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 :)

DAY 651 & 652

June 14th & 15th


1) These past two days, I've started retaking my cough mixture. Actually, since the Europe trip with my parents, I've been coughing. After seeing the doctor in Mercer Medical Centre, she gave me two types of medicine (an antibiotic and cough mixture) which was supposedly really good at relieving chesty coughs. Immediately after taking the cough mixture I felt totally different. My body felt incredibly lethargic - I could not takeaway food from the shopping centre barely 10 minutes' walk away; instead I had to eat there and recover my energy before coming back. In addition, I began to get chills in my fingers and toes, and would wear jackets in what was really quite hot summer weather. My head was heavy, and I slept for around 10 hours a day, only to wake up feeling sleepy as well.

2) I decided I could not go on like this, and only finished the antibiotics (which is a prerequisite). So I stopped the cough mixture completely, and have done so until today. I was still coughing a little on my way to Suzhou and in Suzhou, and today was especially bad. I woke up in the middle of the night with a coughing fit, and decided I would just finish the bottle of cough mixture (NOT in one go; that would be crazy!). So I took the medicine, went to sleep, and braced myself the next day for the horrible side effects. To my surprise, while I still felt more lethargic and sleepy, none of the other symptoms were there, suggesting that a) I had become more tolerant to the side effects; or b) since I was only on one medication (I have long finished the antibiotics), the effects were markedly less.

3) Either way, I'm now on the cough mixture, and it does work well. It essentially breaks down the viscous (thick) phlegm in my lungs so I can get rid of it more easily. I should finish the bottle in the next couple of days, and if really the cough does not go off, I'll be making an appointment to see a doctor. All that aside, these past two days were really fun too, as I met and made friends with the lab mates in Niamh's lab (on Level 3 of the building). I've gotten around to trying out the Chinese version of a hamburger, called rou jia mo (肉夹馍); and also a very popular dessert (in Malaysia and in China) called red bean soup (紅豆汤). The flavours are absolutely incredible - diverse and complex.

4) That is basically the update of the past two days. Thanks very much for tuning in, and see you soon in the next edition of my blog. Have a nice weekend, cheers! :D

Group photo with Niamh and her lab mates!

(sorry I haven't learnt each of their names yet)

Having lunch with my lab mates ^^

Spicy sour noodles with minced meat and long beans

Chinese hamburger - rou jia mo (肉夹馍)

Red bean soup (紅豆汤)

Their fried rice is very similar to ours, and tastes great too ^^

Niamh's plate of rice with meat and veggies :)

Simple vegetable fried noodles (served with a bowl of mung bean soup)

DAY 273

Jun 1

1) And just like that, our holiday trip is over! In five days, I will be participating in the RCSI Research Summer Programme, with Dr. Darren Griffith as my Principal Investigator. It has been non stop action since our exams ended, so I do appreciate the couple of days' spare time to compose myself and mentally prepare for it.

2) So my day began with waking up late. Went to AIB Bank to withdraw some money as I had almost none left from my trip, then I went for my appointment with my doctor at Mercer Medical Centre. During the trip, I noticed myself coughing more often, and towards the last few days of the trip it got quite bad. My throat always felt ticklish, and that made me want to cough.

3) The doctor examined me and suggested that it was the aftereffects of my chest infection, which I had had a couple of months ago. He prescribed Ventolin, in the form of an inhaler, which I got at Boots Pharmacy. One puff three times daily was the dosage. Took one soon after buying it and felt instant relief. Here's hoping the cough subsides soon enough :)

4) I was under the assumption that I would be meeting up with my friends to settle some of the payment for bookings and accommodation. However, the meeting was postponed till tomorrow, so I decided to just stay at the library, since I had been waiting there already. Later, I went to Dunnes to buy groceries to cook for the week.

5) Came back after buying dinner at Boojum, where I've been relaxing and just chilling the night out. I'm cooking after this, so I'd best end today's blog update here. Thanks for reading as always, and have a nice day. Cheers!

If I'm not mistaken, the "Congrats!" Balloon was used in the Graduation Ceremony 2017 for the Senior Cycle students

My prescription

Subway sandwich for lunch ^^

Boojum's burrito bowl for dinner

DAY 169

Feb 17

1) Today has been an extremely exciting day! I had an important decision to make, sit for the lectures today, or go for ICHAMS (International Conference for Healthcare and Medical Students) 2017! Unfortunately, the two events coincided with each other, bringing back memories of "The Road Not Taken". And after long contemplation, I chose to forgo the HBPS module as well as the Healthcare Symposia(!) to go for ICHAMS. Not perhaps, the wisest choice, but what the heck - might as well seize the opportunity.

