ZINDAGI, finally ROCKS!!

Yo! Life rocks! And I'm sure, you all are aware why! Because I finally have ample time to kill from my memory, those tensed days spent in mental torture! You guessed it right, EXAMS ARE OVER...and I'm loving the feeling!! And those of you who would rather tell me, that life is a challenge and one has to give an exam at every step, I chose to ignore (:-p)

PS: I got lots to add to this post...but the updating will have to wait because I'm still catching up on LIFE

CM Tutorials

This post should have been written a long time back. But I guess, I have loads of reasons to list, to cover up for my laziness!!

Phase III of med school was long awaited at the beginning of the year, known as the Honeymoon Professional (...... don't go by the literal/ uncensored meaning, I just wanted to convey that Phase III was supposed to be the most relaxing and easiest of all Profs), so the year ahead had loads to offer. I felt, maybe now I would get a chance to fill up on my vocab, follow a regular exercise regime, enhance my culinary skills, increase my social interactions, tour the entire island, keep myself updated about movies and along with it, balance studies.

First half of the year went fine, with me able to accomplish at least the latter part of the above list....(... the study bit I'm not too positive about, though)!!! :-D
As soon as, I returned from vacations in July, I was welcomed by Preventive and social Medicine(PSM) / Community Medicine (CM) TUTORIALS the following day! And after that it was the same old story every Monday. The entire course was to be covered under the series of Tutorials. So Sunday, the laziest day of the week, was spent studying CM.
At first, the momentum was high when most of us would read up the required bit and come for the tutorial. But slowly the number kept declining. After say 4-5 tuts there were only a hand full who came totally prepared. I wonder..... if our teachers were aware of this fact.
I remember, our tutor once remarked ,“ Yours, is a very co operative batch!!”
Well, it sure was, at least during the tutorials. Left, right, front, back we prompted against our turn, from every part of the lecture room. It was as if the question was addressed to one student, but all others in the row felt responsible to answer. ROTFL!!

Those were some crazy, fun filled memorable hours of my college life.... memories that I never wish to part with. The occasional goof ups would put us in bouts of laughter!!....

Back benches were booked before hand. The two front rows on the right were almost never filled, only the late unlucky souls would occasionally land there. Mine was the aisle seat ,5th row from front, thanks to Nirv* & Fad who reserved the place. We have had some of the best times there. Every time we turned up for the tutorial, we would over emphasize the fact that we weren't prepared; prayed that our turn won't come; hoped the teacher won't turn up; wished that there was a power failure!! We looked for all possible alternatives. You must be wondering why we didn't bunk the tuts in order to save ourselves from the torture of the apprehension...well...many reasons...

Firstly, we require certain percentage of attendance in the lectures and as most of us were short of it.... had no choice but to attend

Secondly,...hmm.... tough one.... thought I could at least list 10 reasons, but seems an ordeal even to list five!! So coming back to the second reason.... maybe we were scared to bunk?! Didn't have any other interesting plans?! Felt responsible to attend the tut for whatsoever reason!? Wanted to make others laugh!?Felt like giving company to a friend!? For giving proxy!....nah,..... not possible...our tutors were quite vigilante! Or I guess some just wanted to impress the tutors with their regularity to boost up their grades!?? And some incorrigible lads( * personal joke) who wanted to be laughed at!???

Finally, a few who were actually interested in community health and wanted to imbibe the essential principles!!

Before the start of the 1hr tut, assurance was seeked from neighboring friends, for prompting.
There was never a time I remember, when someone sat without having a go at the answer.
If he/she didn't have a clue.... there were plenty for rescue!!
Books were randomly sneaked opened..!!
The probable questions were discussed, before turn.
Sometimes, every word uttered was borrowed.
But on some occasions not even friends could help, for there were questions about which none of our friendly neighbour had a clue :-p
And some answers came out from mere guesses.
Though whatever be the apprehension level before the tut, the hour following was a fun filled hilarious fight of the nibble wits amongst us.
With the ...” Ahhh...Ahhh... Sir/ Ma'am......ahhh...ahhh” , transforming into full sentences and finally metamorphosing into the answer!!!!

Most of us, though didn't take the tutorials that seriously but I'm sure learned a lot from them. Thanks to the unfailing patience of our tutors and the lively, cheerful atmosphere created by us.

