My Worst Oncall....

Assalamualaikum. 

Hai guys, I had a very bad call last night. Very bad, very tiring. So, this is kind of reminder to whom planning of becoming a dictrict doctor.

0800H
Punch card. Feel a bit bradykinesia as I had poor sleep the night before. Went to Labour Room and noted 10 patients in ward. Not too many, but usually it used to be less than that. Maybe it was my luck that day. Huhu.. So, there I go. Seeing patient one by one.

1000H
While examining patient, got a call from Emergency Unit to come STAT to review patient in Yellow Zone. They said the family had started making a fuss in there. So.. when I came there, it was not just that patient but 5 - 6 patients to be attended too! Argh..! Quickly assess them and put up some plans, I rush back to Labour Room as my patient was screaming unable to hold her urine anymore longer.

(I was planning to do Ultrasound scan on that patient's stomach, to see how's her baby doing. So it is routine that we ask patient to drink some water and hold their urine while we do scan, because the scan device will show picture better with urine in bladder.)

1200H
Finally, managed to finish round in Labour Room. Yea... Ring! Ring! My phone shout. "Yes, Drsatrian here. Anything?". And there you go, once you got call up, you will be called up on and on. So, it became my marathon from wards to Emergency unit, and back. But I am not the only one oncall here. Where is my other MO? She's the one who should cover the ward as she is second call. Why the ward's staff call me up instead?

(In my hospital, we have 2 medical officers (MO) oncall in every minute. So, it is always 2 people available to cover respective area. The first call has to cover Emergency, while the other cover all the wards. We have 3 wards - Male ward, Female & Paeds ward, and O&G ward. Oh.. and yes, the second call has to cover Mortuary 'ward')

Then, to my horror.. she was attending a post-mortem case with Forensic Specialist. Starting from 1000H till 1550H.

(When you attend postmortem case, you were stuck in there assisting cutting on corpse. And your friend will have to cover your job.. in a real sense of meaning, your friend had to cover the WHOLE hospital ALOooooone....!)

Few patients come for abdominal pain. One with history of accident 4 days back, and still complaining pain over her right hypochodrial area. Chest xray showed no rib fracture. So... admit! Have to make fast (very very fast) decision.

Then, few ambulances came to drop by. Two of them were involved in motor versus motor accident. One hit another. Yes, the young as much as 16 years old hit the poor 56 years old man. Pity that old man because from my first glance... he sustained INTRACRANIAL BLEEDING! and also open fractures of his right foot. Later on, we found out that he might as well having INTRAABDOMINAL BLEEDING!

Yap.. just for that patient, I had call up 5 departments in Hospital Besar just to see that man. Neurosurgery, Radiology, Surgery, Orthopaedic and Emergency. Wow..! My name sure grow famous over there. Hehe.

But that's just not done yet. I had called up Surgery for another case of suspecting acute appendicitis. And consult the Orthopaedic for undisplaced patella fracture (vertical fracture) with haemathrosis. Then, call the Medical for stroke with expressive dysphasia. Yap.. not to mention, calling the O&G for postpartum haemorhage with underestimated blood loss!

And.. literally, I had not taking good break to rest until at 0300 in the morning. It is not that there wasn't any case, but it is just that I just fall into non-arousable sleep (=comatose!). Lucky it is my wife who is doing the second call, so she had to cover me up as the Emergency staff unable to reach me.

Hehe.. So, do you think it is nice and relaxing working in district. Come and join us if you will.