The art of Medicine Can be Personal

It was my birthday this past Tuesday and I would rather be celebrating somewhere or just relaxing at home, but it was a heck of a week. Anyway, I chose this life...this profession and must live up to my responsibility as demanded by the the principle of this art. There is no doubt in my mind when I began to take more responsibility for patients that the things I will see and the privilege information I will have access to, the vulnerability of patients and many issues around the doctor-patient interaction will sometimes become personal. I mean It became personal when I saw the the first patient died from her serious auto accident injury after trying to resuscitate her for 2-3hrs. It became personal when a patient I thought was already stable slump back into coma and died even though he's 78y/o and even with all our effort. It was personal when I saw a 41 y/o young man presented with aortic dissection caused by uncontrolled long-standing hypertension just because he can not afford medical insurance. It also became personal when I saw the same young man rescued from death through timely life saving surgery. It was personal when I delivered my first baby, grateful to the mother who allowed me to practice my art for the first time. It's always personal when I figure out my patient's problem and I'm able to help out. it becomes personal when my patient show appreciation and return compassion to me.

I enjoy what I do...I look forward to going to work everyday, I want to help and I believe most people in medicine want to help and make a difference, and therefore can not totally avoid taking things personal sometimes. I want to apply myself every time with this art, I want to learn as much as I can...help as much as I can...show compassion regardless of situation and circumstances. I must say practicing this art is both rewarding and gratifying and to be paid for it...It's almost like, you play a kid's game for a king's ransom. And if you don't take it serious enough, eventually one day you're going to say, Oh, I could have done this, I could have done that... Because you could...And I don't want to say that. I want to look back and say: I did the best I could with every opportunity I had and I'm glad to be of help.

"A Break From Cases"

Can you imagine been on a surgery service and not have to step into the OR at all? Well, that what's what happened today. There were no urology surgeons to do the cases at the hospital that I'm at. Well, because they were all busy at our other hospitals doing surgeries. A few were fully occupied with office hours. So it turned out that my resident and myself began the day dividing the patients among ourselves hoping to round off quickly and enjoy the free time before an attending comes to round with us later in the day. But that was not to be, as we were bombarded with one consult after another that we almost could not get a lunch. So beware when you pray for that break, responsibility may come knocking in different form. You are warned!!!

Going Back

These brief 2 days' holiday secondary to my residency interview is over. I'll have to do it all over again tomorrow--wake up at 5:00am, shower, put on my scrubs and head out to the hospital to quickly see my patients before rounding and later to the Operating Room. I must confess that I was already used to this routine until this 2 day break, now I have to go back. My consolation is that I only have 2 more days to do that and off I go to Cardiology service...hmm speaking of cardio, that means I'll have to brush up on EKG reading skill and ready to impress my attending. The good thing about cardio service is that I don't have to be up until 7:00am, the downside of it is that I've got to take calls like every other medicine sub-specialty service. Well, what can I say, a Jedi must have the deepest commitment.

Cystoscopy

Apart from the brief moment during my general surgery rotation that I thought of becoming a urologist, I was set on never touching with even a long pole any sub specialty of surgery. But It turns out I needed a surgery sub-specialty elective and there goes my journey this past month to the land of cysto, retrograde pyelogram, double J stent placement or exchange, holmium laser lithothripsy, hydrocele, supra-pubic catheter placement, trans urethral resection of bladder tumor (turbt),trans urethral resection of prostate(turp) and radical prostectomy. It however turned out to be interesting than I previously thought--great residents, very short cases for the most part. I was able to help out focusing on paper works, writing post-op orders and discharge notes. It was a pleasant experience at the end of the month plus I learned a lot about what urology do. Hmmmm...wait a minute, If I can get beyond having to routinely poke through the urethra with the cystocopic rod, may be I can become a urologist after all.

I'm back

After a very long silence on this blog, I'm finally back to put out my thought--a soliloquy of ideas and thought that continues to generates in my mind. Watch out!

Quotes

The role of the doctor must be to alleviate dis-ease as well as disease, to have the quiet humility to listen when faced with pervasive anxiety, to have the strength to give sustenance when faced with despair, and to have the confidence to act as the voice of one's patient or people, through advocacy, when faced with vulnerability and powerlessness"- Richard Hortonformer editor of The Lancet