Termination of Pregnancy

[will be referred as TOP here after]

Remember me telling you about my special placement in community? I'm actually doing an audit on TOP at a GP surgery located at the outskirt of the BIGCITY. This is my first audit and it is going on quite well. I'm pretty damn pleased with myself.

The most distressing fact that I gathered from my audit is the fact that almost 50% of all cases of TOP at my GP surgery were from women under the age of 19. Hardly shocking, I know. The very same statistics are reported by the DoH studies year by year.

In any average population, young girls (some had it done repeatedly, how irresponsible?) made up the biggest group of women asking for TOP for unwanted pregnancies. Not to say that TOP is morally right to begin with.

Don’t get me wrong I do agree for TOP if continuing the pregnancy imposes either a great risk to mother or if the fetus is nonviable anyway (like anencephaly or Patau). But I am certainly pro-life. And I think the idea of abortion just because say the timing is not right is absolutely appalling!

In this specific audit I’m writing an essay for, the youngest woman asking for TOP was only 15 year 4 month. That’s not even over the legal age for sex! But do teenage these days even care to have it the safe way (with barrier protection and reliable method of contraception) if they are at it like rabbits?

It is still a wonder to me how certain group of people remains irresponsible for their own well being and takes unnecessary risks. If one decides to have sex with a member of opposite gender, please pretty please use appropriate protection.

PS:Dont get me started on STDs.

Birthday weekend

I'm celebrating my birthday this weekend. My 24th, yeah- I know I cant believe myself. I dont think I'm a day older than 18. Hohoh.

Reality check babe!

Do you moan a lot about how you look? Yes- too haggard. Too thin.
Do you have eye bags? Yes- too much of sleep.
Do you find running 5K is too much for your joints? Yes.
Do you find you enjoy doing homely stuff like cooking and baking better than going out partying? Yes for the baking part, possibly a bit of decorating as well. Hands on heart I still hate cooking.
Do you worry about future like adults (well, most adults) do? Yes. G.O.S.H!

Reality check result: I'm mature in some ways, for the better. Otherwise young at heart. hoho, cliche. No really, I sincerely believe I can still pass as a 20y-o lass.

Honestly, I still believe that world/life has so much to offer that I refuse to believe that its not all bed of roses. I think all is good around me, which some may say not remotely true. It must be either i) Im in constant denial or ii) Even when something is going wrong/bad (read: not the way I wanted it to be) I just cant be bothered. Yours truly.

I'm simple in that sense. Live life the way you want it. Keep it simple, dont over analyse. I dont like every single person I know/met, so I learnt that respectively not everyone will like me. Fact! Everyone is nice until proven otherwise. As Confucious' saying.

Why am I being philosophical? well feck it.

With all my dreams, I dare to dream. Will try to make them come true. Along the way, enjoy myself. Anyone wants to be onboard with me?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MYSELF!

GPland

Hi ya all, sorry for the lack of updates.
We are already at toward the end of April, and I havent even have 10 entries. Appalling.

Anyway..
I'm writing this entry at GP.
For my SSC this time around, I chose a community placement.
Albeit a bit too far from my house in SmallCity, I'm at least now in the BigCity.
Hehe.

Topic: Women Health (FP and GUM and Contraception)
Write up: Audit of 3000words
Location: A GP practice at the ourskirt of BigCity
GP tutor: A very keen super young female GP

So far so good. i'll let you guys know how am i getting on with the audit (fyi: my first audit!)

Purpose of Life

When a big immediate responsibility had been lifted up from one's shoulder, the inexplicable feeling that reaches out to one is an absolute bliss. One will then have time to do whatever one pleases. One can and will do all the things that one misses.

One can start planning for future, tying up loose ends and enjoys life. Will one wonders the real purpose of life then?

Or re-evaluate at least?

Exam in 3 days

and counting...

Random things:
i) I just saw a silver Nissan 350Z passing in front of my house. Oh, delights! What other better way to start a day.
ii) I saw a MASSERATI two days ago, parked in front a neighbour's house. I was like: is this for real? Yeah, it was! Absolutely gorgeous.

iii) A very very good friend of mine told me a horrific story of her clinical partner driving on the wrong side of the road. Shock horror!!! My friend had previously referred to her clinical partner, yup: the traffic offender, the driver of a death car! Thankfully Friday (11/4/8) was the last time they are ever gonna be together. After this, they gonna do different things for SSC and Project Option. No more compulsory teaching or placement until 5th yr.
iv) Yeah- we (4th yr students of my beloved medical school) practically finished 4th year. Can you believe that? Whooaa... I only have 1/5 of my medical training left before I can call myself a doctor. Is it really already 4 years now?
v) I miss my mom, for no apparent reason.

vi) The scare about MMR causing autism is a lot of rubbish.
vii) There is a 5 y-o girl who weights more than me! 49kg. When she was reeled (she is in a wheelchair) into the doctor's room, I was stunned to see how big she is. She could walk when she was younger, but now due to excessive weight she cant even stand on her feet.
viii) Hyponatraemia can be as a result of ADH deficiency. Centrally, hypopituitary is the real cause of ADH deficiency. (Posterior pituitary secretes ADH). Treatment of global hypopituitary includes a lot of hormone replacements (and a lot of visits to Paediatricians too!)
ix) Girl in point vii was first presented due to hyponatraemia then after investigation Paeds confirmed point viii. Another (famous) example: Harvey of Jordan (Katie Price).

