Tuesday, March 22, 2005
went 4 my first occupational therapy session 2dae after being discharged frm e hospital. was almost late. hahaz. almost ok. aniwae they helped mi change my dressin 4 my wound. hahaz. e person who helped mi changed my dressin is tis guy on attachment lahz. so basically a student also. if i m nt wrong. he is studyin 2 be a occupational therapist. yahz. at e polytechnic. aniwae juz 4 ur info. if u wanna becom a therapist u need 2 go 2 jc. get ur A levels cert. b4 u can enrol in a polytechnic 2 study e diploma. yahz. learned tis when i was in sec 3. 3 yrs ago. when i was attached 2 National University Hospital (NUH). under work attachment programme also. was quite an eye opener experience lahz. 4 e first time in my life i worked in a ward. a surgical ward. observed how e nurses changed e dressings 4 all e different type of wounds. helped 2 change e linens n sheets of e beds. helped e patients 2 get water etc. follow e docs ard durin their mornin rounds. c other patients. c e vry sick patients in e icu. c e vry rich patients in e A class wards. n even get 2 go into e operating theatres. was like how excited then. can u imagine. hahaz. a silly. nonsensical gurl goin into e ot 4 e first time in her life. hahaz. so happie. but cldnt c much then. as we were nt allowed 2 go in2 e operatin rm itself. can onli stand outside e rm in e corridor n peeped inside. hahaz. saw 2 operations. 1 is 2 remove sum ulcer frm e mouth or sumting like tt. e other wan is 2 fix e aorta rupture. so it's like they opened up e patient ard e upper abdomen there. n u can c e layers of fats n blood lahz. hahaz. okok. abit gross. shall nt make aniwan puke. but reallie leave mi w a great impression. n i sorta wanna go into medical field even more.
e next experience was last yr. durin e nov n dec hols. was attached 2 TTSH 4 a total of 9 daes. suddenly i wished tt ebloggy wasnt down. coz i blogged my whole attachment. oh well. since i hav a vry high chance of nt gettin my archive back i guess i cldnt help it lahz. sighz. was attached 2 NNI. 1st 2 daes were w e neurology dept. went 2 e nicu (neurology intensive care unit). observed how e various life supportin machines work. n get 2 noe more abt wat e patients r sufferin frm. went 2 Dr Lee. our mentor. specialist clinic in e hospital n c how he interact w e patients n e various ailments tt e patients suffered tt will need his attention. frm stroke to epilepy to sum inheritable disease. yahz. alot lahz. after tt he told us more abt medical education in singapore. n he is one of e interviewer 4 e medicine interview 4 NUS.
e next 2 daes were spent attached 2 e neurosurgery dept. tis is e place where i observed sum reallie horrible surgeons doin surgery. hahaz. observed quite a few surgery. but all e surgery like take billion of yrs 2 complete wan. like at least 4 to 5 hrs. can go up to 10 hrs. hahaz. can u imagine standin there until like u wanna die? hahaz. first op tt i c was one tt is e removal of tumour frm e rite hemisphere of e brain. near e back of e head. so e patient's head was open above e neck. n u can c e skull n e tumour itself. which is quite bloody. hahaz. tis time round. unlike my first attachment at NUH. i was in e ot itself. standin like 1 metre awae frm e patient. i was able 2 c 4 myself how an ot look like. hahaz. wat r e tings u r nt supposed 2 do inside e ot. like cannt touch ani tings tt r covered w e green colour ot cloth. or e cloth itself. cannt touch e microscope. cannt touch e surgeons n nurses. coz they r wearin sterile clothin. if u touch them they hav 2 change again. n kana shouted at by e surgeons. excellent. but nonetheless it's a reallie great experience. n e other op resemble wat i termed as e 'pokin chicken wing 4 e bbq'. hahaz. it's a shunt op tt drain e excessive brain fluid frm e brain 2 e abdomen. shall nt describe e op here. hahaz. but was reallie quite enrichin 2 observe all tis ops. but i sorta promise myself tt i will nt put myself in e shoes of a patient coz i realise tt e surgeons which was written on tt piece of paper given 2 e patient may nt be e wan operatin on e patient after all. so horrifyin 2 tink abt it esp once u c how sum of them operate. hahaz. take one of e registra 4 example. his hands shake so much tt when he is drillin open e skull. tt drill actuallie shifted n skull pieces were like flyin all over e place. horrendous!!! now u shld understand y i wanna make sure i hav my own surgeon rite. once bitten twice shy. hahaz. n one more tings. being a nurse is sumtimes betta than being a doc. coz if u r like a senior nurse. or vry powerful nurse like e sister. even e head surgeons r scared of u. surgeons respect nurses alot. esp those vry experienced wan. but if u r a newbie. get ready 2 be scolded. coz time is vry impt in a surgery. if e surgery delayed 4 2 long. then e patient may face health probs due 2 e side effects of e anaesthetics. yahz.
aniwae went 4 my first outpatient occupational therapy. erhz. abit e expensive can. eekz. cost like $50 plus bucks b4 subsidy. but becoz i was hospitalised b4 n stayed at class C ward. so i m now under govt subsidy. but i still need 2 pay like $17 plus. eekz. wow liao. i m like seriously how broke now due 2 all tis. sighz.
encounter a vry irritatin incident while i was on my wae 2 TTSH. i was almost late like wat i said earlier. so i didnt take my medication at home. so i onli took my medication when i was inside e train. my medication r all painkillers. i hav no contagious or terminal illness. then tis idiotic woman who was sittin beside mi tink i m goin 2 spread sum incurable disease 2 her when she saw mi takin my pills tt she moved 2 e opposite seat. wow liao. tis is wat kind of discrimination! seriously feel like slappin her lorz. idiot! oh well. maybe she is juz lowly educated. but i nv encounter such discrimination b4. now i can understand how e nurses feel durin e SARS period. hmmz. n juz wanna tell her tt her make up is 2 thick. she look like a 30 plus tryin 2 be 20 plus woman. disgustin.
