Thursday, March 03, 2005
Updates from Chennai
Friday, Day 8.
One full week since we first arrive at CMCT. Met Dr. Colleen. Very garang and scary. Look like my primary school garang teacher, Mrs. Abraham. But Grace argued that she very nice lady, so I stand corrected. Maybe its just me and adults. Grrrr…
Worked in the Lab today. Had fun time setting slides and all. Highlight of the day was the diagnosis of the sputum of this Doctor. She sent her sputum to be checked for Acid Fast Bacteria. M2/03-ians, any idea of any dangerous acid-fast bacteria? Haha, duh. So with the help of the lab technician, I got the slide ready. And after putting it under the microscope, I saw one tiny pink rod.
Uh-oh.
Ok, to my non-medic friends, you do a AFB slide to check for Tuberculosis and the TB bacteria is pink under the microscope. So you get the point, I diagnose the doctor got TB. Which of course raised a great HOO-HAA, as who knows the doctor spread the TB to so many other patients dee.
Then the lab techni did another slide, cos my slide only got one bacteria, so very doubtful.
In the end, the lab techni said that the doctor is clear of TB, she got not TB and that my slide was faulty. Haha, how the hell was I to know? Hehe…
At night, we had a talk of about Grace’s counselor-counselee relationship with a guy. Which led to Doctor-Patients relationship. Just imagine if you met your spouse who happened to be your patient/doctor.
Female patient: “I met your father during a pelvic examination.”
Or
Male patient: “My injured dick led me to your mom.”
Saturday Day 9.
Early morning, helped out in the Pharmacy. Had this game going on with the pharmacist on who can the find the medicine faster. Strange but fun.
Otherwise, spent the rest of whole day stoning in the room.
Sunday Day 10.
Went to church, a different church this time. It’s a Wesley church and more happening that the first church we went (maybe because they spoke English). YeeP pointed out that any church is better than Chooleimeidu, the first church.
After church went to Higginsbotham, which happened to be close on Sundays. Damn. Any way we walked further down and realized that Indians have very warped sense of walking time.
When we first ask a guy on the street how far is Higginsbotham? He said 5 minutes walk, which took us 15 sun-baking walk only to find the place closed. So we ask another guy how far it is to Spencer Plaza. He told us 10 minutes walk and we only took 5 minutes. Strange sense of time.
Then we returned to CMCT to help out with Sunday School. Taught the kids how to play Pass the Message. Practically just screwed up everything. The kids all clamoured to Grass and YeeP, so I was thankful to just watch. But then another group dragged me to them and I was screaming HELP!!!! SO funny, but I really hate kids. Not hate hate, but hate to play adults to them. I’m a kid myself, I want to clamour up to Grass or YeeP. NOT!!!
Monday Day 11
Went again to the Tsunami area. But the trip there is so totally different from the last time we went. Why? Because Dr Colleen was with us, and the mood in the van was somber. Last time, there were ppl singing and laughing and talking. Now, ppl only speak when talked to by the Doctor.
Today’s session is longer too. Dr. Colleen is like some big VIP and they were rolling out the red carpets for her. There was a mini concert and fire crackers and much much more. But I ran off by myself to take pictures of the sea. Too bad its hot, no I would have set on the beach and just listen to the waves.
New discoveries were made everyday and today was no different. Grace is a lesbo-paed. Grace is a lesbian, that we know, but a Paedophile too? Atrocious. Little girls are attracted to her, and she in return. She has this little harem of little girls following her around, holding her hands, kissing her. *shivers*
That night, YeeP complained about no maxis reception. So I came out with an excuse. “Twin towers got crashed by plane, fall like dominoes unto Maxis tower”
So she came up with another news. “Anwar killed Mahathir”
When Grace came out of the bathroom, we told her with a straight face and she actually believed. Tsk tsk.
Tuesday Day 12
Had a slight surprise in the morning. Going to the dining hall and YeeP remarked that one of the Chinese guys sitting at the table reading a book was a Singaporean. I was like, how the hell do you know? And she said that the book he was reading bear the chop of the National Library of Singapore.
Ok, so what?
Mana tau, this guy was also going to CMCT with us. Talk about coincidence. He is a nurse and the first thing that came to my mind was Meet the Fockers. I couldn’t help it. And the reason he became a nurse is lagi more unbelievable.
He wanted to court this girl who entered nursing course. So he entered along. But then the girl changed her mind and did not even take up the course. So on the first day, he then only realized that the girl not taking nursing course and he cannot quit dee.
Today saw two operations. The guy-nurse helped with the circumcision which we did not watch.
