Mortalities.
Remember this?
2. Being offered mamon, Fita biscuits, oranges, and your patient's fried hipon
lunch, because "Inuuna mo kasi ako lagi, kumain ka muna."
She was readmitted this week due to frank bleeding. She died at around 9 AM today. Why? All the people I asked could only surmise.
I was still a "naive little" 2nd year medical student when one of the consultants talked about this newborn patient he had when he was a clerk rotating in Pediatrics. He had been closely monitoring the patient when her vital signs suddenly dropped. It was his first time to call for a code. The baby was never revived. The consultant ended his story saying that a doctor will never forget his first mortality.
I have experienced more than one mortality. By saying "experience mortality", it means I have been taking care of a patient who eventually died. My first mortality was an 8 year old who had 2-month history of anemia and easy bruisability. She was diagnosed with leukemia. She began vomiting blood one night then she coded and was never revived.
I can still recount my second. It was also a pediatric patient. This time it was 17 month old baby boy who was in active seizure upon arriving at the emergency room. We intubated him and loaded antibiotics. Four hours later, he coded and was never revived.
I can tell about my third. She had bilateral Wilm's tumor (malignancy of the kidneys) and underwent various surgeries geared towards prolongation of her 2 year old life. She died four days after we discharged her.
I can go on and on about my mortalities.
The most recent one is H.M., a 52 year old female who presented with peripheral arterial disease, stroke, and pulmonary thromboembolism. She used to be a market vendor in Bulacan. But, we discharged her last March 3 bound to a wheelchair for the rest of her life. That is how severe her illness was. But I never expected that 4 weeks later, she would pass away.
I cried when I learned that she died. Does that make me weak? This is what I hate most about this path I chose. In spite of all the medical books you read, the journal articles you search and the brainstorming you do, some patients still die.
I have half a mind to go to Bulacan and join in the "lamay". I've known her for only two months, but I'm terribly grieving inside. Why?
I'm being really incoherent now, I think.
I should stop before I cry once again.
2. Being offered mamon, Fita biscuits, oranges, and your patient's fried hipon
lunch, because "Inuuna mo kasi ako lagi, kumain ka muna."
She was readmitted this week due to frank bleeding. She died at around 9 AM today. Why? All the people I asked could only surmise.
I was still a "naive little" 2nd year medical student when one of the consultants talked about this newborn patient he had when he was a clerk rotating in Pediatrics. He had been closely monitoring the patient when her vital signs suddenly dropped. It was his first time to call for a code. The baby was never revived. The consultant ended his story saying that a doctor will never forget his first mortality.
I have experienced more than one mortality. By saying "experience mortality", it means I have been taking care of a patient who eventually died. My first mortality was an 8 year old who had 2-month history of anemia and easy bruisability. She was diagnosed with leukemia. She began vomiting blood one night then she coded and was never revived.
I can still recount my second. It was also a pediatric patient. This time it was 17 month old baby boy who was in active seizure upon arriving at the emergency room. We intubated him and loaded antibiotics. Four hours later, he coded and was never revived.
I can tell about my third. She had bilateral Wilm's tumor (malignancy of the kidneys) and underwent various surgeries geared towards prolongation of her 2 year old life. She died four days after we discharged her.
I can go on and on about my mortalities.
The most recent one is H.M., a 52 year old female who presented with peripheral arterial disease, stroke, and pulmonary thromboembolism. She used to be a market vendor in Bulacan. But, we discharged her last March 3 bound to a wheelchair for the rest of her life. That is how severe her illness was. But I never expected that 4 weeks later, she would pass away.
I cried when I learned that she died. Does that make me weak? This is what I hate most about this path I chose. In spite of all the medical books you read, the journal articles you search and the brainstorming you do, some patients still die.
I have half a mind to go to Bulacan and join in the "lamay". I've known her for only two months, but I'm terribly grieving inside. Why?
I'm being really incoherent now, I think.
I should stop before I cry once again.