2) So after our anatomy practicals, I went to my GP appointment at Mercer Medical Centre, where I was given the second dose of MMR (Measles, mumps and rubella) for lifelong immunity. Came back to the Exam Hall for the ICHAMS event, where there was a poster exhibition. These were posters done by undergrads from all across the globe, including such names as King's College London, Trinity College, and of course our very own RCSI! We even had extra stalls set up for various programmes such as the Erasmus Programme and the University of Groningen, Netherlands! At the end of the day, there will be awards for best poster presentation as well as best oral presentation.

3) After lunch, we headed over to the first event - the Laporoscopic Skills session, and I discovered that it was quite similar to the previous sessions of laporoscopic skills research programme that I was taking part in! So I switched with Aisha (I'm not supposed to but oh well...) and went for the Physiotherapy and Sports Medicine event, which was a really interesting talk on sports injuries especially on the hamstring muscles (biceps femoris, semimembranosus and semitendinosus). Next, we had the Oral Presentation Session at the Harold Browne lecture theatre. The first speaker of the day was none other than Tenby's pride, Nicole Fong! Essentially, each speaker was given around 10 minutes to present on their research which they undertook over the previous summer, with questions by the panel of adjudicators to follow afterwards. It was very interesting to listen to different presentations by the various speakers of the day.

4) After that, I went over to the Cheyne Lecture Theatre, where there was a talk on Personality Disorders, specifically on EUPD (Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder). The talk was given by a professional psychiatrist, who divulged a lot of her personal experience in treating patients with this type of condition. Again, another eye opening lecture, and well worth skipping the Healthcare Symposia. At 5.00pm, my friends (who did finish sitting through the Healthcare Symposia) joined me and we sat for Keynote Speech 2 - a talk on "Preventing Sudden Cardiac Death". The speaker - Dr. Joseph Galvin, was, coincidentally, an alumnus of none other than RCSI haha. Next was the Opening/ Welcoming Speech by the Dean of RCSI herself, Professor Hannah McGee. This was followed by the wine and cheese reception, in which we were more than glad to contribute our empty stomachs. A fine selection of cheese of all shapes and sizes, paired with crackers as well as a plethora of wine and juices - and that was just the beginning! The group went off for Pub Crawl next, while I stayed behind to type this out.

5) Anyway, most of my friends headed off for Ballad Session - organised by the Music Society as part of RAG week, and held at the Opium Rooms. I didn't go for that, so I stayed back instead and finished the rest of my blog. That has been my day today - really eventful, and very, very educational. I hope you enjoyed reading about it, and stay tuned for more updates on ICHAMS tomorrow! Thanks for reading as always, and have a great day. Cheers!

Group photo time ^_^

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Spring cannot come any quicker haha

Cupcakes for a cause - by the Floating Doctors of Ireland

Pizza for lunch haha

They look so pretty <3<3<3

Poster Session (at the Exam Hall)

RCSI Bahrain and Suzhou University (CHN) collaboration

Jagiellonian University, Poland

King's College London

Queens University Belfast, UK

Our very own RCSI ^^

University Medical Center Groningen

Laprotrain machines - endoscopic trainers with 3D function

Everyone wearing the 3D glasses while carrying out simple tasks mimicking endoscopic surgery

Without 3D glasses

With 3D glasses XD

The Oral Presentation session :)

Nicole Fong as the first speaker of the Oral Presentation :)

Dr Sorcha McManus, Senior Registrar & Clinical Lecturer Psychiatry, RCSI,

giving her talk on EUPD

An aboslute honour to have my picture taken alongside the Dean of RCSI, 

Professor Hannah McGee

Pic with Dr. Sarah O'Neill, Faculty Advisor of ICHAMS and 

Director of the Research Summer School (RSS)

Dr Galvin's speech on Sudden Cardiac Health

Nice to see Malaysia having two representatives here - RCSI Penang (PMC) and RCSI Perdana

Quiche

Wines and juices

Cheese platter - very Western style haha

Quiche

So many colours ^^

Me, Melvin and Melissa, enjoying life

RCSI MUN 2017