Good Times
9th September 2006
6th September
Attached to the theatre today. To put it in aussie lingo, it was pretty full on. First I have to say I look really horrible in scrubs. But who doesn’t eh? I liked my cap though. It had pretty little flowers on it.
Anyway, on to the more exciting stuff. I was basically floating between two theatres, watching one procedure while the other room was being set up and vice versa. I was on my feet the whole day and I wolfed down my chicken and chips for lunch in 15 mins.
Colonoscopy = sticking a camera thru’ the anus to have a look at the bowels. Mmm yum.
Doc: Oh so you’re a student eh?
Me: yeah, 2nd year.
Doc: Well glove up now. I want to stick your finger in.
What the???!!!! Shit. Oh yeah shit.
Doc: Now watch me. I want you to stick your finger in like this, have a bit of feel around, see if there’s any obstruction there. Go on.
So I did. Without warning nor thought, I stuck my finger into the anus and had a feel. After the doc was satisfied that I had done it properly, I stood back. I looked at the nurses and they were smiling. During a colonoscopy, they force in positive pressure to keep the colon open. So during the procedure sometimes, the patient would fart. Like seriously fart. Yeah after a few colonoscopies, I started to think I was beginning to stink. Was so grossed out man.
I stuck my finger again into another patient, this time he had hemorrhoids hanging out thru’ his anus. Yeah that was painful. Got to see some bowel cancer. ( I am soooo eating my 5 servings of veges now). Got to see some gastroscopy and later saw a direct inguinal hernia repair.
The surgeon had been to Singapore and he was raving about the airport as usual. And yeah he was only there for transit.
Later, saw some nose realignment of the nose, excision of a basal cell carcinoma, and two skin grafts. Imagine having the skin of your thigh shaved off.
But the whopper for that day, was what the nurses term “family planning”. Or the much needed promotion of that.
I saw 2 abortions or what they call STOP – suction termination of pregnancy. I have to say the procedure is so technical that it’s hard to feel the impact of terminating a life. For once, I didn’t ask any questions during the procedure, I just stood and watched as the GP sucked out the blood, placenta and fetus. I couldn’t really see anything except towards the end, when he scooped out the remnants of what was a fetus.
The doc from UK too was raving about Singapore Airlines and how he was going back to London with SIA.
He put me on the spot a bit, when he asked about my views of abortion. All the nurses (5 of them) and the anaesthetist turned to stare at me. Oh dear.I won’t go into detail about what I said since I have a complicated view of it.
Later saw two vasectomies (the cutting of the sperm duct as a permanent contraception) I really felt for the guy when the GP began to dig into his testis to feel for the sperm duct.Oooowwww.
Btw I washed my hands more than 15 times that day.
It was good having the nurses and docs not judge me. I felt like one of them today. Maybe I should be a surgeon. That way no one knows until they see me in the locker room at the end of the day and realize. By then it would be too late though, they realize I’m just like any other person.
8 September 2005
The last full day before we leave tomorrow. Visited the dairy farm. The house sits a top a hill overlooking the flats. Can you imagine waking up to a view like that? Just having a cuppa outside watching the red shine its warmth over the land and the cows lazing in the distance. Of course in reality farmers work a really long day. They milk the cows at 5.30 am and they have about 200 over cows and this gets done by 7.30 am. They do this twice, once in the morning and another at night.
I love the farm. I don’t really get turned off by the smell of farm especially that of cow poo, coz there was a time you could find cow poo everywhere at my kampung in Malacca.
I just love the country. Imagine if you needed to get away, just to be alone or to let off some steam. Sanctuary sits right in your backyard. Just saddle the horse and ride towards the horizon and you can go as far as you can and you won’t meet anyone. The world is yours for the day.
Later we went fishing at Lakes. We caught a total of 36 fish – leatherjackets! I caught 2!We got caught up trying to catch fish that we forgot to enjoy the view.
