Thursday, December 31, 2015

THE BUSINESS OF MEDICINE


Doctors have often been seen as some of the smartest members of the society, with good reason:

many years of training, re-training and a lot more to be a good doctor. But they are still humans

and humans are fallible. To err is human; however, physicians should realize that their errors

could result in death of patients. I have visited the hospital these past weeks more than I did in a

particular year combined. The medical and non-medical staff is familiar with my fallen, pale

face, as one asked if I were here the other day and I nodded.

From time to time in a day, I take a deep breath to sort of feel my nerves relaxed. And then, I did

the same and I felt my breathe stopped half-way, just at my chest area. I shrugged it off to get

back to the exercise later. Every time I got back to taking a deep breath, it just didn’t feel normal;

my lungs feel stabbed every time I inhale. I will go for check up when I am off, I told myself.

Two days passed, and now the ribs hurt when I yawn, cough, walk or even try to breath-in. All

the same, I prepared to go to work since I’ve told myself I will check it out when I’m off from

work. I wore my flat shoe and picked my bag to get on the bus to work.

My sister sometimes walks me to the bus-stop when going to work. She followed me this

particular day, knowing I wasn’t feeling well. As we walk down, I felt pain in my ribs, I could

barely walk upright. I held my side ribs as I walk. My sister muttered we go to the hospital

seeing my condition. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go to the hospital or just manage myself to

work. Considering my health status, I should go to the hospital; nothing is to been taken slightly.

But I have a job and I was sick just about two weeks ago. All sorts of anxiety set in like someone

is constantly pinching me.

We arrived at the hospital. I met a colleague with his baby and wife who use the same hospital.

While I waited to be called by a doctor, we chit-chat and exchanged names. We knew each other

by face and not by name prior to this time. It was my turn to see the doctor and I made my

complaints known. He said we’d run test. I went to the lab and my sample was taken. Luckily, at

one prick, as But my veins played hide and seek.

While waiting for the result, I blamed my sister for bringing us to the hospital. I thought I could

as well spend the waiting time at work. How do I call my team leader now to explain I am sick

AGAIN in the space of two weeks? I didn’t know how to explain that on the phone. I preferred

to send sms. So I sent sms after much agitation. She didn’t reply nor call back. That made me

panic. I consoled myself with the fact that I’m not faking it and it is my life on the line here.

The result of my test is out and it turned out that my white blood count is high, which is an

indication of the presence of infection. What particular infection? I asked in my head. Can’t the

doctor stream it down so we know what we are dealing it, I said angrily in my head. He said

because of the sickled cells that could be the reason I experience pain on my side. Aaarrrhh!

Certain antibiotics, pain killers and cough syrup were prescribed and given to me at the

pharmacy.



I was back at home and as the clock ticks, the ribs pain eats away at me…slowly because I try to

overcome it mentally but that just helps a little. Then the rug is pulled out when I realized I’m

not okay. I went back to the hospital later that evening to make the same complaint, except that

the pain is aggravated this time. I met another doctor (who I supposedly crush on) and he said the

medication will be raised and I will be given injection for the pain. If the condition doesn’t get

better, I should come back. I was injected and the nurse advised that I leave the injection room as

soon as possible before I become drowsy.

After few hours, I was awake and the pain was still there. I had to start popping painkiller for

relief. I could barely sleep at night. My side was filled by a deep, dull ache that threatened to turn

into a burning agony should I dare to turn side or move. I stayed in the position of sitting upright

on my bed with my back resting on a pillow. That was the only way I felt less pain and was able

to sleep till day break.

I was not anywhere near better. I was only able to manage the pain with pain killers. Cough is

now persistent and could go on for some seconds before it stops. Minutes later, I cough again for

another God knows how many seconds and I have to hold my ribs each time to minimize the

pain that comes with the cough.

