Aussie-Chinese Girl Reflects on Her Med Practitioner Journey

What better time to talk about concussion than the Footy Finals? (also, only barracking for the Pies cuz I still have pride as a Victorian LOL - open to who I barrack for the long term → only recently got into footy a bit) Also notice how we Aussies can't even be bothered to say Magpies, nope, its just Pies 😂 But back to health awareness topic of the day → CONCUSSION IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM IN HIGH- CONTACT SPORTS AND NOT TO BE JOKED ABOUT. Personally, I can no longer watch a rugby game in peace thanks to my experience as a sports medic last year and all the near misses and actual head traumas and injuries and concussions and don't even get me started w spinal cord injuries (SC inj) 💀 So what do we actually mean by concussion? - Medical def: altered mental function or level of awareness due to a head injury → considered a MTBI (mild traumatic brain injury), can be transient or more serious, +/- hosp px and admission - (My) layman's def: head knock → concerning enough for me ...

 One of the stereotypes of Aussie that’s actually true is our love for the beaches, pools and water parks - I mean who wouldn’t w our amazing WHITE SAND beaches (that was actually sold to Jeju-do from QSD 😂) and blistering summer heat. So w the summer approaching and an extremely tragic pt case seen this week, I thought I would do a post on water safety But first w the pt story:  21M engaged in a breath holding competition with brother in pool - did not resurface after 3 mins, family started to worry. Pt pulled out of pool unresponsive, CPR 10mins, O2 sat 50% when ROSC. BIBA, ICU admission. Loss of grey-white matter differentiation on MRI brain suggestive of global brain insult. Sedated ator, pupil equal, brisk reaction to light, limbs withdraw at painful stimuli. Intubated and one seizure episode day 2 of admission. Bleak prognosis.  Cannot even begin to imagine the psychological trauma currently experienced by his brother, family, and friends. Water safety tips - young...

 If you’ve read my very first post, you’ll know that I was struggling a hekking lot w life and med school in 2021 and was dx w adjustment disorder mid 2021 and took 1.5yr LOA before recommending 2nd year med this year. Well, it’s only since like mid year this year that I felt comfortable enough to explicitly say, yeah I had adjustment disorder, yeah I have a psych l, yeah I’m on escitalopram.  Apparently I’m a good “fake it til you make it” person cuz subject coord at Western clin school thought I was like totally ready and eager to come back from Feb when actually I was internally screaming, attending ward rounds just to hide in library or bathroom or anywhere else (no I’m not disclosing my secret hideout, everyone has to find their own in each hospital, and trust me everyone needs one) until last 2 weeks of Sem 1.  Also massive newly discovered pet peeve: don’t assume I’ve always been an extrovert and happy to start convo and be proactive and whatnot so I don’t struggle...

 “9yo not likely to have sexually transmitted epididymo-orchitis but maybe times have changed, I don’t know, I don’t tx < 16yo” “Pt usually don’t like suppositories, expect the French, but they’re a diff breed”  “You can get nephrostomy tubes w a string tied to it so pt remove it themselves by pulling on the string - not that pleasant but in Canada, completely public sys so no choice - they just gotta suck it up and get on w it” “[causes for blah are blah etc] and a whole bunch of other stuff” → dis why med students perpetually stressed 💀

 Today was the first time I was sat down and given feedback by a member of my gen med team. Previously, all feedback was given on the fly or as part of mini-cex (which varied in usefulness) and it made me feel, "damn, this is really useful feedback I can incorporate into the rest of my MD journey" and DIDN'T bury my self-esteem 6 feet underground (shocking I know 😆💀😥).  General brownie points   centralised feedback delivered by intern → less intimidating, more relatable face-to-face (yes, I'm old-fashioned)  dedicated time during lunch, had time to unpack and explore feedback, including regular check-backs on how feedback is being taken, any concerns I would like to raise etc. secluded area, no one walking around or sitting near to distract and overhear → reduce anxiety and stress asking about how I'm going so far, not to stressed, anything to raise about placement in general etc. Specific feedback done well   turns out sandwich style does work well 😅 → inte...

