Went to kuala kubu bharu for 7 days as part of my hospital rotations... had well, an interesting time there.. There were times that were good and some not so good.. but overall it was a very very good experience.... This is what happened

19th Jan 2006

We left IMU at about 4.30pm ... The journey was good... spent most of it just resting in the bus and listening to radio.... When we got there, we had a briefing on KKB and d housing there where we had to stay... The house was not too bad but we really had to clean up the place... Before that, I had to go help the girls fix their lightbulb in one of the houses because it fused

SO basically we cleaned the whole house and disinfected it and sprayed it with mosquito spray... Then we drove out for dinner in KKB town... couldn't find d shop we were told to go.. so ended up in a mamak stall instead tat was not so cheap... Then we went back and washed up and tried hooking up all the laptops together to play command and conquer due to the lack of starcraft and frozen throne wif us.. Somehow it wasn't so successfull so we decided to play on our own... yi ling, ju an and wendy came over at abt 11 and jst hang over at our place.. haha.. taught wendy how to play C&C and shed ended up so eager to destroy ppl..... n yes.. she won d campaign.... Sent them back to their house few doors away at abt 2 before we finally wnet to sleep....

20th Jan 2006

Our day started at abt 6am in the morning... We basically had to take turns using d toilet... me, thomas and kenneth shared one.. David, Julian, Anwar and Richard shared another... Breakfast was maggi mee and milo... haha... Then we headed to KKB hospital by bus... we reached at 8am and we were supposed to have a briefing at 9am.. so i just walked around while d others had breakfast

Our briefing was about wat we had to do.. Basically we have to clerk (take a full history or interview) 1 patient a day and present it to the ward doctor later... We are free to observe and check out whatever we want at our own initiative but the clerking must be done for presentation at the specific time that we have to meet our clinical tutors... Well.. I can't tell u  much about my patient due to patient - doctor confidentiality laws that  must abide by, but  i guess its safe to say she reminds me so much of my grandmother... the way she talks and all... well... I miss my grandma

So basically after lunch, we went on to meet our tutor... she basically ask my friend to present his patient that wasn't very cooperative... and basically he got screwed by her n the patient... She blasted us with all kinds of questions.. most of which we can't really answer... But overall we learnt alot...

After that, before going back, we stopped by the mortuary and was told that a forensics expert was coming from KL hospital to perform a post mortem.. SO 5 of us stayed back for 3 hours to wait for him to come... I was very very scared... my 1st time seeing a dead body in a mortuary... Seeing my grandparents in the coffin was a totally different experience... And even that I was scared.. But I overcame that thanks to my friends... So I suited up in the mortuary gown and went in... young lady that went for an abortion last week... SHe died all of a sudden in the morning.,.. SO basically the doc cut her up... removed d brains.. organs and everything... sliced it up and check... took samples.. then threw everything back inside d body.... the diagnosis... death due to ischaemic heart disease secondary to coronary arterial atherosclerosis.... It was 3 hours before we left the hospital at abt 8.30pm... we got lost and ended up walking for many many hours before finding our way back home 1 hour 45 mins later... on foot... in the dark... after watching my 1st post mortem... slept very well that night, apart from my friend hitting me because he couldn't sleep...

21st January 2006

SATURDAY... HAHA... no need to go to hospital... so we walked down from our house... 20 mins walk to town for lunch... then we played some cyber games in town.. walked for about 3-4 hours... then bought dinner n came back.... That night we ate in our house and played cards n studied abit and some command and conquer.... because apart from d few gurls in the nurses hostel, the only ppl left in KKB were 6 of us in the house... haha.... quite boring... but well.. we slept late again due to command and conquer and chor tai ti... haha

22nd January 2006

Hmm.... We got up at 1pm... haha... so basically we had lunch of biscuits, mandarin oranges, maggi mee and bread with chocolate spread...Then we played cards and studied... yes.. at the same time... and tried practicing physical examination on each other.... Then julian came back.... and I was hopping SOMEONE would be back as well... from some other house... haha.... so can call her over.... haha... but no... she only came back later tat nite... so we decided to go jungle tracking... yes.... trekking to a nearby waterfall near our house... and we did... 5 of us.. minus julian who was too 'TIRED"... we walked there.. took about 30 mins... n it was worth it... nice water.... it was dark already so we decided against goin any deeper into the forest.... we came back and went out for dinner... then proceded to study again.... until 4am where we slept and got up at 6am

23rd January 2006

Woke up feeling weird.... but anyway... still went ahead and got to hospital..... walked around and went to set up the projector for the presentation by th dierector of the hospital... man.... he can't speak english well... and he's a medical doctor.... anyway.... well.... we told our lecturer that we we watched a PM... and she said that we were the 1st batch of IMU students that managed to see a full PM.... praised us abit for enthusiasm... So well.. it was off to ward rounds again... clerking patients... then went to emergency.. nothing interesting... except for weird cases that i can't post due to patient confidentiality.. like ppl poking stuff into their u know where.... n then we waited for a delivery that wasn't about to take place... haha

After lunch... again we met our clinical tutors....  My patient that I clerked was a very nice man and I even had a chat with him about his daughter that wanted to do medicine.... gave him some advice and all... but too bad I never presented as well because he was discharged later that day.... However, I heard a cardiac murmur for the 1st time... cool... it sounded very haunting... the sound....

