When it’s Sweden and not London

She was happily queuing to get her lunch. Finally…food! Glorious food!

Suddenly a familiar face caught her attention. She immediately recognised that was the man she saw at the clinic just a while ago.

He was walking slowly, limping his way from the hill to the shops with the help of a walking stick. It was lunchtime and he was still wearing his jacket. Oh well, it’s probably normal for someone who just recovered from a severe asthma attack.

He is an elderly gentleman who came all the way from a place that is 1 and a half hours away from the Psychiatry clinic. No, he doesn’t have any mental illness. It was his 25-year-old son, who refused to come to see the doctor. This gentleman refused the option to be seen by a Psychiatrist nearer to their house, in case he is not given the same medication. He is currently on a newer drug which costs more than RM1000 each month. There is always a risk that the new doctor may not give the same treatment in name of “cost-effectiveness”.

As she reflects back on the clinic session with that gentleman, all hunger seem to be gone.

People always ask, “Where did love go?” Maybe we should learn to look a little closer. It’s always around us. But because it’s so near us, we tend to take things for granted, don’t we? Sometimes the people who are the closest and dearest to us are the ones that have to keep up and withstand our nonsense and trouble.

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Emily Kingsley is a writer who wrote many famous books and TV productions like Sesame Street. She has won 12 Emmy Awards and has another 9 nominations for her work.

There’s something very special about Emily. She has a passion for children with special needs like mental retardation, Down Syndrome and etc. She’s not another humanitarian who fights for the less priviledge. She’s speaking from experience. Her son, Jason Kingsley was born with Down Syndrome  at a time when people believed that these children would never learn to walk or be independent. They went on to prove everyone wrong.

Jason not only appeared many times in Sesame Street, now an adult, he is the co-author of a book “Count Us In: Growing Up With Down Syndrome”.

How did Emily do it? I love the way she described and illustrated it.

It’s like finally being able to go for your dream trip to London. You finally saved up enough, have the opportunity and voila! London, here we come! You’ve got the reservations, the maps, the entire trip planned out! Perfecto!

Finally, you’re on the plane and boy! You’re landing in 15 minutes’ time! Then the pilot announced, “Ladies and gentleman, welcome to Sweden!”

What?! Sweden?! Hello? Is there a mistake here? I’m going to London, not Sweden!

So, what are you gonna do about it? Sulk, cry, whine, complain and keep thinking how wonderful it would be if you’re in London or would you just enjoy Sweden? You can either stay upset and depressed, or you can choose to enjoy the beauty in Sweden. The beautiful forests, the beautiful scenery, the different types of food, the museums and the history.

Of course, it’s not all classy and it’s different from London. But there is all the beauty in Sweden that London does not have. The experience is just different. So, whenever things turn out unexpectantly bad, and you’re stuck in your Sweden, what are you gonna do? Sulk in Sweden or enjoy in Sweden?

WOW! That’s how Emily illustrated it!

Really…my highest salute and respect to the supportive family members of those who are mentally ill or mentally retarded. It’s really not easy. I’ve never seen as much love as I’ve seen in Psychiatry posting. It’s amazing.

Thanks heaps to those who have so generously shared their own stories with me, especially to my friends. You’ve been so happy and optimistic in life, I had the slightest clue this is what you’ve gone through.

 

Breaking news!

“Busy schedules keep assemblymen away from event on mental health awareness”

This is the title of one of the headlines in a local newspaper today. CLICK HERE for the full article.

Sigh. Isn’t it disappointing? Oh well…with all due respect to our busy leaders, but the article does give us a rough gauge of people’s perception on the importance of mental health right? And I always believe that the followers are a reflection of the leaders. No wonder no one cares much about mental health in this country eh? OK…fine…except those affected by it and healthcare workers.

And I’m not generalising. Do you know which ordinance governs Psychiatry practice in this country? It’s “Mental Disorders Ordinance 1952″!!!! 1952!!!! Our rulers didn’t even come up with this! The British did! Goodness! It’s older than our nation! Haha…In 2001, the ordinance was reviewed and debated in the parliament. However, everyone’s too “busy” to pass it. Therefore, we still cannot use the new one. And some new law about DNA can be passed like ASAP?! Hhhmm….Priority right?

