#med life

[linastudyblrsblog]

Exam prep this week

A lot of things to review before the exam , using my flash cards to keep all the treatments in mind ( that’s one of the hardest task in my opinion)

Dermatology is fun until you have to memorise all the details ✨

[bi-krama-dick-ya]

"Kill them with kindness" WRONG. my dissection kit

[savemygrades]

Another day, another hospital placement where I pretend I can hear the murmur the consultant is going on about

[a-young-doctors-journey]

The worst part about the ICU is that you get to a point where you're on a first-name basis with family.

Frederick was at bedside every day, sitting beside his wife. When he wasn't, they were on speakerphone, her work of breathing worse each day. We explained to the family that she was really really sick, and they understood that the prognosis was poor.

But when it came time to decide about intubation, they couldn't bring themselves to withdraw care... so we intubated, knowing there was no way that she would ever come off the vent.

It was after 10pm when the nurse came over to us.

"Room 7 won't make it through the night. Maybe you should call family."

My senior looked at me, and asked, "You wanna call the husband?"

"Frederick? No."

"It's important to learn how to have these conversations, you know," he said, somewhat gently.

"I know. And I have them plenty. But you asked me if I want to call him and tell him his wife is dying, and I don't. But I can, if you want me to."

He nodded and dialed the number from our 'Next of Kin' list. "Mr. Smith, I wanted to..."

Not even half an hour later, the monitor by my computer started beeping furiously. Her blood pressure, which had been dangerously low already, tanked. I ran to Room 7 as nurses from surrounding rooms crowded into the little space, code cart already in place.

She had no pulse. The ICU team really did have an intuition for this sort of thing.

We went through the motions of the code, not for a moment believing that we would get her back. But we did. A short-lived miracle... but maybe it would give Frederick just enough time to come back.

The second time her heart stopped, my senior asked me to let the family know that we had done everything we could. I stepped outside, the sounds of the active code behind me, and explained that there was nothing to be done.

"So this is it?" he asked matter-of-factly.

I nodded. "I'm very sorry, Mr. Smith." He thanked me as I walked back into the room just in time to hear the pronouncement.

"Time of death: 10:39 PM."

Gloves came off. Supplies were discarded. The code cart was wheeled unceremoniously out of the room. One of the nurses placed a fresh sheet over the patient, tucking it gently around her.

As I headed back to my workstation, a heart-wrenching sob pierced the hallway. Frederick - a stoic, quiet man who had spent countless hours with wife, ever so hopeful - was sobbing into his knuckles.

I felt the tears well into my own eyes, swallowed hard, and looked up to see the surgery resident coming towards me, no doubt seeing my watery eyes but making no comment.

"Are you taking care of...?"

And the rest of the night went on.

[dalisay17]

12:30am. i received a call from a friend.

we lost another fellow doctor today.

it hit differently because I knew them since undergrad personally. They were bright, wielding a vibrant personality despite the odds. They brought this with them through med school - also through residency, I presumed. And we walked the same paths, but diverged in the detours.

To hear this update about them - someone I distantly knew, but had been rooting for in their chosen field when I heard about them from common friends - is unfair. Someone who was so close to becoming a person equipped to better the lives of others, lost before they even had the chance to do so.

we don't know the full context of why, how it lead to this, but this could have been prevented. we could speculate and speculate, but -

the system must have killed them.

the one who called me had added that a different institution lost 3 trainees to suicide in the span of a year - 2 of which from the same department, within the span of weeks from each other.

I tweeted about this acquaintance. But deleted it out of respect for those closer to them, because I only knew them in passing. I felt it wasn't my place to speak out before those close to them. but my feelings burned.

it is unfair for a system like this to persist. just a few weeks back, a consultant on twitter asked about why the number of those who went into residency continued to dwindle in number.

then this news of a suicide.

this system must be purged and wrought anew. dramatic, but there should be sirens for this demand. no team member should be left behind. and yet there are those who persist to claim it is the way it is to strain those of quality, rather than to build up individuals into stronger versions of themselves. that programs are there because skills are to be taught and learned - not gatekept for petty pride.

a weird segue, but a part of me hoped that there was a modicum of truth to the stories about being transported back in time or into other worlds. a trend in fiction nowadays. it may be useless, but i hope - hope and pray and wish it - that wherever their soul ends up, that their next chances at life would be kinder and more triumphant for them.

we'll miss you! and we'll continue to fight for a better world for those of the same ilk. but for now, i pray you can rest better, even for a while.

[studzblr]

Save what can be saved: Day 9/48

Hi there!

It was beautiful day, pneumo is done, the mood is good, alhamdoulillah <3

Sometimes I wonder if I should slow down and take more time to digest what I'm studying. This way I will study better but I won't cover more than 60% of the program. I still prefer the rapid fire method, it's the save what can be saved era (although I'm not covering 100% of the subjects ).

Studying medicine all over again was/is a nice experience, refreshing my information about the biochemical and genetic aspects of the diseases helped me connect some dots. There is still so much to know..

