I will blog again soon

I haven't blogged in a while because of the lack of an internet connection in the appartment. But my blog entries are all written up on my laptop and, as soon as I can access the internet somewhere where I can bring my laptop, I will blog them. Anyway, have to go, the hospital beckons!

Unconditional Offer 2

I got an unconditional offer from Kings to do biomedical sciences. So now thats offers from 2 of the 6 university applications. Hopefully my good fortune will continue and at least i'll be going to a university in the next university year whether it be to do medicine or not.

Not Very Asian

In the appartment I have the channel MTV Asia and after watching it for over 2 weeks (obviously only every now and then, not 2 weeks non-stop) it leaves me confused. I can't seem to work out what about it warrants the addition of Asia to the channel name. In the time i've been watching it i've seen 2 chinese songs. The rest of the time its American/English songs and American MTV programmes (eg. TRL, Ashley Simpson show, Real World etc.). The presenters do appear Asian..............but then they speak and have pretty thick American accents. So I will continue to wait and wonder.............well actually no, I won't. I have many more better ways to utilise my time here.

The Olympic Walking Granny

Theres this old indian women who, every day after coming back from the hospital, I find walking around the appartment courtyard just outside the appartment i'm staying in. She seems to walk around for hours. I've walked out to throw a rubbish bag in the black bin outside the appartment quite late in the evening and shes still been walking around, going nowhere but in circles. And as you walk past she gives an intense stare while she continues to walk. There has to be some sort of walking olympics she can enter and I don't mean power walking. The thought of her doing the crazy looking power walk with the intense stare is a freaky thought.


Oh and Nick my sister has been trying to contact you on msn, your mobile and email but can't get hold of you. She was wondering if you could just check her personal statement and help her make any necessary alterations as it has to be in after this weekend. If you can get in touch with her, please do. Thanks.

Hospital Open House

On Wednesday the hospital had an open 'house' which consisted of the staff and patients (as well as other people who just happened to be passing by) sitting, talking and eating. For this occasion I dressed up in a traditional Malay outfit (much to the amusement of the staff and patients alike) which was lent to me. So, having met Alex the surgeon, now meet Alex the Malaysian:


For some reason most of the nurses decided they wanted a photo of me dressed up like this standing with them so I felt almost like some sort of celebrity (first in Czech, now here). And then I had my own stalkers (some little children who were following me around rather blatantly, running, usually unsuccesfully, for some sort of cover whenever I turned in their direction). They made me laugh. They were just so fascinated by the sight of a tall, fair haired non-Malaysian wearing the traditional outfit.

I spent most of this open hospital helping invite people to it (which mostly involved me shaking hands with lots and lots of people). The food was good as usual. However, although the weather was initially good, a storm soon developed and the rain lasted for most of the day. This didn't deter people from the open hospital as it was always pretty full up. On the other hand the inside of the hospital was pretty empty with only a couple of patients coming in for treatment (although it started getting busier again once the open house ended).

Alex The Surgeon

Meet Alex the surgeon:

Biomedical Sciences

I got an unconditional offer from Queen Mary to study biomedical sciences. Its not medicine but its nice to have a backup.

Shopping Centre

Yesterday evening I went to a shopping centre again. They're massive. Its so easy to get lost but somehow I found all the shops I wanted to visit. I bought a couple of VCDs (which aren't fake as they have the government stamp thing)and a CD. One of the VCDs was of the Malaysian singer Siti Nurhaliza's concert in the Royal Albert Hall. She has such an excellent voice! And nick she sings Pendirianku in the concert.

After shopping for a hour or two I decided to go for dinner. So I went to a small Korean restaurant and had some really nice food and an equally nice peach tea. Then, having had enough of shopping I went back to a hotel (connected to the shopping centre)where my Aunty Tee and Uncle Peter (some very good family friends) were attending a dinner. Because Aunty Tee was introducing a lot of the people at the conference she had a room in the hotel. So I went back there and had a shower...............simply because I could. Then, on turning on the tv I found a Japanese station which, at that time, just happened to be showing a Japanese music programme. And on it were Angela Aki and Morning Musume, both of whom performed (and some other singers who I have never seen before). Angela Aki sang very well, Morning Musume..............well they blatantly weren't singing live and their dance routine involve them making awkward looking arm movements. I kind of felt embarrased for them but they seemed happy with it so thats fine.