Just because this area does not contribute to our economy, it doesn’t mean it’s not important. Do you know depression is the number 1 cause of morbidity in the world? Do you know the financial burden psychiatric problems are placing on our nation? The drugs are super expensive! And no one up there cares! Awesome!

With all due respect, maybe it’s time people listen to Psychiatrists and Psychologists. Afterall, they know how to deal with human minds. Unfortunately, people don’t like to listen to them. Haha…Psychotic patients don’t listen to them. Neither do politicians! Haha….

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“The medical advisor on your wrist”.

According to the article, Mimos Bhd is coming up with a wrist watch-sized computer that can give medical students medical advice! CLICK HERE to read the full article.

All we need to do is to enter in some observations from the patient (ie. signs and symptoms) and VOILA! The diagnosis will be given! And they wanna try it out in medical schools early next year! Hhmm…

Wonder what my boss has to say about this? Probably we will get it eh? Can we bring it in during exam then? Hehe….

Oh crap! Wonder if they’ll give us less classes if we have this “mini brain” on our wrists! Haha….Then the doctors can always “refer” us to the mini computer! Haha…

Which story do I tell?

Patient claims that she was abused by her father and when she retaliated, her father called the police and she was arrested and admitted to the Psychiatry ward for being mentally ill. She claims that her mother has poisoned her children to hate her. She claims her parents get angry with her because they want her money. Her husband who was just released from jail is very controlling and does not allow her to mix with any friends, male of female. She tried to get away but he has been begging her to stay with him. She is working but her money is taken away by her mother. She claims she has no hallucinations. She also claims that her colleagues at work are jealous of her achievements. She has been feeling sad but has no suicidal thoughts. She sleeps and eats well.

On mental state examination, she is neat and there is good eye contact. Her affect and mood is normal. She is orientated to time, place and person. She refused to do a memory test. Speech is relevant and coherent.

Impression: Depression

According to patient’s father and old notes:

Patient was verbally abusive for the past 1 week and slapped her children. They subsequently called the police and she was brought to the Psychiatry ward. She was admitted to the Psychiatry ward twice for agressive behaviour. She refused to take her medication as she believed she is not mentally ill and therefore does not need treatment. She is also not working and stays at home doing nothing. She is divorced and does not live with her husband anymore. She also has auditory and visual hallucinations, and talks to herself.

Impression: Schizophrenia

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Which story do I tell? For all I know, her story is true and her father is lying. Or, she could be psychotic and her father is right.

Do we doubt the patient just because they are “psychiatric patients”? What if they were really mistreated? What if they are telling the right story?

A patient was brought in because he fought with another man. Come to think of it, any normal man who is provoked hits another person sometimes. Do we send every man who has agressive behaviour to the Psychiatry ward? Or only those with a history of mental illness? Is that prejudice and stigma?

Sigh…I think we are more confused that psychotic patients! Hahahahaha….

DISCLAIMER: The above scenario may or may not be associated to any persons or character alive or dead.

Black and white

An elderly lady who is a known Psychiatric patient was caught stealing a tin of milk. She was caught by the police and charged at the court. She pleaded not guilty but the court found her guilty and she was sentenced to confinement in the Psychiatric ward for life.

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A prominent businessman was caught in the traffic jam and got very irritated. He got out of the car, pulled out his gun and shot the lady who was driving the car right in front of his car. The lady died and he was charged in court for mansluaghter. His group of lawyers pleaded not guilty, claiming that he was hypoglyaemic at the time of crime. (Hypoglycaemia is low levels of sugar in the blood and may cause someone not aware of what he is doing). The medical officer that examined him right after the incident did not check his blood sugar levels. The court found him guilty and sentenced him to 8 years in jail. Both parties were not happy with the decision and appealed the case at the High Court. The jury found him to be guilty and sentenced him to be hanged. But he was subsequently pardoned by the royal family and was sentenced to life imprisonment.

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There are so many laws when it comes to Psychiatry and mental illness. Even admission to the ward require certain forms to be signed by certain appointed people.

I like what I was taught yesterday. The law is there. It is dead. How it is used and “manipulated” depends very much on humans. Comparing the 2 scenarios above tell us that already.

