memory lane

Just under 3 weeks ago the HOD announced that our exam had to be brought forward from May to March.

So all the sorry-looking 1st year scrambled their sorry little arses to the hospital library day & night. Pushing the study gear from neutral to gear 5. We sweat it out every minutes of our precious remaining time.

This afternoon the exam has been postponed back to the original date in May.Whattt!! Stop messing with my my mind and hormones or I'll end up ovulating - who knows?

Anyway, besides that we just finished our intensive/revision course in UH.

Being there brings back all the nice memory I had during my housemanship. Some of the specialists still recognise me though - hopefully in a good way.

All corners and corridors have its own memory and they whispered to my ears as I walked through them.

"Hey look!! that's the bed where i performed my first intubation and CPR.. Hooray!"

"Wait a minute, i think i went out with that nurse 4 years ago... quick hide!"



I dropped by at the oncology paediatric ward to see if my old patients are still there, but as i suspected... well... (sigh).

All was good, except for the revised exam dates! Coz now I have to hit the break pedal.

The fact that the library there was hot & stuffy doesn't help either. Just great.

dammit... stay with me

"So how are you today auntie?" I smiled at her.

"Okay, feeling much better, thank you for everything" She looked much better than before.

This makcik Odah (not her real name of coz but it sounds like a good 60's name) from Rembau, N9, was admitted for mild acidosis due to pneumonia. She's recovering well and was planned for home discharge soon.

As I was reviewing the next patient, I heard the nurse's voices....

"makcik... makcik bangun makcik...!!"

I turned and look at Makcik Odah. Her face was pale and and was staring at ceiling unresponsive - a face which I personally called - deathface.

AIYAAAA!!! GET THE CRASH CART NOWWW!

Her breath was shallow with a thready pulse. I haven't done resus for quite some time since I honourably discharged from anaesthesia - so my mind was a bit slow. Anyhow I quickly push a Guidel's airway into her mouth and bagged her while the houseofficer jumped on the bed following my instruction on a proper cardiac compression.

The cardiac monitor showed runs of VT (a bizzare looking heart rhythm).

Adrenaline & atropine went it. In the background her daughter was crying and blaming the nurse for giving her a drug which might gave her a drug reaction.

True enough, the nurse gave her an IV drug right before she collapsed.

However there's no obvious rash on her, and the lungs were clear. I proceeded with intubation, and the larynx and vocal cord was not inflammed or oedematous. All the signs that pointed out towards no allergic reaction.

We got a sinus rhythm in 3 minutes with good blood pressure.

I called up the ICU for ventilation backup and explained to the family that it wasn't the drug/antibiotic that caused it, she had a sudden coronary event which caused her to collapse.

That was about 3 weeks ago and by the time I'm writing this - she's already backed in Rembau chilling out with her grandkids.

Thank God that she make it through that ordeal coz the circumstances surrounding it is your homecook recipe for disaster. Let's face it if you don't know what you are doing you gonna end up making a terrible chicken curry.

When everything else fails, always have a solid documentation if in any case you have to make a stand in a courtroom.

*****

Speaking of courtroom, the current Linggam fiasco is a big joke on our country's judiaciary system.

WEAK LEADER. POLITICAL CORRUPTION. NURIN. HINDRAF, SYALINIE.

Whatever happen to Malaysia that we all knew when we're growing up.

Crap etc

New year came with a bang.

Any New year resolution this time around? Well not much I guess as far as I'm concern let just say I prefer to be a more realistic chap rather than having some idealistic crap jogging around my cerebral track.

The fact that nothing is certain or safe these days, especially if you're checking into 'the K' hotel in Batu Pahat, which ironically I just checked out at 1pm today (... was there to attend a wedding mind you).

Couple of things to keep in mind:

1. Friends come and go but your family stays around.


2. Never rely on your bank savings accounts (... or those belonging to your spouse too).


3. No matter how certain you are on your life right now, always - always have a PLAN B tucked somewhere inside your spender.
   

Hmm is this post too early to contain such a pessimistic view on life, well don't mind me - I'm just being as realistic as my ageing vertebral bones.

Second opinion

My lil' sis recently fell sick while we're at a relative hometown and we had to bring her to the local district A&E. It's not easy to see your family member lying in the sick bay attached with IV drip etc. while puking her guts out every 3omins and looking miserable.


Eventhough you knew it's just a simple food poisoning still you can't help but requesting extra blood tests.

