DAY 733-736

Sept 4-8

1) It has been about a week since I've begun Intermediate Cycle 2 (IC2) here in RCSI. This also marks a week past the two years since I've set foot in Dublin. Two years in which I have not returned to Malaysia, and two years living independently. And what a story it has been :)

2) In this week alone we have by and large covered our first module: Tropical Medicine. It's a small module relative to the other three, with only 2.5 credits allocated. However, I've found this module to be particularly interesting, partly due to the relevance it has with Malaysia as a tropical country. It has also broadened my perception of healthcare, as tropical health specialists and consultants recount their personal experiences deep in the rural parts of the world. Many of them have even had personal encounters with these tropical diseases.

3) It has been a nice start to the week, albeit a little tiring. Having to wake up for 8 or 9am lectures is difficult; maintaining concentration throughout the day until late evening is extra difficult. Thankfully, the lecturers are aware of this and try to shake things up a little with small group discussions and even an end-of-module quiz.

4) For this semester, there is a lot of content as we strive to wrap up the Pre-Clinical stage of our course. In the following semester (back home in Malaysia), we shall begin the Clinical stage which requires actual patient contact and rotations. As of now, I'll do my utmost best and hope for the best, as always. That's all for today's blog - thanks for tuning in, and have a nice day. Cheers! :D

Everyone's back, and enjoying a nice lunch at the hospital canteen :)

Salmon with a side of chips and cabbage

l-r: Me, Kuhan, Toto, Joey, Zi Yan

(lunch is the best time of the day for me XD)

Trying to fit everyone in the shot!

Toasted baguette with pesto chicken, hard boiled egg and cheddar cheese - from the new cafe at the Smurfit Building!

As you can see - "Adolf Hitler" is on top in this end-of-module quiz

(*Spoilers* - this person actually won the quiz overall!)

As they say in Ireland - fair play to you mate!

DAY 702-732

Aug 4 - Sept 3

1) After what seems like an eternity, I have come full circle; finally back to school, finally back for the final semester before I return to my home country. Things have been rather bumpy for me this past month, which caused a temporary hiatus in my blog writing. So as the story goes...

2) Upon returning to Dublin, I was carrying with me a cough that had persisted for quite a good while. Although it seemed to have subsided, I decided not to take any chances and to see a doctor as soon as possible. So it was off to Mercer Medical Centre, and the doctor (who didn't hear anything wrong with my lungs and suspected an atypical bacteria) recommended a chest X-Ray to be sure.

3) The following day, I had a chest X-Ray at Beaumont Hospital. I knew something was up when the radiographer asked if I had anything on the right side of my chest. Apparently, they had discovered a cavitating lesion on the upper lobe of my right lung, along with patchy infiltrate on both lungs. As one of the respiratory physicians explained to me later, they couldn't discount tuberculosis from the diagnosis.

4) As things were, a bronchoscopy and biopsy was ordered within the next couple of days, which would confirm the diagnosis of tuberculosis. Until then, I was relatively calm, thinking there was a low probability that I was positive for TB, since I was not exhibiting the typical TB symptoms of coughing blood, or lethargy, fever, joint pains etc. So I went for the bronchoscopy - a procedure which requires localised anaesthesia of the back of the mouth, followed by sedation.

5) The results came back soon enough, confirming what I didn't want to know - that I tested TB positive. So everything I knew from then on was turned on it's head. I had to be quarantined in my room at home - no other human contact other than to buy food. Also, I had to keep wearing a mask and commence treatment. Treatment for TB is rather harsh - essentially it's a multitude of tablets that have to be taken for a very long time (six months minimum) to ensure resistance doesn't occur. Especially trying for me was the mental anguish of being holed up in a small room for a long period of time - with no one to talk to in this difficult time. Thankfully, my parents played a huge role in supporting me and encouraging me when I would have faltered.

6) The ironic part is that as medical students, we actually learnt all about TB in IC1, especially the treatment for TB - rifampicin, isoniazid, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol. Now, they have developed a combination tablet that consists of rifampicin, isoniazid, and pyrazinamide - all in one! Very handy, but the downside is I have a total of nine tablets to take each day. Not something I look forward to, but at the same time, I'm well aware that these tablets are the ticket to my speedy recovery.

7) My biggest worry was the thought of not being able to commence school once the new semester began. Thankfully, after a barrage of tests (including bloods and a further chest X-Ray), the respiratory physician was happy to clear me for school after determining that I am no longer infectious and no longer need a mask. The nights spent thinking about school, my family back at home, my beloved country - all worth it just to receive the good news! No more quarantine, no more mask; I could continue with life back as usual - removing the tag of a patient and resuming life as a normal medical student trying to pass their exams.

8) So that has been my story for this past month. If anything, this experience has made me a lot more sympathetic to the problems that real patients face, and hopefully in the future when I do practice as a doctor I will be able to relate to my patients' problems more as a result. I do apologise for resuming my blog after such a long time, but I suppose it coincides beautifully with the new semester. The final semester before bidding farewell to what has become my home away from home - Dublin. Thanks very much for visiting my blog, and have a nice day. Cheers! :D

On the opposite side of the road - prepping just before bronchoscopy and biopsy

Referral for phlebotomy (full blood test)

Awaiting my turn at the "bloods" department

Post-bronchoscopy

9 tablets each day from all of this

Trying to eat healthily ^^

Cuz nothing can stop my appetite :)

Pilau rice with chicken tikka massala - courtesy of my host mom, Emma! :)))

Stuffed chicken with sides - at Cafe Mistro at Northside Shopping Centre :^)

Having lunch at the new cafe at Smurfit Building, Beaumont (The Education Centre)

New HSE Card :)

Two huge slices of pizza from Cafe Sbarro, Northside Shopping Centre

One thing's for sure - you'll live a long life with such healthy sandwiches! XD

That's much better, and for a change too :)