Report of 20 June '09
Hello from the libraire -
Such a nice place to be, salve for the soul. And the airconditioning doesn't hurt, either.
This is a great profession to be in. I started seeing patients this week, after orientation. Orientation was good fun, too. I was the only physician to start this week, and so was solo at orientation. Many people talked of the "ministry" that is St. V, and that was nice. I am not a religious person, but it was nice to hear so many powers-that-be talk of providing medical care to everyone as a ministry.
We had a 50 year old man come in with a 3-week duration of "chest tightness." On his EKG, something suspicious cropped up, and on probing, I found that the man had plenty of risk factors: male, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, family history, obesity. So we set up an appointment with cardiology for Monday, 3 days after he came to see us, and he was not happy: he had to let his employer know of days/time off well in advance as his job required him to be out of town, flight plans would have been made, etc. I tried to tell him the importance of the specialist appointment. As he spoke yet again of his work responsibilities, the young nurse, Ms. I, said, "I totally get that, but this is your heart we are talking about and you can't take chances." It was fantastic, especially the "I totally get that" part: it was vocabulary the patient knew, Ms. I was on his wavelength, and it helped seal in his understanding. I thanked her profusely after the patient left. We had faintly heard her speak outside the exam room, and she mentioned she'd had to turn the "White Noise" machine in the room off to do the EKG, prior to stepping out. "White Noise" machine? Yes, indeed, it is plugged in to generate a gush sort of like air, and screens out noises from outside. I told Ms. I it was great to work in an affluent country and she laughed.
Last week, I saw "The Brothers Bloom" with Colleen and it was just the slightest bit surreal. Yesterday, I saw "The curious case of Benjamin Button" at the very library I'm sitting at, for free; when I talked to Scott today, he asked how it was and I said, "Long." He laughed out loud and asked if Brad Pitt the Younger had not done it for me. Mr. Pitt has never done it for me, though I appreciate the choices he's making as a mate and a father. It is nice to have a spouse one can laugh with and share trust with; I have often pointed out good-looking women to Scott and he indulges my admiration of Mr. Jackman, Mr. Brosnan, Mr. Suriya (a Tamil actor). Our cook often reminds me that I am very fortunate that I can leave my husband alone for weeks at a time, and I suppose that perspective can only come from someone who has discovered that she is not one so fortunate.
Today, I saw "Up" and it was very good. I don't usually see animated movies when my chillun are not around, but the summers produce such sub-standard movies that I was forced to see this one (it was either this or "The Proposal" - eeek). I may rent a movie or 2 today.
A friend from school days 25+ years ago emerged, and consequently, I had to join Facebook to see her pics. FB is mostly annoying: I get a zillion emails now, but do appreciate the chance to catch up with friends online. The one thing I notice is that when people are writing on each other's profiles, each one tries to outdo the other's wit. Lots of effort.
Naren started college last week, and pronounced orientation boring. He also started bass guitar classes and loves 'em. Navin is in a play at his school (the entire class must participate) and rehearsals are in full swing. We are fortunate that the children study in a country where schooling includes academia, music, dance, drama, debating and sports - for all.
Unw -
R
Such a nice place to be, salve for the soul. And the airconditioning doesn't hurt, either.
This is a great profession to be in. I started seeing patients this week, after orientation. Orientation was good fun, too. I was the only physician to start this week, and so was solo at orientation. Many people talked of the "ministry" that is St. V, and that was nice. I am not a religious person, but it was nice to hear so many powers-that-be talk of providing medical care to everyone as a ministry.
We had a 50 year old man come in with a 3-week duration of "chest tightness." On his EKG, something suspicious cropped up, and on probing, I found that the man had plenty of risk factors: male, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, family history, obesity. So we set up an appointment with cardiology for Monday, 3 days after he came to see us, and he was not happy: he had to let his employer know of days/time off well in advance as his job required him to be out of town, flight plans would have been made, etc. I tried to tell him the importance of the specialist appointment. As he spoke yet again of his work responsibilities, the young nurse, Ms. I, said, "I totally get that, but this is your heart we are talking about and you can't take chances." It was fantastic, especially the "I totally get that" part: it was vocabulary the patient knew, Ms. I was on his wavelength, and it helped seal in his understanding. I thanked her profusely after the patient left. We had faintly heard her speak outside the exam room, and she mentioned she'd had to turn the "White Noise" machine in the room off to do the EKG, prior to stepping out. "White Noise" machine? Yes, indeed, it is plugged in to generate a gush sort of like air, and screens out noises from outside. I told Ms. I it was great to work in an affluent country and she laughed.
Last week, I saw "The Brothers Bloom" with Colleen and it was just the slightest bit surreal. Yesterday, I saw "The curious case of Benjamin Button" at the very library I'm sitting at, for free; when I talked to Scott today, he asked how it was and I said, "Long." He laughed out loud and asked if Brad Pitt the Younger had not done it for me. Mr. Pitt has never done it for me, though I appreciate the choices he's making as a mate and a father. It is nice to have a spouse one can laugh with and share trust with; I have often pointed out good-looking women to Scott and he indulges my admiration of Mr. Jackman, Mr. Brosnan, Mr. Suriya (a Tamil actor). Our cook often reminds me that I am very fortunate that I can leave my husband alone for weeks at a time, and I suppose that perspective can only come from someone who has discovered that she is not one so fortunate.
Today, I saw "Up" and it was very good. I don't usually see animated movies when my chillun are not around, but the summers produce such sub-standard movies that I was forced to see this one (it was either this or "The Proposal" - eeek). I may rent a movie or 2 today.
A friend from school days 25+ years ago emerged, and consequently, I had to join Facebook to see her pics. FB is mostly annoying: I get a zillion emails now, but do appreciate the chance to catch up with friends online. The one thing I notice is that when people are writing on each other's profiles, each one tries to outdo the other's wit. Lots of effort.
Naren started college last week, and pronounced orientation boring. He also started bass guitar classes and loves 'em. Navin is in a play at his school (the entire class must participate) and rehearsals are in full swing. We are fortunate that the children study in a country where schooling includes academia, music, dance, drama, debating and sports - for all.
Unw -
R
posted by Renu Weiss at
12:51 PM
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