life. I want a life where I have time for my family and friends (I have lots of unanswered mails) and time for me. Keeps me wondering is this what life as a doctor entails??? Because If it is well I didn't sign up for this. If I knew no way I would be here. But we're doing this to save lives, or at least so they say.

Well let me gist you of what life in the Neurology ward is like. 1st of all you have to know that the majority of the patients are elderly people. And the commonest condition I've seen is Stroke.

Some few words about stroke: well stroke, know as cerebrovascular disease is a disease of circulation in which blood flow to the brain is decrease or stopped and since blood carries nutrients to the brain a decrease in  flow or cessation of flow will cause decrease function of brain or death of brain and is the reasons for all the symptoms we see. While age is the most common risk factor there are many other risk factors.The old adage we all know PREVENTION IS BETTER THAT CURE, stands so true for stroke. Knowing this risk factors and preventing them will be of great benefit to you and reduce the risk of developing stroke. Some of the risk factors include smoking, diabetics, gender (women, we are at a greater risk, well I know we can't prevent being female but since we know we stand a greater chance why don't we take extra precaution like hitting the gym, eating healthy and so on), cardiac diseases, drug abuse (cocaine), family history, alcohol, obesity, hypertension, heyperlipdemia, oral contraceptives.. the list goes on.

Oh got carried away talking about stroke, other conditions I have seen includes: Parkinson, MS, some cases as mild as headache, tumors so many other stuffs. I even had the opportunity on one of my calls to watch the examination of a patient confirming brain death, tests to perform, the protocol and calling time of death. 1st time in this kind of situation. What can I say, I'm learning, I'm learning each day each day.


P.S
Its time for me to do another Feature, anyone interested, Hit me up, mee@fabladyh.com.


Keep smiling guys, positive energy takes you far. Much love

Update; Now in Neurology

Hey guys, my God its been more than a week I did a post.. well I have been super busy with my practise. I started Neurology practise still here in debrecen, and its been fire..lol. This is my second week and it is a four week practice. I have to get up 6.30am every morning and never come back home before 8.00pm. And when I do I am so tired I don't even switch on my computer some days. Was planning to blog all weekend, but how pathetic is this guys, I had to study all weekend :-( Usually I had Sundays off to relax and play but this weekend was different. Just stole some time this evening to blog.

Neuro is great, I am really learning a lot. Doing the most crappiest things some times like measuring ABI for all the patients..lol.  But guys honestly I am learning soo much there, the teaching there is quality and quantity. Wish I could write more details but honestly I am so tired now. All I can say is if you are ever looking for somewhere to do a neurology practice hit debrecen :-) But how cool is this, there is a massage chair in one of the lounge in neuro so almost every day I steal about 15mins to get a massage, its really great and I look forward to it everyday..lol. At least some relaxation.

It's really so hot now, summer is full blow and some days the heat is really unbearable, making it quite hard to study. honestly all I think about now is a vacation. I really need one.

That's it for now. Thank you anyone who ever bothered to stop by and read this blog and comment. I heart you all. will blog more soon.


keep smiling, love

More from the Psychiatric Ward

Sorry Should have posted this two weeks ago.. but here goes

Like I did from the chronic ward am gonna talk about some of the conditions I saw while i was in the acute ward. (please note that I am not trying to make my blog monotonous, its gonna take different forms of blogging).

The acute ward to sum it up was the place were patients who didn't want to be in the hospital were kept, as it is a close ward, they can't leave. also those who had no motivation or needed close supervision were kept there. They were patients who came in one there own, those who were referred by another physicians, some by family and friends, some were found on the streets and brought in by the police and they were those who came in handcuffs with the police.

The Psychiatry Ward 2

Sorry for my absence, Its been an awful two weeks of intense studying for my psych final, studied for the whole time while doing my rotation plus an extra week which was five weeks in total, but the last two weeks were something else, especially the last one, I almost became a psych patient myself. But I'm glad to say it went really great, wooohooo, so this chapter of my life is over.. now that we've gotten this out of the way, lets talk about the much anticipated time I spent in the acute psych ward..

As some of you know, I did my 1st 2 weeks in the chronic ward.. The last two was in the acute ward, and it was a hell of an experience, waay much fun than the chronic ward. Why was this?

Well I got to work with some awesome doctors, who were so ready to teach and answer our never ending questions (some of which am sure were really silly, but they will alway still answer), and were very helpful in our preparation for the exam. Any medical inter will agree with me that one of the best thing that can happen to you during your internship years, is working under friendly, nice, willing to teach doctors. This made time there worth while..

And secondly of course were the patients.. Boy, they were the funniest, craziest, cheerfullest, friendliest (ha.. so many adjectives there) patients one can ever come across. We had patients who were always egger to see us and greeted so cheerfully every morning. On one occasion a patient made drawings for the doctors, with their names and all that on it.lol. ever smiling patients, having the weirdest, funniest things to say. Some who had to be convinced everyday to stay, and each day was the same "I want to go home", "oh you have to stay" conversation between doctor and patient. Some who just didn't even care you were there, just sat with an I-don't-care attitude and look at the doctors like, what now (some serious swagger in the psych ward). some who didn't think they should be there, and some who had no idea where the hell they where or even what year they were in.

