Weekend of sightseeing!

Last week had a couple of funny events like being forced (asked) to go to an evening conference and Sarah bursting out laughing as this man sung the indian national anthem acapella! Being asked to do a press conference as to why we are doing our elective here.... but the best bit was the sightseeing this weekend.

We started off with a tour around the back waters which was absolutely stunning. It was on a really old houseboat.

It was really nice. On sunday we went to wash some elephants and then we saw some beautiful waterfalls I will put a better explanation on here tomorrow as I am shattered so am just putting some pictures up!

Weather

Day 3 at the hospital still not loving the placement.. It is okay. However we had a really nice afternoon at the beach and then went to a conference where the free food was really nice. I also met a gynaecologist who invited me to her clinic which she owns about 10 minutes walk from the hospital and to her operation lists at the hospital and told me to bring along the girls too! She seems really lovely. Hopefully this will make tomorrow better.

There is a really nice doctor at the hospital who gives us a tutorial each day too.

Gautham hospital

So we started today... It is a private hospital... Still for many poor people and still very very basic compared to what we are used too but soo much better than AIIMS! The doctors talk to patients and are kind. We are all doing general med/ casualty and only have to do 8.30-1.00 but I think we all need a break after the two weeks in Delhi. I'm going to try and go to some gynae surgery as well and we all may follow up interesting patients.. For example a boy who swallowed a sharpener today!!!

We are going to use the afternoon web it is rainin to revise in our new favourite tea place called teapot. The weather for most of today was beautiful but when it rained it rained.

We decided we hated our homestay so have moved to a much nicer one that the owners have welcomed us in like their family! The room is nicer the bathroom is nicer and it is cheaper. We also get breakfast. They have a big retriever but Sarah still wanted to stay here as it only lives downstairs (she's allergic)!

They also do a cookery class which Iesha and I and maybe Sarah are going to do! It's also in the middle of town! Basically we are much happier. The last place was mank! We had a nice dinner which the total bill came to about £7 and it was really nice

Anyway that's it for today!

First night in Kerala

We arrive in fort (British) kochin last night. We had a nice flight as we got upgraded seats when we complained we weren't sat next to each other!

We were all nervous about no A/C in the rooms however compared to Delhi it is so cold here. We were a bit sticky last night but perfectly comfortable. The windows in the room are left open and have bars and Mosquito nets and is really nice a you can hear the rain.

It rained all night though apparently stops during the day which it has done now! My room is downstairs and the girls upstairs. The girls have blocked up there vents as they think they will fid a lizard on their face! It's a step down from serene Delhi but I quite like it.

Breakfast was an array of banana, papaya, mango, plantain, pancake, toast, chicco fruit etc etc. it is sooooo peaceful and developed here compared to Delhi! People drive in the lines on the road and there are proper roads!

We are near restaurants and cafes and right near the beach though not quite sun bathing weather. The owner is booking us a rickshaw to bring us to the hospital tomorrow morning.

We went for a masala chai earlier in a really cool cafe and went for dinner and had all things English. Sarah had a prawn cocktail and steak and Iesha and I had Indian fish and chips! Was a nice break from Indian and the bill came to about £15.

The photos aren't in order as I can do it on my phone. Also notice the girls have taped up the holes in the wall to outside!

Last day at AIIMS

Today I started at 8.30 girls at 1 as usual..... And saw few interesting things like a woman who was only 4-5cm dilated at 4pm letting out a massive scream at 4.40 to which we found she had delivered the baby under the sheets! She then had to climb out to be brought next door to deliver a baby. There was also a cat1 c section for a fetal bradycardia... She was one of three women with oligohydraminos. There were 8 women in the 5 beds this afternoon 6 of them in labour!

We are off for dinner with a couple of doctors and the girls are trying to twist my arm to go out dancing so photos to follow!

The photos on here are all of the O&G dept!

Lunch!

Today's morning was quite slow... There was one woman with PP and the others were those that couldn't fit in the ward so I did some reading. Then the girls came up as they wanted to see a delivery but there weren't any so showed them around. Then a couple of new people came in and I did a cannula and then my supervisor invited me out for lunch!

I followed him through the massive hospital through the doctors hostels and then to a car he said get in.... With 5 others!!! So there were 7 of us in the battered 4 seat car going to the restaurant. We arrive and I is soooo posh and everyone is there from the department about 30 doctors!!!! We all had the most delicious lunch ever with tandoori meat and fish and curry etc etc and one of the doctors paid!!! So nice... I went back and stayed with one woman for her delivery. She had an episiotomy so I assisted delivery and suturing and then left at 7.

