When sleep becomes a luxury

A recap of the past busy week

Monday

1.53pm The ease of newham week continued until i received a text from Helen dat said ''Perio seminar at 2pm on the 6th floor''..right away jumped off my cosy bed, dressed, grasped my bag and ran to dental institute...still, i was late for 5 min.

3.30pm - 5pm Perio

Tuesday

10.30am Just when everyone in my grp was happily enjoying a morning off, Mrs B spoiled it by calling all of us back for lab demo.

11.30-1.30pm Lab demo

2pm -5pm Cons. Karn's patient DNA so we decided to sort out our prd6..got the patients' notes and went to fifth floor to ask for signatures b4 handing in the paper

Wednesday

8.15am woke up in a strange dim. Power failure in Floyer

9.20am breakfast at Nucleus b4 heading BLT for lectures

10am-12.30pm Lectures

2pm-5pm first attempt at GA essay..dozed off a few times while reading the boring journals

8pm - 2am second attempt after the first attempt was in vain.

2.30am brain started to crash. Had to call it a night

Thursday

8.30am woke up in panic

9.40am reached Barkantine. 10min late...all bays taken but some patients were booked in at later appointment so had to stick around.

10.30am called patient in

10.30-11.30am Check-up + X-rays+ case presentation. A seemingly straightforward periodontitis turned out to be ANUG (acute necrotising ulcerated gingivitis) and suspected oral malignancy a.k.a oral cancer

11.30 -12.30pm long discussion with tutor and patient on treatment plan

1.20pm Reached whitechapel and suddenly realised my USB was missing. Rushed back to floyer to get a backup copy of OS presentation.

1.30pm arrived in time to do the presentation

2 -4.30pm Did an extraction on a patient who had a prosthetic mitral valve and pacemaker and was on warfarin. The tooth came out intact but bled non-stop so i had to stitch up the wound.I did my FIRST SUTURE ever!! Still, blood continued oozing out.Tense!It took almost one hr to achieve haemostasis..my goodness! patient was happy while the dentist was worn-out but relieved.

4.45pm Cleaned up and saw patient's dentures lying in the corner. ..immediately ran to the pharmacy to return him the dentures.

5- 6.30pm OSCE practice.Hungry and exhausted

8 - 9.30pm tossed and turned on the bed..too tense to sleep

10- 12am completed GA essay at last. starving again but i was too tired to eat so jz went to bed with growling stomach and heavy head

Friday

9am went to library to print out my GA essay then headed Third Floor Clinic for paeds

10am patient DNA but tutor allocated me a random patient booked in by some anonymous dentist.Idiot!

10.15 - 11am history and exam..then suddenly an SHO appeared and said the patient was booked in by her to fit in a new base plate. Therefore she took over the examination and that means i lost a patient...wasted 1 hr on a poor forgotten child patient when i cud have got a morning off...*fuming*

11- 1pm submitted essay + royal mail + bank errands --stupid HSBC can't find my card so they reordered another one which will be sent to a different branch for stupid security reason. Worse still, my old card was blocked half an hr after. So, no spending until the new card arrives...arghhh


Sleep deprivation, exam stress, financial problem, undernourishment, weight loss, messed up biological clock, endless work, loss of concentration, adrenaline surge, forgetfulness....all add up to a grumpy worthless zombie who needs only a bed and silence.

Where are my series nights?Where are my sleep-in days?Where are all the times of idleness and reverie?

too busy to relax? too busy to enjoy a cup of coffee? too busy to stop and admire the beauty of small things around me?

I want my sweet times back!

*sob*

No goodbyes

''The true sadness is not in the pain of the parting; it is in the when and the how you are to meet again with the face about to vanish from your view''

For the second time of my life, i've felt the dearest-friends-must-part pain.

When my best friend n i had to go our separate ways we promised each other we wud keep in touch wherever we went and our friendship would stand the test of time . It hurt but we were optimistic that the parting was gonna be a short-lived one.

Now, another close friend of mine is leaving soon. But, this time i 'm not so certain if we'll see each other again as it seems to me our futures will be like two diverging lines, going further n further apart. God knows when we shall meet again. It's tearing me apart.

For what's worth, this parting is not the death of our friendship. Maybe our paths wont cross in the future. Maybe our friendship will change somewhat over time. Maybe we will think of each other a little less with each passing day.Who knows?
But one thing for sure is that i will never ever forget her.

So long, my dear, dear friend!

*hugs*

1 second is all it takes

I only realised today that many things in life can happen in one second

It only takes one second to say hi or goodbye, fall in love or hate a person, score a goal or miss a goal, crash or prevent a crash, lose a life or save a life......

24 hrs in a day, minus 8 hrs of sleep, 3hrs for shower,meals etc = 13 hrs left
Converting 13 hrs into second, we have 46800 seconds in a day
If one second is all it takes, why do we always complain we dun have enough time?
It is terrifying how many seconds i have wasted over the past 23 yrs
I guess i just have to stop following the think-twice rule sometimes and start taking action b4 i lose another second of my life

Free ear piercing at Claire's when u buy the ear care solution and earrings. It was funny when i had to sign my very first consent form which i always give to my patients as a routine b4 extraction

an impulsive one-second decision prompted by Allishia, the fashion icon of my group. Gosh, i wonder why i have been taking years to make up my mind!!

