忍!!!
First time following Dr Leow on ward round and it was real educational and eye-opening.
There was a patient in isolation with suspected TB. Apparently he did not have typical symptoms of TB, no night sweats, no haemoptysis.. etc, chest X-ray showed pneumonia (consolidation), but again has no signs typical of TB (no focuses..) However, the ED admitted him to isolation anyway (dunno why).. The patient was started on antibiotics for community acquired pneumonia.
"Wa, like that all patients with pneumonia will be in isolation already.." remarked Dr Leow, but he obliged with the task of ruling out the patient of TB by continuing the collection of 3 X morning sputum cultures anyway..
Looks like it doesn't pay to be Mr. or rather Dr. Nice Guy..
He was waiting for the HO to get N95 masks before going into the room to see the patient when a nurse saw one relative of the patient going into the room with a mask... in her hand, not on her face.
"Call her out quick.." Dr Leow said.
The nurse tapped on the glass panel of the door and beckoned the lady to exit the room. The lady obviously knew why she was asked out and as she was walking out of the door, she was fumbling with the mask, putting it to her face. Dr Leow was about to explain to her the need for the mask when she suddenly "bursted"
"WHY ARE YOU ALL THINKING OF TB? WHY ONLY TB? WHY NOT OTHER THINGS?"
(Wa what happened? Dr Leow didn't even start..)
"Oh we're only trying to rule out TB, but we have to collect 3 samples of.."
The outbursts and explanations followed one after another with the outburst interrupting the explanations many times..
(My blood was put on the stove already)
Then the lady said:"I've sent him to SGH before and he had also seen GPs. IT CANNOT BE TB!"
(Oh wow.. Impressive. If he really kena TB... )
"You're 99% right it's not TB... but because (explain explain), so that's why there are some protocols we have to follow (pointing to the notice to wear masks).."
"I KNOW, WE'VE GONE THROUGH THAT ALREADY! NOW I WANT TO TALK ABOUT HIS CONDITION NOT THIS!!"
(Huh?!! Got go through meh? Dr. Leow didn't even say the word "mask" since he started.. Blood boiled)
"WHY IS HE ANEMIC? HIS BP AND TEMP OK ALREADY.. SHOULD BE FINE ALREADY RIGHT?"
"Explain explain explain.."
Exchanges, exchanges, exchanges.. (I think i would have raised my voice if i were Dr Leow.. of course he did not..)
This went on for like 10 minutes until she looked out of gas.. She ended by nodding her head and finally Dr Leow can 反击 and said
"Actually all the precautions are for the safety of the family members but we really cannot force you all to wear masks if you all don't want to.. It will be at your own risk if you all don't.."
She looked glum and pointed to the room, indicating he should take a look at the patient now.. Dr Leow then went on his job and when he exited the room and took off the N95, he looked at it and smiled.. "Now i have a mask mark on my face.. Reminds me of the SARS days." As if nothing happened.
"We have to face these next time" 1 friend said
"Felt like slapping her" said another
I agreed.. and wondered if i could develop his kind of patience.. I began to feel guilty cos i was half hoping the lady was wrong and the patient did have TB.. I shouldn't have, cos it's not his fault. maybe not her fault to react this way too cos probably there was too little communication before this encounter. Hai what to do, Dr Leow just took over ward duty and A and E just wierdly sent this case. All in a days' work i guess.
Of course there were many other things i got to learn from Dr Leow over the round.. Had this great urge to kneel and kowtow to him.. "Oh great one!"
He was real meticulous and knowledgeable. Able to think broadly and not accept given diagnoses when there's something fishy. On top of these, he speaks real good teochew!!
There are people who speak Teochew and i only know it if i could pick out teochew words.. there are others who can speak pure and good teochew (like grandma and 大姑) one can know they are speaking teochew by the tones and accent.. heard somewhere that teochew has something like 42 tones (if i remember correctly.. oops just found out it is 8 tones but numerous tone sandhi.. but still dunno the exact number.) i suppose if one could speak in the 42 tones, it would sound real pure.. Dr Leow gave me the impression of purity.
Oh man, i'm already 五体投地.. and i'm sure i haven't seen the last impressible ability of his..