Thanks guys...... for the spontaneous jokes, hilarious answers, shared wisdom. And the prompting of course :-D

Trip to the university

I've been intending to write this post since last week but to my dismay I didn't get the TIME.
Surprised.... about me being so time pressed!!
Well lately, I've been a bit busy with studies. With near about 3 weeks left for exams, I guess it is high time I overcome my indolent fantasies and involve myself in significant work.

Last Wednesday, we had got invitations to a seminar at UNIVERSITY of Mauritius.... and as soon as I heard of it I immediately jumped up, not to miss out the opportunity. I had everything charted out.
I decided to wear my LIQUID shirt (my current favorite), ate cautiously at lunch so as not to put even an extra inch. I was all ready and reached outside college much before time, in order to rush into the bus at the earliest.
The journey was long but conversations from all ends ensured that I wasn't going to be bored. An hour into it, I finally sited the magnanimous university buildings in an otherwise flat terrain. A few turns and a steep uphill road got us there....

As we stepped out and proceeded to explore, we saw many groups of students scattered everywhere. Flaunting every possible brand of clothes, of varying length, size, colour and texture. We wondered if they looked more surprised to see us or vice a versa.
We fell back behind the whole gang, probably because we were too busy admiring, disapproving and commenting on whatever came into our field of vision. Then there were a bunch amongst us, involved in 'over friendly' banters and specious claims. And others like us, who chose rather to be mesmerized by the gripping atmosphere...!!
Our Principal & teachers led way, first stop was at the biggest auditorium ( I guess) but it turned out that it wasn't going to be the venue of the seminar that we were to attend! Oh... so in all excitement about description of the university I forgot to mention the exact purpose of our visit. A Professor from US had been invited to deliver a lecture on DIABETIC RETINOPATHY & MACULOPATHY. And being Phase III med students currently studying Ophthal, it was a good opportunity to learn.

The seminar was a hit. Thanks to the previous night discussion about the topic with G*, most of it was registered by my otherwise impervious brain on such occasions. I felt that the pathogenesis, classifications and to some extent treatments outlined were comprehend able at our level & I was thrilled, as it gave me a sense of achievement! After all, the hard work was paying off.
What more.... we shared the auditorium with the PM, some ministers of cabinet, the Dean, Chancellors, Medical officers, Ophthalmologists, lecturers..... I heard it was been covered by television channels too!
After the seminar & interactive session concluded we marched back to the bus happy, contended and tightly clinching on to our hand written notes and complementary folders...

With that another happy trip coming to an end....

Diwali!

21/10/06

Hey all,
Happy Diwali! I wish you have a fun filled and cheerful Diwali!

Well, my Diwali celebrations... started, with me over extending my blissful sleep... deliberately & stubbornly.
Ahh! What a lazy start! I could hear my cellphone beeping and the messages were pouring! But dare, I open my eyes and ruin the prefect start to the day.
But finally I decided to bless everyone around me, by my presence; so started to get going. After the usual ablutions & finally ready; I graced the mirror in my all new PINK traditional wear. Gawd I had been waiting like crazy to wear it,since the time I had bought it.
A few brushes & I had a satisfied smile, happy with the results. It was a day of matching & for once it was perfect. On the other hand, Shix was giving me completion with her million dollar smile & perfect looks.She chose to wear contrast of brown & purple,which looked great!

Diwali is one time of the year we visit temples & we kept the tradition going. On our way, at the bus stop there were brief exchange of greetings with friends!
Spirits were high!
Long uphill walk to the temple, made everything worthwhile, but tiring. Then it was CRACKER time. We ran to the supermarket to get there before the closing time & we did manage to; shopping for crackers was fun, hope we are able to burst them all!

Now, that everything was done & settled, we relaxed a bit, but I wasn't going to leave Curepipe without satisfying my taste receptors with that rich chocolate mousse at Monoprix. Happy and content, we set out on our way back.

Lady luck, was our side, got a direct bus to Dubreil and were back in the comforts (pun intended) of our room!
Greetings from home. And near an hour long chat with dear bro. So far I'm enjoying the festivities.
Got to sign off now... Got lots to prepare for the evening.

A well deserved break

After, say three weeks of continuous torture, I'm back and feeling great. You really can't imagine what kind of mental instability exams can cause until you've been recently through with some. Actually, writing an exam isn't all that tough but what is an arduous task is to get through the night before it. God your mind is full of all sorts of crap, you think of the ceiling, the tap, the fan(which needs cleaning), the dirty clothes, the trees, the sky, the road, the movie, the song, the toothbrush, the sunscreen, the supermarket...... in whatsoever order. But concentrating on your book is an ordeal. All bizarre, irrelevant and meaningless things are scanned through. But remembering the corneal thickness seems so very heavy on your already overloaded and saturated mind.