Finally to end rural week, indigenous dinner. Crocodile, kangaroo and emu meat. I ate fish and vege patties as usual. What do aussies do when they want to celebrate the last night out? Yup drink. Alex and roni were the first to get wasted. Soon enough jess got a bit tipsy and by the time we got back, they were doing really crazy stuff I couldn’t stop laughing. It got pretty bad when our driver decided to bring them to the ‘bottle-o’ because they wanted to get more booze. Someone called the police I think.
The next day, most of them looked a bit "under the weather". Alex kept on puking. I don't know why people enjoy getting drunk. Its a bit shallow when you need booze to have fun. Nonetheless, the things they say and do when they are out of control are truly entertaining. I fell asleep amongst their drunkedness and partying and i woke up to over 10 pillows heaped on me.Andy in his pissed state had so kindly decided i needed pillows all over me so that i can sleep well.
2 weeks went by so fast I could barely digest everything. I had so many firsts this week. First time catching fish, first time seeing an abortion, first time sticking my finger in, first Friday Night Sabbath dinner, first time talking to a rape victim, first time living with other meddies, first time in scrubs, first time everything.
How can one not feel depressed after spending some of the best times in medical school in such a beautiful place like Bairnsdale? I wish i could go back and do my clinical yr in a rural area but that's not possible for international students.
I think I made a difference. Whatever they think, I know it will be for the better. That some stereotypes were shattered and new concepts were found. There's something about the country that is so seductively inviting. It beckons you with open arms, its green terrains seem to envelope you and draw you in till you're just lost in awe and you forget to breathe.
How would it feel to ride the land horseback? To feel the hard ground with each hoove and feel the cold wind in my hair. I think I would just close my eyes and let nature guide me. I would let go of the reins and laugh in delight.
Oh but the world is never perfect. As beautiful as it seems, the community is so white that I could have been the first of 'my kind' they have seen.. The staring just gets so bad sometimes i feel like telling them to go and *************.
Then there is that really kind nurse, the quirky surgeon, the motherly tutor, the Irish man, the great company of friends that seems to make up for it with their love and warmth.
I'm going to get depressed now I think. Pics of Bairnsdale will be on the right.
6th September
Attached to the theatre today. To put it in aussie lingo, it was pretty full on. First I have to say I look really horrible in scrubs. But who doesn’t eh? I liked my cap though. It had pretty little flowers on it.
Anyway, on to the more exciting stuff. I was basically floating between two theatres, watching one procedure while the other room was being set up and vice versa. I was on my feet the whole day and I wolfed down my chicken and chips for lunch in 15 mins.
Colonoscopy = sticking a camera thru’ the anus to have a look at the bowels. Mmm yum.
Doc: Oh so you’re a student eh?
Me: yeah, 2nd year.
Doc: Well glove up now. I want to stick your finger in.
What the???!!!! Shit. Oh yeah shit.
Doc: Now watch me. I want you to stick your finger in like this, have a bit of feel around, see if there’s any obstruction there. Go on.
So I did. Without warning nor thought, I stuck my finger into the anus and had a feel. After the doc was satisfied that I had done it properly, I stood back. I looked at the nurses and they were smiling. During a colonoscopy, they force in positive pressure to keep the colon open. So during the procedure sometimes, the patient would fart. Like seriously fart. Yeah after a few colonoscopies, I started to think I was beginning to stink. Was so grossed out man.
I stuck my finger again into another patient, this time he had hemorrhoids hanging out thru’ his anus. Yeah that was painful. Got to see some bowel cancer. ( I am soooo eating my 5 servings of veges now). Got to see some gastroscopy and later saw a direct inguinal hernia repair.
The surgeon had been to Singapore and he was raving about the airport as usual. And yeah he was only there for transit.
Later, saw some nose realignment of the nose, excision of a basal cell carcinoma, and two skin grafts. Imagine having the skin of your thigh shaved off.
But the whopper for that day, was what the nurses term “family planning”. Or the much needed promotion of that.
I saw 2 abortions or what they call STOP – suction termination of pregnancy. I have to say the procedure is so technical that it’s hard to feel the impact of terminating a life. For once, I didn’t ask any questions during the procedure, I just stood and watched as the GP sucked out the blood, placenta and fetus. I couldn’t really see anything except towards the end, when he scooped out the remnants of what was a fetus.
