The Best kind of people

Hello!

I needed a shot of thoughts up my arm, hence the decision to write today. You see, it's raining here, Ludovico Einaudi- I, Giorni is playing in the background, the smell of coffee lingers on, and there are plenty of books of all kinds on my bed by the window side, beckoning me lovingly. And what better than to crown this moment than to write about it, to an adoring audience, you? :)

Lots of thought- mice scurrying in my head today. However, what stood out on this beautiful day, was an interaction with a 12 year old boy in the hospital. The boy has been admitted for fever, cough, and an ear infection. Before you wonder why such minor complaints require admission to a tertiary health care centre, know that the little boy is HIV positive.

The little boy's story is gut wrenching. His father is HIV positive, and his mother died 9 years ago. He had a little baby brother, who passed away when he was barely 1 too. He now stays with his father and his step mum.

But Good Lord, was this boy cheerful. Not just that, he was also fun. Little kids tend to be withdrawn and hostile in hospitals, and can hardly be blamed for it, what with all the poking and probing they are subjected to. But this little fella was as cheery as a reed in the rain. He teased us about how slowly we were writing his case, told us he could write way faster, and even demonstrated it to us. He gladly obliged to our incessant, "turn this way, please" and "breathe aloud with your mouth slightly open" without a frown.

Sadly, the dear boy is now suspected of having Pulmonary Tuberculosis, which could potentially complicate his condition. HIV and TB are known to go hand in hand, and make treatment challenging.

Hence the question, why does this happen to the best kind of people? It's simply not fair that children must suffer for no fault of theirs. They don't deserve it. Children are so full of life, laughter and happiness. Perhaps that's what the healthcare fraternity comes in, we are on a mission to protect the little ones, smiles intact. But isn't the job of preserving their gaiety entrusted to us all? :)

Quirky traits, quirky people!

Hello there!

Curiosity is on the list of the ultimate list of must-possess quirks. Agreed. Curiosity for a meaningful existence, a joyous ride, and a heightened sense of awareness. As essential as the air we breathe.

But when I realized it has been nearly 2 weeks since my last blog post, I realized there's yet another essential quality that needs to ride along. Commitment. :)

As you walk along, it's amazing to meet all kinds of new people- the 'step back, easy go' variety, the 'must solve all of the world's problems tonight!'variety, and my personal favorite- the downright wacky variety who instill my faith in the essential crazy streak. Today, I'd like to list the 3 most memorable people in the past month that I only caught a glimpse of, but they stuck with me and left a lasting impression.

The first to go is a man I once saw in a restaurant. It was the kind of restaurant so ubiquitous in South India, where you walk in, order breakfast, grab a quick bite standing among other fellow visitors, nodding to them in polite acknowledgement, perhaps say a line or two about the latest bruhaha in politics or talk about the beautiful weather. This man I saw was unassuming, and had nothing unusual about him to elicit a second, closer look. Within a few minutes however, this man began talking. To thin air. Oh no, not the usual- "drat! I forgot to bring my wallet" or "oh that looks yum, must order it!" It was a genuine, intense conversation filled with emotion with, well, nobody. I stared at him in disbelief, and I wondered what he saw. Did he see a ghost? Did he have an imaginary evil twin? What/who did he see that none of us saw? I left wondering who was better off, our seemingly mundane but 'normal' lives, v/s his enormous, endless world of possibilities.

The next on my list is a patient I encountered in the hospital corridors last week. As my friends and I were hurrying for Ophthalmology class, we were addressed by this man. It's not uncommon for patients to stop us for a moment to ask for directions or ask about drug regimens. When we stopped for this man however, he began abusing us out of the blue, He alleged we were 'roaming about' in the campus, and mockingly asked us what we had studied. "Have you even done your MD?" he asked. He is right, we haven't, sigh, long way to go, we know. The man hurled abuses at us as we passed by. The poor man probably had been at the receiving end of a terrible blow of some sort. The loss of a loved one, a bad news, a worrisome diagnosis. Sometimes all they need are a few kind words and a comforting pat on the back, non?