Saturday morning, I was back in the hospital. Let me mention that the other visit was on a

Tuesday (same week). I explained the condition to the doctor I met and also told him it was

pneumonia I had (I had to save them since they didn’t seem to know what was going on with

me). Some doctors are not smart…this I’ve been venting to my folks and friends who care to

listen. The physician checked with the stethoscope to confirm if it was actually pneumonia. Of

course, I understand symptoms for different ailment are similar. I’m not sure he knows what

different sounds from the stethoscope means. He didn’t ascertain if it was pneumonia or what

exactly the problem was.

I was placed on admission. Saline fluid (drip) injected with B-complex was passed to my frail

body. The nurse who attended to me was appealing. She treated me like a friend and explained

what each injection would do and the name. I didn’t quite grab the names, except for one which

was a painkiller. I opened my eyes and my body was covered with a covering cloth of the

hospital, my phone which I didn’t come with was charging and things on the table. I had been

knocked off by one of the injections; the nurse informed me earlier.

My condition didn’t improve, even by the following day. I was still coughing and in constant

pain on my side. It didn’t make sense to me how the doctors couldn’t say exactly what the issue

was. I knew pieces were missing. Could it be that a physician does not know how to use the

stethoscope to interpret what is or what is not? They just didn’t get it! I questioned their

competence. I don’t know who is more pissed between my sister and me about the effed up

physicians.

Alas! A doctor came in for ward-round on Monday afternoon, and told him same old story. He

tested me with his stethoscope back and front. Then mumbled what the issue was to the nurse

with him. He recommended X-ray, for confirmation, I suppose. Fortunately, the x-ray can be

done in the hospital, so I was taken with another woman whose baby had similar ailment. I asked

the radiology technician what the result was and he said pneumonia. Lo and behold! If only the

other doctor could use the stethoscope, perhaps, I would be better by then.

I felt relieved. At least, someone is able to diagnose the problem. He added to my medication and

should be on drip but my veins were all gone. Even my leg was checked none was found. I was

left alone to take oral medication; not until after four pricks at different spots though. The initial

one had swollen and the drip was stopped.

With this ordeal of delayed or misdiagnosis, I am even more grateful to the competent medical

care I got while growing up. It has been found out that misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis of any

ailment is due to lack of experience or exposure. Although, there is also system-inducing error, in

this case, the error was individual inducing. This error is not permissible, that which is caused by

lack of interest, laziness or ignorance. Everyone is implored to know their body and something

about their health to avoid naivety and be able to make informed health decisions.

To the amiable, smart members of the society in the business of medicine (every parent wants

their child to be a doctor), patients should be first, not egos-attitude error. Mistakes are made

every day and while some are insignificant, others can change lives completely.

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Truth University

Welcome to Truth University, where we shall be sharing 'truths' for the awareness of our souls and inner touch with it. Like I was asked by someone where Truth University is located. I answered 'the soul.' People hate the truth but luckily  it doesnn't care. The essence of Truth University is to nourish our souls. Lets start with the quote "if it doesn't nourish the soul, get rid of it." Sobriety (truth) is a journey, not a destination. So it shall be continued.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

LOVE DEFICIT


 I read this somewhere: “When you have a good heart; you help too much, you trust too much, you love too much. And it seems you always hurt the most.” Being hurt at the end of it all is where deficit comes to play-you do virtually all the work (overfunctioning). In the accounting/business world, it is not heartwarming running at a deficit, it is like running at a loss.  As we have in the accounting/business sector, so can we be emotionally deficit, especially if we do not know when and where to strike the balance.
This piece is not to say we should not love at all, but that we should respect and value ourselves enough not to be emotionally deficit -don’t over function! If one party is doing all the work in a relationship/partnership/friendship, sooner or later, that party becomes weary and may wear out-this is deficit! Doing all the work with no complement from the other party sucks. It is at this point one begins to feel less love, care and appreciation. At that point you need to stand up (because you have been carrying a lot of weight) and you will feel lighter.
Love should be give and take. It is very painful when you lose yourself in the process of valuing someone too much that you forget you are special too. It is better to walk away than been walked over. People who do so little for you should not be allowed to control so much of your feelings and emotions. Running at deficit doesn’t make one enjoy the whole essence of love. If you allow people make more withdrawals than deposits in your life, you will be out of balance and in the negative. Know when to close the account. There is difference between giving up and knowing when you’ve had enough.
In the spirit of valentine, I wish to say Happy Valentine’s day. Dementedly, Valentine’s Day have become overrated and over commercialized. It has become a day destinies are at stake, girls especially, are deceived and vulnerable because of the hype of valentine. What happened to the everyday love and affection shared? Getting a treat or not that day does not necessarily define love. As a matter of fact, love is not a once in a year affair. Love is to be celebrated every time. If your relationship is right and blossoming, valentine’s day should not be a big deal.
Love in the name of valentine is usually a mirage. Don’t allow yourself be carried away by its drama. Refuse to be used this season!

