After that we saw a man who just had part of his esophagus and stomach removed because of cancer. We didn’t take a full history from him, so I don’t really know his story- but we did all get to do an abdominal exam on him. It wasn’t particularly exciting though- cause everything was normal- which means you can’t really feel anything!
In the afternoon we had our clinical skills lab and learned how to deal with sterile procedures/fields and wound care. You wouldn’t believe the process you have to go through and the amount of material that is required to bandage a small (or big) cut. We had to use forceps, saline solutions (or others if the wound was really dirty) and piles of gauze. Everything has to be prepared before you start and there is a very strict procedure that you have to follow. We had fake cuts on manikins that we had to clean and bandage while making sure not to contaminate our ‘sterile field’. If we made a mistake we had to start over! They also gave us a long talk about the kinds of infections you can get and how they are caused. Apparently, one of the biggest mistakes made by intern doctors is that they suture up animal bites right away. So, make sure if you get bitten by an animal that the doctor doesn’t stitch you up for a while! You have to make sure the bacteria gets out of there first!
I didn’t stay for surgery afterwards because I was too tired and wanted to get home. Plus, we are learning to gown and glove for surgery next week, so hopefully after that we won’t have to sneak into the surgery ward illegally. :)
Tuesday I had classes and a PBL. The problem of the week is on Dental Caries (Cavities) causing infections. Our patient had a caries which resulted in a very severe oral infection (know as Ludwig Angina) and a systemic infection. This is what happens if you don’t get your cavities filled! Apparently we have to know how to deal with and reconize some dental problems since a lot of patients will come to doctors will dental issues if they don’t have dental insurance. We will still usually have to refer them to a dentist, though.
I had another scuba diving class last night and learned about reading dive tables, residual nitrogen in the body and dangerous animals in the oceans! It’s a much more relaxed class than any of my other ones. :)
I also visited my travel agent yesterday to finalize our plans for Fiji. I’m starting to get really excited! We have a really fun itinerary and we should be able to see and do lots of stuff! Brooke leaves tomorrow to go to Toronto for a week and then Hawaii for 2 weeks after that!
I’m starting to miss having a kitchen these days. There is really only so much you can do with a microwave and toaster. (And we’ve been learning about how bad it is to use microwaves in our classes, so it is not helping matters… he he he). It will be SO nice to have some real meals in Fiji… and even better to have some home-cooked meals if I come home in June!
Also- just to give you another idea of the price of some things here- I went to buy shampoo today and the cheapest I could find was $6.50 a bottle for a 375mL bottle of Vo5. If I wanted my usual Tresemme shampoo from home, I would have had to pay $12/bottle! Crazy, eh?
Today I had a couple labs on inflammation and appendicitis. Here is a picture of acute appendicitis in case you're interested. I’m sorry if you find it horribly disgusting, but it gets much worse- trust me!
This is a picture of Sadiq. We caught him sleeping in between classes. he he he.
That’s it for now! Miss you! Hope the weather is getting better at home :)
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