[fibing-and-vibing]

The large amount of vitamins/supplements/meds I take in a day lol:

This is my current cocktail of meds etc that I take every day. Maybe they’re superfluous, maybe they’re not, but through a lot of trial and error I’m pretty sure all of these are actually helping me feel quite a bit better. Feel free to ask me any questions about specifics, but please don’t be mean about any of these bc I’m just doing my best lol.

Wake Up:

Multivitamin for eye health

Multivitamin for women’s health

Hair and nail vitamin

Protein shake

Notes: all of these are chewable/gummies, which not only is easier when I first wake up, but also easier for the body to digest and so more effective. My hair falls out a ton so the hair vitamin really helps. And I always wake up hungry but feel sick if I eat, so I go for a pre-made shake every day. They’re expensive but they keep me feeling ok, give me a good amount of nutrients, and require zero energy to prepare.

Mid Morning:

B100

Cod liver oil with A and D vitamins

Odourless garlic

Coenzyme Q10

Notes: I’ve found the cod liver oil to be more effective than just regular vitamin D, maybe it’s because of the omegas or whatever. Also the garlic is lowkey one of the best things I take, it reduces inflammation in my sinuses and everywhere else, and is helpful for circulation which makes everything else better too.

Noon:

Welbutrin

Seasonique

Claritin

Notes: I’ve had depression and anxiety diagnosed for a long time so been on welbutrin for a while, but it’s a bonus that it’s supposed to help for fibro brain things too. Seasonique is crucial bc I’m pretty sure I have PMDD and my mental health absolutely tanks on my period, so only having one every three months is a lifesaver. And my respiratory system has been bad for a long time and I live in a city with not amazing air quality, so a daily antihistamine helps a lot and I’ve stopped pretending there’s a time of year I won’t need that.

Afternoon:

Iron

Probiotics

Notes: I’ve had low iron forever, and even though doctors have always told me it’s not low enough to qualify as anemia, I’ve had anemia-like symptoms my entire life, so. However, I didn’t really notice benefits of either iron or probiotics until I started taking them together, and now they’re huge. If I’m ever out and about and forget/wait to take these I immediately realize bc I start feeling faint lol.

Before Bed:

Magnesium bisglycinate

Cranberry

Turmeric collagen with univestin and bromelain

Melatonin

Notes: I’ve had bladder issues for a while which I didn’t even realize was a fibro thing; I’ve always had to pee a million times before bed etc. Cranberry fixes it. The turmeric collagen one is new but I’ve been shocked how much it actually helps with joint pain and mobility. The magnesium I’m not 100 on but my fatigue situation has gotten better so it can’t be hurting at least.

Is it annoying to take so many things throughout the day? Yes, but I just fill up my pill containers on Sunday and then it’s all ready for the rest of the week, so not the worst. Would it be better to get all these nutrients from food? Probably, duh, but we’re living life on hard mode already and I don’t need to make it even harder so pls don’t bring that up lol.

Of course, always look up interactions before you add anything new to your regimen, especially if anything you take is prescription. I’m always on the lookout for new things to try now though tbh, currently thinking about ginger maybe.

[kendochick-moor]

Back in the doctor's office again... there has been another setback. I apologize for the delays.

[linastudyblrsblog]

paediatrics wrap up , days before the final exam

[villamagari]

[savemygrades]

2 more days till my first written exam

I put my alarm on for half 5, went to bed early , fully intenting to wake up super early and be productive. But alas - that didn't happen. Instead I decided to torment myself through a series of snooze alarm cycles.

Finally got out of bed at half 8

but then I had a bit of a productive streak :

did anki flashcards on: neuro and pharm

recapped and made summary notes on msk

did some msk practice questions

did some msk anki flashcards

Finished the day of with some maccies + watched an episode of Flower Of Evil (I'm rewatching it, but I forgot most of it so all the plot twists have me shook- it's like a a mix of mystery and romance- I defo reccommend it !)

[per-aspera-ad-astra-12]

For the first time in such a long time, I felt confident in myself today.🥰

We had OSPE (Objective structured Practical Examination) and skill laboratory exams today, and I left the exam halls feeling as if I crushed them both. I was right about one of them, and I am waiting for the results of the second one.

Feeling confident doing these exams reminded me of the feeling of excelling in exams. The rush was something I really missed. Honestly, it gave more motivation to study for my finals, which are in 3 days. I'm hoping to keep this motivation until the end.

In a completely unrelated topic, my boyfriend has broken up with me. The excuse he used was that he didn't have much time to be dating and that he needed the time for other things. Am I disappointed? Definietly. But, I am not going to brood over it and work on myself to be better. This was the last chance I was willing to give to having a relationship in medical school, and that's done for 😅

The general takeaway from this is, "Don't date in medical school." 😂

[malbecmusings]

[valar-did-me-wrong]

All the people in the world are falling and I do not have hands enough to write x-rays for them ;_;

[dalisay17]

med kilig moment of the season: yung masabihan ka na gumaan loob ng pasyente during a CBT/ MH First Aid session.

really might pursue psych at this rate, if push comes to shove, sa totoo lang

[fencingthings]

Wearing scrub pants with normal tshirt looks way too much like pyjamas