Blogskin done by 16thday with image from Taringa .

I'm having one of the worst moments of my entire life.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday was supposed to be my HI Club camp. I left on Saturday night. All because I was so sick, I felt like dying. And you know how much I love HI Club. So it's like really depressing that I have to leave early. I'm so pissed with myself.

I'm suffering from gastroenteritis, inflammation of the stomach and lower bowels due to some bacterial or viral infection. BLOODY HELL! Since the early morning I've already felt like vomiting and shitting. I started having diarrhea first. It's like all the water I consume just didn't get absorbed and left my body on the other end of the gastrointestinal tract. It wasn't until in the middle of lessons that I vomited. It was super violent. I thought my whole stomach was being wringed by some washing machine. I HATE VOMITING! It's one of the worst feeling EVER.

It was later that day that someone found out I wasn't feeling well and I was treated as one of the casualty. After that, I went to the toilet, feeling like shitting again. But then I also vomited. I was so weak after that, shivering like crazy, I thought I needed an ambulance, STAT. They found me, took my temperature which was like 38.5 degrees Celcius. I thought the thermometer was spoiled because I didn't feel feverish. Blah, blah, blah and I finally agreed to go see the doctor after lots of persuasion from Wilson and Subha. Wilson accompanied me to the clinic.

Doctor said it might be gastroenteritis (I've already guessed as much). I guess the thermometer wasn't spoiled after all cuz the doctor took my temperature and it's also that high. He was a bit shocked when he found out I vomited some sort of bitter green liquid. Did some palpitation, percussion and auscultation on my abdomen. Asked me questions. He prescribed me some medication and said if after taking the medication, I still vomit the bitter green stuff, I should go to the A&E and get an X-Ray. I was like what the hell, what the hell.

I hate being sick. I wish I'm immune to all sorts of diseases forever.

I'd like to thank all those who took care of me and showed concern. I appreciate it A LOT! I'd name them all. But I've no strength. Anyway, those in HI Club reading this are a few of them.

Daniel sent me home via cab. He accompanied me up to my doorstep. =)
In my own world,
1:14 PM

Yesterday was the 25th.

Our 1 month.

Shy la.

He sent me to work and gave me a book that I saw when we went out the other time at Tampines, that I really wanted, since I've read all of her books, and I've laughed out loud while reading most. He got me the latest (I don't know how latest) book by Sophie Kinsella, "Shopaholic & Baby". The other time I wanted to get it but it was utterly expensive, for a book. Anyway, he actually went all the way to Tampines to get the book because he didn't know what the title of the book was! Hahaha. So sweet. =)

Then he accompanied me while I waited for a PDA person to come. In the meantime, he ate his lunch while I watch him.

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Work was quite good today. I was actually looking forward to today. One of the reason was Daniel was going to accompany me home after work. Another was, the previous night, I'd written a list of the skills I'd be able to do by today. So when I arrived and saw this particular staff nurse I like to work with, I was like "Zoom!" and tried to get as much opportunities as I can.

I did a lot of things I rarely did in the past, like serving medication, giving injections and doing a dressing. I also did writing a report and actually passed report to the afternoon staff! SOOOOO nice! I mean as in I got to do what I'd eventually do when I pass out as a Staff Nurse. I didn't get to follow the Doctors' round, though, but I did read up on their updates and followed up some. For the first time, I felt SO Staff Nurse-y. OH! I also did checking of controlled drugs. Awesome! Hahaha.

Besides, I had wonderful staff nurses and enrolled nurses to work with.

Oh! And I greeted good morning to this quite uptight, demanding, quite knowledgeable, tend-to-dislike-junior-nurses patient by his name! Take that! I was like "Good morning, Mr. Confidential!", and he was like "Oh! Good morning." in a pleasant, but still bow-down-to-me kind of way. I was WAY proud of myself.

I did dressing with, get this, the Sister. She's the kind that usually finds some kind of mistake or problem with you, but is actually doing the right thing in pointing us out. But she does it in a way that "makes you feel like a Year 1", as quoted by Pearlyn. So anyway, she nags a LOT, making us, me, feel like the dumbest, most mistake-full person in the ward. There was this wound chart that I have to record in after doing the dressing. The sister said she'll teach me how to chart it. I thought I was going to die when she asked me to do it in her office. Alone with the boss that you'd want to please. I actually said a prayer before entering her office. But it went quite well. Thank you, God.

I'm hungry.
And I miss my friends.
In my own world,
5:31 PM

Hello world! I'm glad you're reading my blog. Hahaha.

Today was an absolute fun day. I mean after all the work and hospitals, I'm glad to be going out with my friends.