Reflection of the day: BRAIN FOG → Dis kid got overly excited over the 26 sunny weather in Melb and forgot about the cursed temp diff and landed herself w most likely the common cold (tested COVID -ve thankfully 😁), potentially bacterial infection secondary to viral currently (only now experiencing coryzal sx w productive yellow/green sputum 🤢). Last few days finding it difficult to concentrate on lectures and brain-intensive learning in general, so thought I would look into this common phenomenon known as brain fog.  So what is brain fog?  It is NOT an official medical term  It is used by pts to explain their sx of difficulty concentrating, focusing, performing daily tasks (e.g. taking much longer to do something than they normally do) etc Can be ACUTE or CHRONIC  What causes brain fog? One study conducted by Dr Ali Mazaheri (A/Prof in Psychology at the University of Birmingham) shows that inflammation is implicated in brain fog and directly affects attention Th...

 I was today years old when I found out that coffee round is a VICTORIAN thing. Ok, sorry all other states and countries, Imma stay right here in the coffee capital of the world (apparently). Apparently it's only a team dependent thing in other states (and St Vs????? what r u guys doing????) Coffee round is like THE team building exercise within a hospital, heck even surgeons will go for coffee rounds if time permits → it's what UNITES all clinicians and the first step of medical students feeling like they're part of a team and not just a pot plant...mostly 😅 Anyways, coffee round is soooooo important in Melb (and imma assume whole of Vic cuz come on, who isn't addicted to coffee and caffeine round here?) that during transition from pre clin to clin, older med students will give a COFFEE ROUND ETIQUETTE lecture to the naive newbies full of unadulterated excitement and passion for finally interacting with real patients (and I pray to god that they never lose it in the f...

The Bureau of Meteorology has officially declared an El Nino year yesterday, but what the heck is an El Nino and what does it mean for us Aussies?  "Official" definition: El Nino is part of a natural cycle termed ENSO (El Nino-Southern Oscillation), along w El Nina and "neutral". It is one of the most influential natural phenomena that affects yearly climate variability in Australia. Dummy 101 definition: El Nino = warm spells i.e. we gonn melt more than usual this summer  Significance: El Nino years typically mean ↑ fire risk in SE Aus Reduced rainfall Warmer temp Shift in temp extremes  (n.b. some places will have both higher one-day avg temp and longer warm spells, whilst elsewhere e.g. Melb more likely to have higher one-day avg temp but shorter overall warm spells) Increased frost risk (due to reduced cloud coverage, can get colder-than-avg night-time temps) Reduced tropical cyclone numbers Later monsoon onset Decreased alpine snow depths Time to stock up on ...

On Sunday I experienced the craziest coincidences in the city when out for dinner + round 2 desserts. My friend and I were sitting in Keki milk bar (highly recommend btw) after a highly satisfying meal @ Bornga (another top rated KBBQ place in Chinatown - the chef is hekking famous in Korea and his samyeop is pending patent status 😆). Anyways, back to the story, we were almost done eating our fluffy matcha red bean pancake when an older Caucasian couple sat down on the table next to us and proceeded to do what everyone does in such a situation - ruminate and stress over which flavour to get b/c the eye can eat more than the stomach can handle (is this an actual saying in English or did I just directly translate from Chinese?).  Me feeling extroverted today, just commented that all the flavours are really good and like, sweet enough to be called a dessert but light enough to enjoy after a heavy meal. The convo lulled for a bit, and was somehow restarted and turns out, they also j...

 Today is Day 1 of Dementia Action Week 2023 in Aus (which J only found out about on the drive to work today from ABC News Radio 8:20am), so I thought it would be good to do a series on dementia like I did w mental health last week 😊 What is dementia? - Dementia = umbrella term used to describe a collection of signs and  sx  involving cognitive function decline (problem-solving, memory, planning, language etc.)  -  Single word descriptors include but not limited to: Degenerative ( = worsening over time)  Global ( = affects entire brain ∴ multitude of varied sx) Umbrella (term = dementia is actually used to described a variety of sx & signs that are caused by disorders/ conditions of the brain) Variable ( = b/c dementia is an umbrella term of signs & sx,  every individ dx w dementia is affected differently) Late-onset ( = most pt are dx later in life ≧ 65yo, BUT Also young-onset  (~28,000 Aussie estimated to live w young-onset d...