Phew... It really is tough huh….. And for once you feel like leaving everything behind and running away to someplace, which is no where. Every night it’s the same story.... alarm rings and it’s put off with an inadvertent movement of your hand....then you get up in the middle of the night, 2-3hrs after the planned time.... curse yourself, your alarm, your book and the day of course. But there is no way out.... so with a heavy heart you start rote again. There are piles of notes to be gone through, it’s a fight or should I put it in a much more refined way and say....it’s a battle against time! And each and every time, no matter how hard I try, I always tend to lose. No regrets, and as I always keep saying...For its life, the very life of life.

EUTHANASIA-- Debate

This a copy of my debate on Euthanasia held in September. Well, the script is too long, but believe me I tried to cut it short but really wasn’t able to. Though I didn’t manage to win a place, but my most valuable critic, that is ME of course, felt I did great; apart from a little goof up in the middle. But NO REGRETS……



EUTHANASIA

The bliss of growth;
The glory of action;
The splendor of beauty;
For yesterday is but a dream.
And tomorrow is only a vision.

Respected teachers & dear friends, I believe LIFE is a priceless gift bestowed upon us, the very essence of which is living. So here I stand strongly apposing the motion. Euthanasia or mercy killing; is a long debated topic quite evident from the numerous forums, societies, foundations, blogs ….. It has to it’s credit. But it is a lot more than the word itself. It revokes the basic concepts of an ethical behavior, family relationships & has its religious and legal implications. With so much at stake... profound thought is required.

For it is not about choosing or disapproving a particular flavour of ice cream or dessert its about a HUMAN LIFE. Each and every human being is valuable, just because each is HUMAN. Our value depends on nothing else. We don't have to win a beauty pageant, a grand slam, noble prize, Olympic gold medal or navigate a space shutter to prove our worth.
We EXIST, so we have a VALUE.
Thus, we have absolutely no divine right to disrespect this inherent worth, this very existence, this very value of being the person we are.

By advocating the cause of euthanasia, are we trying to make disabled, terminally ill patients seem worthless, less valuable than the able bodied people??
Or the elderly seem, less valued and loved , just because they are nearing their death bed??
Is it, not like, creating a prejudice against the disabled, sick & elderly, who at that point in time, require our love & support.

If Euthanasia be allowed, in some cases the next of kin, family members & relatives in the greed of property, insurance money would surely opt for it or would influence the patient to opt from it. And They would be glad to get relieved of any kind of commitment to that ill patient.
Now, isn't it our responsibility to take care of these vulnerable people? Or are we going to let them succumb to such greed, evil thoughts, negative emotions and misleading ways?? Think again!

Death is ugly but what is uglier is knowledge about impending death. Many people find themselves in temporary depression, poor state of mind & inability to cope up with the inevitable; and thus may ask for death. While an act of love and caring would be enough to give them back their will to live.

Most of us think unbearable pain is the main reason people seek euthanasia but some surveys in US & Netherlands show that less than one third requests were because of severe pain! Whereas, psychological factors such as depression, fear or losing control of dignity were major driving forces.And in one study, of the 24% of the terminally ill patients who desired death, all had clinical depression.

SUPERMAN for life, Christopher Reeve…. I’m sure you must have heard about him…1995 horse riding accident transformed the athletic Reeve into a ventilator dependent quadriplegic; the dignity with which he handed his injury had made him a living rebuke to euthanasia.

Death isn't pretty, no one wants to die. And we live in an era, in which the very being of capital punishment is questioned. Even savage ruthless criminals who have committed countless murders are given a second chance. Imagine. We have a right to appeal against a death penalty also, yet society is ready to impose death on people, who have committed no CRIME?! And what more, who is being asked to pull the trigger, to do the execution.... DOCTORS!!...the people who have sworn to preserve life!

The Hippocrates Oath, one of the oldest binding documents in history, to which most graduating medical students swear.
Classical version of which states: I will neither give a deadly drug to anyone who asks for it, nor will I make suggestions to this effect.
Modern version of it simply states: First, do no harm.
By legalizing Euthanasia or advocating of its cause by doctors is the very violation of it. The oath forbids willful killing of a patient. Here I guess my friends FOR the motion would refute me by saying that the oath was formulated ,say about 2000 yrs ago, where as medical knowledge has moved on. But the fact that it has been there for about 200 decades, speaks for itself!