The doc from UK too was raving about Singapore Airlines and how he was going back to London with SIA.
He put me on the spot a bit, when he asked about my views of abortion. All the nurses (5 of them) and the anaesthetist turned to stare at me. Oh dear.I won’t go into detail about what I said since I have a complicated view of it.
Later saw two vasectomies (the cutting of the sperm duct as a permanent contraception) I really felt for the guy when the GP began to dig into his testis to feel for the sperm duct.Oooowwww.
Btw I washed my hands more than 15 times that day.
It was good having the nurses and docs not judge me. I felt like one of them today. Maybe I should be a surgeon. That way no one knows until they see me in the locker room at the end of the day and realize. By then it would be too late though, they realize I’m just like any other person.
8 September 2005
The last full day before we leave tomorrow. Visited the dairy farm. The house sits a top a hill overlooking the flats. Can you imagine waking up to a view like that? Just having a cuppa outside watching the red shine its warmth over the land and the cows lazing in the distance. Of course in reality farmers work a really long day. They milk the cows at 5.30 am and they have about 200 over cows and this gets done by 7.30 am. They do this twice, once in the morning and another at night.
I love the farm. I don’t really get turned off by the smell of farm especially that of cow poo, coz there was a time you could find cow poo everywhere at my kampung in Malacca.
I just love the country. Imagine if you needed to get away, just to be alone or to let off some steam. Sanctuary sits right in your backyard. Just saddle the horse and ride towards the horizon and you can go as far as you can and you won’t meet anyone. The world is yours for the day.
Later we went fishing at Lakes. We caught a total of 36 fish – leatherjackets! I caught 2!We got caught up trying to catch fish that we forgot to enjoy the view.
Finally to end rural week, indigenous dinner. Crocodile, kangaroo and emu meat. I ate fish and vege patties as usual. What do aussies do when they want to celebrate the last night out? Yup drink. Alex and roni were the first to get wasted. Soon enough jess got a bit tipsy and by the time we got back, they were doing really crazy stuff I couldn’t stop laughing. It got pretty bad when our driver decided to bring them to the ‘bottle-o’ because they wanted to get more booze. Someone called the police I think.
The next day, most of them looked a bit "under the weather". Alex kept on puking. I don't know why people enjoy getting drunk. Its a bit shallow when you need booze to have fun. Nonetheless, the things they say and do when they are out of control are truly entertaining. I fell asleep amongst their drunkedness and partying and i woke up to over 10 pillows heaped on me.Andy in his pissed state had so kindly decided i needed pillows all over me so that i can sleep well.
2 weeks went by so fast I could barely digest everything. I had so many firsts this week. First time catching fish, first time seeing an abortion, first time sticking my finger in, first Friday Night Sabbath dinner, first time talking to a rape victim, first time living with other meddies, first time in scrubs, first time everything.
How can one not feel depressed after spending some of the best times in medical school in such a beautiful place like Bairnsdale? I wish i could go back and do my clinical yr in a rural area but that's not possible for international students.
I think I made a difference. Whatever they think, I know it will be for the better. That some stereotypes were shattered and new concepts were found. There's something about the country that is so seductively inviting. It beckons you with open arms, its green terrains seem to envelope you and draw you in till you're just lost in awe and you forget to breathe.
How would it feel to ride the land horseback? To feel the hard ground with each hoove and feel the cold wind in my hair. I think I would just close my eyes and let nature guide me. I would let go of the reins and laugh in delight.
Oh but the world is never perfect. As beautiful as it seems, the community is so white that I could have been the first of 'my kind' they have seen.. The staring just gets so bad sometimes i feel like telling them to go and *************.
Then there is that really kind nurse, the quirky surgeon, the motherly tutor, the Irish man, the great company of friends that seems to make up for it with their love and warmth.
I'm going to get depressed now I think. Pics of Bairnsdale will be on the right.
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