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
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
A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.
Would he be willing to take a pill that plays games with his testosterone? My money's on no. It would ruin his libido he'd say. It would affect his fitness, his training, his body composition he'd say. Testosterone is not something to be played with he'd say. But oestrogen, progesterone, luteinizing hormone, FSH? Sure, why … Continue reading A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.
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?
Farewell, Brackengate!
Today was my last day at Brackengate Hospital; the tin-can COVID hospital where I have spent the past fifteen months; the Hospital of Hope. I was a part of the Brackengate team from day one. I watched the empty warehouse form into a colourful 300-bed hospital, with a rainbow "it will be ok" drawing above … Continue reading Farewell, Brackengate!
There one minute, gone the next.
Things I wonder while waiting for the nurses to bring me the death notification book
Tug of war
On Friday I spent the afternoon in a tug of war. On one side were me and my colleagues and on the other was whatever happens after you die. The Light, heaven, hell, nothing, I don't know? I just know that it was a tug of war between life and death, and life lost. In … Continue reading Tug of war
The lessons that being a patient taught me about being a doctor
In January this year, I found myself staring at a CT scan with a group of people in white coats. This is a pretty normal thing for a doctor to be doing; except I was in Mexico and the CT scan was my own, and I was wearing a hospital gown instead of a white … Continue reading The lessons that being a patient taught me about being a doctor
Made thin.
He is so thin, I think. Emaciated, I write. But what does that mean? "Skeletal" "Gaunt" "Shrunken" "Shrivelled". "Emaciare" is the Latin: "Made thin" I think it means if you don't look close enough you might not see him. You might not see beyond his disease. HIV, TB, malnutrition, starvation, poverty, oppression, suffering. Hopelessness. An … Continue reading Made thin.
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