I wonder, if euthanasia be legalized, the doctors with years of life and death behind them would be suggesting it as an option along with other therapeutic and pain relieving measures??
Tell a parent, to give up on a child??
Or tell a wife to give up on her husband??
I doubt. Seems out of question.
What grips me is-
If our revised Davidsons’, Hutchisons’, Baileys’ would be mentioning last but not the least euthanasia as a treatment option?
I mean, guiding us to resort to it!!

I ask everyone present here. Can you give up on LIFE?
Can you let someone else take charge of it? I guess not.
So, if you are not ready to live at the mercy of someone. Why let someone else do so?
Why live at the mercy of a doctor’s decision? Instead of god deciding your death, why let a doctor do that?

PVS—Persistent Vegetative state, “wakefulness without awareness”. A state which is not easily diagnosed though accepted signs include- absence of oneself & environment. We cannot measure thought or awareness. We can only measure behavior and movement. Today’s medical tests are not specific enough to make certain a diagnosis of persistent vegetative state. The rates of misdiagnosis appear to be very high approx 40%, according to some studies.

You might have heard of Jack Kevorkian ‘Dr Death’ who claimed to have helped more than 130 people die. I’m sure there will be many such claims to fame, to glorification; doctors proclaiming themselves as GOD.

My friends FOR the motion would go on about active & passive euthanasia, dignity of death and emphasizing that we have a freedom of life, so should have a freedom of death too.
But more so I believe we have a freedom to live & so does everyone.

Ok visualize this…. A person diagnosed with cancer. Bad prognosis, stage 3, stage 4.
Sounds disheartening , your eyes will be blinded with tears. You would want him not to suffer from all the pain & misery that is to follow. Would be blindfolded to approve the act of euthanasia & fight for its cause.
Picture this…
Euthanasia is carried out the patient didn’t have to go though all the agony and pain.
Next morning you get up.
Gulp your usual cup of tea, mundane routine of reading the newspaper.
And follows it is disbelief, anger and sense of loss and damage.
The headlines read—WONDER DRUG!
The very drug that could have saved our cancer patient. A miracle, right!
I now you might disapprove me by saying that miracles don’t happen with every drop of a hat. But when people can survive air crashes then why not this? After all aren’t we the ones who keep saying medical science is ever changing an moving on…

Euthanasia is irreversible, if some of you call it a treatment. Then I would like to call it an “irreversible treatment”. A person cannot be revived back to life from it.

So instead of debating about it, protesting about it & putting so much of thought, emotions, time, energy and money of course!! And trying to bring forth the ethical, moral, religious, legal, professional & personal issues. Why don’t we utilize our time & resources and look for other alternative?
Why not, WE take this responsibility of coming up with better pain relieving drugs & resuscitation methods.

Make this world if not a better place to be live in, but at least a better way to be lived in.
At least, not make inevitable death seem so horrifying, predictable and merciful!!!

Random thoughts

When random, strange people do unexpected nice things, I'm left with a grim smile and thoughts to ponder over. What makes them so unpredictable!? And for them to go out of the way, to make that value adding smile on me,even more worthwhile. That humane touch, which I thought had been long lost, creepily touches cords of my heart. In between the rambling conversations, I try studying their minutest expression, from the contraction of orbicularis oris to frontalis. The minutes ticking away. I being absolutely clueless about the reason for such gratitude towards me!

And finally I fall back, relax, forcing myself not to be judgmental. For it is life, the very life of life.

Sports week continues...

12/7/06

Today, I was caught between self realization and forced opinions & beliefs. Won, what was most important for me momentarily but in some way lost to my own self. Life will never be the same again. I wonder if there will ever exist a day for mankind when he won't force or would be forced by greed but by self satisfaction. And if there has been a single day of your life spent in selflessness in important and critical situations I bow to thee.

It was a long awaited day. What would probably have been my last official match in this college didn't turn out to be as would have been expected. The game that united us as a team........spread us apart. All the time, energy, devotions, emotions, strategies, encouragement, perseverance everything seemed to have been washed away. But the moment, which I've grown out of now changed the course of events. I blame myself and not anyone of been so credulous. Crazy enough to keep those days, when we shed all the sweat, at stake. Now that I'm answerable to myself I feel ashamed.