Sunday, November 8, 2009

TIPS FOR GIRLS

Most  of  us  ladies  learn  about  men, love, sex  and  relationship  in  the  hard  way, in which  the  price  is  too  high  and  the  consequences  and  lingering  effects  are  very  painful. There  is  an  easier  way  of  finding  and  experiencing  TRUE  LOVE. Wise  females  learn  the  easier  way. Some  of  the  tips  is  discussed  below.

There  are  'Honourable'  and  'Dishonourable'  males, and  until  we  know  the  difference  between  the  two  types  of males, we  should  not  date  or  marry. Honourable  males  are  protectors. They  will  guard  your  heart, protect  your  emotions, defend  your  honour  and  stand  as  champions  for  your  spiritual, mental  and  physical  well-being.

Any  man  who  test-run  your  body, emotions,  and  feelings  is  out  of  it.Direct  such  men  to  a  car  dealer, bid  them  farewell  and  never  look back! Females  are  not  cars  to  be  test-run.

Females  should  not  go  for  any  man  who  view  sex  as  a  sport, females  as  trophies  and  children  as  wastepaper. Never  allow  yourself  to  become  their  next  score  or  sperm  repository.

Also,  don't  go  for  Momma's  boy; they  belong  only  to  one  woman, their  moms! These  mothers  and  their  sons  will  never  cut  their  umbilical  cord. For  your  sake, leave  them  alone  to  go  to  their  mummies.

You  are  not  fit  for  any  relationship  if  you  have  no  self-love. No  two  ways  about  it, if  you  don't  love  yourself, no  man  can  ever  love   you...no  matter  how  great  the  man  is.

Don't  judge  all  men  by  one  man's  action, unless  you  want  to  be judged  based  on  the  acts  of  immoral  women.

If  a  man  lacks  proper  male  leadership  in  life, kindly  send  him  on  his  way. He  is  not  prepared  for  the  responsibilities  that  comes  with  love, sex  and  marriage.

A  fundamental  understanding  and  respect  of  the  male  ego  is  a  must  for  all  females  who  want  healthy  and  vibrant  Love.

For  your  sake  and  safety, avoid  misogynistic  men. Avoid  this  treacherous  males  at  all  cost. Learn  to  properly  choose  a  mate  before  its  too  late! The  woman  in  the  mirror  will  graciously  thank  you.

Don't  delude  yourself! You  cannot  change  a  man; Not  your  beauty, fine  body, sexual  prowess, cooking  skills, feminity  and  vibrant  personality  is  enough  to  change  a  man, NEVER!!!

Don't  obtain  this  crucial  information  from  dishonourable  males, or  bitter  women. Don't  become  a  spoiled, heart-broken  and  bitter  woman!

For  those  who  have  travelled  the  worn  out  path  of  emotional  scars, broken  hearts, abuse, confusion, anger  and  sleepless  nights, there  is  always  a  second  chance. Learn  from  your  mistakes, go  to  the  Lord  in  prayer  and  He'll  heal  your  wounds, then  you  pick  up  a  new  life.

Choose  the  wrong  mate  and  you  might  as  well  have  grabbed  the  ears  of  a  raging  mad  pit  bull.

CHOOSE  AN  HONOURABLE  MAN  AND YOU  CHOOSE  LIFE!

 Thank   you  for  taking  your  time  to  go  through  this, may  the  Lord  help  us  to  choose  right. Your  comments  and  suggestions  are  highly  welcomed. Thanks  once  again  and  God  bless.