The sign

While riding the bike to the hospital today a bird shat on me (yeah, i know, just what you wanted to know). Luckily it landed on my shorts rather than on my head. But I still took it as being a sign that the day wasn't going to go well. However the day actually turned out to be interesting (even though at times the hospital was pretty quiet without many cases). I even got to see some surgery (such as the removal of a benign tumour). So instead I decided to interpret the bird shit as just a sign of the birds incontinence.

The shops near the hospital

After finishing at the hospital I decided to take a walk down the road to explore a bit. It was still raining (although the storm had died down a lot from earlier) and generally there was quite a dreary atmosphere.

I eventually reached a street with quite a few shops. They all looked quite old, run down and dirty but at the same time they were quite a cool contrast to the brand new, sparklingly clean and modern looking shopping centres. Saying that I didn't find anything that really interested me and I felt quite uncomfortable as lots of people were standing around in large groups waiting for the rain to stop and every time I went past them they'd all turn and stare (i'm sure they must have seen non-malaysians before). Ok people have tended to stare at me here before due to my height and the fact that i'm blatantly foreign but they were never as blatant or intense and they always appeared much more friendly about it (all the Malaysians i've met here have been extremely friendly and kind). Then, when I went into a big shop there (it sold all sorts of things it seemed), I could see all the people working there staring at me and laughing. I carried on walking and ignored them and then a man ran up to me, stopped me and said something about my bag and that I have to leave. I couldn't really understand him but he was pointing at something outside the shop and was saying 'bag' so I walked out with him. He got a woman who also worked there and spoke some english to come over. She told me I couldn't have my bag in the shop so, feeling confused, I just said, 'oh, ok then, sorry' and walked off. I still haven't a clue what that was all about but they must have their reasons.

The journey back

As soon as I got back on the bike I was reminded of my earlier riding experience by my ass which was in great pain from the seat (I guess I was also therefore reminded of one of the disadvantages of riding bikes). I knew at that moment the ride back wasn't going to turn out much better than my morning ride. I was right. My journey back to the appartment takes me along a busy road. Even if I take the backstreets I will have to use that road. And, although I feel comfortable riding a bike, I don't feel comfortable riding on such a busy road (especially with the Malaysian drivers and motorcyclists, many of them seem to drive with no concept of those around them). It of course was raining, no make that pouring with rain, and, although I like rain, I didn't really feel like cycling in it.

I decided to try the front route (which goes along the main road and then the highway). That was a mistake. I ended up walking on a very thin bit of pavement and, at times, the road when there was no pavement against the flow of the traffic. I could see people staring from their cars, probably because they saw I had a bike and were wondering why I wasn't riding it. I wasn't riding it because I didn't feel comfortable riding on such a packed road with cars driving so fast (and also because I was aching all over due to my not having done much exercise in so long, the fact that the seat had bruised my ass and because I was still exhausted from my morning cycle which I blogged about earlier). To be honest I couldn't care less that they were staring at me. I just wanted to get back to the appartment and eat dinner.

I carried on walking along the side of this busy road for about 15 minutes before I got to the highway. But on the highway there was no pavement at all (understandably) so I just carried on walking along the side of the road. Annoyingly the side of the road I had to walk on was against the flow of traffic so that again prompted people to stare at me as they drove past. I kept on walking till I reached a massive Tesco before deciding I really needed to cross over. There seemed to be less cars racing past so I quickly walked over with the bike to the middle which was a big pile of mud (because of the rain). My work shoes got really muddy and I had to clean them when I got back to the appartment. Once at the centre of the highway there suddenly seemed to be more cars speeding past and I couldn't see an opening to cross. So I stood there, in the mud, for what seemed like ages. Again people stared at the strange drenched boy standing in the mud in the middle of a highway with a bike.

Eventually I crossed over and then, because I was finally on the right side of the highway to ride on, I started cycling. On the way I noticed some smaller, residential roads jetting off of the highway and wondered if I could take them for the rest of the way back. I asked a woman walking along the side of the highway (I guess I started a trend) and she told me I couldn't. But she was going in the same direction as me so I just carried on walking and talking with her.

The last part of the journey was uphill, and its a pretty steep, long hill. There were some pretty cool lightning strikes that I saw in the distance while cycling up it. And then it was just a short cycle through the appartment complex to the appartment itself.

