Documentaries of the Week

Oh I've watched a few docmentaries recently!

I don't know if you remember the vagina exhibit at MONA (see old post) but I saw a documentary about that! Well not wholely on that but it was part of the show. Think the documentary was called 'The Perfect Vagina' and it featured people who were unhappy about their V. They wanted labioplasty, hymen repairs and the host was exploring various ways to convince these women that surgery was not the way to go. There was a weird part where this group therapist had ladies sitting in a circle and one by one they would take a mirror and look at their V and talk about what they like or don't like about it - in front of everyone else. @.@ NO WAY am I going to do that! It's just so weird!

The host also got some of them to go to the artist and cast their vaginas so that they can see how it REALLY looks and if it is different from the way their perceive it! It was interesting to see so many women willing to undergo this (btw the artist is male). I've seen my share of Vs and I'm not too fussed about it anymore. But for a lay person on the street, exposing yourself to someone else, putting plaster on your -ahem- and then moulding it. Just a bit strange for me but still not too bad.

The group therapy was weirder. Best part was some of these ladies got really emotional and just ran out of the room. But they felt like it helped them embrace their own sexuality. Interesting huh? :)

The other documentary I've started watching is an Australian production where they send 6 volunteers on a reverse refugee journey! Most of these volunteers are DAMN racist. They HATE the refugees, think they are taking over their country, think that they don't deserve to be here and they ought to have been sent back to wherever they came from. It hurts my heart to see such narrow-mindedness in them. Being an overseas student, we have our fair share of racism too so I understand but I bet it is a 100x worse for these refugees because of their skin colour, cultural background and stereotypes in society.

It's a 3 part series and it's called 'Go Back To Where You Came From'. I don't think you can stream it from Singapore (it's on SBS - special broadcasting service) but if you can somehow get hold of it through torrents etc, it is worth a watch! :) I just finished part 1 yesterday and I'm already starting to understand how difficult it must be for them. I hope these volunteers will be able to change their mindsets after their 25 days. I literally feel like smacking some of their faces - just the things they say! OMG heartless.

Hard Work Pays Off!

HAPPINESS! :D

Got my uni results yesterday! Full marks! 4 out of 4! Which is awesome! I was totally afraid that I would fail one of the stations because it totally threw me off but after hearing from a friend that the examiner only failed one student in our session, I felt über confident that I would get 4 out of 4. The other 3 stations were relatively easy.

1. Take a history in a 25yo G1P0 22/40 lady presenting with PR bleeding. Just don't misread it as PV bleeding. Some of my friends did. And so did i initially until I saw that I'm the 'surgical intern'. Differentials and management.
2. Take a history from 50+ yo man with sudden onset chest pain with a hx of trauma to L shin after being kicked by the horse (yes we're in Australia). List of differentials and investigations. 
3. Shoulder examination of a 30+ yo male who presented with shoulder pain after vigorous window cleaning over the weekend. Dx - supraspinatus tendonitis. This was the one that threw me off because I don't exactly know how to examine a shoulder but still managed to do the basic Look-Feel-Move-Special Tests
4. Motivational Interviewing - 45yo lady who came in for >45yo screening test. Impaired fasting glucose. Explain to her what that means, the next investigation and advise her on lifestyle changes. She also had a daughter with Asperger's which made it difficult for her to exercise because she had to keep an eye on her. ><

Anyway.. So what does this REALLY mean? It means that I would most probably pass 4th year and make it to my final year of studies! And actually become a doctor! I only need 2 out of 6 for my end of year OSCEs now! :) And of course hopefully pass the written MCQ/EMQs which are supposedly harder than the OSCEs because ANYTHING can come out.

It made me think how far I’ve come these 3.5 years. It has been a harrowing journey (actually just last year) but it’s all good now. I love what I’m doing and although I still feel inadequate, I feel like I am capable of at least doing the basic for my patients now.

For example, I inserted a catheter into this patient today and although I have not done one in over 6 months, I knew what I had to do and having the consultant praise me for my good work and to see the catheter draining well is so rewarding. It was a difficult patient as well as there was a lot of swelling in the area. That made me feel like I can be useful, even now, just as a medical student.

Just had a palliative care session with the palliative doctors. It is so different - the management of palliative treatment. Why would the other doctors continue prescribing simvastatin for a patient who only has 3 weeks to live? Would you prescribe Clexane for a patient who has advanced lung cancer and is immobile? Would you prescribe anti-depressants for a patient who has recently deteriorated and is dying in the next few weeks?

How do you make a patient comfortable? What does palliative care really mean? 

I always wondered how accurate those calorie counters are because I don't seem to be able to get the right 'portion size'. I just guesstimate.