东亚大夫

Western medicine: frozen shoulder
Treatment:
1) analgesics, physiotherapy
2) manipulation under GA

Chinese medicine
Treatment:
1)Manipulation under er.. no anasthesia (ouch ouch..)
2)Physiotherapy lesson (exercises to be done at home)

Time treated at western doctor: at most 30mins
Time treated at chinese sinseh: 1/1/2 hrs

Medical fees (western): $18 for consultation, more for physio... dunno cost of manipulation under GA because not done yet
Medical fees (chinese): Fees for both above stated treatment: $30

Western medicine: Plantar fasciitis
Treatment:
1) Analgesia, rest, soft support for soles
2) Injection of steroids and lignocaine

Chinese medicine
Treatment:
1) Acupuncture with electrical stimulation
2) 推拿 for sole of foot

Time taken in western medicine: at most 10mins
Time taken in chinese medicine: 1/1/2 hrs

Amount paid for western treatment: $10 for consultation, more for analgesia.. (about $20) no local injection done yet..
Amount paid for chinese treatment: $30 for both above stated treatment

What next to compare? Outcome.... have to wait few days for dad and mom's response to treatment..

Post SIP

Hmm.. 4th posting in 4 weeks.. End of the SIP (med) liao

Really got to see what the houseman does.. Should not be feeling so lost in my first day.

It sometimes is real scary though, when i think of what was happening to the houseman i was following, especially under Dr (ahem)

Case1: Ya this type of things you dun have to tell me ok? you should do these by yourself.

Case2: Oh why do you do that? because the dietician/cardiologist/specch therapist tells you??!! you are not a waiter/waitress. you are a doctor.. you should decide for yourself. Now cancel this order... and put mine down...

Case3: What??! Why are you giving the patient this? Can't you see he's overloaded with the raised JVP? (It was obviously the carotids lor..) I find that you are doing things on your own and making your own decisions!! You got your MO and me to ask. Next time ask me first before doing anything!! Now stop the fluids for this patient!! (then case 1 how??)

Haiz.. end of the day whether life is good or not depends on the consultant one is following.. Why med school and working life in hospital like that one??

Anyway, got to thank Dr Lee SS for his fruitful tutorials and tests. Really forced me to read up and be better versed with hypocounts, breathlessness etc.. and also for his multiple tips on blood taking, IV plugs etc etc.. Really benefitted from him.
I think i will not forget his stern face and his pointing fingers that weijie so magnificently imitated. Also cannot forget the scene alvin told me:

After asking alvin about hypocount and fluids...

Dr Lee:"What is weijie's number?"
Alvin:"Oh er... blah blah blah"
Dr Lee calls weijie:"Hello weijie ah? you free now? If patient got hypocount of ... what do you do?"

Poor weijie got to think over the phone and answer him.. haha like a night call from a nurse..

To take or not to take..

3rd week of "vampirism"

I feel it's ok if i was taking patients i'm seeing everyday in rounds. But for some strange reasons, there is a particular room where it is "no man's land" where there's only an MO seeing the patients without any HOs or SIPs but all the discharges and bloods are done by us..

So it's quite hard when approaching patients and some ask. "Wa again ah? How's the last result ah? This one is for what ah?" Then have to refer to forms, computer etc.. To satisfy them and make them more comfortable at giving their cubital veins for my perusal..

Worse scenarios include elderly patients that firstly think that 3 days of 2 tubes each will suck them dry.. Or those that feel that blood taking is a real torture. That doctors and nurses who have to hold their hands and poke them are cruel. Then have to convince them that they will not be dry with 20ml of blood gone in 3 days.. That we are doing this for their own good.. Will sometimes ask myself if i am doing the right thing by taking blood when they are so against it. Also dunno why i have this calling to try my utmost best to make a super reluctant patient agree to the blood taking when there's talks about patients' autonomy and also i will have 1 less blood to take with each refusal.. Hmm.. because i will feel uneasy if the blood taking tray still has empty tubes?

Worst Post-call

Er.. though it's my first post call, may have worse ones to come...

Got last patient to clerk at 630am.. Altered mental status.. Cannot get any history from him so examined him and found nothing. Could be drugs.. Anyway, completed the clerking form and awaited MO to review. Who knows he's stuck with a talkative patient's son.. Fortunately he promised to review immediately after his patient and told us to go off.

Morning rounds as usual, then blood taking.. Unfortunately, supervisor was lurking around. Caught me and wanted to observe me take.. Wanted to prove i could do it.. quite confident of the vein then missed.. (Well done right?)
"I thought you could get 2 for blood taking in the first week.. Now.."

(Jialat.. why so sua?)

1230pm.. supervisor still lurking..
"Can meet you guys at 2pm today?"

"Oh.. we had night call last night.."

"Oh then never mind.." (Whew..)

1245pm... supervisor popped by again.
"I know you guys are post call but stay back at 130pm for a short session?"

"OK"

130pm... practical tutorial.. emergencies tutorial... on and on...

430pm
"OK that's it.. sorry for keeping you all... I'm afraid i have no time till the end of the posting to test you all again that's why.."

32hrs in hospital.

Pampered

Was formally used to working on saturdays... Army, First few years of med school.. Until the 5 day week was implemented.
Then saturdays were heaven with 1 day to spare and not worrying about getting ready to work again the next day.

Things are different now.. Realised how valuable saturday mornings are... Now that i have to go the hospital on saturdays. Wake up the same early time as weekdays and by the time half day is up, the time taken to travel to whichever place i'm heading to after work takes away time again. Not to add the half day housework sessions on sundays.. my weekends are left with about 1 day's worth.. sigh.. pampered liao, wouldn't be complaining if there wasn't a taste of 5 day week.. (Will probably need to get ready for work on sundays soon..)

It's amazing how half days perk me up though. My stomach would be growling at about 12pm on normal weekdays and i'll be yearning for food. Yesterday's "half-day" took me to 2 plus without lunch and i wasn't complaining of hunger... Probably getting off from work was more important..

Newspaper man came to collect money today.. And amazingly asked us.. "没有出去啊?" Feel like telling him "有出去的话, 你收不到钱 lor"