Let me tell you how my last day went. We were done and just waiting to get our stamps of approval, when this patient came and started singing to us, was nice at first and we smiled and thanked her, but she wouldn't stop. She kept following us and singing and before we realized it, we were the center of attention in the ward. Seriously |I felt like a bait because most of the patient had come around us by now, just staring at us (as If the circus had come to the ward), asking if we liked Hungarian songs? if we understood the song? if we needed translation?..... short of the story we had to run away from the ward without our stamp, but this meant we must still return..lol. And on returning same thing happened, this patient was back to us, singing, singing, singing...lol. thank God not long after we found our tutor, got our stamps and were out of there ever, phew!!!!

The psych ward is really a place that once you have been there, its an experience you will never forget, something you will talk about for a long time, with laughter, pity, sadness, confusion. One of my readers Sting left me this comment,

"I have learned a whole lot from working there, about life and mostly about myself. You are able to put things in a totally different perspective."

I realized that a lot of movies are based on psychiatry conditions. That really help me when I was studying..lol. I will think of a movie I have see with the same condition, to get a clearer picture about what I am studying.. Speaking of movies, I remember all the movies I have watched that when a patient starts acting out beyond control, the doctors will sedate the patient and put them in an isolation room.. Well the fist day I saw some one in an isolation room, something hit me so hard.. can't place my finger on what it was, but let me say it was pity. I couldn't get the sad picture out of my head.. My God this is like being in prison for what? being ill... Well what has to be done must be done, I guess and thats the way it works.. It was just a sad site to me, couldn't take it. That's why am not built for this job. Although with time I didn't get the same trow back as the first. That's the thing I realized about Medicine, many ppl say oh I can never do it there is soo much blood involved, too much sad things like death.. Well no human in their right frame of mind likes any of these things. But with time you just get stronger (not harden) to handle it. I use to tell people, Its like learning to walk, as a child u are terrified to just get up and walk, so u begin with dragging yourself on the ground, then crawling and then with the support of some one u begin to walk, and just one day you dare to walk on your own and you even run. Don't push it give yourself time, appreciating at the same time your strength and weakness.

Well more to come about my time in the psych ward, don't want to over load this post.. lol

P.S
Its time for me to do another Feature, anyone interested, Hit me up, mee@fabladyh.com.


keep smiling, love

Done with Psychiatry Rotation

Wow! can't believe it's been four weeks already, went kinda fast. Oh well I'm done with psychiatry rotation, and am glad. next up will be my finals in psych, then am done! done!! done!!! wooooohooo.

Well I made a very major decision today, which is Psychiatry is not for me.

I did admire some of the doctors there and their work, but we all know our strength and weakness, and this lead me in making up my mind. I have nothing but respect for psychiatrist. Being in the psych ward for a month has taught me a lot about this profession and I have to say it takes a lot of courage, requires dedication, empathy and detachment. This is a profession where you cannot cure your patients, in order words most (not all) of the patients you have keep coming back for a life time. So what keeps you going?? well I think you should ask a psychiatrist. A profession where a lot of your patients don't even want to see you. But yet they get up every morning and go to work, most of them with a smile (esp the ones I worked with) on their face, just to help this patients. A profession where each day you have to repeatedly try to convince most of your patient to stay so you can help them. A profession where some of your patients pose a serious treat to you. A profession where you listen to all sort of complains and stories, day in day out from your patients, some of which are so depressing and some just not making sense, most of all you must not be judgmental ( anyone who is human knows how hard this is). But at the same them it is a profession where you have patients who do nothing but make you laugh, hey they work with the craziest and most bizarre people ever. And lots more. It is indeed an admirable profession. lets give up to every psychiatrist out there!!!!!. More grease to your elbows and keep doing your thing.

P.s

sorry I have been rubbish on here this past two weeks, been super busy. But my stories as promised are still coming, gonna tell you guys all about my experience, esp for those of you who will never have the privilege to spend a month in a psychiatric ward (am not being sarcastic here), you get the opportunity to know a bit.

Sleep

As promised in my last post, said I would tell you all about my 1st week in the acute ward. here goes (more to come)

I learnt, always to be on time (well I am still working on it), Because not only are your tutors gonna get mad at you, but the patients are watching.. On Tuesday I was late to work, with two of my mates (always good to have company, ha ha), on entering the ward we were greeted by one of the patients "YOUR LATE", who pointed out to us were the others were (how nice), as they had began ward rounds. After we changed and we were headed to join the rest the same patient asked us, what happened that you are late? Did you over sleep? (of course we did, its not easy to wake up early).Well I just smiled, I didn't see that coming. When we got to this patient's room for rounds, my God I realized I was head down, not wanting to make eye contact because of shame (ok maybe I am exaggerating It). But I did learn, you gotta be at work on time.

Am learning that one of the biggest things you have to do In the medical profession is sacrifice, and your gonna sacrifice a lot (sleep inclusive). Pretty hard thing to do especially the sleep part. Anyone who knows me, will associate me with sleep. Yeah that's how much I love sleep. So I find myself always asking this questions (in regard to sleep) am I cut out for this profession? How do I handle calls?

On the other hand been studying for my final exam In Psych which is soon, as I am almost done with the practice. I have read a lot about sleep disturbances (yes it is under Psych). I could go on to tell you a whole lot about sleep, and I mean really a lot, like the phases, why we dream, sleep walk and all that but am not gonna bore you (if you are not a medical student, oh how lucky, you don't have to read all this, If you are a medical student, ha ha, enjoy). I just wanna draw your attention to snoring, which is often over looked. well it could be nothing, but if you know some one who snores, advice them to go have themselves checked.

keep smiling, love