The Never-ending Drama

First in, last out

Every class has a miss-know-it-all. It just happens that my partner is the typical Hermione Granger sorta character. There are pros and cons to say the least.

Coming in an hour or two earlier than scheduled has been the norm. The feeling of inadequacy beside a student of such high caliber can be at times depressing.

"Here take this, you can have my job," joked the consultant when my Hermione answered a really difficult question.

On the plus side, my Hermione often keeps me on my toes, as my ego can only take so much of a battering day in day out.

“We have to be proactive!!” she says.

It’s not that I’m lazy. In fact, many would consider me to be hardworking. But compared to my own little Hermione, I’m definitely a slob.

“We have A & E rounds at 11 tomorrow. So I’d say that we should come in at around 9 and see if we can catch them on the respiratory ward round. If not we could just scout around and get a history or two. What do you reckon?” asked Hermione in her usual excited tone.

“Of course we could do that. But em, if the resp round is off, I think we should just hang out and do nothing at all. What do you reckon?” I answered with a relatively straight face.

Peter had burst out laughing in the background.

“Good man, I like the way you think” he said along with his signature wink.

Smile dearie

“All smiles now, no long face,” exclaimed the old lady we passed by in the wards.

It is something that I do have to get used to. Smile for the patients!!!

Drama

“We’ve tried all the antibiotic regiments, but she doesn’t seem to be responding as well as we had hoped,” explained Deegan to the worried looking husband.

“At this moment, I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do for your wife. On the up side, we’ll now try to make things as comfortable as possible; she won’t have to suffer from any pain or discomfort. I’m really sorry Mr JD,” continued Deegan, now with a hand on the poor man’s shoulder.

“I understand doctor, you’ve done the best possible...” he couldn’t finish his sentence. He had already broken down in tears.

Though not entirely unexpected, Mr JD had to finally accept that his wife wouldn’t be there much longer. Deegan had knocked the breath out of him. It was the closure that he needed. He was shattered.

“H-how long does she have left?” he asked amidst the sniffles.

“We can’t really say, MR D. But I assure you that she will be cared for to the best of our abilities to ensure that she does not go through any sort of pain,” Deegan again reiterating their commitment to alleviate her suffering.

As we left the ward, our SHO had taken out a booklet entitled, “Care Pathway of the Dying Patient”

That really summed up the scene.

It’s surprising how grossly inaccurate textbooks can be in “Dealing with grief”. Nothing comes close to describing the heartfelt emotions that go through patients and doctors alike. In such a real scenario, one cannot even hope to get any sort of ‘answer’ just by reading textbooks or attending lectures. It’s as real as it gets.

Time and again I remind myself as to why the medical profession requires more than just brains. Getting through medical school will test your determination, guts and willpower. All the stuff they taught in countless lectures, seminars and courses can only prepare you to a limited extent.

The drama is definitely REAL.