I always feel very thankful to the patients I come across. Although some may be a little bit annoying, especially the well-educated ones who think they know a lot about diseases when in actual fact they know very little, I guess I'll still be tolerant enough in future to respond to their hostility with a placatory smile. After all, as the Declaration of Geneva puts it, I'm supposed to consecrate my life to the service of humanity and practise my profession with conscience and dignity. And all these include having a lot of patience.
But, I've seen spiteful doctors lose their temper and say awful things to patients. Such a scenario is commonplace in government hospitals overcrowded with the sick and needy. I'm not surprised at all, considering the the amount of stress they work under. Nonetheless, I still find the remark very imbecile and inconsiderate. Such doctors propagate a very negative image of others in the noble profession. Well, Savante may say I'm just another typical medical student full of idealism which may have no place in the actual working environment. But, we'll see how it goes. Meh.
And paediatrics is one of my most favourite subjects, partly because I get to deal with children. I find children very adorable, lovable and intriguing, though I still feel intimidated whenever I have to approach an inconsolable kid who cries incessantly even after having exhausted all the tricks I usually use to make my nephew smile.
But then, when I do succeed in pacifying and soothing a fretful child, no words can describe the sense of achievement and satisfaction that floods me. When you tickle him, he lets out a chuckle followed by a few mumbled sentences of indecipherable words. And as you look into his eyes still glistening with tears and the dazzling smile that slowly forms on his angelic face, you suddenly realize the fatherly instincts you were born with. Haha. I know this might sound absurd. But, at least it applies to me, for a fraction of a second when the eye contact is established. Thereafter, you have to regain your composure and examine the kid competently and present your findings to a consultant who's scrutinizing your examination techniques.
I can still remember the face of the boy with beta-thalassaemia major whom I examined a few days ago. He had a facial expression with loneliness and sadness mingled. How can a kid deprived of quality of life and who has to receive frequent blood transfusions and live with all the debilitating effects the disease be happy and jovial? He looked very innocent, incapable of meanness, hypocrisy and selfishness, unlike the adult patients. I could see a fragility in him that cut through my heart. How I wish I had the power to enliven his gloomy life and lessen his sufferings.
Just for your information, I have alpha-thalassaemic trait. No. I'm not anaemic and I don't need blood transfusion. If I ever get married to a female carrier, each child of ours will have a 25% chance of having thalassaemia major, 50 % chance of being a carrier and 25 % chance of being normal. However, this piece of information is hardly relevant to you gays. =)
And if you ask me if I want to father a child someday in future, the answer is yes, although I don't quite see the possibility of it happening in this life.
And if you ask me if I want to father a child someday in future, the answer is yes, although I don't quite see the possibility of it happening in this life.
On having the right temperament...I am glad that you choose to do what is right.
ReplyDeleteTry standing on your head the next time you can't console them.
Medicine is a calling. You will be a good pediatrician.
I don't really like doctors. For starters, my dentist was really rude. I was 8 or 9 back then. And ever since, I've been afraid of doctors. Another doctor misdiagnosed me saying that I was imagining stuff. I was having on/off fever with pain in the renal area. He said that I was overworked or something. I believed him back then coz he was the doctor. Not me. And I actually was working a 65+ hours per week. Few months later, a scan showed I had kidney stones. So yeah, I'm still afraid to go see a doctor. If I have symptoms of any sort I'll be thinking whether its real or not and all that.
ReplyDeleteI myself want to become a doctor one day. And hopefully I'll never be mean to any of my patients. I love kids too! I don't have any siblings though. And I have alpha thalassaemia just like you! Haha :D
Lucy, I believe most medical students have your idealism; just the matter when they came out to work esp during the houseman-ship in Gov Hospitals, they will start to realize their idealism will not be materialized. Keep it up and hope you become a good doc.
ReplyDeletehaha, kids are so adorable. May be I should get gf instead of bf....wuahah
ReplyDeletenot all your readers are gay lucy.. you have those undecided bi-s and str8 fellas that are lost as well.. hahaha..
ReplyDeleteoh well.. you will have kids in the future trust me.. if you tak dapat adopt pun i know you will open an orphanage or something.. :) kan?
carpe diem, not sure if i'll be able to do that in future.
ReplyDeleteA, pardon my impoliteness. but i think u sound a bit contradictory. and you're gonna be a dr in future? all the best! =D u r still in high school?
hawky, hello, why r u ppl calling me lucy lar? haha. i'll do my best =) i'll give u free consultation!
nicky, err, stop building castle in the air. u r gay. (u r not bi, r u?)
tulsy!!! hey my potential bf among my readers will be turned off if u keep calling me lucy. hahaha. maybe i will just adopt an unwanted kid.
Contradictory? Whaaii? O.O
ReplyDeleteAnd no, I'm not in high school. Doing my degree right now. Going to start MBBS after it :)
haha. ok. for a moment, i thought you were a schizophrenic with hypochondriatic delusion. u sounded like some of the patients in the psychiatric ward.
ReplyDeletelooks like i m thinking too much. haha. sorry.
so now u r doing BSc? excellent!!
Shit! Are you serious? >_< Haha. No wonder people don't talk to me much. I scare them off :| Aah. haha. No I'm not crazy. Atleast not when I commented :P I hope I didn't scare you :|
ReplyDeleteYep! And I can't wait to finish this one and start the real thing!
erm....i m in no position to comment on that since i don't know you personally. but i m sure u know what to do.
ReplyDeletei salute u. med school will be a breeze for u.
ok lo.. call you lucifer lo.. sorry lo..
ReplyDeleteHI LUCIFER!!!
so skysky, should i call you skyhawk balik?
i m fine with Luci.
ReplyDeleteskysky sounds cute.
ok lucy lucy... oh.. wait.. you want luci!! ok ok!! luci.. yala.. nak jual mahal macam gucci luci semua kan?
ReplyDeletehi lucci!! hahahahaha
hey stop it tulsy. now it rhymes with pussy. =(
ReplyDeleteHalo...Lucy, Tulsy and whatever sissy...I m fine with hawky, skysky and whatever, so long I still know that the comment is addressed to me...takut keliru pulak! Lucy or Luci sound cute but girlish. Tuls, why not you change to Sluty, cute-kan? LOL!
ReplyDeleteskysky, sluty is too over dah taknak orang kata im still a slut.. erm.. im an ex slut mar.. but still sluty skit cannot change dono why.. haha..
ReplyDeleteTULS itu power cos orang bodoh wont faham.. damn bad man me.. hahaha.. hhahaha.. evil kan? skysky is so cute la the nama!! lucifer is nasty.. grr..
oh my.. i got topic for my next blog post already!! thanks everyone!!
Tulsy: ok, ok...ex-slut and no more slut (kadang kadang sluty saje)...I pun orang bodoh, dun understand apa itu Tuls, sila explain....
ReplyDeleteLucy, sorry for using your blog for all these nonsense conversations...
TULS itu jalang = frequent sex = robohkan relationship etc = HOT(not me) = Nice body(not me)
ReplyDeletelebih kureng la.. if you really dont understand this Jargon then come for my classes ok!! FOC for the first 5 who sign up!!
sorry lucci...
Tulsy: count me in....1st to register got extras leh?...sorry Luci, pinjam tempat untuk chat!
ReplyDeletecan i register too? i need some coaching to improve myself. n tuls, u r definitely qualified.
ReplyDeletearghh....i think i should change my blog name. any suggestion?
Lucy: change blog name to?
ReplyDeleteLiuSiFat?