But I have undergone a change of thoughts again thanks to a healthy discussion with a level headed friend. Present psychology is live for yourself, rules must be enforced, people seldom do things for others and being an exception is useless. I wonder if we had been in place of the rival team would their decision have been same as ours!? Is it as a result of our sub conscious minds which has long being witnessing the atrocities enforced!? Was it a mob decision or verdict?

Our rival team colour was green but they failed to get similar jerseys. And as the rule goes, the team gets disqualified. So there we were at the center of the court objurgating the others. And some neutral ones who were bamboozled into believing either of our cause, vocalized for us. It was literally a fight of nimble wits. While I, as the member of my team stood by it, expressed my disapproval for playing the match..... no.... no... don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I was this saint out there who was wiped to express my disapproval but I attribute it to my bullish stubbornness. Now, when I look back, think of the paltry trophy for which this took place.... I feel angered with myself.

Things had been quite cold between the two teams. They had defeated us last year. And most of them I hear, were already celebrating this year's victory, before the match. Their sarcasm & aggression were evident on their faces. We were wished by all, who wanted their pride to be shattered. And believe me, there were a countless many. No.... I'm not trying to portray the rival team as the savage beasts of the jungle ( actually they called themselves Panthers' ) but I'm just emphasizing on the fact that the match had been turned into an intense emotional war! Though, there were some of them on the other side of the net with whom I was quite friendly and who never had an hostile remark for us. They even congratulated us on our previous victory in the qualifying match.

But everything was forgotten; we stood there blinded, advocating our cause. Tempers were running high, adrenaline was at its peak. Some swore, others laughed. It wasn't even the Helen of Troy that we were fighting here for! The heated discussion continued so did the ambiguous replies. It was turning out to be a fight of egos. And finally the decision came.... the rival team was Disqualified! This decision was met by shrieks of joy & disappointment, a happy & an unhappy lot and by those who chose to be indifferent.

Few hours down the drain as I looked in retrospect, I became ambivalent about the whole thing. But now the damage had already been done! So I pray to thee if things can be changed........

Now, two days after, a re match has been decided. This has been a welcome decision for some and has been faced by hostility by the others. So, may the best team WIN!!!

NB: The thoughts and opinions expressed in the above article are my own and do not reflect the opinions of my teammates or supporters.

Sports week

7/7/06
Sports unifies us! Anyone who doesn't believe in that is in a miserable quandary, he can be in. From a barren land it was before the sports week, the campus has transformed to place full of activity, laughter, excitement, fun, noise! Everyone seems to be in such a jovial mood! We've gotten LIFE or Life's gotten us! But whatever be the case I'm loving it! And I don't want to miss even a bit of the fun!

Today was a long awaited day. Boys volleyball match 2002 vs 2003. To make things simpler for you our seniors vs us. Strategies were planned, decisions made, speculations in the air and the tension overloading on the spectators and the players of course! Was history going to repeat itself or it was time for the tables to turn? Countdown began much before D day. With so many emotions attached, this wasn't going to be just another match. It was a matter of Life and death for some, I hear.

CM tutorial! Ahaas the tension was elevating almost reaching sky level. Before the roll call even reaching 63 we were off like hooligans... bag of beans just been opened. ENT class was cancelled. What could have been more important than a match between the tigers(seniors) and lions(us)!!! Well these names aren't self assumed, but rather have been continuing since the last cricket match! Well, let me not talk about the cricket match for everyone has their own versions of it. And because I didn't get the privilege or probably the misfortune to attend it I can't comment. Here I would mention that I'm more a appreciator of the game rather than being emotional about it ( this is applicable only when I'm not playing). So the last years result was, our batch won the cricket match, but we lost the volleyball finals to our seniors. So, now maybe you can place your self in the scenario and realize how controversial things were.
BLACK! Was our colour! Players and most of us spectators stood tall in black. But the wait now was for the rival team. And Cheers heralded their entry! With the commencement of the game started the wave of hooting. Bottles were arranged. All sorts of mouth organs made way. Even the scorching sun couldn't bring our spirits down. First set went in our favour. I cursed myself for being so apprehensive about wining the game, when our guys so convincingly and effortlessly won the set. There wasn't even a single player you could call naive. Each one seemed to be better than the other. And all seemed to be getting better. There were a few hiccups but situation was in control.

Second set, seniors were advancing. They finally became unstoppable when the score reached 20-15 in their favour! Slogans were being chanted. “East or west Tigers/ Lions are the best!” “Jeetega bhai jeetega lions/ tigers jeetega” . “Gali gali mein saap hai, tiger lion ka baap hai.” One of my friend rightly describes it as an arena of the award winning movie Gladiator, where the emotionally blinded mob is cheering the gladiators to go for the kill. Both our gladiators and mob had something to say for the other. It was beginning to be a fight of words now but everything became standstill when the seniors took us in the second set. Last set was the decisive one now.

