.mid-surgery post.

Sayang. I was planning sana na every end of rotation ako gagawa ng bagong post para organized ang documentation ng aking clerkship, pero wala e. Lakas talaga ng hatak sa akin ng blog ko. :)

Anyway, classes are supended today because of the foul weather.. and ang saya-saya kasi kasali pa rin kami sa suspension! Nakakatawa nga e, kasi this is the second time in my less than 2 weeks in Surgery that classes were suspended on the day that I was supposed to go on duty sa ER. So yey!

It's not like I have anything against the PGH-ER. Well, definitely, it could use a lot of improvement. Not just with facilities and supplies, but even in the way the entire complex is run. Ewan ko. Wala lang. The first time I went on duty, sobrang na-miss ko ang OBAS. Hehe. I mean, sure, OBAS duties last 24 hours, while we were only required to stay in the ACU-ER from 6pm to 6am, but for some reason, I find myself more tired at the end of the day here. Tapos, wala pang post-duty status kasi hanggang 5pm ka pa kailangan mag-stay sa PGH kahit na technically off ka na. We have to be on-call for OR assists, patient orders, new admissions, rounds, and others. So uuwi ka siguro mga 5pm the next day, then go back again at 7am for a new day. Sabi nga ni Ate, para na daw pala akong sa PGH nakatira.

Hindi pa nga ako ulit nakakauwi sa amin e. I know it's only been a week, pero nakakamiss na rin talaga. There's no place like home, ika nga. And by home, that means both my home and my church. Wala lang.

Ayan. I just reread what I wrote and I realized na parang nagrereklamo pala ako no? I shouldn't be. Sabi nga ni Dr. Consunji na aming consultant monitor for Surg, wala daw kaming right na magcomplain hangga't vertical pa kami, caring for patients who are lying horizontal (okay, that sounds weird written down, but trust me, it made an impact on me when Dr. Consunji said it). We have to learn responsibility and accountability. He wants us to be so directly involved in the patient care that things wouldn't run as smoothly if we weren't around (although medyo idealistic siguro si Sir dun, so far paperwork talaga ang bulk ng role namin e). He also said that we have to keep an open mind when we rotate in the various departments. I guess I wasn't as enthusiastic about rotating in Surg because I had more or less already ruled it out as a possible specialty, but he encouraged us to still try and get the most out of these 4 weeks even if we had no intentions of going into it in the very near(!) future.

I spent the first week in Trauma division... and I just know Surgery is not for me. Hehe. I did enjoy it though. The residents, who appeared scary at first, turned out to be really cool and helpful after all. They also kept giving me procedures to do, which I acknowledge as the favor of God at work in my life. I'm just not really comfortable in the ER setting, where tension is thick and adrenaline runs high and everyone is in a rush to get things done because someone's life is hanging on it. Definitely not for me. And I claim God's strength, endurance, favor, mercy, compassion, joy, peace, gentleness, meekness, longsuffering, kindness, and LOVE for the rest of my days in Surg, and in PGH na din as a whole. Ehehe. ;)

One thing I liked about it though - I had some opportunity to talk with patients and their bantays and hear them out. I can especially remember one particular bantay I accompanied to the cashier to pay for their labs. She came all the way from Bulacan to bring her nephew who was involved in a terrible vehicular crash and was gravely injured. As we were walking, we talked about the patient, their financial state, how she felt at that moment, stuff like that. I told her to never lose hope and just keep on praying to God. She was near tears as she was talking, and my heart was moved with compassion for their family. When the patient was finally admitted to the ward, I made it a point to drop by and check in on them every so often.

The patients help me see that I am blessed to be a blessing. They show me that I can actually make a world of a difference, not just medically speaking, but even by just simply showing them that they matter. That they deserve more than just a moment of my time, and that they are entitled to receiving the help that they need. I try to make it a point to talk to patients when they ask me something (although minsan talaga lumalabas ang "Itanong niyo na lang po kasi dun sa nurse" sa kin). hehe. Ewan ko. Wala lang. I'm really consciously trying to practice compassion, kahit na effort talaga minsan. That's the kind of doctor I want to be e.

Ay nako. Ano na namang drama ito? Hehe. Wala lang. Pero fun din naman talaga. You can enjoy anything naman if you choose to e! Kaya praise God for my blockmates, my servicemates, the comfy callroom, the mess hall, and for every good and perfect gift that comes from above! Hahaha! ;)

Gusto ko lang sana talaga ng post-duty privileges. Hahaha! ;)

.post-"elective" post. sort of.

Ayan, palapit na naman nang palapit ang pasukan. Haha, it's kind of weird to think that for me, it feels like the end of the summer vacation, when on the other hand, clerkship has been going on regularly for my other classmates.

Wala lang. Patapos na naman ang aking bakasyon. Ambilis talaga ng paglipas ng four weeks.