 Sun 17/9/23- ran to train stop in 3mins flat (usually 7mins walk by experience or 14mins walk according to Google maps) this morn when I totally could’ve left the house 5mins earlier  Sat 16/9/23- same thing happened  + countless assignment submitted 1-5mins before deadline  HENCE NO INCENTIVE TO BE MORE DISCIPLINED AND PLAN THINGS MORE MATURELY 😅  (+ save me from countless lectures from a well-intentioned but low key helicopter mum)  SAAAAAAAAAVE ME!!!!!!!!! 

Dear brain, I hate the way you overthink, And the way you cause self-doubt.  I hate the monkey who drives my car,  I hate it when you don’t let go.  I hate your dumbass downward spiral,  And the way you drag me down.  I hate you so much it makes me sick.  It even makes me self-reflect.  I hate the way that you are me, I  hate it when you lie.  I hate it when you make me laugh.  Even worse when you make me cry.  I hate it when you just shut down,  And the fact you gave no signs.  But mostly I hate the way I don’t hate you, Not even close, Just a tiny bit.  PS if you didn’t get the reference, bloody go and watch one of the greatest if not the greatest coming of age film ever. RIP Heath Ledger

What is R U OK all about?  - National public health charity → National Conversation Movement  - Started by Gavin Larkin in 2009 as a why to champion just one question in honour of his father, Barry Larkin, who tragically passed from suicide in 1997 much to the shock and grief of his family, friends, and everyone else around him - Collation of resources developed from LIVED EXPERIENCE to support HELP-GIVERS in asking R U OK and having the skills, knowledge, and confidence to engage in MEANINGFUL CONVERSATION if the answer is no  - Suicide prevention is the RESPONSIBILITY OF ALL  - Campaign about building INFORMAL SUPPORT NETWORK → friends, family, colleagues, local communities, interest groups etc START THE CONVO TODAY Click here for more tips & tricks!  “Without R U OK? the landscape would look very different. There is great value in demonstrating to the whole community that they can contribute to suicide prevention and then, importantly, showing them how. ...

“A Victorian coroner is again calling for the introduction of pill testing after a man died from an MDMA pill known as the Blue Punisher at a festival last year – the fourth coroner to do so in six years.” - Opening statement from  Coroner again pushes for pill testing after ‘Blue Punisher’ death  ( The Age ).  What is “blue punisher”?   - high potency MDMA/ecstasy* - Small blue pill w Disney+ Marvel TV Show Punisher logo (skull) on it What is pill testing?   - Centre for VOLUNTARY, CONFIDENTIAL, NOT REPORTABLE pill testing - Will inform attendee composition of their drug to facilitate better informed decision making - Education and advice can also be given if desired Introduced as a drug harm reduction policy - Currently being trialled in ACT and QSD, no plan to roll out in VIC as of yet   Why is pill testing endorsed by many?  - Independent r/v conducted by Dr Anna Olsen on outcomes of pill testing at Canberra’s Groovin the Moo festival in Apr 2019 ...

Please pay doctors esp junior doctors overtime!  Also don't have ridiculous working hours like 14hrs!!!!!  US wtf are y'all doing? Avg working hours for residents are 40-80hr/wk, w some occasionally logging 136hr/wk     🤯🤯🤯😡😡😡  Ya'll know that according to the Fair Labour Standards Act (FLSA) (for USA before people get ansty at me that this is an Aus only privilege):  ANY WORK OVER 40HR/WEEK IS CONSIDERED OVERTIME and SHOULD BE APPROPRIATELY REMUNERATED!!!  Feeling really lucky that in Aus our avg working wk as junior docs is 50hrs + PAID OVERTIME. What are you doing America (follow @DGlaucomflecken )    Lemme show by example below what overworked, sleep-deprived doctor/health professional interaction can be.  This is an ACTUAL convo I had w a final year med school friend at 7pm when we’ve both been up since 5:50am  What friend actually said: “[mutual friend] dipping Ortho rounds cuz she’s not surgically orientated and is...