Saturday, October 31, 2009

IN MY SHOES...

Have  you  ever  tried  putting  yourself  in  somebody  else's  shoes  trying  to  imagine  or  feel  what  that  person  is  going  through? Maybe  if  we  do  this  sometimes,we'd  show  love  to  people. It  is  a  pathetic  story  for those  with  one  ailment  or  the  other  because  the  society  do  not  want  to  be  associated  with  them. Looking  at  the  case  of  people  living  with  HIV/AIDS, it  is  not  the  HIV  that  kills  them  but  the  rejecton  they  suffer.

A  pal  of  mine  was  narrating  her  odeal  with  a  guy  she  met  in  a  clinic  to  me. This  pal  of  mine  happens  to  be  have  Sickle  cell  anaemia  and  d  guy  sitting  next  to  her  at  the  clinic  reception  got  to  know  about  her  medical  status, and you  won't  believe  the  things  he  said  to  my  pal.

The  guy  told  my  pal  he  know  of  a  cure  and  that  he  can  help  with  the  necessary  contacts. My  pal  turned  the  offer  down. The  guy  then  said  she  is  not  likely  to  find  a  life  partner  as  nobody  wants  to  marry  someone  whose  life  span  is shaky  and  would  be  in  and  out  of the  hospital. That she is not likely to live long  and  all  sort  things  that  I  can't  possibly  state  here.

Parents  at  times  don't  help  matter. Some  see  it  as  a  waste  of  resources  taking  care  of  children  with  disabilities  or  trminal  ailments, and  so  the  child  is  neglected. Those  who  manage  to  take  care  of  the  child  count  what  and  what  they  have  done  at any  little  offence  or  thing  the  child  does.

The  long  and  short  of  this  is  to  show  LOVE  and CARE  to  people  around  us. A  smile  could  go  a  long  way. You  never  can  tell  what  a  word  of  encouragement  or  inspiration   could  do. Lets  give  HOPE  to  the  HOPEless  and  we'd  see  how  well  they  can  do  in  life. 

And  to  those  going  through  one  thing  or  the  other (ailment, disability  or  what  have  you), you  can  make  it. Disability  is  not  Inability. You  are  an  Impossible Equation for the devil to Solve, a  Question  he  cannot  Answer  because  YOU  are  Wonderfully  and  Fearfully  made!

I  love  you  all  and  God  bless  you!

Thursday, July 23, 2009

YOUR THOUGHT

The book of Proverbs says "keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life".You are a product of your thought.The success of any individual in life starts from his thought life.People are beaten down in life from the route they think about themselves.Having a positive perspective about oneself is the major basis of achieving success in life.

That our friends made it before us does not mean we cannot make it.We should not compare ourselves with others;we are called for different purposes and there is an appointed time for each and everyone of us.If you can not get to your goals in life fast,you can get there slowly and steadily,taking one step at a time.Your friends may reach their goals before you and yet become more successful than them when you reach your goal much later.Afterall,the first house in a town is not necessarily the most beautiful house in that town.

Nurturing one's mind positively determines how life would respond to one's attitude.Never allow your circumstances to determine your attitude but allow your attitude to determine your circumstances.This can only be achieved if a person's state of mind functions in a positive perspective.

In life,we get what we focus on.That is why the book of Philippians 4:8 says "whatsoever things are true,honest,just,pure,lovely,of good report,if there be any virtue and praise,think on these things.

Your thought life builds you an identity.Proverbs 23:7,"As a man thinks in his heart,so he is.Rita Davenport said "What I think about,I bring about.The thought of success will foster success.The thought of love will foster love.The thought of security will foster security.What am I thinking about today?"I am asking us the same question;what are you thinking about right now?

Be of good thought and I tell you "YOU CAN!"God bless you.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

BLOOD TRANSFUSION

Some years back,my father's first question when I'm sick and on admission is "am I on transfusion?"He's probably used to it now and have a better understanding.When it occured to me to write on this topic,can't explain what I felt,but here we are...