Expectations (high vs low)

Never have unrealistic high expectations for anything coz nothing is ever as good as you imagine it.
Having said that, you should try to be optimistic but, cautiously.
That way you wont be too let down when reality sets in
But, if it turns out to be great then you can be happily surprised

This week is actually an A&E week at Newham for my group.
I was told that it's very relaxing. In fact, we can even earn one week holiday if we collect signatures from all 4 departments in one day. Imagine we just need to stay there for one day or perhaps, half a day, get signed off and then save the hassle of going in for the rest of the week. Sounds nice, doesn't it?

I was skeptical about that idea somehow. Getting all the signatures in one day is not entirely impossible. It's just a matter of having the guts to ask for them. I heard some doctors wont sign without getting you do anything while some will put down the date n time so that you cant escape the following shifts.

However, it turns out that i got 3 out of 4 signed off b4 lunchtime..woohoo!!
i hav to attribute this to my groupmates, bryar and amrita, for their perseverance in asking for signatures. I doubt dat i'd have the same courage if i were by myself.

Although i have to go back there on Friday morning to hand in my report and get the last slot signed, i should count myself lucky. After all, it's already better than i expected.

In this world, nothing is for certain.
Therefore, it's better to prepare for the worst but try your best anyway than to have high expectations and be disappointed later.

Music Therapy

10th Nov
marks the outbreak of the battle of exam
notes upon notes
words upon words
pile on the pressure as the time flies by
the euphoric effect of coffee can merely linger for as long as the coffee lasts
aromatherapy and herbal therapy are no longer effective
so the only stress killer left thus far
is ........ MUSIC

catchy, acoustic, well-crafted, clean rock

full of cheer and spunk, easy to relate to lyrics

jazzy piano pop melodies

soulful blues with world-weary voice

Run Baby Run!

Someone must have casted a hunger spell on me today

This morning my group had orthodontic seminar on the third floor clinic
It all went well until the last 15 min

**Growl**

My grumbling stomach broke the silence
Everyone roared with laughter

"Yin missed her breakfast'' Mo giggled

NOoo...i didnt!!! i wanted to shout it out but was too embarrassed to defend my crabby stomach

In fact, i had yogurt, soya milk and muesli for breakfast. I even brought a large coffee to seminar...
How come i was still hungry??

After the seminar i headed back to my room n gobbled up half a box of the cereals. Normally i just have coffee for lunch but today....no idea

Later in the afternoon i went to the library for revision.
the morning incident was still fresh in my memory so i grabbed two bananas b4 i left

Library was crowded but quiet..everyone was busy swotting

After one hour, i started feeling hungry
This time i was more prepared, ate my bananas and carried on my work
Then, another hour passed
my stomach felt empty again
but i just ate one hr ago
i thought ...maybe it was psychological..or maybe it was my body's negative feedback to books..or maybe....

**Growwwllllll**

Arghhh...I din dare to look around me
Like greased lightning, i packed up all my stuff and fled b4 i embarrassed myself the second time

When was the last time i was this ravenous??

Honestly, i can't remember

The only way up is down

If the only way to learn is to fall
why should i fear falling?
it is painful but i'll get numb with it
i have been watching my step every time i walk just not to lose my footing
that's why i never learn

But
today i stumbled.....hard
i hurt but i learnt
i shan't blame luck for betraying me
coz only an idiot would count on luck
And
i shall rise above
next time when i trip i shall stand up quicker than now

4.4mg/kg

i shall be perished if i ever let you slip my mind again

Antisleeping pills

i need them
my bedtime has always been 1 or 2am
but
since i started revision i have been sleeping much earlier than usual
i even dozed off on the chair while reading the notes on the laptop screen

now when i read the first line i start yawning
it's getting more serioussss
worried + stressed
i've heard of sleeping pill but right now i need the opposite of that

*sob*

Pandora's box

a myth
i always think of when i see evil in men

i was brought up to believe all men r born kind
but i see otherwise as i grow up
who's to blame?
Pandora's box
for releasing all the evils of mankind

i wonder what life is like inside the box
full of hopes?free of all evils?

if the box had never been unlocked
the hope imprisoned inside had never been unleashed
why would we still pray for miracles?

maybe life is not hopeless
but we are just pathetically hopelessly humans

Tag Tag Tag!

first time i hav been tagged by someone or maybe i shud say this is the first time i've realised i hav been tagged by someone as i dun check up on others' blogs as regular as some people *blekkk*

anyway, the follwings are helen's tag

1. 7 facts about me
i am picky esp when it comes to food
i love shopping
i am a coffee addict
i am a slow eater..actually i drink slow too
i tend to procrastinate my work
i am on low salt, low fat and low sugar diet
i like to keep a low profile


2. 7 things that scares me
cockroaches
weirdos/ psychos/maniacs
pain
failures
getting fat
loss of control
death