Today I went ice skating with Tian Shun, Swee Teng, Timothy, Wilson, Aeen, Sarah and Yen Yen. All of them were virgins at ice skating except for Tian Shun, Wilson, Yen Yen and me. Tian Shun is my coach! Hahah. Tried to teach me how to brake and skate backwards and stuff. I had LOADS of fun 'coaching' and helping the rest to skate. Timothy was a fast learner. He tried to push me down a couple of times but in vain. Hahah. We skated for 4 hours. So much fun. Even made the acquaintance of this quite good-looking Caucasian guy. He was extremely friendly.

After that we went to IMM to eat. Again, had fun signing. Swee Teng said Timothy is a dirty-minded guy because he wants to go to Giant to buy 'protection'! Hahahaha! Didn't get the whole story though. And why didn't you bring your portfolio! I was so looking forward to it ok. Hahah Wilson was asleep half the time. Didn't sleep the whole of last night, I heard.

And, of course, cam-whoring was neccessary.














In my own world,
8:17 PM

Today was fun. Only the last part, during the time like an hour before we end work. All of us, the OT group and the A&E group were in the tutorial room, for scanning the PDA bar code thing. That took like 10 minutes. But we (the OT group) persuaded the rest, including Andy and Naz (the ones who scanned the bar codes) to stay with us until around 3.45pm, since we end at 4pm. We sign out at 3.45pm to 3.50pm like that. Hahaha. If only can do like this for the ward posting also.

Anyway, it was fun. Full of information (non-academic wise) and laughter. So much better than standing like an unwanted pole in the operating theatre.

I blushed in the tutorial room. I don't know why. I didn't know my blush can be so visible, oh my God. I can feel my face heating up but I didn't know I can turn red.

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Standing in the OT, without anything to do sucks. Also, my mind can't stop wandering. So far, I've two scary thoughts while "day-dreaming" in the OT:

1. Suddenly my mind snaps and I become crazy, or I get possessed by an insane spirit, and I go and put my ungloved, non-sterile hands on the sterile field of surgical instruments and equipments. I don't realize it. I come to and discover my hands on the sterile field. All eyes on me. Outrage by the surgeons and staff follows.
2. A surgeon, fully gowned and gloved in sterile gown and gloves, walks in front of me. He purposely sticks his elbow out and touch a non-sterile me. He glares swords and arrows at me and my face drains of blood. He screams at me for contaminating him.

HAHAHA.

I mean, seriously, just standing there, trying to look at whatever that's going on, without doing anything, and I mean, literally, like a damned statue, my mind can't help but zone out and think of all these horrible events that have like a 1% chance of ever occuring. And you have no idea how scary a surgeon can look.

Those are scary thoughts of mine. Now, I'll tell you a satisfying thought of, not only mine, but also the rest of us students. Only Pearlyn said it out loud.

1. Everyone in the OT witness a huge contamination, where the staff does something to... contaminate the sterile field. And they have to change everything and rush to open new sets of instruments, while the surgeon is standing at the operating table with the open wound, in disbelief and outrage.

That's only because we don't really like them. Well, at least some of them.

In my own world,
5:20 PM

My posting, as well as those posted with me at OT has so far been quite horibble. Well, at least for me it was horrible because it's a bit boring and I worry that I might develop varicose veins from standing too long.

But for some, it has been an absolute nightmare because of the staff. Not all of them are as welcoming and as friendly and approachable as those in A&E. The sister has been complaining about us to our lecturer. On Friday, she caught some of us (excluding me) using the internet and sitting in clusters outside the theatre. I know it's not appropriate to do that, especially when permission has not been sought. The least she could do was tell them not to sit around, so that we know we're not allowed to do that. But instead she went straight to Mr. Ismail giving him a list of cmplaints. She said we have no initiative. She asked Mr. Ismail: What are your students' objectives for being here? They are not doing anything. They have no initiative. Mr. Ismail was quite pissed and called all of us in for a meeting. Supposedly for 10 minutes. But ended up we spent about an hour plus arguing back, gossiping and just plain talking about thing unrelated. We were in the room until lunch time. Hahaha. We all didn't want to get back in to the OT. During lunch we all sat together and gossiped. Had fun actually.

