Attachment X-Files

Salam.

Just to jot down few things about what I've seen and learned throughout my attachment days in PK UTM. Basically, its nothing much compared to what you might see in hospitals but to me those kind of experience is just overwhelming and so memorable.

1. Blood taking. Scientific term is venipuncture.

Blood is the main 'vehicle' of our body, so it carries along all sorts of things inside it like the circulating antigens, antibodies, cells, virus, hormones so on and so forth. So, lets just say doctors could diagnose your illness based on your blood analysis.

During attachment, most people asked why their blood look so dark and black. Well, the blood is like that because it comes from the veins ie deoxygenated ie contains deoxyhemoglobin ie darker. And to some extent some people blood look a bit viscous compared to others.

Anyhow, I managed to take blood samples from a number of patients with obvious veins. Haha it is satisfying to see the blood oozes into the syringe. I felt like a dracula for a bit. XD
Of course, there were times when the blood wont come out. Sometimes, it looks like a vein but when you poke inside there is none. I know, disappointing right.

2. Minor procedure. 

-Abscess draining from a Psoriasis patients, and from back of ears of a male.
-Broken nail extraction from a female.
-Ear toiletting in patients with impacted ear wax etc
-Wound dressing for minor accidents
-Minor suture for opened wound
-Vaccination of HPV intramuscularly

3. Pregnancy check up. 

-Calculating (estimated due date) EDD from (last menstrual period) LMP. According to Naegel's Rule you just minus 3 months and add 7 days from the LMP.

eg: LMP = 17/10/2012
     EDD  = 24/7/2013

-Measuring fetal growth according to mom's bump measurement. I dont know the shortform for this (not MBM of course). Measurement done from fundus of bump ie below the xiphoid process till the superior pubic bone. The measurement (inch) should be +/- 2 from fetus age. But doesn't apply to almost due babies (eg: 36th weeks). You dont want mom's stomach to explode due to its hugeness right. How bright Allah is. He created everything so perfectly!

eg: measurement should be 22-26 inch for fetus of 24 weeks old. You have a round calendar chart to calculate the week easily.

-Palpating the bump to find the head of fetus. Its round like coconut and fits nicely in your palm when palpated. Its firm compared to other parts of the mom's bump. Might get used to it with further practice and experience.

-Hearing fetus heartbeats. Dud dud dud dud dud . It is sooo fast as fetal heart rate normally is very high compared to us adults, ranging from 120-160 beats per minute. Should be heard as rapid and regular dud dud dud dud dud. We dont count the beats, rather just confirm its rhythm and regularity. Or sometimes, we ask the mother to record the baby movement. Should be more than 10 movements in 12 hours duration. Will easily detect any abnormality in rhythm and regularity with further practice and experience.

4. Ultrasounds

-Kidney ultrasound. Male complains of rt hypochondriac pain. We started checking on lt hypochondriac first. As lt kidney is overlaid by spleen from front, we place the probe from patient's back. On the other hand, we place the probe from front for rt kidney sonography. And there you go, watching the vulnerable images, hardddd to understand. Gotta have firm grasp in anatomy to fully understand and analyse the images though.

-Fetal ultrasound.

Don't really get these weird looking sonograph due to its always changing shape and looks. But yeah. Will get used to them with practice later on, inshaAllah. Here, we see, 4D ultrasound of the fetus. We see the pumping heart with 4 chambers, the hockey stick shaped femur, the biparietal head diameter (BHD).
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Ok, thats all for now. Will add more to this file later on. InshaAllah! :)
Attachment is a mere labour to gain experience, to apply, to observe, to learn and to practice.
It is no doubt and goes without telling super duper exhausting. At least for me. Haha yeah I am a lazy bum, duduk rumah goyang kaki kind of person, so when I have to give out extra effort everyday (and without payment too) I become soooooooo tired. But of course, worth all the sweat. :)

Existing doctors might tell you the reality of being a doctor. Its not easy. But you gotta endure it with much perseverance, be ready to get scolded, but yeah we learn from it. Take it from bright side, we remember fierce teachers more right, the one who were so mean to us back then, but contributed a lot to moulding the you present now.

InshaAllah, I'm ready! I always pray that I always will. :)

Till then, wassalam.