Congrats Dad!

First and foremost--have to remember to congratulate my dad on becoming a full professor at Drexel!! This is a HUGE accomplishment and we are all very proud of him--if you pass him in the hallways at Hahnemann be sure to give him a high five or a congratulatory handshake!!

It is Saturday here in Bangladesh and I had to work this morning much to my chagrin at first--realizing that I would only have one day off a week seemed like a punishment but I'm beginning to realize that a month here is SO short, time is flying by and I'm soaking up so much clinical knowledge on a daily basis I almost want to come 7 days a week...but, I'm not crazy. I have to stop saying that my days are interesting, I should start to mention when they're not, because those will truly be an anomaly within this amazing experience.

Started the day off with 8am rounds, then was given a "short case" in which I had to present the salient features of a particular patient and have the audience glean the diagnosis. It's painfully obvious how much more adept the interns and residents are with respect to the physical exam and findings. Nonetheless, I presented my findings regarding my patient with posterior urethral valves-it went ok, I was grilled by the attending, able to answer a majority of his questions and then took my seat with the remainder of the interns. A smile crept onto my face when I realized that my sneakers were the only thing that still made me stand out-because I underwent the rapid fire questioning, and survived, just like everyone else I was now one of them.

Worked in the outdoor clinic (what we know as the outpatient clinic)...which is comprised of one single room, with a desk, a sink and an examing table. You wouldn't believe how efficient this clinic runs though! Patients are called in by the "secretary" two sets of Upper level residents (Clinical assistants) see patients in the room together, sharing the one exam table and the one desk. In a matter of 45 minutes there were about 30 patients seen in that room...a mix of hernias, anorectal malformations, an umbilical granuloma (more on this later) and a few cellulitis cases. In a quick minute the decision was made, admission or no admission. Regardless of the fact that some patients are sharing beds or laying in the halls on the floor--they are getting seen they are getting treated, they are being HELPED, there is no refuting that.

A quick note-I attended the intern induction here today. Just to clarify, Medical School here is five years, then you have one intership year and then are free to pursue any specialty you like. The induction today was really touching. Pieces of a few speeches stand out in my mind...one speaker mentioned that as a profession we try to bring light into peoples lives, but where does that light come from? It comes from the fire that burns within each of us for the work that we do which stems ultimately from our love for mankind. Furthermore someone mentioned that without taking on responsibility as new doctors, we cannot expect to learn anything. Another speaker mentioned that we are made into decent human beings by the people who raised us, in my case my parents, grandmother and the remainder of the ahmed "village"--the efforts they put in to making us who we are were not done solely for our benefit but so that we could benefit mankind, contribute to humanity and make the world a better place. I'm reminded of the responsibility we all have to contribute to our fellow man if we have the skills/power to do so--and furthermore that even the smallest contribution can make a world of difference and so there is no excuse not to do so.

Medical Inventory: (new since last post)
1. Suspected Hirschsprungs dz, rectal bx inconclusive, prep for definitive dx and possible loop colostomy
2. newborn w/ jaundice, bowel obstruction, abnormal limb movements and PDA murmur...
3. cellulitis of great toe, post traumatic
4. inguinal hernia (x2 cases)
5. Femoral hernia
6. bleeding per umbilicus (poss. umbilical granuloma)
7. intestinal TB leading to need for ileostomy, now pt returns for closure if ostomy
8. hydrocoele
9. blunt abdominal trauma from a fall
10. RBPR along with fleshy mass protruding upon defecation...possible polyps