Everyone was geared up. Tension among the players was building up. You could see it on their faces. Silence took over & was only broken when either of the team scored. We shouted, screamed, bucked them up not worrying about the laryngeal oedema we could have had as a consequence. Not a single pair of vocal cord was spared. Cross words were exchanged between the players but the situation was well controlled. Our poor referee from Roudrigue was at bay.

Finally, in the third set we advanced 20-11 but it wasn't that easy for our players, it took many dives, falls, kicks, jumps, smashes, serves and tremendous amount of cheering from us-- spectators to perform such a herculean task and that too against the Tigers.... whose captain was a state level player. And believe me he was just too good.

A superb serve ended the game and with that everyone flooded the court. Congratulating,applauding, celebrating, embracing! Photos were clicked, slogans were shouted but above all, the Batch was unified!!

But I guess the winners of the game were the supporters of both the team who brought the game ALIVE! Thanks guys ,for all the good times....this is also one time of the year that I wait for! Hope your winning spree continues....

ENT Posting!

28/07/06

The last day of ENT posting! Time flew by so fast I didn't even realize that the posting has come to an end. But whatever be the case I really enjoyed the posting. Had real fun :-) be it the chit chats in the conference room, wards, long discussions about the perforation in the tympanic membrane or teaching Brinda the meaning of BC! Manas's claim to be a Bharmachari & Madeven's disbelief in it!!Nrupen's nonsensical but funny jokes. Nirvana's rock solid attitude. Shruti's understanding nature of a Saviour.....on those countless occasions when no one wanted to bell the cat...the cat being Dr ****!..... and taking those histories and examinations. Sahil for giving everyone but himself the opportunity of presenting the history! Ackmez pushing everyone aside....except the doc, of course, for his go at the otoscope. Asha's silent claim to fame. And finally not to forget me for my insuppressible laughter!
Well, it was sure fun all the way but I did learn quite many things too. The doctors were so motivated to teach us and so were we to learn. We saw numerous cases of otitis exerna, sialadenitis,epistaxis. Otoscopy is sure fun if one learns how to do it and thanks to the endless opportunities we got to use the otoscope we did make sense out of it. Ok can you believe..... I saw a perforation in the tympanic membrane....now thats something right. Oh boy! I felt elated and excited.

Amongst the first few cases that we saw was post op patient of Modified Radical Mastoidectomy, the posterior meatal wall had been removed and meatoplasty had been done so we could thus see the tympanic membrane with the naked eye! The way Dr R******* explained the three types was just amazing. The CT was quite helpful for us in understanding the extent of damage caused by the malignant Otitis externa. The patient who was Brinda's primary school teacher, also had facial nerve palsy! Then there was a case of mastoiditis with meningitis but thank god the signs of meningeal irritation were not elicit able.

We saw many cases of sinusitis and also a case of frontal mucocele. Scalloping of frontal sinus was absent in that case. Amongst the operative procedures we just saw incision and drainage of post auricular abscess. Nasopharyngoscopy was also amongst a few things we saw.

But at the end of the day, what was most awaited was our rush to the ouchi vendor! Oh! That was bliss, for our hungry stomachs and heavy overloaded heads. We used to guttle those ouchi. But near about the end of the posting this rush was now there to get hold of a completed practical file! Asha, hands down, I guess wins the prize for it..

Oh! I so much wished to explore Vacoas during this posting! And finally the day came & we played hookey. Shruti, Nirvana & I set out. What began as a sultry day turned out to be the wettest one of the month! It was pouring like hell but nothing could get our spirits down. So after, say about a few minutes of cribbing, grumbling, kicking we finally reached. Though we didn't have much time on our hands never the less made proper use of it. Scanned through the array of books at what can be called the largest bookstore in Maurice. And not forgetting to mention the pizza we had. The way back was also eventful with rain drenching us. And were welcomed by a surprised lot, devoured not by jealousy but by horror!

Now, it was that time of the posting that we had to get our (completed & incompleted) files signed. Thus, there we were running after each other & the docs to win the race against time. And I'm so happy, glad and proud to tell ya that most of us managed to!
Then there was an excursion to the audiology room. Here I want you to note that I'm calling it an excursion because in true sense it was one. You had to be present there to appreciate the usage of this term. Though along with the fun we also got to see BERA, which was quite fascinating. We were all ears to the doc when he explained the pure tone audiometry. What had seemed like Greek got meaning into it.