Pero okay lang. Excited naman na din ako pumasok. Surgery? BRING IT ON! Hehe. And besides, balita ko naman sa mga current rotators dun e relatively benign siya, so I may still get to go home to Las Piñas basta pwede. Kaya lang, yun nga, 7am din everyday ang pasok so I'm not sure kung practical pa talagang bumiyahe. Oh well, we'll see na lang. Basta ang alam ko, maeenjoy ko ang Surg. Thank you Lord for the patience, the strength, the compassion, and the JOY!

All in all, I am very much satisfied with the way I spent my four weeks. I got so much more than I bargained for, and I give God all the glory for that.

Unang-una, nagpapasalamat talaga ako dahil sa July-August pa talaga napatapat 'yung elective rotation ko. As in saktong-sakto siya siyempre dun sa recording ng Faithmusic Manila. And helping out with the preparations and the video editing afterwards are some of the highlights of my vacation. I missed that! I felt at home. And the best thing is, I think I am learning quite a lot just from watching those videos over and over again, and getting to work with excellent people (ayuusss, hallooo Ate Neng, Kuya Lowe, Cane, at sa lahat na!). Ay naku, kung pwede nga lang hanggang sa kadulu-duluhan ng post-production bumuntot ako kina Ate Neng at Kuya Lowe, gagawin ko e.. kaya lang pasukan na eh. Aww.... ehehe.

Natutuwa nga ako kasi parang ngayon, with all honesty, I am enjoying being behind-the-scenes and making other people look good. Promise, as in walang joke! Dati kasi andun 'yung parang kating-kati na ko to do something else, to see kung ano ba talaga ang plano ng Panginoon sa buhay ko. Pero ngayon, wala. Natutuwa talaga ako sa ganito. Kung ganito ang gagawin ko sa ministry for the rest of my life, sobrang okay lang sa 'kin 'yun! The word I am looking for would be "content"... I am content with what I am doing. Of course, we always work towards excellence, and God is definitely a God of increase, and I am sure we can look forward to so much more.. but I am so enjoying the NOW too! Hallelujah! Hehe. ;)

Pangalawa, I also spent some time helping out sa Trad Med clinic ni Dr. Galvez-Tan sa PGH. Acupuncture galore! Wala lang. Sobrang interesado kasi ako sa acupuncture e, and I want to see how it really works. Ang daming hands-on kaya nakakatuwa talaga. Salamat din sa aking kaklaseng si Herb for helping me out. Medyo mas confident na ko magtusok ng tao ngayon. Time well spent. Aliw pa kasi nagagamit ko siya sa pamilya ko, mga kaibigan ko, at sa mga taong kakilala ko (Hello Kuya Jo, my favorite patient! nyahahaha! Glad you got over your fear na, praise God!). It's a blessing! Hope kahit pasukan na I can still go there from time to time. Doc Jimmy has clinics during Mondays and Wednesdays, 9am-12pm. Punta kayo!

Pangatlo, I also helped in editing the documentation of the 3rd UP Global Health Course, of which I was a part last summer. Bukod sa malakas sa 'kin si Julius, e may special spot talaga sa puso ko ang COME unit at 'yung naganap nga na GHC kaya I was very willing to help out. Plus, I like editing! One of the things I enjoy doing. Hehe. At siguro bonus na din na si Ma'am Portia 'yung in charge over the whole thing, so kahit na hindi ko naman talaga siya nakausap nitong mga nakaraang linggo, I like the idea that I am indirectly working under her. Hahaha! Wala lang. Connect with the people you want to "embody" someday.. or something like that.

Pang-apat, siyempre may mga leisure din. May mga panahong pumupunta akong Manila just for fun. Basta gusto ko lang. To see the people I want to see at magpakasaya lang with them. Detox. Small holiday. Privileges. Badminton and kung anu-ano pang chorvaness.. nyahaha. Wattaword. Aliw pa kasi lahat ng mga on-duty kong classmates kapag nakakasalubong ko, binabati ako with a "Ang benign mo naman!" na greeting. Hehe. At may mga pending pa. Cookout ba ika niyo blockmates?

Panlima, I got to work on my Palawan reflection paper (finally!).

Pang-anim, BONDING WITH MY FAMILY, of course! It's great na my parents' anniversary was last July 12, so I was around for the celebration. Galante ang Ate ko! Hehe. And all the other family events other than that. Uber cool, kasi siyempre, nakakamiss 'yun kapag lagi ka na lang nasa ospital at hindi makauwi. Sadness lang kasi hindi ko naituloy ang aking initial plan na umuwi ng Pagsanjan. Pero ayun. BONDING galore further strengthens relationships. Kasama na rin jan ang bonding with friends, my faith group, and more.

Pampito, na-restore ang aking love relationship with my guitar. And I'm planning on bringing her with me to Orosa para hindi na kami muling magkawalay pa.

Pangwalo, back to the Word and beauty ko. Ehehe. ;)

Hahaha. Panigurado meron akong mga hindi naisulat dito. Sabi nga ni Mama sa kin, "Para kang trumpo, paikot-ikot ng mabilis." Owel. Di bale na, ang haba na naman nito e. Pero ayun, masaya lang ako.

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME! All glory to Him and Him alone!