I'M OLD =(

So I did survive my bout of arthritis. The first time I realized I needed two hands to turn the shower knob because of my painful wrists, I laughed at myself. And then felt like crying. It was one of those moments you feel like crying and laughing at the same time.

It was absolutely pathetic.

Now that's almost over, my life has gone back to medical school. I'm currently doing Rheumatology/Orthopaedics module. It's a big difference from A&E where it was all action and drama. Rheum/Ortho is mostly sitting in clinic and theatre. By next week, you should expect me to draw some circles and funny drawings on the floor and chant for something good to happen. Letih laa doing nothing :(

While I love Rheum, I can't take in Ortho to save my life. Please la, Trendelenburg's sign pun tergagap-gagap lagi nak sebut. Ortho is very much like carpentry they say. There you go, that's another reason to hate carpentry.

And when it comes to examining a patient, kalau dapat yang gemuk, memang 'oh shit!' moment. Fine, I have to admit I can't always carry the weight of a patient's leg. And I'm tired of instructors giving me a funny look when I do chest compression. With my size, there's a limit to what I can do, and I'm tired of it.

I'm too busy for gym though :$

Ortho thinks they kick Rheum's ass. If a patient decides not to have surgery, they quickly bounce him/her back to Rheum. Like shoo, since we're not cutting you we're done here, off you go back to boring Rheumatology. I understand bouncing patients is like the fun game every doctor does, but c'mon, the majority of these patients are in chronic pain. I would imagine it being very frustrating getting bounced.

I'm not saying this because I've experienced arthritis. My arthritis did not make me a better person. I refuse to let it make me a better person.

Oh and I saw my first possible Munchausen's patient. This patient has a long history of complaining about her back and leg pain. She is the kind of patient who will scream her head off during straight leg raise test on lying down; but will then sit up effortlessly. There was one time during pre-op assessment she faked that she wasn't able to extend her feet. But when the surgeon came back to the ward to pick up a file that he forgot, he saw her walking to and from the toilet without aid.

Today she made an effort to show how she was struggling with her two crutches and the pain in the legs and back were killing her. The nurse pointed out her newly dyed hair which apparently was quite unusual since it's a pain getting hair dyed in shops. The way you have to sit back and relax your head during dyeing process would be impossible for someone with back pain of her supposed severity. And the doctor pointed out she was in high heels and why would any sane woman wear high heels if she was already having back pain?

I know why people lie, but still, WHY??