As much as the law is there to protect the society from the mentally ill and to protect the mentally ill who may not be able to defend themselves, somehow, people are still not being “judged” fairly. Somehow people are able to get away with what they did and there are also people who have to pay a higher price for what they did.

Sigh…how on earth do we strike the balance?

DISCLAIMER: The above scenario is not related to any persons or characters alive or dead.

Addicted!

Alamak…SUNshine is officially addicted to a few things…unfortunately/fortunately, it’s all food! Haha…

First of all, coffee! No doubt..I need my caffeine dose everyday! I love the smell and the taste…aaahh…. I remember I used to like to smell coffee but hate the taste. Sigh..what happened along the way?

Give me my cuppa and I’ll be happy!

Next is my new found addiction: Tesco Milk Chocolate Digestive Biscuits!

 

 

Another one is McVities Hob  Nobs!!!!! This one makes me go crazy!!! Haha….

Yummy-licious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think I can survive on these 2 biscuits and milk all my life!!!! Believe it or not, I can actually drink milk and not coffee in the morning when I eat these biscuits!

So where did SUNshine pick these “addictions” from? A sweet, bubbly girl by the name of IZ who very cutely let me stay over at her place. Being a nice host, she shared her favourite biscuits with me. She was so proud to show these biscuits off to me k? OK…Her case is worse! She carries these biscuits with her to the wards! Hahaha…She claims that it is to rescue some poor, hungry medical students that have no time/money for lunch. Yeah right! I caught her eating them in the lecture hall! Haha….Fine..she did manage to save one that day! Haha….

I think Tesco and McVities should hire us to advertise for them! Hehe…

Ohh…forgot to introduce the new SUNshine “icon”!

Giggles…IZ named this buddy here after me! Hehe….Tsk tsk tsk…things that happen when girls stay over together. Haha….CUTE!

CLL, lucky to be living in a land where all these biscuits originate from! Haha…OMG! I think I’m going into a trance thinking you can jump and swim in a pool of biscuits! Giggles…

Be alarmed!

We’ve all heard of alarm clocks, car alarm, house alarm but do you know there’s an alarm to stop bed-wetting?

I was just thinking about bed wetting in adults and why that happens.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT have this problem!

 

This is how it works: One part of the gadget is attached to the underwear of the person and the alarm is clipped near his/her shoulder. Once there is urination, the alarm will be triggered to wake the person up. Over time, the person’s body is trained to wake up when there’s an urge to urinate.

 

Another type of alarm is shown in the picture above. The alarm is set off when there’s sufficient urine on the detector pad. So, nothing attached to the person’s underwear or shoulder whatsoever.

Haha…Oh man…Think clerking my Psych patients today drove me nuts too! Haha…. They are fine and pleasant but they keep changing their stories and they either are lying or confabulating. Sigh…What do I expect right? Still finding my way how to get accurate history from my patients. Aiseh…But really, sometimes it’s not really their fault. Sometimes they are confused, confabulating or delusioned.

Let’s go Psycho!

It’s Day 2 in Psychiatry posting and I think I’ve got more questions than answers! Haha…

Mmm…what I feel inside now is pretty overwhelming. In the sense, yeah..more questions than answers! Every new thing I learn now has at least a question to it. And what more when I’m trying to link all this to spiritual knowledge that I know.

Today is Day 1 we meet the patients in the wards and clinic.

The feeling when we first visited the wards weren’t very pleasant. The patients are put behind bars and everything is locked up all the time. Morning “rounds” are different. The patients are brought out one by one to be seen by the doctor, instead of us going to the patients at their beds.

My thoughts when I talk to and see these patients…Hhmm…plentiful! Haha… I begin to realise that as much as there are many causes to mental illnesses, it is also just another dysfunction of the body part. Just like in kidney failure, the kidney is not functioning properly. In mental illness, the psychology part of the human body is not functioning properly. So why the stigma? I think not even HIV patients are as isolated and stigmatized as Psychiatry patients!