Thanks! to my batch mates, had it not been for you guys....the posting would never have been all that fun...

So it was a roller coaster ride. Had lots to learns and lots more to laugh away...... :-D

Nosophobia

Just three weeks away from the 1st professional exams…There was hardly any sleep for us.Getting up earlyin the morning before even the sun could rise, and then throughout the study ,strain our eyes and rattle our brains over those never ending chapters of anatomy, physiology & Biochemistry.One used to struggle to keep awake in the night with the mosquitoes hovering around, and thus making the situation even more difficult. An even TOUGHER one.The week before the profs is no time to consider trivial matters like food or friendships.There is minutia to cram and slides to study. Sleep? Sleep is for law students, We’ve got work to do. With hundreds of pages of physiology notes piling up around me I struggled to keep it all straight.
Finally our hard work paid off. We stepped into a whole new world which was long waited for. There was excitement about simply everything-clinical,hospitals , operation theaters , coloured clothes(this coming 1st on the list for most of us),journey to the hospital, flinging the stethoscope around the neck…It was a world of COLOURED fantasies.I was definitely in my second year freedom. It was awesome to see just how far I have come since last year. I remember going through all of the rooms in awe of the vast knowledge of the second years and envious of their status.
We had come out of the cocoon of Normalcy & with thestart of pathology started the pathological changes.In our clinical we had to stand for hours at stretch which made me feel so weak at the end of the day. Myfears were worsened when at the surgery OPD I chancedto see a case of varicose veins. I emulated the similar symptoms. Oh! How much I freaked. My fearsabout Varicose Veins were overcome by a change of focus towards the acute abdominal pain I was having. Now I had more things to worry about,…acute appendicitis, acute regional ileitis, mesenteric lymphadenitis, ulcerative colitis(not relating to my age and predisposing factors), amoebic liver abscess, acute pancreatitis, etc. I shrieked this time. Our repeated visits to the OT made me more apprehensive about the whole situation, what if I required any surgical intervention for any of the above diseases I harbored. Those were the dreadful days of the surgery posting.
The medicine posting brought some respite. At least ththe SOB (shortness of breath), I felt I was having,did not by first choice require any surgery. On auscultation of my breath sounds for a few days I only heard ronchi & crepitations. My blood pressure was shooting & pulse was collapsing. Oh! how much I was missing those physio days when everythingwas NORMAL.
Even the appearance of one minor symptom seemed to be a part of this major SYNDROME what made me more paranoid was the fact that the no. of syndromes listedin my medical dictionary went far beyond myimagination.The regular routine of cutting my nails became a nightmare when i started checking for clubbing. Knowing that i didn'thave the following-Lung abscess,bronchiectasis,cynotic congenital heartdisease, ulcerative colitis,infective endocarditis,crohns disease,bronchiogenic carcinoma etc.It still didn't deter me from inspecting mynails and discovering this rare discovery.
But i didn't restrict this to myself only,recently when I was in the Ophthal posting I remember inspecting weary eyes of people aound me, for any signs of conjunctival congestion,Ptosis,stabismus,cataract,pterygium...
I don't remember the number of times I have embarrassed myself and others by a not so simple inference of a hypo pigmented area of skin to be a probable fungal infection.My extreme sorry to those in whom it didn't turn out to beso.
I now relate to the fact that " A little knowledge is DANGEROUS".I realised i had wat is known as NOSOPHOBIA.On searching the net I found that It has been reported that medical students frequently develop groundless fears and symptoms of illness. This has been termed "medical student's disease," "hypochondriasis of medical students," "nosophobia," and "medical studentitis." The reactions are often comparatively shortlived, although repeated, and associated with a disease being studied at the time .Hypochondriasis is common in primary care and general hospital settings. Transient hypochondriasis has been reported in 70% of medical students. The definition of hypochondriasis is a persistent, unrealistic preoccupation with the possibility of having a serious disease. Common, normal sensations and appearances are often misinterpreted as abnormal and signs of disease.The many famous sufferers include Immanuel Kant, Beethoven, and Samuel Johnson. Charles Darwin began a lifetime of suffering as a medical student.

A waif

Though I don't even rate my poetry skill as average.But when I did try out my hand at it. I guess the result wasn't too bad also(keeping my own parameters in mind)...


