What I would like to do.

I would really like to write a decent post about working in Kilo 11, but work is downright exhausting. All I can think of when I get back home is how to not starve before heading to bed.

It's like I'm in a different city when I'm in that district.

Illiteracy, lack of hygiene and parasites seem to be the most common causes of disease. Along with apathy/neglect. Not to mention old wives tales and apothecary's concoctions that leave then worse off than they started.

They all auto-diagnose and just want pills. They're not open to discussing their symptoms.
-Me: What are you complaining of?
*Patient: Tonsillitis.
-Do you mean your throat hurts?
*Yes, and the flu.
-Do you mean your nose is runny?
*Yes, just give me those small pills and an antibiotic.
-What small pills?
*The ones that other doctor gave me, the white ones.
-What are they called?
*I don't know, the small white ones, don't you know them? And I have a blood allergy.
-Excuse me? A what?
*A blood allergy! That doctor in Blah Blah Hospital told me. Don't you know what that is?!
-No, do explain it to me.
*You should know, you're the doctor!

I see a patient every 9.2 mins. This happens with almost every patient in varying degrees about different diagnoses. Nevertheless, though they drive me so close to the edge of my sanity everyday, I like my patients. I never thought I'd say that.

Comments

  1. Thanks for sharing some of your clinic experience. Working with the disadvantaged can be very rewarding, though exhausting, and a trigger for burnout.

    Presenting a diagnosis rather than symptoms, and describing medications by size and colour are very common clinical phenomena.

    Mangled medical terms too. Care to guess at what "fireballs in my Eucharist" are? :)

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    Replies
    1. I really hope I don't burn out soon. I'm having so much fun! I'm guessing the diagnosis is heartburn? no? Next week is the vaccination campaign so it should be interesting!

      Delete
  2. Welcome back, dear ..

    Can't wait to hear out the craziest of crazy stuff you have there :D

    San Franciscan hugs will arrive at your screen once you read this message :)

    ReplyDelete

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