Love At First Sight

From the moment I stepped of the plane I knew that I was in love with Samoa.

But now I'm back in the real world. Final year starts on Monday, along with the opening of the foundation application. It's going to be a busy and tough academic year.

So as I have a couple of days left before it starts I'll use the time to daydream about Samoa and reflect on the amazing time I had.

I can't pretend that it was a taxing elective placement. It was incredibly laid back, but even with that I felt I've learnt something. I encountered diseased like rheumatic fever and typhoid that I haven't seen at home and I practised my auscultation skills, hearing lots of interesting chest crackles.

What has been more valuable than the medicine, are the life experiences. I conquered my fear of water slides by sliding off mini waterfalls, and my fear of swimming under water by snorkelling in coral with shoals of tropical fish. I've climbed craters in rainforests, driven down dirt tracks and slept in a thatched hut during a tropical rain storm.

I have memories that I'll smile about for the rest of my life. It's also given me a chance to chill out and relax... something I've really needed after this year. I'm going to be starting term in a very good mood. That is if I get over the jet lag and don't chew off my own legs to stop the itching from the mozzie bites!

Tomorrow I'm doing my favourite part of the new academic year ritual. Buying stationary. I shall be walking around all the local bookshops sniffing notepads and caressing nice pencils and pens. Mmmmmm. Joy.

Life is good!

Lily xXx

A Quick Update

So... not only am I getting to grips with the hospital (working hard... 1.5hrs a day!!) but I'm also getting to grips with tanning... who'd have thought a ginge could get so brown?!

I spent the weekend sleeping in a wooden hut on a paradise-like beach!!

I'm also learning first-hand what a lot of mozzie bites at one point feel like, tonight I am bathing in deet... I'd like to see the little buggers chew through that... but I think somehow I'll still end up even more bitten.

I'm not sure how I'm going to adjust to getting back to life in the UK in a fortnight. Strange to think that in 2 weeks and a day I'll be back on my way home to be a 5th year! eep!!!

On a side note the foundation programme people have said there won't be enough jobs this time!! Unimpressed... now job applications are seeming much more daunting.

Lily xXx

Doing Some Work

I had my first morning in the hospital today. A short morning, but I've learnt a lot none-the less.

I've decided to tag along with paediatrics. Tomorrow I'm going to a clinic full of rheumatic fever patients, so I need to learn a little about that, but today it was mainly jaundice and pneumonia. The doctor I went on ward round with was a fantastic teacher, even though he'd already been working over 24 hours!!

Now I'm off to get some fresh coconuts. Apparently the coconut water inside is naturally lightly carbonated. Om nom nom!!! Can't wait... I'm going to come back a lot fatter!!

Lily xXx

Talofa!!!

I have arrived in Samoa and it is paradise on Earth.

I cannot believe how beautiful it is here, not to mention how warm.

Can't say I've got any medicine done yet, but we all know how I can be a little work-shy at times. I have however conquered my fear of waterslides on some rocks which slide into beautiful pools of water surrounded by tropical trees.

I probably won't be blogging much as firstly I'll be having too much fun and secondly t'internet is a little pricey. I will however fill you all in when I'm back, and who knows I might post again at some point.

Lily xXx

Hayfever Attacks

Today has been a hayfever hell day for me. I have sneezed so much that I'm quite surprised that my brain hasn't come out of my nose, or my eyeballs popped out of their sockets.

Not only have I spent all morning looking like I've been crying, I almost did cry when I spent the whole of my lunch in a lovely beer garden sneezing so much that I could hardly eat. Thankfully I made up for it with apple crumble after dinner... nom noms!

I'm now trying to pack for elective (yes, I know I'm leaving it last minute), and I seem to be disturbing dust on everything so the sneezing has started again.

At this rate they won't let me on the plane as they'll think that I'm highly contagious.

It still hasn't hit me that I only have 2 sleeps until I'm off to the South Pacific... that is if I ever actually manage to pack a bag!!

