pedia mania

I just realized that I had so many stories to tell during the time I was in the pedia wards but I didn’t write a single thing on my blog for the simple reason that I was really busy.  Well, I am finally done with pedia wards and I have now moved on to the Nursery Catching Area to take care of newborns.  I’m excited and frightened at the same time… Why?  Because this is my favorite part of Pediatrics, dealing with neonates (newborn babies).  I always said that if only I could have be a neonatology resident only and not have to deal with the other parts of Pediatrics that would be great (Fat chance!).  Tomorrow is going to be my first duty, and now I have this heavy feeling on my chest that I always get when I am anticipating the arrival of a new baby.  This is the only real place when it is music to my ears to hear a baby’s cry and to see it flailing about and turning pink before my eyes as it catches it’s first breaths.  It is magical I tell ya.  But the tension could really kill me.  I don’t know if I am just exaggerating, but the tension that surrounds keeping that newborn alive has reached a whole new level since clerkship.  As a clerk, you feel scared but comfortable because you know that your experienced resident or intern will always be by your side as you resuscitate that baby.  But as a PGH intern, now that’s a whole different story.  They warned us that there will be times when a resident won’t be there, and that now, you have a clerk of your own to assist you.  Ahh!!! Responsibility!!!  And with all the babies that come in to PGH in a single day?  Scaaaary… Please wish me luck, tomorrow is my first duty.  Let it be a benign one please I beg you.  Save the weird cases for later.  (ok time to review!)

heart of stone: no vacancy

The Pedia-ER has reached the point that it is overflowing with patients.  Considering that PGH is the transferring capital of the Philippines, it is no surprise that patients from all over the country come there for the possibility of getting in for a cheaper price.  But contrary to popular belief, not all patients get in.

The usual story at the ER front desk of the Pedia Department:

A ____ yr old comes in for an admissible case (example:Dengue Fever II, Sepsis Neonatorum, AGE w/ signs of dehydration)

I, the triage intern, will ask for the name, age, the chief complaint, and work on the history and do a complete physical examination.  If the patient has lab results I will look at them as well.  I confirm with my resident that the patient is or is not admissible.

Parents: Doc, pwede na po ba sha maadmit?  Naaawa na po kase kami sa kalagayan ng anak namin. (in English: Doc, can our patient be admitted now?  We are very concerned with our baby’s condition.)

Intern/Resident:  Nanay/Tatay/Lolo/Lola/other relative, Mukhang kailangang maconfine or maadmit ng pashente ninyo.  Hindi niyo sha pwede iuwi dahil kelangan shang mabantayan sa hospital para mabigyan ng gamut na padadaanin sa swero at gawan ng karagdagang mga laboratory exam.  Ang problema po ay ang PGH po ay puno na sa ngayon.  Madami pong mga pashente na nandito pa rin sa ER dahil walang bakante sa ward.  Tabi tabi na po ang mga bata, 3 sa isang stretcher.  Nagkakahawahan na sila ng mga sakit dahil sa sikip sa loob.  May iba nga po na nakaupo na lang sa tabi dahil wala na kaming mapaglagyan.  Habang kaya pa ng pashente ninyo,dalhin niyo na lang sha sa ibang government hospital katulad ng National Children’s Hospital.

Parent:  Baka naman po pwedeng pagbigyan niyo na po ang anak namin, nanggaling pa kaming Cavite/Batangas/Cebu (state your place).

Intern/Resident:  Mam/Sir, hindi po kayo ang una naming tinanggihang pashente, madami na po kami napaalis dahil wala talaga kaming bakante.  Sana man lang itinawag kayo ng ospital na pinanggalingan ninyo para alam ninyo na wala kaming bakante or sana napag-reserve namin kayo ng pwesto.  Pero dahil bigla na lang kayong dumating dito, hindi ninyo nalaman na wala pala kaming lugar para sa kanya.  Ilipat ninyo na lang sha sa National Children’s, at least doon po ay puro bata ang pashente.  Dito kase halo ang bata at matanda.