"Err Dr Subra, perhaps we should order an amylase just TRO pancreatitis"

The young doctor look at me and gave his 'Oscar's -- Damn! You're a brilliant, how come i didn't think that diagnosis before -- best actor' look in his face.

I tersengih macam kerang busuk. But I can gauge what he had in mind would be more like "Yeah! yeah you're right ah BTW why stop there, you sure you don't want us to do a CT abdomen or diagnostic laparascopic surgery too while we're at it"


It's an always an art that a doctor has to master when one's going to another hospital and volunteer to participate in the whole management. You want to help out coz you're concern but at the same time you don't want to appear as being intrusive which may offend the attending physician.

(some smart-arse city boy doc is peeing in my A&E marking his teritory...huh!)

To cut long story short - my sis was fine and indeed the blood test showed nothing serious. A couple of litre of saline afterward she's discharged fine & dandy.

To the Jempol A&E crews... you guys were fantastic! And to the doctor sorry If I peed at your shoes that night :)

Lastly I wanna wish all of you fine people Happy 2008!!

*TRO - to rule out

Death by chocolate

I reckon the best dessert in town so far would be this 'ape ke bendanye' cool soothing ice-cream that melts slowly on top of a warm brownie cake - Ahh I forgot the name.

Absolutely gorgeous!

Too bad with the rate of its melting process - you have to devour it relatively quickly before you end up with only a cake with cream base on your plate.

So Bakerzin got it right after all - the taste linger on your palate a lot longer than a-similar-looking dessert from Vincenzo @ Bangsar which ironically pricier.

Kitchen confidential - revisited

My post on 1st May http://drfrappucino.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html where I briefly mentioned Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain (actually all I did was put a photo-cover of the book which I actually borrowed - but hey I did read it okay) was noticed by the TV-series DVD distributor based in USA.

{Oh yeah baby! Apparently 'Kitchen confidential' was turned into TV shows by the creators of 'Sex in the city'}

So the very nice lady offered to post me 'the complete series DVD-box set of the show' all the way from US for free. She thought I might wanna see it and perhaps mentioned in my blog if i want to.

Without hesitation I said yes... and a package arrived prompty 1 week afterward. I must say - I was thrilled by the whole thing.



Obviously they got the right recipe for a hit-show: the idea of some wacky and funny character (+ sexy ladies) in a 'steamy' setting of a fine-dining restaurant was wicked to begin with.

I thought the show was brilliant, alas too bad it was ended albeit prematurely by the studio maybe due to poor rating.

Know what? Honestly I think it's a lot better that Sex in the city (not that I watched the latter)

Dessert anyone?

Escape from Pangkor

It was supposed to be a 2 N and 3 D beautiful vacation. The plan was perfect. Even Danny Ocean would be pleased. Left KL with my favourite road trip CDs and head straight to Lumut and a ferry ride to Pangkor Island.

Within half and hour of arrival I got myself a nice deal at Nipah Bay Villa RM95 per night for a bungalow chalet (King size bed, hot shower and astro)

... and rented a

motor kapcai, while acting like a foreign tourist.

Lepaking at Nipah Bay beach while eating grilled corn and listening to MP3 was brilliant.

However when I got back to the chalet --- I realized my wallet was missing!!

"Damn where’s my wallet?? Arghh!!

Stay cool. Gotta stay focus".

I went to the receptionist. No one had found a wallet. It’s already 7.50pm, the sun had set.

I borrowed a chelait and went back to the beach, even trailed my route back to every stall I dropped by.

With my broken heart I head back to the chalet.

1001 questions invaded my tiny puny mind, and it’s not even income-tax season yet.

“ Shoit I got no cash with me. Who’s gonna save my sorry ass now?”... How am I going to pay the ferry fare? And whatabout the RM50 penalty for losing the carpark ticket at Lumut... Peehh how to pay for food?"

Knowing I have nil in cash, without hesitation the chalet owner gave back my room deposit even I haven’t checked out yet. Since I told him I have to return to KL the next day – he happily refund my 2nd night room fee in cash (even earlier I paid via credit card).

Gosh! He even offered to cook me dinner if I haven’t had one yet.

So with some cash to help me going, the very next morning I jumped on my bike and head back to the jetty and greeted "Good Morning" to everyone I came across!!

Once I reached Lumut – even the carpark jockey lemme out for without paying the lost ticket fine... Fuhooo!

To the owner of Nipah Bay Villa En. Sabtu and his staffs.

Thank you so much!! And highly recommend this place to everyone.

1 night chalet = RM95

Grilled corn = RM2

Missing wallet: IC, driving license, cash = big headache

Help from stranger = priceless