dropped by sch on my wae home 2 pass mr loh my mc. yahz. hahaz. n also 2 laugh at pple takin cts. no lahz. i where got so mean. i m such a nice person. hahaz. yahz. erhz. spoke 2 mr loh n even passed him my patient's copy of e surgical report. which he sae he will photocopy w e mc n pass them 2 my respective teachers. hope i get it back. it is quite interestin 2 read e supreme brief report. now i understand y everytime after an op e surgeons will camp infront of e computers in e ots 2 type stuff. hmmz. tok 2 mr benny lee briefly. after tt tok 2 mr tay in e canteen. i muz sae sumtin. i luv mr tay!!! hahaz. he is e most carin teacher i noe manz. so nice. he actuallie took e effort 2 ask marlom abt my condition. he is e onli teacher who noe wat happen 2 mi n wat treatment i m goin thru. wow! my idol frm now on. hahaz. such a nice teacher. where can u find another wan? hahaz. estella frm now on luv mr tay alot. hahaz. ok i m abit crazy. n tok on e phone w ms tang. will be takin e chem common test as a prac on next tues after my lesson end frm 3 to 5pm. tink i will juz die after tt. hmmz.
marlom is saein tt he wished tt he break his finger also. thus can dun take common tests. i m abit e dotz lahz. if u wanna go thru e whole ordeal go ahead. i m nt stoppin aniwan. but seriously. i rather hav a perfect set of hands w no broken bones then 2 go thru all tis. i dun even wanna look at all e receipts tt TTSH issued 4 mi since my visit 2 e specialist clinic. my op n hospital stay cost money too. my therapy session cost money too. remember my first pay check? well i m like left w nt much le. all of them spent on my medical fees rite. yes. u will ask. wasnt my parents suppose 2 pay 4 mi. well let mi tell u. tt's abit e imposs. coz my dad is debt ridden. so my mthly allowance is like all he can give mi 4 tt mth. usually he will borrow $100 to $200 plus frm in a mth. how 2 ask him 4 $ when he hav 2 borrow $ frm mi. my mum work part time. so basically sumtimes she hav abit of money. sumtimes she dun. i hav a older bro who is a teacher. but he need 2 help 2 pay 4 my dad's stuff also n contribute 2 e house expsenses. how 2 ask him 4 anitin le? n my sis is dun even need 2 sae wan lahz. she arhz. is married now. w a baby hospitalised coz she is premature. do u noe how much it cost or nt? so now u noe y i wanna teach tuition so badly. being poor reallie mean being poor. n there used 2 be a sayin tt one can die but one cannt fall sick. n mine is reallie a vry 2pid wae 2 'fall sick'. fractured by a normal captain ball durin pe lesson. how rubbish can my life be.
undergoin therapy is no fun. yes. finger therapy sound abit funnie. but tt's becoz u hav 2 set of perfectly workin well fingers. which can move accordin 2 ur wishes. well. my pinkie now is nt listenin 2 mi as much as it used 2 be. becoz it had been bandaged up 4 2 long. it's vry stiff. basically i 4got how it feel like 2 ask my finger 2 bend le. it's juz like tt piece of ice cream stick tt used 2 support it. it cant bend on its own. i hav 2 use my left hand 2 push it down. n w e jolt of pain come e realisation of feelin within my pinkie.
after e op. i cant even straighten my pinkie on my own. even till now. it's nt perfectly straight. i hav 2 use my left hand 2 push it straight after each time i bend it durin e exercise. my lowest joint is normal. i can bend it frm 0 degree to 90 degree. but my fractured joint n e highest joint r like nt under my control. no matter how hard i bend. exert e force 2 bend my pinkie n usin my highest level of tolerance of pain. it juz refused 2 bend more than 55 degree. so now my pinkie is cant even touch my palm now. u noe how irritatin it is when u noe u r supposed 2 be able 2 do it yet u cant?
e other exercise is e 'hooked fingers'. supposed 2 make ur 4 fingers into hooks. which required e 2nd joint which is also my injured joint 2 be 90 degree. until now i can onli manage a mere 40 degree. excellent.
e last exercise which i dun even need 2 try since i cant do e hooked fingers is e clenchin of e fist. sound like a vry normal ting 4 ani wan 2 do. same 4 mi. as least 4 my left hand. but i cant do it at all. so i still cant sae e pledge lahz. basically.
there is a constant need 2 massage e swollen part of e finger. where all e stitches r 2 relieve e stiffness of e finger. thus makin it easier 2 move e joint. 4 e past few daes hav been experiencin sudden jolt of pain which come at e most unexpected times. even w e painkillers. i feel e pain sumtimes. n if i were 2 take my medication late. e pain will come back. e tings tt i used 2 take 4 granted r wat i m strivin 2 recover my control over now.
i hav a quite big patch of bruise under my collar bone. n my rite arm ache constantly. maybe becoz i rarely used my rite arm nowadaes tt's y i dun complaint abt as much as my pinkie lahz. oh well. shall end my whinin here. hahaz.
n juz wanna wish everywan who is havin common tests now. ALL THE BEST! hahaz. i m sure tt u clever pple will be able 2 score As n Bs rite? hahaz. Jia You!
n wanna wish my dear Nanny a HAPPIE BELATED BIRTHDAE! sorrie sorrie. will try 2 get ur presenz asap. hahaz. n wanna wish my mortals Rina n Woon Li HAPPIE BELATED BIRTHDAE too. oopz. hahaz. alot of pple birthdae arhz. y all concentrate in march? hmmz. hahaz.