I took Iesha and Sarah back to the restaurant as it was so nice and it's our penultimate night and then we went to see the lotus temple. I can't believe it's the last day tomorrow!!!!! Flying to Kerala on sat!!!

Another good day!!

Sorry if I bore you this is so I remember for my elective report as well as for you to read so you may not want to read as its a bit repetitive. I had a good day today and worked from 08.30-19.00 and don't have a break as I don't trust the cafe at the hospital!

I did another cannula in the morning, it was actually quite stressful as she started screaming as soon as she saw the cannula. I dropped a sterile part that you screw on and when I asked the doctor to get me a new one was horrified when she told me to pick it up and screw it on! This was followed by 3 deliveries and a c section in the middle. I saw another ruptured ectopic, and many other interesting cases. Out of the deliveries one was forceps and one was ventouse, both for fetal bradycardia The third was a normal. All three had episiotomy for suturing practice. I've gotten used to patients sharing beds and being exposed in front of everyone else. I've also noticed how often the catheterise the women which we don't really do and Of course the extensive use of savlon (dettol) all over the women.

The doctors also made me eat Indian sweets and have chai (tea) with them.

Two more days left and I need to get my forms signed and stamped for Uea to proof that I did the last two weeks! I'm actually starting to wish I could spend another couple of weeks with the team!

We has a nice dinner which came to £2.50 each!

It still upsets me suturing women who in my opinion aren't anaesthetised enough! But I guess I actually does longer doing it so hopefully it will be a good thing. The girls had a nice day shopping and booking facials though I think they needed a break a&e really is mental.

Btw it is Sooooo hot tonight and our a/c is pretty old!!!

Today has been a good day!

Day 7 on the ward and I feel finally accepted. I have felt comfortable to challenge some of there practices in a positive way and they have asked me about how it is in England!

I put four cannulas in on my first attempt... Something I haven't practiced enough! The first with one doctor holding the wrist up in the air, one saying that doctors in England don't do cannulas nurses do and another two watching me and to my prayers it went in first time to the vein! It's good to practice them before having to be so good at them when I qualify! I then did a delivery before another delivery. I let a local med student scrub for this as he had been up and down to the department 10 times trying to see a delivery and I remember how frustrating it was when I was doing the same a few months ago in England!

The doctor did an episiotomy (they have the lowest threshold for doing them and do them on all first time mums unlike the uk! Three other med student who were behaving inappropriately... There's a lot less respect ad dignity for patients! To my horror the doctor who looks after me came in and told me to suture up tw episiotomy which I managed with some guidance!!!!

The rest of the day I helped manage a severe preeclampsia patient, saw a cervical suture put in, and an induction. I also saw my fourth case of twin to twin transfusion syndrome! I'm beginning to understand that AIIMS just deals with much more complex conditions while other women go to the surrounding hospitals.

I know it sounds like in always putting the hospitals down... They do do a lot of hard work with what they have got but there is some major floors.

The girls also have moaned today about some things they saw. First the good stuff they heard a good going murmur, did lots of cannulas and saw a man who had swallowed a bottle d cockroach killer! They however said they saw a disturbing attempt at resuscitation where the doctors were fiddling around with intubation equipment rather doing chest compressions!

Anyway we are off to a cheap ish restaurant though it can't beat the 100 rupes burger and chips we had yesterday (£1.20)!!! I'll try and post a photo of us onto the blog!

Weekend of stress and sightseeing

We had a really good weekend sightseeing as much a we could in one weekend.

We started in Friday having a nice dinner and clubbing in one of delhis premier venues at F bar celebrating our exams at ashock hotel paid for by the lovely (cough) dr kunal!

We started on saturday visiting hamayuns tomb. We got the underground (the symbol of which definitely seems to be ripped from the English underground) and decided to walk in the heat (we walk everywhere pretty much) and discovered how far it was. It was a really beautiful place but decided to get a rickshaw back (hopefully covered by health insurance) to the underground station and went off to red fort which is in the heart of old Delhi. We we met by a little boy trying to go through our pockets but I shouted at him in Hindi and he left me alone then we had the most stressful walk from the station to the fort which was quite nice before walking to the biggest mosque in India. We had dinner near hear before heading back.

Today (Sunday) we had a gruelling 10 hour road trip to and from Agra to see. The taj mahal which is quite beautiful. Back to work next week before heading to Kerala in Saturday!

Oh and I forgot!!! The cheeky Indians charge us 750 rupees for an attraction and Indians 10rupees!!!!!!