The parents and relatives stare blankly and then consult with one another.  Some will stay for a few hours and check if we will break down and let them in anyway, and some will just nod and leave right away.  On rare occasions, some will get aggressive and fight us to let them in, saying that we are unfair.  And when that happens…

Intern/Resident:  Mam/Sir, kung pwede ko lang kayo i-admit ginawa ko na po sana kanina.  Kaso po WALA KAMING BAKANTE.  Hindi na rin po kaya ng mga doctor at nurse na pagsilbihan kayo ng maayos dahil sa dami ng inaalagaan nila.  Kawawa lamang po ang pashente ninyo kung ititigil nio lang sha dito.  Walang mangyayare sa kanya.

Grumble, grumble… 

And that’s how my heart turned into stone.  Welcome to the Philippines.

reminiscing

This weekend happened to be one of the longest “breaks” I had ever since I started internship.  My friday OPD time only lasted until 1 pm, and then I won’t have any work until tomorrow.  Even if tomorrow is another Pedia duty, I don’t mind since I had a long rest.  I wish I had more weekends like this.  It was just too bad that I didn’t see my parents and my siblings since my parents and sister are in the US and my brother is busy with his work.  I did go out to see Phi’s premiere showing of “Stardust” a new fantasy-adventure flick starring Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, and my favorite Robert De Niro.  I invited my cousins Cielo and Tikoy to watch with me.  It was such a great movie, and I totally loved that fact that almost all of the people who watched were laughing together.  It was truly a night of relaxation for the med students of UP and its alumni.  I definitely recommend this movie to everyone who is out for a good laugh and is looking for a love story that is not so cheesy.  I definitely loved the performance of Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer, in Tagalog they are truly “Walang kupas”.  Seeng it in the big screen is definitely worth it, don’t watch it in a pirated copy, or you’ll miss the special effects and the great soundtrack.  Besides that, I spent the rest of the weekend finally reviewing (promise!) and downloading some old tunes that I loved as a kid.  I then remembered the good old days when I used to play with DLSU Pops Orchestra.  Those were definitely a part of my golden days.  Tomorrow is the start of another week, the 2nd week of my Pedia rotation.  I love the fact that the days are going by so quickly, that only means that I am finally getting the hang of things and that I am really enjoying my stay in UP.

my take on a “desperate” line

A few days ago one of my dormmates told me that there is an issue going around the show Desperate Housewives. I’m not a big fan of the show, but I heard it’s a really good show. Apparently, Susan (played by Teri Hatcher, who formerly played Lois Lane in the Superman show “Lois and Clark”), made a racist comment, saying “Can I just see those diplomas ’cause I just want to make sure that they’re not from some med school in the Philippines”.

Those are pretty big words to say, and I don’t know if she knew the weight of her words when she said them. What a grand welcome for someone like me, a graduate and affiliate of 2 great med schools of the Philippines (De La Salle Health Sciences Campus and University of the Philippines – Philippine General Hospital). It’s kind of intimidating to think that I myself am planning to go to America to learn more about medicine and surgery, and that I may face racist comments like that. I can’t help but take it personally. Then again, this issue also made me even more eager to do my residency in the US, so that I can show them what a Filipino med school graduate can do.

“Black Jokes” are not being said much anymore since the African Americans learned to take a stand and to show them how much they are able to do. Most of the great singers nowadays are black, like Alicia Keys, Beyonce, and Babyface and Usher. They knew they were good, and so they didn’t let the color of their skin get in the way of their career.

I went into the medical career because I believe that I could make a difference just as much as any doctor out there. In real practice, no one hardly looks at your diploma to know if you are a good doctor or not. It doesn’t really matter to patients if you are from Harvard or if you are from PGH. What matters to patients is that they must have a doctor who shows sincere concern.

I also demand a public apology from the writers of Desperate Housewives and from Teri Hatcher herself for making such a racist comment. There’s no doubt about it. But we Filipinos should not just go and get angry and carry pitchforks and tie them to a stake like what they used to do to people who are different. I believe that the best way to end racism is to prove that our race is at par if not superior to theirs.