Good Doc/Bad Doc

With so much talk going on these days about doctors who do more harm than good thus effectively turning their back on their hippocratic oath,it really is a wonder if patients or a fellow colleague say a good thing or two about us!

It was a sad day for me today....not only do i leave a good fraternity behind to seek greener pastures, I also recieved news of the death of one of my little patients who wasn't so little.

The story of "J".......

He was a really chubby baby at birth what with the mother being a diabetic as well as being into her mid 40s.She had decided on conceiving another child after losing 3 kids to a fire disaster.So one could imagine what a precious baby "J" was.
He was so precious he was spoilt rotten and by the time our friend was 7 he was already weighing in at 80kgs!He had to have McD's BigMac TDS and could polish it off within minutes aided by a litre of Coke!

Last I saw him was 2 weeks ago...had come to me for severe sleep apnoea induced by extreme obesity....the child would fall asleep while talking to me, standing!
I knew he couldn't last long if he kept at it and adviced the mom to take him for an ENT follow up urgently for an immediate corrective procedure to at least aid his breathing.
Never heard from the Mom.
Until today.....

Was at the hospital clearing out my locker/finish some last minute paperwork/say goodbye to some of my favourite staffs when I saw the Mom sitting in my room in the clinic waiting to see me.

Her son had died a week ago.

She was surprisingly calm and collected though I could see in her eyes the pain and loss that she was going through....I couldn't control my own tears and anger when she related this to me:

She had gone to see the ENT dudes, and not only was the child ridiculed, they also implied that she hadn't done a good job of mothering.Subsequently the doc told her to go home and come back a week later with some dietary advice,medications for his worsening flu and to go back and see the pedaitrician (me!!)/Dietitian on some dietary advice(!!) as surely he could use some 'weight reduction'.

The kid didn't survive the night.

It makes one think.....when you have the power to improve something/do good and you just blow it...at the expense of another life....why be in this profession at all??
Honestly I don't think docs make as much money as they used to in the past (as compared to some of the other professions) so if they are in it for money....they are in the wrong place....
Glory??....wrong place again buddy!

Sigh....Well, at least I do know that "J" is in better hands now....

Happy Father's Day Pa!

________________________________________________________
Pa, we miss you!
Hope you had a good day today.....
You're the best and we thank God every day for having you in our lives.
Love you always....
Faiza, Nihad, Yasmin and Fawwaz

Insomnia

Last night was just one of those where no matter how many times I tossed and turned my eyes just wouldn't stay shut!!
Some of the stuff that randomly crossed my mind:

-the glory days when i used to play basketball for my med school.
-partying in Goa.
-why people do the crazy things they do....like this one friend of mine who quit being a doctor just so he could dj at raves in Brazil!
-why don't i feel satisfied and thankful for what i have accomplished thus far??
-why people are sooooo selfish?
-why Asians couldn't be more like the Europeans or the Americans when it comes to generosity (personal experience!)?
-could i really get my hands on that new pair of trainers i have my eyes set on next week?
-the Thundercats (one of my fav cartoons i used to watch as a kid)
-where all would i have travelled to by now if i wasn't working and had the resources.
-why can't i make a kick ass apple pie???

Pigeons!

Met up with an old school buddy and her hubby yesterday....after almost 12 years!
Some people never change....that can be good sometimes :).She's now married to a British guy and living in Hong Kong.
The oddest thing though is how all of us flew away from 'home' to various places all over the world but something tangible always makes us want to return back to Asia.....hmm...brings to mind a homing pigeon....it is said that homing pigeons are able to find their way home even across hundreds of miles.Scientists think that they have 'Magnetites' within their brain that draws them or 'pulls' them home!

Goin out!After a horrible night of premature babies galore and ventilators going all awry, need to shop, shop and shop!

Mercy Malaysia

Healing across borders....
To the wounded we will help heal,
To the hungry we will help feed,
To the cold we will give our warmth,
Where there is Mercy there is hope.


Because the cry of children has no language
Mercy has no boundary.

Homesick!

Spoke to Mom and Dad today over the phone and felt kinda honesick afterwards....It used to happen a lot while I was still in Med School but not lately....oh well...
For some reason thought about the ferry rides i used to take when i was smaller when dad would take us across to the mainland where his office was.Good times...

ferry ride

Stay Gold!!!!

A friend actually typed that as a personal message after his name.
For the life of me i couldn't figure that out!
But how could i not????

"Nature's first green is gold,
her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leafs a flower,
but only so an hour.
So leaf subsides to leaf,
so eden sank to grief.
So dawn goes down to day,
nothing gold can stay...."

Quality Improvement Team

I'm still wondering how the hell did i get myself into this!!!
As if being a senior resident isn't bad enough, I have another headache to tide me over for the next 6 months.
I could curse the Americans/Japanese for reviving this crap all the way to the labour room and back to the neonatal intensive care and still wouldn't be able to get over my angst!
So anyways....am in it....and guess what...have been promoted to be the leader of the pack, lucky me....
By hook or crook i've gotta be prepared with my power point presentation on Thursday.
This is where my bro comes in....
Thank God for a 17 year old who's life revolves around playing computer games/PS2 games, whatever....he's nifty with computers.....now, just have to figure out a way to bully him into helping me out with my presentation.....sigh!
Maybe I have to get him that 'Half-life' game after all.....
And by the end of it.....I really hope the effort pays off (ie:it better look good on my resume!!!!)
Moral of the story:
a) not a good idea to join Government service- no matter which country UK/India/Malaysia
b) it pays to have a dorky brother.....better be nicer to him!
c) man...i'm just way toooo bored to be sitting and blogging this!

Steve McCurry's Afghan Girl

I finally got to watch the National Geographic's special edition of 'the search for the Afghan Girl'.
Was such a riveting documentary!
I still remember seeing the picture of 'the afghan girl' many years ago while i was still a kid flipping through dad's subscription of the National Geographic and being so struck by the vivid image of the girl.
Life had taken its toll on her beautiful features but at least she's still alive and well....