Eyes overflowing with tears,
head throbbing with pain,
lungs gasping for air,
Wounded heart bleeding.

Unwary of future,
wry smile, dismay,
such mental turmoil,
extricating from the mortal coil.

Withered,wandering,waiting......
For those outstretched hands.
For that gentle loving touch.
For noon naps in mama's lap.
Love,care,security,home thats
what she asks for.

Ludicrous!! Tender age of six.
Failing little jaunty steps.
Searching what lay below her,
for anything but blood.

Lump throat,hands trembling,
Legs failing,heart pounding
Eyes blinding with tears,
'Mama,mama! Its Kristie! Me!'
Jolting the lifeless pale body
which lay,lacking its warmth

Perfect sky was torn apart,
Intense ball of heat stared,
Clouds glared,
The silence was deafening,
Loneliness was killing.

Warring states had nothing to win.
But everything to lose,
Dilapidated houses,bloody lakes,
orphans,hunger struck,limping sapiens,
Doomsday!! That was it........

My article

This is the article I wrote for my college magazine-

SEARCH ENGINE...

After much procrastination and thinking of the point of it all, I finally got down to writing an article on the eve of the last day of submission. I had an exhaustive list of ideas but somehow it never worked out. Blame it on the prevailing atmosphere of indolent tranquility after exams or my own laziness.

My ideas ranged from hostel-life to clinical posting; I thought it was too used an idea and too conflicting. But it seemed to be a tried and tested topic, a lot had been already written on it and still loads left to be written but I was sure that I wasn't going to be the one bringing the missing pieces together. In desperation I even thought of writing medical jargon!AIDS, malaria, TB were on the top of my list. Probably some evil soul had got into me for my thoughts to approach such extremes! But in true terms I thought of some serious writing. Going on the same lines, smoking seemed to be a good thought provoking idea because it was as burning a issue as a cigarette in a smoker's hand. Hoping the conceptualization of the whole thing would deter at least some if not all. Debating the whole thing I finally realized it was only self motivation or in extreme(desperate cases) the agony faced that could be the only deterrence.

On the personal front, amongst a few ideas were experience of my first injection,when I was obviously not on the receiving end ; transition from black and white to a colored life which I'm certain that the IV semester students will be able to appreciate the most, at present;days of slogging, those endless, testing, tyrannizing times; being at the receiving end of a viva, living in a foreign land that is “heaven on earth”; learning Creole, facing the mockery all way long but then finally getting the lingo right ; journey back home(including the whole rush about the air tickets,discounts, cancellations, postponements) .... the sweat & tears shed in that; long awaited holidays, the countdown beginning from anywhere between 100-60 days before & cheers heralding the d-day's arrival!

There was help, motivation, more ideas offered from friends but in vain. To mention a few, synopsis of some book, Mauritian hospitality,some world event, the reservation issue in India(this I thought was quite a relevant and apt topic),medical discoveries(here I would like to mention that I wanted to be original so as long as I hadn't made the discoveries, I didn't want to write about them), medical interventions,tourist spots in Mauritius( well, a tourist booklet would be a better guide than my article, I thought) and some suggested me to write a fictitious one act play if writing a short story required too much thought but writing fiction was never my cup of tea & neither was i ever good at it. For the kind of gastronome I am, I thought of writing about my relentless quest for the perfect recipe. As far as Spiritual awakening,karma,reincarnation are concerned they went way over my head. How about writing about the world wide web, social networking,Wi-Fi !! Well, i guess one of the most in- things,but requiring some technical knowledge which i had still to acquire.

Thus, you can imagine how much of thought, time, energy and but obvious procrastination to the extreme it had taken for me to finally sit and mull over the entire thing.
It took French scientists Calmette and Guerin 260 subcultures of virulent strain of myobacterium bovis over a period of 13 years to evolve the strain bacille Calmette Guerin or BCG(source: Park's textbook of preventive and social medicine)! So i guess my odds aren't that bad also.

Scanning though the entire list of ideas & topics I had in mind I assume nothing could have been better for me than to write about what to write!! And my search for the topic finally ending with it.
'Rise,awake &shine' and so it was to be that I'm typing this article. My race against the time and the submission date,of course!!

My First BLOG!

This is my first blog!Sure is fun.Now i realize how easy it is to read blogs. And how tough a task it is to write one.And not havin the clue what to write about.But it sure is an art to make something out of nothing.So i really hope that i live upto it... In my future blogs!