There was a patient in isolation with suspected TB. Apparently he did not have typical symptoms of TB, no night sweats, no haemoptysis.. etc, chest X-ray showed pneumonia (consolidation), but again has no signs typical of TB (no focuses..) However, the ED admitted him to isolation anyway (dunno why).. The patient was started on antibiotics for community acquired pneumonia.
"Wa, like that all patients with pneumonia will be in isolation already.." remarked Dr Leow, but he obliged with the task of ruling out the patient of TB by continuing the collection of 3 X morning sputum cultures anyway..
Looks like it doesn't pay to be Mr. or rather Dr. Nice Guy..
He was waiting for the HO to get N95 masks before going into the room to see the patient when a nurse saw one relative of the patient going into the room with a mask... in her hand, not on her face.
"Call her out quick.." Dr Leow said.
The nurse tapped on the glass panel of the door and beckoned the lady to exit the room. The lady obviously knew why she was asked out and as she was walking out of the door, she was fumbling with the mask, putting it to her face. Dr Leow was about to explain to her the need for the mask when she suddenly "bursted"
"WHY ARE YOU ALL THINKING OF TB? WHY ONLY TB? WHY NOT OTHER THINGS?"
(Wa what happened? Dr Leow didn't even start..)
"Oh we're only trying to rule out TB, but we have to collect 3 samples of.."
The outbursts and explanations followed one after another with the outburst interrupting the explanations many times..
(My blood was put on the stove already)
Then the lady said:"I've sent him to SGH before and he had also seen GPs. IT CANNOT BE TB!"
(Oh wow.. Impressive. If he really kena TB... )
"You're 99% right it's not TB... but because (explain explain), so that's why there are some protocols we have to follow (pointing to the notice to wear masks).."
"I KNOW, WE'VE GONE THROUGH THAT ALREADY! NOW I WANT TO TALK ABOUT HIS CONDITION NOT THIS!!"
(Huh?!! Got go through meh? Dr. Leow didn't even say the word "mask" since he started.. Blood boiled)
"WHY IS HE ANEMIC? HIS BP AND TEMP OK ALREADY.. SHOULD BE FINE ALREADY RIGHT?"
"Explain explain explain.."
Exchanges, exchanges, exchanges.. (I think i would have raised my voice if i were Dr Leow.. of course he did not..)
This went on for like 10 minutes until she looked out of gas.. She ended by nodding her head and finally Dr Leow can 反击 and said
"Actually all the precautions are for the safety of the family members but we really cannot force you all to wear masks if you all don't want to.. It will be at your own risk if you all don't.."
She looked glum and pointed to the room, indicating he should take a look at the patient now.. Dr Leow then went on his job and when he exited the room and took off the N95, he looked at it and smiled.. "Now i have a mask mark on my face.. Reminds me of the SARS days." As if nothing happened.
"We have to face these next time" 1 friend said
"Felt like slapping her" said another
I agreed.. and wondered if i could develop his kind of patience.. I began to feel guilty cos i was half hoping the lady was wrong and the patient did have TB.. I shouldn't have, cos it's not his fault. maybe not her fault to react this way too cos probably there was too little communication before this encounter. Hai what to do, Dr Leow just took over ward duty and A and E just wierdly sent this case. All in a days' work i guess.
Of course there were many other things i got to learn from Dr Leow over the round.. Had this great urge to kneel and kowtow to him.. "Oh great one!"
He was real meticulous and knowledgeable. Able to think broadly and not accept given diagnoses when there's something fishy. On top of these, he speaks real good teochew!!
There are people who speak Teochew and i only know it if i could pick out teochew words.. there are others who can speak pure and good teochew (like grandma and 大姑) one can know they are speaking teochew by the tones and accent.. heard somewhere that teochew has something like 42 tones (if i remember correctly.. oops just found out it is 8 tones but numerous tone sandhi.. but still dunno the exact number.) i suppose if one could speak in the 42 tones, it would sound real pure.. Dr Leow gave me the impression of purity.
Oh man, i'm already 五体投地.. and i'm sure i haven't seen the last impressible ability of his..
posted by KwangHow at
7:03 PM
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