The first operation we watched was a reconstructive surgery where we were introduced to something called groin flap. This patient’s right thumb was cut cleanly off at the first metacarpal. And it became infected, so need to do surgery on it. So the doctor decided to do a groin flap, where the skin is taken from below the inguinal ligament near the groin. The reason being that the skin is thick and has a large artery running through it.
But why izzit called a groin flap?
Well, the doctor drew a rectangle outline, but he only cut 3 sides, leaving one side intact, so it looked like a flap. But to me, it was like how you skin a pig. Interesting.
So instead of putting the skin on the thumb, the doctor sewed the thumb to the flap. Get it? The thumb was wrapped in that flap of skin and left there. So it looks like the guy is holding his dick. And must be placed there for THREE bloody weeks. Can’t imagine the guy going around like that.
The second operation is removal of haemorrhoids. The guy had a spinal jab, it really looked painful. And when the CSF came out, ouch. The guy was placed on stirrups, so it looked like it was he was giving birth, except the hole was an asshole, with 3 large balls hanging out of it. Gross.
We finally found the use of Grace’s flashlight. The doctor used a huge one to shine it down the patient’s anus. And somehow that guy’s right testicle is the size of a large orange. Eww… If he stand naked, he would have like 1 huge ball and 4 small balls swishing between his leg. Haha.
And we found out, more like smell, how a cauterizer work. Cauterization is where you apply heat to blood vessels to close it down, and the doctor applied it to cutting flesh. So it smelt like too-over-done-beef. I get hungry after watching a surgery where there is cauterization. YeeP too. There must be something wrong with us.
And I realize I don’t make a good surgeon because I can barely stand for 2 hours straight. And yet the doctor can easily do the surgery and laugh and talk on his handphone. Miracle.
Wednesday Day 13
We with the Kaulipek, oops, Kilpauk Medical College Hospital with this nice doctor who was a plastic surgeon. And we saw more plastic surgeries.
There is this lady, old lady, who has two torn earlobes. They were torn because she was wearing big heavy earrings. It was an old wound, meaning that wound has closed and fibrosis has occurred. So why would she want to sew them back? Because she wants to pierce them again so can the wear earrings. DUMB!!!
We saw a guy with a huge scar on his face, that type that is one biji scar. He wants the scar to be removed. So the doctor cut it up, and sew the scar together again, leaving a lightning scar on the cheek, so like harry potter’s scar, except on the cheek. Maybe Prem wants to get one too, I can do it for her cos I’ve seen the procedures. Haha.
We went to the Burn Wards too. Saw the burn patients. First thing that came to my mind was ouch. There was this guy who committed suicide by burning himself. Double ouch. But failed attempt. Triple ouch. And the smell of over-cooked flesh. Yuck.
We went for survey again that afternoon. And it could be slightly frustrating.
People lie and cheat when they need free things. It’s human behaviour. Take for example this family where the mother wants to find for a job. She gave the reason that she was too poor and all that. So we went to their place and saw a nice house that has water and electric supplies. Not to mention got color TV, VCD player and CABLE TV. All in the slums!!!
They lie about the rent, about pensions, everything. This only reduces the chances of other people who really need it. I got really angry and depressed over how immoral the human race is. Humans are the same.
NB: Confirmed I lack social skills. I can’t make conversation with strangers. When a stranger approaches, YeeP will smile and greet, Grass will talk, I would stare at my camera.
Thursday Day 14
Had a long day at camp. Mr. Dentist came along today and his room was a torture chamber. He would slowly select his torture tools, and this huge needle will be inserted into the mouth. Then he would just reach in and pluck that tooth out. OUCH!!
I think that being a dentist needs enormous strength. Cass, ask your dad. He needs to heave and tug, and strain just to get a tiny molar out. Mr. Dentist was like straining away, trying to get a tiny tooth out while the patient was lying on the chair, asleep with his jaw open. I know the patient feels no pain, but WE felt the pain.
On the way back, they had us to sing our national anthem. Holy shit, I can barely remember any of the words. So we stumbled over and over it. And then we heard the Indian anthem which the whole van sang happily. Haha.
We had dinner for the first time at YWCA. Invited guy-nurse over and had a long talk about Singapore and Malaysia. Most conversation flew over my head, but I could remember something about doctors and nurses and how Msian’s nurses maybe less paid, but they are happier compared to Singaporean nurses where they are treated like servants.
Anyway, last day I'll be posting from Chennai. Tomorrow is last day we'll be here and holy fuck that Monday is the first day of school. SHIT!!! Tomorrow going book shopping and yahoo, Higginsbotham here we come!!!
A pro isn't someone who sacrifices themselves for a job. That's just a fool.
- Reno, Final Fantasy VII
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