Blood transfusion is the transfer of blood or blood products into the blood the blood stream of a patient who has lost blood due to injury,disease or an operation.The amount of blood and blood type of blood transfused depends on the need of the patient.It is the role of biomedical scientist to ensure that the blood being transfused is safe.To ensure safety,the blood is tested to determine its blood group and check that it is not contaminated with harmful micro-organisms.Checks are also made to ensure that the blood to be transfused does not contain antibodies that will destroy the erythrocytes of the recipient and cause death.

The type of blood a needed patient would be transfused with depends on the person's blood group.Blood group system is the classification of blood depending on the characteristics of their erythrocyte and the presence of specific antibodies in their plasma to erythrocyte antigenes.There are different human blood group systems like ABO,Rh,etc.The ABO blood group system classifies people into one of four major blood groups:A,B,O and AB, according to the different types of antigene present on the surfaces of their erythrocytes. The Rh blood group system didvides people into Rh+ or Rh-,depending on whether or not their erythrocytes carry the Rh antigen.The frequencies of these blood groups vary between different populations. AB,A,B and O are universal recipients because they can accept blood from any of the blood groups and O is a universal donor because it can be transfused into persons with other blood group.

The need for blood transfusion is determined by a test known as PCV(Packed Cell Volume).PCV is the measure of the proportion of blood that is made up of cells.The value is expressed in percentage or fraction of cells in 100 millitres of blood,e.g 40% means that there are 40millitres of cells in 100millilitres of blood.When the PCV falls to less than normal, it indicated anaemia. It is normally about 46% for men and 38% for women. It could be a bit lower for people with sickle cell anaemia.

CONSEQUENCIES OF BLOOD GROUP INCOMPATIBLE TRANSFUSION
An example of an incompatible blood transfusion is when a patient of blood group A,the recipient is given blood from a donor who is blood group B.In this case,the anti-B antibodies present in the plasma of the recipient bind to the donated erythrocytes and activate complement.This results in the simultaneous lysis of billions of erythrocytes in the given blood.The lysis of so many erythrocytes,called acute intravascular hemolysis,releases so much haemoglobin that acute renal failure occur and shock result.In addition to the problems caused by the release of haemoglobin, the fragments of erythrocytes memebrane released may also initiate the blood clottings, leading to disseminated intravascular coagulation(DIC).It may also vary according to the blood group involved. Slower destruction of the donated cells may lead to a decreasing haemoglobin concentration, with the patient suffering a fever and general malaise.

HAZARDS OF TRANSFUSION
  • Iron overload: patients who receive many transfusions over long period of time may develop iron overload. The excess of iron,for which there is no excretory route, from transfused blood may cause tissue damage, especially to the heart, liver and endocrine glands. Signs of iron overload can be detected after several transfusions and the condition may be fatal if left untreated. It can be treated with chelating agent to remove unwanted iron.
  • Alloimmunization: patients who receive regular erythrocyte transfusion may become immunized to other blood group antigens present in the ABO compatible cells.This may affect future transfuions.The use of leukodepleted blood, in which leukocytes have been removed prior to transfusion, prevents the immunization of recipient to these antigens.
  • Infection: another potential hazard of transfusion is infection with micro-organisms present in the donor.It has been observed that blood transfusion have spread infections such as HIV and hepatitis C to recipients.For this reason, there is now extensive screening of blood donors.

Even with the the risks involved in blood transfusion, it has save lives, like in the case of anaemia and surgery. I remember my parent got into argument with hospital officials when I had to be transfused sometime ago and there was a delay...my parent wouldn't want to loose their priceless jewel.There was no other option at that point in time than transfusion, and thank God I'm still alive!

To conclude,transfusion scientist must make sure that the process of transfusing blood poses minimal risk to the patient and donor alike. Aside from obvious need for the blood to be carefully matched to avoid possibly fatal transfusion reaction, it is essential that donors are carefully screened to avoid those who are ill or who may be harmed by giving blood, or whose blood poses a health risk beacause, for example, it is contaminated with certain viruses even when the donor shows no sign of ill health.

May the unblemished "BLOOD " of Christ avail for us in all situations.