After reading my buddy’s blog, I can’t agree more with what she wrote. “Prejudice oppresses people”. So true! And especially as doctors, the many decisions we make actually impact others’ lives so much! Simple things like a follow-up visit can screw a person’s daily routine. It’s so easy for us to ask the patient to come back to see us (especially when it’s not necessary!), but we forget that she has to leave her work, kids, family, daily routine for 1 day to obey our orders. So, see how big a difference between a competent doctor and a doctor who does something routinely or without thinking?

I was just watching “intensely” when my lecturer was seeing his patients today. And really..what Pst Mike taught us was very true. A person’s countenance really show what’s in them. It’s in their eyes! Just watch their eyes! Apart from their behaviour and words and emotions, look deep into their eyes! They are the windows to the soul! I could pick up a startled look today, a super sad countenance today although she was smiling, and a super confused look. Mind you, they were here for follow-up. So we had no idea what their problem was and I could kinda guess just by watching them! It’s that obvious! I’ve seen so many patients before, but countenance like these are too obvious to be missed!

I have much to think about Psychiatry and life. Haha…I shall share them one by one when I’ve figured some out ya. So…stay tuned!

Me or you?

I realised something lately. When we live for ourselves, life seems to be miserable. When all we think about is always “I, Me and Myself” aka the “Unholy Trinity”, life sucks!

There’s always something that someone else has that we don’t. Something that someone else can acheive but we can’t. Something that we want but we don’t have. And that is frustrating!

But if we live our lives for others, life seems to be lighter and more purposeful.  There’s always a reason to keep going on and not give up. There’s always reason to be grateful for the things that we have that others may not. The gratitude that others show us when we help them is priceless! That’s when we see the fruits of our work. Aahh….satisfaction!

But it’s natural for people to think of themselves and not others. But put it this way: You can only give and help when you have more than enough. So, don’t just think about yourself. You’ll have enough just for yourself. When you always think of others, you’ll naturally have the mindset to have more than enough because you’ll need it to give away.

SUNshine is training herself to always ask herself, “Is it about ME or YOU?”

One word

She was just clearing some text messages when she saw some really old ones.

The events seem so long ago she can barely remember how it feels. But a weird feeling visited her. The same feeling you get when you think about someone that is dead, although he is not.

It seeems long ago, but really, it has only been several months.

She really misses her friend. She has long accepted the fact that he is gone and will not return. She has since moved on. But she can’t help but miss him.

One word: Kangen…

Lost

The happy couple went for their antenatal check-up as appointed for them. Excitement filled their hearts as they’ll get to see their little one once again.

The reaction on the doctor’s face this time made them curious. Their hearts stirred even more when different specialists were called in to repeat the ultrasound scan. Finally the doctors broke the news.

The scan (by several specialists) confirmed that their little one is not developing normally. He had a condition called anencephaly, meaning he has part of his brain, skull and scalp not developed. This condition is not compatible with life. And even if they carry on with the pregnancy, the newborn baby will unlikely to survive the first few hours of life.

They agreed on induction of labour at 28 weeks of pregnancy to terminate the pregnancy. They knew how their little will look like when he’s out. They held him closely before saying goodbye.

 

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To her surprise, the contractions were strong and regular. It looks like she’s in labour, prematurely.

The problem is, she’s only at 33 weeks and the baby is in breech presentation (the head is not facing downwards). An emergency Caesarean section was ordered.

The moment she was in the operating theatre, she just can’t take it anymore. The contractions were strong and she felt the urge to push. A quick examination showed that her cervix was fully dilated and the baby was coming out!

She pushed and the baby was out. Something was very different in this delivery compared to her previous one. She didn’t hear her baby cry. They quickly showed her and rushed the baby out.

Our little one not only did not cry. A quick examination showed that she had only 1 ear, 1 eye and her hip was hyperflexed. Her lower limbs were not developed properly either.

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She tried all ways to find him, but she had no news. She tried every way, but there was no reply. She knew she has lost a friend.

A close buddy became a stranger because of some hiccups in between. What a waste!

It’s not that she does not love him anymore, but she figured out that it would be better to leave him alone. She used all ways to sort him out, but he’s running away and ignoring. What more can she do…

But if ever he needed a friend, she knows she’s ever ready to be there for him. He was first her friend, before he was her lover.

Goodbye my friend….