The journey took me much longer than it should have (about an hour and a half when I now know I can do it in 25 minutes taking the back route). You won't find me taking that route again.

The first day at work while staying in the appartment

Things didn't start well. It seems my travelling troubles have followed me to Malaysia as, even though I woke up and got ready leaving plenty of time to get to the hospital, I managed to still reach the hospital half an hour late. I can't believe how many dead ends there are on the way to the hospital! It seems I found every single one. I also found the graveyard if anyone wants to visit it.

I ended up riding up and down hills for 1 and a half hours, often retracing my steps (or should that be tyre tracks although, riding on a road for most of the journey, I didn't actually leave any). I was actually surprised at how easily I was able to ride the bike seeing as I haven't riden one for a number of years.

By the time I reached the hospital I was completely exhausted and sweating a lot so it was lucky I had brought my shirt, tie and suit trousers in a bag rather than wearing them on my ride to the hospital. I was able to have an extremely quick shower and change before I started my shadowing. I felt terrible for being so late but at least now, as a result, I have the route to the hospital cemented in my mind.

My time at the hospital was really interesting and I definately feel I got a better idea of what medicine will entail. I saw a lot of things, ranging from ankle swellings (which even 2 x-rays couldn't reveal the cause of and so the GP had to refer the patient to the orthapedic doctor) to suspected kidney stones. I also got to try taking someones blood pressure manually (a nurse, they haven't yet let me loose on a patient..................I don't blame them). Saying that I was quite accurate with the blood pressure reading (they compared my reading to the machines).

But the reason I say I got a better idea of what medicine will entail is that I got to see one of the more negative aspects of medicine, children in great pain. Of course when I decided I wanted to do medicine I knew i'd be seeing people in pain, but when you actually see it, especially young children, its still shocking and quite difficult. I have seen people in great pain before (the births I witnessed come to mind) but I guess it takes a while to get used to.

One child was showing signs of having an epileptic fit. He was only semi-conscious (his eyes tended to roll back into his head and then come back down again), he wet himself, kept almost throwing up and was sweating a lot. Another child couldn't eat or drink anything without projectile vomiting and a third (who was a baby) had to have a hole in her neck from previous surgery cleaned and dressed.

The technician in the treatment room who dealt with these cases got me to help him (in the very limited way I can). I was gripping their wrists to help get their veins in their hand to show up and therefore make it easier for the technician to insert the needles for injections, blood taking and the inserting of drips. I was holding the children's heads or keeping their bodies still to try and stop them moving about too much when the needle was being inserted. I was getting things the technician needed for him when he asked for them. I have to say it was pretty cool being allowed to help out, even if it was in such a limited way.

Seeing these ill children however, although they're in pain, made me more determined to do medicine. This is because being a doctor gives you the opportunity to help relieve the children (and adults alike) of their pain, which they would suffer from regardless of what occupation you decided to do. And seeing the children leaving the treatment room smiling and happy again after treatment has been administered certainly makes up for seeing their pain. What other job could potentially give you such a feeling of satisfaction and purpose in life?! (rhetorical question by the way).

Cockroach Wars

Since living in the appartment (although I am assured they are frequently encountered in most houses and appartments here in Malaysia) I have been in a constant battle with the cockraoches that co-inhabit it. I have killed quite a few (and, as of yet, they haven't killed me) so I guess i'm winning at the moment. In fact I haven't encountered any today which is nice. My arsenal consists of 3 bug sprays stationed at different spots around the appartment.

Edit: Just before going to bed I did encounter a cockraoch after all. The stupid insect charged at me, thinking it had me cornered, which it did. However I call it stupid for a reason as, next to me, was stationed 1 of the 3 bug sprays and it got a good spraying (well not good for the cockroach).

The Appartment

I moved into the appartment on Tuesday evening. Its a nice appartment. It hasn't been lived in in a while so there are a few things that need cleaning and dusting but I like it. And in the appartment complex theres a really nice swimming pool, a tennis court and golf course. Unfortunately, currently, I have no one to play tennis with but I still look forward to going swimming.

At the moment i'm having one or two problems with the shower, in that hardly any water is coming out of it no matter what I do. But thanks to my time in Kuala Terengganu I have been able to employ the traditional Malay showering method of getting a big bucket, filling it with water and then using a smaller bucket thing to pour water on myself. And of course i've gotten round the problem of therefore having to endure a cold shower by boiling some water in the kettle and then pouring it into the bucket to warm the water up. Problem solved.

