A different kind of Christmas, in Hospital

Recently I was overwhelmed by a lot of bad news from the people around me. Almost everyday and all are health related issues. "Life is precious & live healthily." Again and again I was reminded by this.

There are too many problems in this world. Our beloved one fall sick, people are leaving us forever, poverty (not everyone "stay at home" like we do during this COVID-19 pandemic), bearing a special child and many more.

And as you grow older you realize,
There's no greener grass, there's no the other side.
There's only stormy sea, you fight hard to sail through it.
But remember, 

as the time goes by, this too shall pass, 

And you shall see the promised rainbow after the rain.

Most important thing is how you respond to your problems. Some take it calmly, some sailed through it with sleepless nights and tears. One's problem may be another's small matter only. No one is going to fully understand the others' problems. 

God says "Peace I leave to you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27. May the peace of God, be with them and comfort them. 

This year, I am oncall on the Christmas day. Not bad, another 12 more hours to go. Today, a staff nurse in the labour room gave all of us a Christmas lunch treat. A very kind act of her, what a blessing! I bought a few packets of Cadbury chocolates last night and today, I gave it to whoever that I met throughout the day. To my surprise, each of them were so happy to receive even just a small piece of chocolate. They smiled. 

Have a good call, to myself :) 

Pray that all is well, to all my friends who are facing a hard time now. 

it's almost 12 am on the 26th now. 

Patient I will never FORGET

Ask any of the doctors, they will tell you...there are patients they will never forget. 

She was a patient with ovarian cancer with loco-regional involvement. A planned colonoscopy was postponed for almost 4 months due to the COVID pandemic. From the gyne-oncologist assessment, it was an operable mass, with back-up from the colorectal surgeon. She underwent full staging + total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salphingo-oophorectomy + bowel resection.

Day 2 post-operation, she started to have persistent serous discharge from her wound site. She was already covered with antibiotic since post-operation. Antibiotic was later on changed, according to the sensitivity from the cultures taken. Post operation, her condition was complicated with burst abdomen and vault breakdown. She went into DIVC & sepsis.

Her days after that were tough. We put her on vacuum dressings. I don\"t know and I will never know how she feels at that point of time, looking at her own wounds, with bowels visible there. Towards the later days, she gave up on all the intervention such as insertion of nasogastric tube, blood takings. I remembered telling her that everything is going to be ok, when everything is not ok.

We didn\"t give up on her. No, we shouldn\"t give up on her. Although she is a case of ovarian cancer stage 3, but we had done an optimal debulking. After op, if she heals well, we will srefer her to Radiotherapy Unit for further management. We are trying our best to give her the maximum medical therapy support. I remembered going to ICU at night with my colleague, just to see the update for this patient. Sadly, she didn\"t make it. She passed away exactly one month post operation. 

For those who has advanced stage of cancer, they can choose for palliative care as I have seen many patients with advanced stage of cancer suffered when they underwent chemotherapy. Basically they have no quality of life. But for this patient, I wish she can go further. She passed away during my oncall. I closed up her wound, that was the very last thing I can do for her.

When things happened, there will be lots of voice which sounds, "what if...?"

She is the second patient, that I will never forget. Mdm M.

Countless Blessings

So blessed, again and again, to be surrounded with all the good people.

Today in the evening, I received a message from a friend to go down and collect the food from her. Foodpanda service she said. And she brought a little bit of rice because I am on diet now. Her homecooked food. Steamed fish + pienapple cucumber salad! Yummy~ first time eating that kind of steamed fish. Very appetizing kind of taste.

Not long after that, I received a call from my another friend. To go down to collect her homecooked food. Ended up eating my dinner in her car. She explained, Evelyn, I didn't bring much rice for you because I know you are on diet. But this stewed meat with potato MUST eat with rice. (~totally AGREED). Therefore she brought some rice for me despite I am on diet.

Really touched by their kindness.

Not long after that, I received a message from my ward nurse, "Dr. Evelyn, jangan makan petang, tunggu malam nanti makan." Yeah~ I sensed something dangerous to my fat tissue! Haha. When she came during her night shift, she said, "Dr. Evelyn, I only bring a little bit of rice for you because you are on diet!"

There goes my diet plan. There's a reason why I am growing vertically (^_^")

Thank you God for all Your countless blessings. I am surrounded with good people, those who loved me. Thank you to all of you :)

Happy Nurses Day

This post I dedicated to all my comrades, nurses.

I remembered there was once when I was a junior medical officer (just off tag), I had a walk-in case in labour room, a case of placental abruptio. That time, my senior was in the emergency department seeing a case and my registrar was in OT. I was alone in labour room with my fellow nurses.

It was a calm midnight till a pregnant lady came complaining of abdominal pain with profuse per vaginal bleeding. I suspected placental abruptio and as soon as my nurses heard the diagnosis, they knew that this is an emergency. I was still new back then, the nurses helped me a lot. In just a few minutes, they prepared the patient, put her on the CTG. Some helped me to set 2 branulas and took the blood, up the IV drip. Houseman pushed the scan machine while I quickly went through the antenatal card. CTG was bad and worsening. After completing the assessment, we immediately prepared the patient for emergency caesarean section. My senior came and he agreed for emergency operation for this patient. Everything had been carried out FAST! Not long after that, the patient was called to operation theatre. It was my first adrenaline rush incident and I couldn't have make it through without a good team work by my nurses and housemen.

The senior nurses have the experiences hence they know what to do. On the other hand, those junior nurses will help out with whatever that they can. The housemen, following the instruction also helped a lot.

I had many more encounters with the nurses. Not everything can be shared in public due to the confidentiality issues. All I want to say is, nurses are the unsung heroes. It is great working with them. They are not only my colleagues, but they are also my friends.

Happy Nurses Day to all the nurses. Please stay safe~

June 2019, oncall

December 2019, Unicorn Run

April 2020, before going in for an emergency operation

2020 (^_^)

21-03-2020 COVID-19

It has been a week since I moved out. Get to know that the coronavirus has finally come to Sibu last Saturday, so I decided to move out from my home. At home, I have an elderly grandma. Working in hospital itself is high risk to have a close contact with Covid, especially when I am seeing those walk-in patients in labour room and outpatients for gyne patients. So I made a very difficult decision, which is to move out.

15/3/2020: Everday, I am still seeing one Malaysian couple who went to Japan with their relatives from Singapore. Accidentally saw someone commented in their facebook, they need to be quarantined when they are back from Japan. One of them replied, it is a good time to do daily devotion and read bible. Personally, I don't agree with anyone who is still flying to anywhere, around the world. This is not the time. Faith? This is how you use your faith in God? Faith is the trust in God in whatever circumstances we are facing, not when you purposely walk into a fire without any reason. I am not a saint and I wouldn't want to comment much on this. In the event of COVID-19, we can see people's selfishness and ignorance.  It is not about you not fearing of deaths, it is the matter of your selfishness, ignorance, you don't care if you might be one who bring back the Covid to us.

Grateful enough, I found an owner who agreed to rent her unit to us. Make the payment for 1 month rental fees and deposit on the day. Moved in to the house that night.

I am grateful again, staying with my close friend and her 2 sisters.

16/3/2020: Oncall, one of my houseman had a panic attack. She just clocked in for work, and suddenly she was hyperventilating and having muscle spasm. After making sure that she has no risk for Covid 19, we sent her over to ETD. After settled, I asked her to go back and rest at home. It did create a small chaotic moment in the labour room. With this active Covid 19 atmosphere, everyone were scared but remained calm. Terminal cleaning done. Grateful enough, everything went well for that night.

For the rest of the weeks, nothing much. 2 of my colleagues joined the Covid 19 team and hence there's some changes in the oncall roster. Supposedly I finished all my oncalls during the first 2 weeks of March, but I need to replace my colleague's oncall. It's ok, because either way, I will be either working or going back home, alone.

Just hope that public will have more awareness and honest. I still have friend who called me up yesterday asking if it is true that we have positive case in Sibu Hospital. They thought that the news is a fake one. Oh my dear...

All of us still can see in the news, regarding patients still hiding their history of joining the massive gathering in KL. In the end, they spread the virus around and even worst, they infected the medical personnel. Again, this is how selfish a person can be.

This is a tough war.

Health is not valued till the sickness comes

Today is a good day. I was in major OT as an assistant. We had a case of very big ovarian mass for unilateral salphingo-oophrectomy, a posterior wall fibroid  for myomectomy and also a staging examiantion under anaesthesia + cystoscopy for a cervical cancer patient. Yesterday, one case of postpartum bilateral tubal ligation was added in.

It was a tough day as I was down with cough and flu. Thank God, the surgeon managed to settle all the cases fast. The patient for bilateral tubal ligation refused for operation just before the anesthetist doctor put her into anaesthesia. Patient changed her mind last minute. Having 11 children, but she is still not keen for BTL. It is patient autonomy.

After work, I managed to go for jogging at Permai Lake, followed by a dinner with my friends. Ended up eating more than exercising, as usual.

Simple daily routine. Been non-stop sneezing since I am back home and my throbbing headache is getting worst. Better get an early sleep, oncall tomorrow :)

Hopefully, tomorrow my condition will improve. Need a good heatlh to enjoy another good day. There is a saying, "Health is not valued till the sickness comes". Padam muka for not taking good care of myself.