I'm sure that once I go the next year will be a whirlwind.

Less than a week after getting back FY1 applications open. It's also back to uni and off to another placement. 8 weeks of actually working with an FY1 as a real part of the team. Then it'll be Christmas, when I'm guessing I should probably start revising for finals as rumour has it that cramming is a bad move.

It's strange to think that in less than a year, if I pass all my exams, I'll be working as a doctor. It's also more than a little scary!

Lily xXx

Welcome to England

I was interrupted from deciding between a kitkat or a bag of crispies at the petrol station by the sound of our radio... "emergency call in your car for you".

All thoughts of snacks were forgotten as we bundled back into the carbulance.

"Patient shot with pellet gun"

Can't be too bad can it? Oh well, it says red call.... off we go.

About 6.5 minutes later we turn into the road.

2 police cars, 3 police vans, numerous teenagers locked in the back of one. All seems a bit much for what we presumed was a drunken accident with a pellet gun. No time to ask right now, we just make our way to the patient.

The patient is sitting on the side of the road. He doesn't speak more than a few words of English, nor do his friends. He's clearly distressed, in pain and struggling for breath. His friend is on the phone to someone from home howling inconsolably the shock and panic in his eyes.

They were playing a game of cards after work. They're only in England for a few days. Shame their overriding memory of English people will be the chavs who hid in the bushes with an air rifle trying to shoot them in the heads, succeeding in shooting one of them in the right hand side of his chest.

We took one look at the patient. He had a big pellet wound to the right of his sternal edge at around nipple height. No exit wound. You could feel the surgical emphysema, but otherwise, apart from breathless, the patient seemed stable.

We couldn't very well tie him to the roof of our car and take him into the hospital so we called for a truck. The nearest one was 20 mins away on lights. Bugger. Even with him being stable now we didn't fancy sitting there for 20 minutes with a pellet rattling around somewhere in his lung, next to his heart.

We had an idea. We were only 3 minutes away from a hospital and there was a pretty police van. That would do!

After a little sweet talking the police let us pile in to the van. I felt sorry for them, they looked nothing but panicked as we fiddled with O2 canisters and cut the patient free of his clothes. I think they were glad to be rid of us after the 3 minutes.

When we got to hospital and handed over the patient in one piece I realised something. My curse of the observer had gone and instead I'd got the drama I'd be hoping for. Should be careful what I wish for.

Lily xXx

First Placement Over :-(

The first part of my elective is done.

I'll probably never get to ride in an ambulance as an observer again, and I'm very much hoping I won't have to ride in one as a patient either. Not that I don't think they're wonderful. They are. But still... I'd rather not get ill/injured.

I'm going to really miss it.

Everyone was so friendly and lovely to me. The banter was great. The patients were partially interesting, partially horrifying, partially frustrating... but all part of a great learning experience.

What I won't miss however is sitting around for 3 hours with no jobs, going to take a bite into a sandwich... getting a job before I've even sunk my teeth in and then not stopping until 45 minutes after we were supposed to be at home.

I've learnt some valuable things I'll never forget.

1. Listen to paramedics doing handovers. They met the patient before anyone in the hospital.

2. Coffee is not a luxury, it is like petrol for people. For this reason nice ambulance people should be given cups of coffee at every opportunity.

3. Paramedics have loooooong shifts, have to sit in a van with smelly patients and deal with grumpy and abusive people. I should be thankful I'm not locked in a van with all of my patients.

4. "Foxtrot Oscar" ... my favourite technical term of the placement.

Now this placement is done I'm finally getting excited about part 2 of my elective which is a week away from now. I spent a small fortune (well a large fortune to me), on suntan lotion and mozzie repellent. Tomorrow I'm driving back to London to sort out all the bits and bobs I need from my flat. Soooooo exciting.

I always forget to pack something obscure yet important though. Any tips about what to pack for a beachy elective in the South Pacific?!

Lily xXx