SO after that.. we stayed back again to check on the pregnant mother and decided to wait for her to give birth.... while waiting.. we did an ECG on the patient with heart problems.... The 1st time we did an ECG on real patients.. haha... it was cool and the patient was really very very helpful... Then we decided to walk about while wating for the delivery to happen.... then another group of friends came at about 10pm.. the bets part.. they came in shorts and lab coat to watch the delivery... we were still formally dressed because we never went back.... I went out and talked with the father.... he's 1 year older than me... second child... and he's also a top student.... very matured boy... got me thinking about how much I play and how immature I am, reardless of education... he's already walking and thinking of his kids and future and his wife and all.... and i'm still playing around....

Then,a life just had to be released into the world... I saw a baby being delivered.... very disgusting and painful.. mother thrashing about...They snipped the uterus and vagina without any anaesthetic.... damn painful.... But alas the baby boy was brought into this world.... I accompanied the father in... and I saw the parents emotions flowing around.... Its weird that the sanctity of life involves the suffering of another... that love is all about suffering and more suffering... love in any and every sense...

So well.. after that, we walked back and played some cards at home before sleeping

24th January 2006

ok.. got up feeling nausious.... insufficient sleep.... BUt i still had to get up..... so as usual.. the routine continued... I was told at the hospital that there's a body.... but this time... its a murder case.... she was found in th forest.... body believed to be 1 month old because its infested with maggots and stinks... But anyway.. The mortuary was still closed.... so e went for our briefing and later all of us took turns to go into the mortuary to look at the body.... it was totally rotten and decayed... left borns and pieces of flesh and skin hanging here and there... water was seeping out and maggots were everywhere.. jumping around... The smell was terrible... sour, salty, bitter.. all it once... terrible.... so i came out after observing for a few minutes... no amount of cloth can block the smell..

so well... we then proceded to clerk patient for the day... My patient this time was a young man that had so many problems that I was wondering if he actually is that young... Then when I came out of the ward... god... the smell hit me again.... the smell from the mortuary floated to the wards as well... terrible... make me feel like throwing up... but basically i had to eat something.. so i just had buns... went to talk to the patient i clerked on fri... had a chat wif her... n me n wendy went to buy her milo.. though I din think that was such good idea.... coz she's a diabetic...

Anyway.... After that, we presented our case findings to our tutor then went home... played cards awhile... then it rained... we had to walk out in the rain for dinner because our friend that drove must decide that he doesn't wanna go out.... so well... we walked out... and i din eat much coz stomachache.... so well... we walked back again after playing cyber games awhile... went back and played cards awhile... but my stomach felt very bad.. so my friends took me to emergency department of KKB hospital at 3am in the morning... the Medical assistant didn't even check me... said wanted to gimme injection to stop the pain.. I protested and was given oral medication instead... no anti vomiting oso...but luckily wasn't charged because I was a medical student.. everything free.... went abck n slept

25th January 2006

Woke up at 6am again.. but this time we went to klinik kesihatan ulu yam bharu... the MA incharge there was cool... he told us to check the patients n diagnose them and he will prescribe... knowing we are only second year students.... haha... but well.. i did diagnose them... and alotof them thought we r doctors... haha... then we almost ahd to do suturing for a patient until we manage to convince the MA that we have had no idea how to do suturing... haha...but well... it was a good experience... then we proceeded to the pharmacy where we dispensed drugs to patients.. haha... doctors writting... I pity the pharmacists.... but well.. thats their jpb.. So we did dilution and gave out medication to patients as though we were pro lidat... but got a few mistakes la tat d pharmacists had to correct us... Then just before we left.. we saw a boy that said tat he has gastric and breathlessness and can see things... imagine... haha.. but well. we left after that...

We dropped by KKB hospital again... in time to observe the post mortem of the rotten corpse.. the smell was terrible... we all took turns going in and all... but the smell was killing.. our clothes all had the smell... we saw maggots jumping and all... the floor was fulll wif maggots n roaches n small bones flakes from the body.... I accidentally step on 2 teeth.... but well.. it was a very good experience.... After that.. we walked around abit.. took a rest in the briefing room... then the forensic specialist gave us a lecture on carrying out post mortems... then we headed back...

That evening... a few of us went to the waterfall again... this time we went deeper into the forest.. into the higher waterfall.. it was damn nice... very cooling... I was there with boon jein, yi ling, wendy, david, kenneth hiew, wei meng, khai wei... the place was cool... boon jein and I wanted to go in deeper into the jungle ut the otehrs dare not so we didn't... It was a hill... so the air was cool n nice... I actually wnet there for "some" reasons... didn't quite work out.. but well... enjoyed it still...

WHen we got back.. I realised that my house was empty.. eevry1 went to the hot water spring... so I walked 45 minutes there alone... haha.. got there... played awhile.. Then walked back for dinner... then walked back home... played around abit.. then slept...

27th January 2006 

Our last day in KKB.... hmm.... well.... we went to Klinik Kesihatan Serendah.. very far away.... n because of that we slept in the bus... got very lethargic when we reached... crap.... but well.. everyone was in pairs but I decided to try to be alone... wasn't too bad.. interveiwed a patient there... observed a few procedures.... ultrasound and all.... observed a few things... then went for our briefing session.... we were briefed on family medicine by a family medicine specialist... then we presented a case... DId some discussions... few ppl were sleeping then.. namely san fui and wendy... haha... wonder what they did the nite before... haha.... but anyway... after that we went out.. took a few photos then went back...

The momentg we reached back.. we rushed to pack our stuff because Thomas was in a hurry to go back to penang by 7.30 bus and it was already 5pm.... SO at 5.15pm... we left KKB.... That was the end of our interesting 7 days trip.... hmmm... very interesting, adventurous and well... somewhat emotional.... for pictures... visit alvinlum.multiply.com... photos coming soon....