Precious life

Had a surgical ward round in the morning today. We were asked to go to 5U ward which is the Neuroscience ward. Deeply, I was pretty excited because I always assume that anything related to Neuro thingy is often interesting. Dr. Kalai, a Neurosurgeon, judging from his outfit with " Dewan Bedah" on it was our coordinator.

We went to see quite a number of patients and I realized almost everyone of them is in a rather critical condition. A patient can have tracheotomy, BP cuff, cannulas on both hands to administer saline into her body, a very prominent surgical scar on head, pallor etc etc. The ventilator is always standby at the side. They are mostly lying on bed with only half consciousness, their eyes are half-opened and couldn't respond to any external stimulus. Dr. also brought us to see a more chronic patient.The patient is only known as 'unknown', never knew UM hospital is willing to accept a patient with an unknown identity. He is constantly administered with soya-based tranquilizer because his body cannot tolerate with even a slight normal body metabolism. Dr. Kalai then showed us his head. Firstly, I could only see a small bulging at right side of his head. Then, Dr. asked somebody to gently press on both of his right and left side of head, and compared the difference. The right side one, it looks very tender when pressed, while the left side one, looks normal. Actually, half of his skull has been removed to reduce his intracranial pressure. The brain is just underneath his scalp. Oh gosh, I could not imagine how if something hard, or not too hard unpurposely hit his head.

Then, went to see the most heartbreaking one, a 13 year-old kid. He was lying unconsciously. Dr. was just briefly explaining to us. He has a bedsore on his sole due to prolonged immobility. Guess his backside is severely affected with even more bedsores since backside is the more prone to get one.

Then we called it a day. Dr. and others had left, leaving only me and the other 2 labmates in that kid's wardroom. Then came a middle aged woman, claiming the kid is her friend's son. A very friendly woman, from her, only we know the kid has been lying on the bed since last June. It has been almost half a year!!! It was a tragic car crash in Kuantan that took away  the lives of every member of the family and the small boy was the only survivor. And we were also told that his cervical skull has been removed. And he got fracture at his pelvic bone. Does the kid know all his family has left him? Will the kid be able to back to his normal life again?

If I am given a choice, I would rather leave this world together with my loved ones than being left alone. But, he told me, 小男孩能继续生存是他家人留下的唯一希望。hmmmmmm

Those people who committed suicide and those intended to do so, I suggest they should go on a brief tour in hospital wards and witness how those patients are struggling to live a life. Jumped off from a building because your boyfriend/girlfriend left you is a 情圣?! 情 pi larhh!   *opsss,sorry XD*

Wishing there will be more Neurosurgical ward rounds..

Date a surgeon must be great. XD