 

  In line with UMMSS' (University of Melbourne Medical Students' Society) Blue Week, I'm going to share parts (b/c let's be real, if I shared the whole story we'd still be here a year later) of my own mental health journey and debunk some myths about mental health through personal experience and current research.  Myth #1: I will never experience mental health issues / I am immune  AHAHAHAHAHA famous last words cuz that's what I truly believed before I got hit by the tornado known as the downward mental health spiral 💀 Looking back, my mental health probably started its downward descent insidiously from the beginning of undergrad back in 2017 but reached the critical threshold in MD2 2021 (first attempt) post Easter break and the descent became more like a snowball tumbling down the Alps 😓 Fact #1: According to the  2022 National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing  (Australia): -  >2 in 5  Australians between 16-85yo (43.7% or 8.6 million ppl) h...

Pretty sure I experienced a hypoglycaemic event today around 1pm --> was told by gynae to try intermittent fasting restricting intake from 10am to 6pm so only had a cup of coffee (+ disgusting TCM) at 7:30am in the morning. Ward round did not finish until 12:33pm (which is early for gen med let's be honest 😅😭) and by 1pm I experienced bilat paraesthesia down UL  to entire hand & fingers, and eyelid twitching L > R......anyways not good + sx resolved spon post-prandial 😅 Revised eating schedule --> 2 eggs (or up and go if I snoozed one too many times XD)  ← highly recommend this insta pg for daily dose of dark humour 😁😈💀 ( @momsbehavingbadly )

UPDATE: this post is now a permanent page that will be continuously updated!  Lemme know by email or private messaging if you would not like to be identified but w/o further ado, I wanna thank each and every one of the people below from the bottom of my heart Patient Shout Outs (de-identified for confidentiality) - Mrs B for being the pt who reignited my passion for medicine and reminding me why I decided to go into medicine in the first place. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your medical journey, I will never forget this interaction for the rest of my life. You will be the first patient that I think of when medicine inevitably gets hard and will try to make me jaded - I will remember your patience w me as I fumbled my way through a history and full body examination across 2 days and remind myself that I chose to stick with medicine instead of quitting like I almost did b/c I wanted go into a career that will allow me to to help patients and their families during a period...

 Was just in the backyard pulling out weed that seemingly grew outta nowhere after heavy rain from the last 2 days in Melb (thanks Melb Anemoi, got me excited about Spring coming and then hitting me w hekking cold rainy winter temp and weather 😡), and was hit by a med analogy as you do (#justmedstuff).   Weeds = cancer cells → both grow uncontrollably and mad fast, wrecking havoc to the perfectly good body/lawn; in getting rid of either, you inevitably will destroy some good grass / normal healthy cells respectively 👿 Rain = glucose → preferentially stolen by the cancer/weed to the detriment of everything around it 🌧 Gardener = multidisciplinary team (MDT) of health professionals, family, friends, and community → both try to treat (tx) and manage (mx) the cancer/weed 👮 Garden tools = all the investigations (Ix) and tx options for cancer → getting rid of the tougher growths 🧰  Surprise dog turd(s) hidden in the grass = rude new or recurrent cancer diagnosis (dx) ...

Status:   Coffee addicted* 2nd year medical student (MD2) @ Western Health   Motivation to start this blog:  A continuous record of how I'm developing as a medical practitioner - I don't ever want to forget why I decided to come back to medicine despite being diagnosed (dx) w adjustment disorder mid-2021 and taking a 1.5yr long leave of absence (LOA). Thank you Western, MMS, and my original Class of 2023 Cohort for welcoming me back with open arms and encouragement, love y'all - look out for my discharge summaries (d/c summ) when I'm in my final year and I expect stellar mini-cex reports! ;P  If my journey can be of help to anyone, whether that be:  - students at any stage of their education - HS, Uni, TAFE, further training and apprenticeship - "traditional students", mature aged students, returning students, international students  - aspiring or current medical students  - health professionals  - anyone who works in the healthcare sector - ...