The last person on my list is fresh on my mind because I met him only yesterday. Our interaction was short lived. He was a shopkeeper selling marbles, chalk, betel nut and other miscellany on a busy street in Bangalore. It's a lovely bazaar, the one this shop is located in, the kind you can photograph a hundred times and still emerge with a different scene each time, the kind you can walk slowly by wishing you had more senses to take in the sights and the scenes, and the kind where there's life and energy right in the midst of the hustle. I was fascinated by this shopkeeper, and asked him where he was from. Unruffled, he replied, "I'm from here madam, from Hindustan!" :')

So many people come and go, and if you look closely, they all make a connection with you somehow, some for an instant, others for a lifetime.

Filling my first case sheet up! :)

Hello!

The title is not deceiving at all. Write enough, and for long enough, then eventually, writing really becomes filling up a lot of maverick letters that come with astonishing mood swings. I don't know the joys or sorrows of synaesthesia, but my letter M sure looks like a balding man at times, (somehow I always tend to associate hypertrichosis pinna with this mental imagery too) and a ravishing, well dressed, hat-donning gentleman with a carved cane in another.

And today, upon a chance visit to the Eclampsia Ward in the Obstetrics Dept. of the hospital, my friend and I were in for a little duty, like an affectionate peck on the cheek. Our job? Talk to the patient, elicit an accurate history, and fill up the case sheet accordingly.

And when adventure beckons, can we possibly be left behind? Especially when you know you can come back and spin an elaborate story with exquisite details. Absolutely not!

Originally, we had entered the teeming wards in the hope of finding a morbidly obese pregnant woman with complications we knew had been admitted. The woman we were now assigned to had been previously diagnosed with PIHTN or Pregnancy Induced HyperTensioN, She lay there slumped, a heap on the bed, with a family member dutifully standing by her side.

After preliminary introductions, we dived into her story. We took all her relevant medical details, which she dutifully answered. We filled up the case sheet feeling all important, after all, we were becoming a part of the hospital records' history! ( all hospitals maintain in patient records for at least a year for medico-legal purposes, after which they are shredded.)

Our patient was already a mother of two little girls 10 and 7 years old, and was in the ninth month of her third pregnancy when she stopped perceiving foetal movements 2 days ago. Her baby, almost due delivery, had stopped kicking about in her uterus. Worried, she visited the hospital yesterday, only to tragically deliver a still born today.

To go through such a physiologically and psychologically grueling experience as pregnancy, only to end in tragedy. Her hopes and prayers for a little one, an alive and kicking bundle of joy, only to be darkened by the shadow of death. How does she bear it? She is an incredibly brave woman. May God give her the strength to get through this.

Voila! The secret identity of Chemical X

It is finally here.

No, really.

This is celestial knowledge right here. Coming to you from the parched lips of a thirsty, anemic med student holed in a 6 by 8 feet room, with books stacked up from floor to ceiling. If you knocked her on her head, she wouldn't see stars, but books. Pretty little books fluttering about, their delicate wings quivering. 

I may not have not digressed there at all.

So, the title. The secret identity if chemical X. If you grew up in the 90's, you know Chemical X as this:

Sure, why not? That's the chemical X we are talking about. Just one of our world's many mysteries.

This 'chemical' in question, whose secret identity you know will not be revealed until the very last line (going by protocols of The International Predictable Writers Association) is immortalized in the following saying (Sorry about the give away, TIPWA) "Curiosity kills the cat." You guessed right. Chemical X is cat. 

In all seriousness, curiosity powers the world. It's nature's most favorite in the list of characters to give out. Curiosity- this abstract, powerful trait , drives new innovations, creates, inspires and oh, kills the cat.

Hence the title of the blog, dear readers. As a med student, I'll make an honest attempt to notice the ground beneath my feet and keep an eye out for nuances and subtleties, all powered by a curious eye. The hospital is a gargoyle of human emotions, and is filled with tales of hope and tragedy. Our lives as med students are full of little victories v/s giant failures; and rewarding moments v/s frustrations. I will sincerely try and chronicle them all.

The targeted readership of this blog includes other med students, younger students who intend to take medicine and wish to take a sneak peak at what's to come, and really, just anyone interested in knowing about the extremely happening (not joking at all) lives of med students.

Welcome! and Happy reading. :)