DOING MY HOSPITAL ROUNDS

I was just recently hired by a tertiary level hospital here in the city. I was told by the medical director that I have to start next year as one of the resident doctors of the hospital. Aside from the hospital, I also hold clinic nearby. The schedule was fine for me since I have the entire month of December to do the things I like to do and at the same time, I can attend to the patients in the my clinic to tell them that medical clinic hours will be change since I will be doing hospital rounds.

But just this morning, I got a call from the hospital director that my duty would start tonight, Christmas eve. The hospital expected that there will be a lot of patients with powder burns because of pyrotechnic materials. Starting this eve, I have to be in the hospital for these patients. I guess I will be celebrating my Christmas celebration with nurses and hospital staffs. I will be doing the hospital rounds immediately arriving in the hospital building.

As medical doctors, we vowed to save lives and we don't select the time in doing this. I will be assigned in the emergency room. That I expect more patients admitted for this season.

NEW DENGUE PATIENT

I received a call my close friend that her daughter was in the hospital the other day due to high fever. Since I am their family doctor, I went immediately to the hospital to check my patient out. According to my friend, her daughter has a fever that comes and go. She was admitted immediately after she collapsed in their house.

The attending physician in the hospital where my patients was brought was my classmate in medical school for 3 years. He told me that my patient is sick and her platelets count in going down rapidly. They have already performed several test on her to determine her condition. As I was looking at the patient, I was able to noticed rashes on her skin and I was in doubt of my medical findings as I observed her in the hospital.

Right immediately, I know that she might have dengue fever and in few hours, her life might be in danger if no immediate action is taken. As the medical findings show, she has dengue fever. A fever that is feared most of many because of the cases where dengue fever was the findings and the patient died because of the sickness.

Immediately after I knew the result of the laboratory examination done to her, I told her father to find tawa-tawa grass and boil it to get the juice from the grass. For it is the best medicine for dengue fever. What is different from other fever is that, dengue can be very dangerous if left unattended. Internal bleeding can happen in the liver or kidneys that can lead to death of the patient.