Oh my God. This is the first time we ever had any negative feedback. And the sister doesn't even know OUR side of the story. We are super iniative, please. We are super willing to do anything. But what do you expect us to do if we don't have anything to do? Do you know some staff in the OT actually told the students to leave the theatre giving reasons like there are too many people in the theatre already or that it is a major case and they don't want students in there. So you would say, we should then go to other OTs. We're not stupid, of course we did that. But we were also chased out. And besides, we're only standing there and observing. Like some stupid, useless statue. And don't think we didn't have the initiative to ask the nurses if we could scrub in or help open something or DO something, anything. But they refused, in manners I wouldn't say commendable. Some saying that the surgery is complicated and that the surgeons are very particular. What the hell. Then how do you expect us to learn something and gain experience? We've got to start SOMEWHERE. How, then, can we ever grow and get promoted? My GOD! They were mere students then, too! Have they forgotten?

And the communication among them is not very good as well. One sister said you may use double scrub top if it's cold, but another sister said we can't. This sister said we're not allowed to use our handphones, not even in the tea room. But their own staff are using their phones. What is this?

Some surgeons are super horrible too. One time, I was in one of the OT observing a case. A newly graduated staff nurse was the scrub nurse. Ok, I keep on saying scrub nurses, scrub in, I don't know if you know what I'm talking about. Scrub nurses are those who directly help the surgeons. They are the ones who pass intruments to the surgeons. There is another nurse in the OT as well, who's called circulating nurse. Circulating nurses are not wearing sterile gowns so they can't touch the instruments. So anyway, in this particular case, they have to use some scopes (tubes with camera at the tip), so there are a lot of gadgets. So since the scrub nurse is quite new, she doesn't know much. The case was sort of complicated or something. You know what the surgeon said? He was like "Wah, you're new?" Then to no one in particular he said: For this case, you give me a new girl? He said it in an amused tone. But you know, it's not funny. He's incredulous-ed. It was pretty insulting.

Another example that my friend told me, the surgeon said "Can you give me another scrub nurse?" Wah! Imagine how the current scrub nurse must have felt. So what if they're new? How do they learn then? Stupid surgeons. They weren't born as a surgeon either, you know.

Although I'm talking about negative things, not all surgeons or nurses are bad. Some are really nice. Some surgeons bother to teach the student nurses stuff, explain this and that. Some staff nurses bothers to orientate us, allowing us to scrub in with them and teaching us this and that. So far nothing bad has happened to me, directly. Except for sometimes feeling like I'm being ignored, I didn't encounter any rudeness from them.

Being a nurse sure is hard.

Anyway, belated and all, I've made a new friend. Timothy! Yea, the one with the good English. Hahaha.
In my own world,
4:52 PM

I'm not happy.
Things seem different.
I don't like it.
*Sigh*..
Somebody make me happy, please.
If only you're able to read my mind.
I feel like screaming.

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I scrubbed in in the operating theatre today. It was quite alright. Added some exciting event in my ever boring life. I saw the surgeon cut off a fistful chunk of human meat. He used this electrical thing called the diathermy machine to cut it. It uses electricity so it kinda burns the meat as well as prevent bleeding. So when the surgeon used the diathermy pen, you can smell burned meat. It's horrible. But it's really amazing seeing the surgeons operate on people. Too bad at CGH there isn't any open heart surgery.
In my own world,
8:31 PM

My family and I went to eat at BaliThai for my mom's birthday.

Altogether we bought 8 pairs of shoes today. 3 of them are mine. Yay!
In my own world,
8:24 PM

Timothy should write a goddamn book.

I wonder what he got for English for his O'Levels.
In my own world,
11:46 AM

I'm starting to get lazier and lazier to update this blog. But I miss typing on my keyboard so.. ya. I feel like changing my blog address without saying the new blog on this blog cuz I don't want some people to read. But then, I'd have to tell those I don't mind reading, my new address and it's so troublesome, for me and for them to change their links. And this blog has seen through so many years. A bit sad to throw it away.

It's been 10 days since I've started my Clinical Attachment. I'm posted to the A&E. I SOOO much prefer A&E to the normal ward setting. I love the fast pace and I love that I don't really have to pass report. I like the staff, too. So I guess A&E has climbed to the top of my favourite postings. 2nd is the IMH posting. Now I'm thinking twice about working in a normal ward.

Next two weeks will be at the Operating Theatre. I'd get to wear scrubs and slippers. And I heard it's very nice. So ya, can't wait. Oh and it's all the way 8-4 shift. So cool.

Usually I'd elaborate on my favourite postings but I'm REALLY, ABSOLUTELY LAZY to recall the whole thing and type it down. One thing, I know the entry is gonna get really really long.

Just a short note. Daniel accompanied me home yesterday night. I miss him. Haha.

It's really weird saying "Yes" to "Do you have a boyfriend?". Cuz I've never answered "Yes" before. So every time someone asks, the volume of my voice decreases to a shy level. Hahahah. Weird.
In my own world,
7:08 PM