letting go

I accompanied a patient in the ICU as he was to have an electroencephalogram or EEG done. The purpose of which is for prognostication- to know if the patient still has some brain function or if he is already brain dead.

stop and feel

I had my clinic today. Not much patients plus I had the help of a very smart intern.

One of my continuity patients I saw was someone I have seen for more than 2 years. I remember her the first time, she was a symptom salad, meaning she always had something to complain. There is always something wrong with her body. There is always something painful. But whenever I do a physical examination, it is always normal. It came to a point that she was dictating the examination she wanted done. Just so I'll get her off my back, they were done- lab exams, imaging, even if it's not cost effective.

between strangers

Two strangers gave me advice on love today.

One was a patient beside me who was waiting for almost 3 hours to see his cardiologist. He is a Filipino, but a retired US employee. He came back here in the Philippines when he retired and he is staying here for good even if he is a US citizen. By force of habit I asked him if is it because of his family. His reply was a very polite "unfortunately, I'm divorced." He told me that his wife is a Filipina but they met in the US and they have a child. But he must be unlucky in love. And he wishes that I will not suffer the same fate as his.

introduction

my life outside the hospital is practically non-existent since i started residency training in internal medicine... or so i thought...

the hospital provided me with a lot of venues to meet different kinds of people- from the familiar to the strangers, from the patients to the big shot specialists, from enemies to friends, from demons to angels.

it took me a while (but luckily i still was able to see it), but i learned from all of them. not the things i can read from books. it is those things that are not written and yet i find them more important in my life.

and so, here is a page for my stories- about the people i have met, places i have gone, events i have lived through, and how they changed my life, in one way or the other.

February 27, 2012


"If you want to make your dreams come true, the first thing you have to do is wake up."
--J.M. Power