Neurology placement

my 2 weeks neurology attachment has come to its end. did i enjoy the module? Perhaps i did. Maybe not as much as i enjoyed O&G, but it was not as bad as Paeds i guess.

Ive got to see a lot of interesting patients. Mostly with interesting cases.

The ones that i remember the most is the patient with Myasthenia Gravis (neuromuscular junction disorder. trying to do some revision here. heheh). He was such a sweet guy, that he insisted on carrying a chair for me all the way from hallway to his bay. Mind you, he is 79! But he is one strong fellow. And supposedly, for a guy with Myasthenia Gravis (it is a condition which makes your muscles go weak), he is super duper strong. Heheh. Ah, he is just nice.

I also remember seeing two different patients with Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS), both presenting differently. One is perfectly pink & healthy, up and about. And the other was lying helplessly on the bed, with tubes and wires running all over her body. They were both at the opposite end of the extreme spectrum of the disease. It was just scary how it varies.

And the other patient who can't speak. I was just loitering around in the ward one day, decided to do something useful instead of just standing at a corner and not do anything. So, i randomly went to a patient and introduced myself to him and asked if he mind me taking history from him for a while. He nodded, hence, i proceed with my usual routine. I first introduced myself, and later i asked him what his name was. He shook his head, and started to do some movements with his hands. That was when it striked me; he could not talk. I was stuck. Unsure what to do. It would be inappropriate for me to just say "oh its ok. i'll just go and fine another patient who can talk"

So i decided to stay and proceed with what i have started. I have never been taught how to talk to patients who can't talk. So, that was quite a challenge for me. I found myself talking at a higher note and doing sign languages, which i later realized was inappropriate. He could perfectly hear me and understand clearly what i said. He just couldn't talk. But i kept talking to him as if i am talking to a deaf person. Huhu. I did managed to change the way i talked to him later on. Hope he was not offended. Oh, we communicate using an alphabet chart by the way. That session took longer than normal since he had to spell everything out for me. Haish. Bless him for being so patience.

My oncall experience was also lovely. Get to clerk a patient, who was clueless about why he was there at the first place. Just imagine the trouble i had to go through when i had to present that case to the SHO. haha. But it did turn out all right, though.

And now, tomorrows my last day. Had weekends off and then i am off to chesterfield for my Psychiatry placement. Quite looking forward to it, i hafto say. It just sounds very interesting. hehe.