living next door to Alice

Just feeling nostalgic.

This was a hit song by pop group Smokie in the 70s about not pouring your feelings to the love of your life till its too late.

I knew of 2 Alices in my younger days. One was a chance meeting with a budding lawyer, whom I read recently had been elevated to a Judicial Commissioner. Congrats!

The other was a student nurse at a hospital I was posted to. We were like Danny and Sandy in Grease... a summer romance but without the songs and dancing.

In the sunset of my life, there's always time for reminiscing. 

Of what it could have been. 😝😝😝

spaceman 2.0

In the midst of Covid pandemic. Hopsital in high alert and staff are in protective gear. No menteris here though.

God save us all.

🙏🙏🙏

Spaceman

I was oncall on Tuesday April 7th, when a 70 yr old patient with a myriad of medical problems developed breathing difficulty. He obviously needed respiratory assistance with a ventilator. He would be the archetypal patient most likely to be afflicted with COVID19. But because his test result would not be available for another 24hrs (a RT-PCR test typically takes 24-48 hrs to respond), I had to assume he was positive and take the necessary precautions for inserting the breathing tube to be connected to the ventilator.

There I was, attired like a spaceman - complete with N95 mask, face shield, head cover, long-sleeved gown, plastic apron and 2 sets of gloves. 

Although the procedure took about 15mins, I was already feeling uncomfortably warm despite the ICU being A/C'd. 

I salute to the frontliners who donned similar spacesuit, and who manned the booths and cubicles, nursing critically ill patients for hours while the rest of the populace remained safe in the confines of their homes.

It was with much relief that the patient was subsequently tested negative. I slept well that night. 

😷

MCO

The Movement Control Order was imposed by the Govt on 18th March to limit the spread of the Covid-19 infection but it was only the last 3 days that I was completely homebound. 

I ended up a couch potato, spending the time I woke up to sleeping time, often past 12mn, watching TV. Watched movies, caught up on Covid news, both locally and worldwide. Also caught up on an old past time, watching Wrestlemania on Astro.

Not having a exercise mill at home, I expect to gain weight by the time this MCO is lifted. I should be awarded a PJK by then - Perut Jalan Kedepan.

😅

sign of the times

This Covid thing is causing havoc at all levels of society and no one is spared. People can't go out to sell their ware, food supply chain gets disrupted and the fear of getting infected and dying is palpable.

Case in point - my friend just bought something for me and as I was taking out my wallet to pay him, he waved and asked me to pay him online.

As if social or spatial distancing is not enough, now there a digital separation as well.

These are challenging times indeed. 

pins and needles

As I was rummaging thru some of my mother's stuff, I came across a familiar brown plastic box. True enough, it contains all sorts of sewing paraphernalia...spools of multicoloured threads, safety pins and even an old bees wax.

Gosh, she taught me how to do minor repairs to my clothes using these before I entered varsity. And she's still doing this.

And I've forgotten how. 😢

cometh the hour...

There were several milestones in my medical career...

The 1st oncall as a houseman... 

Setting the 1st central line and 1st intubation...

The 1st student nurse I dated.... 

(To digress, there I was - a doctor dating a student nurse, when there was a time when I was a medical student trying to date a trained nurse😁) 

The 1st postgrad exam passed... 

I think one of the most difficult responsibilities is to treat your own family member. The emotional attachment often affects the decision you make and that's not always the most professional discourse. 

Anyway, I administered the epidural for the wife's cesarean section, the general anaesthetic for the son's arm surgery, the intensive care management for my late father, and just earlier this week, the spinal anesthetic for my mum's hip surgery. 

Not easy undertakings though because the margin for error just seemed to be narrower in these instances. 

I am just relieved that in all those situations, it all ended well. Phew! 

🙏

feeling good

Yesterday, I managed to secure a box of 60 tablets of Hydroxychloroquine, an antimalarial drug with possible useful effect again COVID19. It was supposedly the last box in stock at that pharmacy. 2 of my colleagues asked if I could spare them some, so I passed to them 15 tabs each, which is probably what each of us need to prevent (not treat, which will require a whole box of 60) infection.

Today another pharmacy offered me another 30 precious tabs. I accepted, not because I need it now but maybe some other colleagues might need it in the event of another shortage.

One good turn always deserve another.