3. 7 songs that i like now
Out of this club
You make it real
Best of me
The man who can't be moved
So what
Keeps getting better
2 in the morning

4. 7 things i always say
okay
shit!
one grande caramel latte, please
it's so hot
fattening
i'm so tired
i need my coffee


5. 7 things of value to me
life
family
friendship
internet
money
health
music


6. 7 first-times in life (that is important)
1st time confessed a secret crush
1st time betrayed
1st time failed in exam
1st time traveled alone
1st time stayed away from home
1st time got a job
1st time seen leehom up close

7. 7 people i want to tag (precious choice for ppl who blogs actively!)
shee
jason
lene
yilun
ashie bee
noreen
pei lian

S.T.U.C.K

coz i am
..too weak to run away
..too tired to hide
..too scared to stand up n fight

Bleak!

gimme green light

ready?..goooooo!!!!

woohooooo

We are only humans

Many times in lectures we heard it's very important to build rapport with patient to gain patient's trust, to eliminate fear of dentistry, to ensure effective dental care delivery, to increase patient's compliance, to avoid malpractice suits bla bla bla..

But there is one thing the lecturer forgot to mention -- good rapport with patient can be irritating.

At least, my personal experience tells me that it's better having less rapport sometimes and just getting down to what is supposed to be done rather than being too friendly or chatty and spending 3 hrs on a simple treatment which can be finished in 1 hr or less.

Worse still, patient specially requests you to treat him/her when you are not even supposed to treat or patient calls you up 6 in the morning just to cancel the appointment.

Perhaps, it's satisfying if the patients confide in you n your skills.

Still, it'd be nice if they cud excuse our indolence at times.

After all, we r only humans.

We have emotions, problems, moods etc. We stumble. We make mistakes.

So please,

forgive us if we dun perform at the top of our form
forgive us if we look like we can't be bothered to talk
forgive us if we are jaded
forgive us if we traumatise you
forgive us if we act like we dun care.

A practice for paper Aii

Low Back Pain

Definition

A pain or ache somewhere between the bottom of the ribs, at the back, and the top of the legs and is not due to any underlying disease that can be found.

Epidemiology

About 3 in 4 people have one or more bouts of low back pain. In the UK, it is the largest cause of work-related absence. Back pain can affect anyone, regardless of age, but it is more common in people who are between 35-55 years of age.

Symptoms

The pain often begins suddenly, and may follow an obvious strain or injury, but may seem to come on "out of the blue", or come on slowly. Sometimes a pain may develop immediately after you lift something heavy, or after an awkward twisting movement. Sometimes you can just wake up with low back pain. The pain may be worse on bending and is often worse sitting, especially in an easy chair. Sometimes turning over in bed and sitting up are agonising. Coughing or sneezing can often make the pain much worse. The muscles of the back may go into painful spasm.

Causes

• pregnancy,
• gynaecological problems in women, such as pelvic inflammatory disease,
• different types of arthritis, such as osteoarthritis,
• stress related tension,
• viral infections,
• bone disorders,
• osteoporosis (weak and brittle bones),
• a trip, or fall,
• a trauma, or injury, such as a fracture,
• lack of exercise,
• sleep disorders
• bladder and kidney infections
• obesity
  

Investigation

radiograph (unhelpful most of the time) , blood test to rule out the rarer cause of low back pain, CT / MRI if the pain is continuing for more than 6 weeks

Management

Most bouts of simple low back pain improve quickly, usually within a week or so. However, once the pain has gone it is common to have further bouts of pain (recurrences) from time to time in the future. Also, it is common to have minor pains 'on and off' for quite some time after an initial bad bout of pain.

Exercise and keep going

Continue with normal activities as far as possible. This may not be possible at first if the pain is very bad. However, move around as soon as possible, and get back into normal activities as soon as you are able. As a rule, don't do anything that causes a lot of pain. However, you will have to accept some discomfort when you are trying to keep active. Setting a new goal each day may be a good idea. For example, walking around the house on one day, a walk to the shops the next, etc.

Medication

painkillers like paracetamol, ibuprofen
muscle relaxant like diazepam is sometimes prescribed if the pain gets worse

Dental aspect

May be agonising getting on and off the chair
Patient may fail to turn up due to severe back pain and limited mobility


Don't panic, this is totally out of HHD syllabus , just in case you were wondering. The reason i post this entry is just to let you know more about low back pain, which is happening to me right now..sighhhhhhh
So, plz dun ask me what i did or how it happened next time i complain about low back pain. I really have no idea. As the symptoms say, the pain can come about out of the blue and sometimes you can just wake up with low back pain. Damn!!

Confessions of a coffee addict

I guess i must have freaked my gal friends out tonite.

''a nice dinner ended by a mad hunt around central for coffee" that's how a friend summed the nite up.

i'm sorry that i let coffee take a toll on me.

i'm sorry that i made the gals scoot like hell just for a cup of coffee.

i'm sorry that i put an awful stop to a supposedly fun night.

promise this wont happen again

*bow*


P/S Happy birthday to the Sept babies, Ash and Yilun