This Tom London story makes me sad on so many levels. Sad for the dying man who lost all his dignity at the hands of his supposed carers. Sad for the thousands of others who have died in a similar manner. Sad because there is truth to it. Sad because I have witnessed this kind … Continue reading Human first
Medicine
Asystole
Doctor, help! No pulse! Fifteen years. Doctor, help! . Start compressions. Check file. For max. Start compressions. . Doctor, help. No line. Check neck. No pulse. . Thirty beats. Two breaths. Thirty beats. Two breaths. . Line in. Adrenaline stat. Two breaths. Asystole. . Fifteen years. Previously well. For max. Asystole. . Thirty beats. Two … Continue reading Asystole
Douwe Egberts
I can’t stop thinking about The jar of Douwe Egberts in my kitchen cupboard. I can’t stop thinking about my patient’s brother. And how his eyes filled with tears as he told me about his first cup of coffee. Douwe Egberts he said (He prefers Jacobs now but that was the best cup of coffee … Continue reading Douwe Egberts
A kidney for a life
On Wednesday I saw a patient in one of the renal clinics who reminded me that human beings are made of goodness. It was a busy day, one of those days where you feel like you are being pulled in a million different directions; frayed on every end. I had so many tabs open in … Continue reading A kidney for a life
Us and Them
As human beings we continually confronted by seemingly opposing realities and it is confusing and difficult, and at times overwhelming: power and frailty / birth and death / brokenness and beauty / strength and vulnerability / Us and Them / Mine and Yours And in a world that is becoming increasingly polarized we have forgotten … Continue reading Us and Them
I started making fridge poetry
Internal Medicine. A science or an art?
Every speciality will claim that it is the best. Surgeons will tell you that they are the most skilled. Family physicians will say that they make the most holistic difference to people's lives. Obstetricians will argue that they are responsible for two lives in one. But there is something special about Internal Medicine. It is … Continue reading Internal Medicine. A science or an art?
Bitches we will be
A patient called me a bitch today. To my face. He then told my consultant to go fuck herself. He was a heroin addict in need of his next fix. He was having a bad day. We all have them. Bad days. And needs for next fixes. We don't all go around calling people bitches … Continue reading Bitches we will be
30/10/22
Lately I've been contemplating the privilege of being a doctor. Not for the knowledge or the title. But for the invitation given to me by patients to take a glimpse into the most private aspects of their lives through the stories they have to share. Every time a patient tells me a story, however small … Continue reading 30/10/22
Alone
I made a list of all the things I’ve done alone. Just me. Sola. I travelled across the world for a job because I wanted to know what it was like to live on the ocean. The middle of the Atlantic is a liberatingly lonely place. I climbed the highest peak in Africa. I got … Continue reading Alone
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