PS: wish me luck for my exam.

Ecchymosis

yeah...
I have this big bruise on my L knee. 2 x 3 cm. Dark red. No swelling. No pain. Full range of movement.
Again from climbing.

Its just amazing to see how the bruise transformed. Yesterday, it was larger in size, more horrific in appearance, with bluish tinge to it.

And actually other climbing mates are also having similar kind of injury to their knees. After questioning, that's it.

I swear to God that I felt as if I pulled several muscles when I tried a more difficult climb? Dont ask me which one: I'm crap in anatomy the way it is. The ones at the sides of chest wall. And possible few of the tendons in both legs.

Am I getting paranoid with all the climbing injury?

Hi ya all,
Sorry for the lack of posts.
Its not due to lack of things happening in my life, yeah I do have some drama in my life, but only just lack of time to actually sit down and type in things.
Pardon- I'm a slow typer.

I'm dead tired.
I've been sleeping more and more, all to no avail.
It seems that my life consists of going to hospital and back home to sleep.
I know, its not a surprise.
But hey, falling asleep a lot in time like this not gonna help as exam in less than a week.

During a study group session with my friends today I almost eat my best gay friend alive.
GOD- how he drives me off the wall. He is super annoying in times like this. Disagreeing to every single thing that I've said. I was so pissed off its untrue. Gosh, I'm so moody. However afterward, he was all fine talking to me like a civilized person, gossiping and all. Booo..

Anyways...

Here are something I'd like to share:-
i) DOCTORS' SLANG, MEDICAL SLANG AND MEDICAL ACRONYMS
just to entertain myself... in between writing up notes for tomorrow's PBL
ii)
an original song by Julia Nunes.... superb!!! I must have listen to it like hundreds of time.
iii) FACEBOOK is a great time waster. Certified by others.

Not again!

Do you guys remember me mentioning about a 10-y-o girl who self-harmed few days before? She's back in the ward again. I felt utterly disgusted to see her again in the Paeds ward, after only a day of being discharge out- this time around with another attempt of self harm (with knife on throat!!!) Disgusted is probably a harsh word to use. Probably not entirely ethically sound either. But hey, WHY ON EARTH?

I tried to think about possibly reason(s) of her committing the action of deliberate self-harm. Many times. And every single time I cant convince myself that her actions are justifiable. Not at all.

Physically: WELL.
Mentally: Distorted I guess. To think that childhood is the happiest time in life for most people (normal people thats it), its just inexplicable. What could have troubled her mind? Bear in mind she's in primary school. Pretty much normal family and pretty much normal social circumstances. Is there is anything bothering her so much in term of getting along with her parents/siblings at home or being bullied in school? NO. No mentioning of that in her file. Is she at risk of any kind of abuse (physical/sexual/emotional/neglect). NO. Bloody no!
Psychosocial issues: Come from an average middle class family. Few other siblings, very concerned parents. Patient reported argument with mum triggered her to kill herself. Like what???? Basically she doesnt get along well with mum, about everything and anything. I mean: come on, every one would have gone through the similar (or almost similar) situation, but we are fine with it. We all find ways to get around it, cope with it, distract ourself from this pathetic self-wallowing cycle. For goodness sake. 10 year old and thinking of ending her life? What the hell was she thinking? Is she harming herself to get attention? She certainly succeed then. But in a very wrong way. BAD!!! Still- her deliberate action is unjustifiable.
Body image issue: Possibly. But nay- dont think so, she's only 10 year old, but there's is nothing in her history suggest that. No body dysmorphism disorder noted, not under any apparent pressure to look at her best all the time. Still pre-pubertal, not associated witha ny normal teenage tantrums in the challenging growing to be an adult kind of story. Nope- none of that. She looks like any other 10 year old girls. No different at all.
Neurodevelopmental: No problem in this area either. No learning disabilities. No indication to say that she's struggling at school or struggling to fit in with her peers.

CAMHS (Child and Adolescence Mental Health Services) was called in (repeatedly) to assess her case. They can't get to the bottom of her DSH either. Clearly, it's better to keep her in hospital because the risk of another attempt is rather high if she is discharged. Tell me what other better way to care for this patient?

Life of Pi

Have you read this book called "Life of Pi"?
It is an extremely well-written fiction by Yann Martel.
The story line is nothing short of amazing!
There are parts of the story that I found revolting (eg: butchering turtle, drinking blood etc) but also parts that heave with hope and aspiration.

This book is easily the best book I've read in a long long time.