The hounds of the hospital

Hello again peoples.
After some complaints of my not updating this thing enough (Read one, so you better enjoy this Rob. Not naming any names of course...)
I wish I could tell you all about the cool stuff I've bared witness to, but patient confidentiality stops me from sharing most of it. Today I did my first skin cancer excision, and it was brutal. I took off a chunk of skin about 6cm long, 3cm wide, and 1cm thick. As I said, brutal.
Also apparently I'm causing a bit of a storm amoung the Sarina lady-folk. One of the girls at the surgery told me of when she was getting her hair cut the other day, I walked past on my way to the surgery, and one of the women there asked her who the new spunky doctor was. It makes my heart swell. If only I had the same effect on the ladies in the hairstylests in Queen Street.
Anyway, as part of the joys of living with my parents, I have to go and do the lousy damn dishes.
I hate washing up :(

Tour-guide for the day, fool for a lifetime

Hello again peoples.
Well this last week has been a bit slower. For two reasons probably. Firstly and most importantly, it's a good thing cause it means that less people have been hurting themselves. Secondly becasue I have had to split my time half half between the hospital and one of the GP surgeries. That's Ok though, cause through them I've met one of the nicest med students there are out there. Thao is a 3rd year med student from UNSW who is up here as part of her John Flynn scholarship. This year is her first year of four coming up to Sarina, and I hope I've helped her feel more welcomed up here.
Yesterday I took her for a bit of a sightseeing tour around Mackay, and more specifically the Pioneer Valley. The photo is from Finch Hatton Gorge, about an hours drive out of Mackay. And Just for Allan, I took her past your old place...
I hope Thao enjoyed the tour anyway, I guess next time I'm in Sydney I'll have to take her up on her reciprocal offer ;)
Anyways, today has been a quiet one, just chilling and watching a movie. I saw Sideways, and I really liked it. Although... I could see a buck's tour with Leon and Allan turning out like that movie, so maybe I only liked it cause I could identify with the characters... I'll leave it up to you guys to work that one out ;)

Cheers!

Northern Exposure

A yodello out there peoples. Well I have been busy in the last two weeks. First there was moving to Rocky and getting used to life there in the staff accom builing with all the other med students and random crazy kitchen nazi cheap arse doctors. It's actually, and it sorta hurst me to say this, not so bad up in Rocky. And as much as todays Daily Mercury, the local paper here in Mackay, had the headline "Rocky Sucks" (seriously, i'm not making this up!), I enjoyed my time in the Rockerville, and I am looking forward to getting back in 5 weeks.
My first week in Sarina has been fantastic. The first Day I was toying with the idea of running out of the ward and not looking back as I felt I knew too little, I'm glad I didn't, as the following 4 days have been my best in a hospital yet. I can't even begin to count off the best and worsts, So I will do the current Hi's and lows.
First, the least happy moment for me, and this sounds sorta selfish really, was meeting one of the patients in pallative care. The poor woman had breast canver but was too ashamed to show anyone, and now she has terminal mets all through her body. When I met her, she could no longer talk because of cerebral mets. I spent the whole consultation with her holding my had while she tried to talk. Very heart breaking.
The best moment so far though, has been the suturing. Yesterday a man came in who had been slashed on the back of his calf by a piece of sheet metal, and needed 30 stiches. It was real gorey ER type stuff, and I have to admit, I love it. Plus I am enjoying getting to know the patients and chatting to all sorts of people from different walks of life more than I expected to.
All in all, I am really digging the rural rotation, and I suspect I am going to miss my hospital, and my docotors, who are fantastic teachers, more than I ever thought I would.
Anyway, Just thought I'd say a hello, and also let ya'll know you can still email me for the next 2 years at least at my uni account:

s4050581@student.uq.edu.au

Till next time, take care.

Grim (^_^)