Bit behind in my blogging

The reason I haven't blogged for a while is because, as I said in previous blog entries, I was away in Kuala Terengganu celebrating Hari Raya. I haven't got a blog entry written for that yet so I will blog it soon when i've written one. In the meantime I will be blogging about the appartment i'm now staying in and my time in the hospital the last few days.

Hospital

So i've already started my shadowing in the hospital (so far for three days). I will be shadowing in the GPs, O and G, Paediatric, Surgery and Physician departments over the two months i'm here. To start with i'm shadowing in the GP area of the hospital, which also includes the treatment room. And in the 3 days i've been doing so i've already witnessed quite a few things.

On the first day I spent a bit of time in the O and G part of the hospital watching a few checkups being done on expectant mothers and their babies. The scanner they used was able to display the baby in 4D (which is just 3D but in realtime rather than being only able to view snapshots of the baby). I also got to see a birth and a dead baby being induced (as it had died quite early in the pregnancy and the mother wanted it out straight away rather than waiting for it to come out naturally). I had to hold the womans hand to try and keep it still and grip it quite tight so that the veins would be more exposed and therefore it would be easier to inject the anaesthetic.

Then I went down to the treatment part of the hospital where I saw quite a few things. For example there was a girl being treated for an astma attack, a blood test being taken to test for suspected dengue fever and a man having some bad grazes cleaned and bandaged (he had been knocked off his motorbike by a taxi).

On the second day I shadowed a bit in a GP's office. Most of the cases were either people suffering from gastro-enthritis (and therefore having to have an intra-muscular injection), more people having blood tests to test for dengue fever (theres currently a bit of an epidemic here), a baby having a check up as, when he was born, he had jaundice, a little boy who had an infection of the respiratory tract and a nurse having a hepititis B vaccination (although I found out here, unlike in the UK, hepititis B is actually found quite often in Asian people even when they have not been exposed to any of the hep. B risk factors and therefore most children get vaccinated).

In the afternoon I was back in the treatment room watching stitches being taken out from just above a little boys eyebrow (I had to hold the boys head still while the stitches were taken out) and there was also a man who had diabetes. He had gotten an ulcer on his leg as a result of not being careful with his diet and, having finally come off, the underlying flesh had to be cleaned with all the puss removed and then the leg bandaged up.

On the third day I was shadowing a GP and the cases were just a few throat infections and someone with acute conjunctivitis.

Its been good as, whilst shadowing, the doctors have been telling me interesting little bits of info. For example, i'm being told about differences in the culture in Malaysia which may result in different advice having to be given to some patients. Also i've seen a lot of people who have dengue fever, a disease thats endemic here but not in the UK, having blood tests to check up on how bad it is. This is interesting to me both because I find infectious diseases interesting (dengue fever being an infectious disease transmitted by the Aedis mosquito) and also because its an example of me being exposed to diseases I wouldn't see in a UK hospital. Also i've been shown how to carry out a few simple procedures such as checking a pulse (which I did kind of already know but they gave a few tips to make it easier) and listening to either the heartbeat or lungs to see if they're functioning properly (listening to the lungs allows you to hear the weezing of astma sufferers) using stethoscopes as well as being shown all the different drugs, equipment and how the different machinery works.

So its been a pretty cool start already!

I shall be properly starting in the hospital next Tuesday. Now i'm going to celebrate Hari Raya and won't have internet for a week as I said in the previous blog entry. So don't expect an update any time soon.

Deepavali

Today I joined in the celebrations for Deepavali by attending (or should that be crashing seeing as I didn't actually know the people) an open house (of some friends of a friend), eating loads of their South Indian food (which was really good! As I said, I haven't eaten a single thing I haven't loved here so far) and then leaving. It was nice (especially the food) and now, apart from blogging, i've been packing to go to Kuala Terengganu on the east coast of Malaysia. It will be an early night tonight as we're leaving at 7.30 a.m. (and therefore getting up at 6.30 a.m.).

While i'm in Kuala Terengganu (about a week) I won't have access to the internet and therefore won't be blogging.

Photos

Here are some pics taken while taking a walk around where i'm currently staying: