my adventures down under...

2011-02-02T00:34:00.001+10:00

Looking to streamline my thoughts.
Trading in posts for tweets... Indefinitely.
You can follow me @44darts

Survived day 1.

2011-01-27T21:13:00.002+10:00

Today was officially my first day as a doctor.
All in all, it went fine. Had a good mix of patients and the nursing staff were really helpful and supportive.

It was pretty busy. Wait times were pretty long. I don't think it was necessarily due to a lack of doctors but rather a lack of proper infrastructure. There were times when I'd be free to see a patient but no place to see them.

Case of the day was a young bloke that came in with right sided testicular pain that had started on Monday. Long story short his scrotum was the size of a tennis ball and just as hard too. An ultrasound showed no blood flow which is suggestive of a necrotic testis. I made a referral to the surgical team for testicular torsion with suspected necrosis, who then took him to theatre quite quickly. Unfortunately the outlook wasn't looking too good for this kid. I'll chase up what happened when I get back tomorrow but chances are high that he's probably lost his testicle. Poor guy.

all grown up.

2011-01-17T21:24:00.003+10:00

today was my first day at work.

there have been some major changes since i last blogged about my upcoming intern year.
hanna and i did not move to bendigo, victoria.
back in november, we got a call from caboolture hospital offering an intern position for myself and a RMO position for hanna. caboolture is about a 60 min drive north of brisbane.

at first we were a little disappointed about the fact that hanna had to give up her spot at PA hospital (which is a much bigger and more specialized hospital) but in the end we're just grateful that we're able to be together.

we toyed with the idea of commuting to caboolture on a daily basis but decided that with our long and irregular hours at the hospital we'd be better off moving somewhere closer.
so this saturday, we move yet again. sure moving is a pain in the butt, but the upside is that our new place is bigger and costs 2/3s the rent we currently pay. so we're happy.

my rotations are as follows: 10 weeks emergency, 12 weeks O&G, 10 weeks psych, 10 weeks gen med and 10 weeks gen surg.

i'm actually pretty excited about starting work. and it's not just about finally making some money. :)

and guess what?? hanna also has 10 weeks of emergency to start!

spared.

2011-01-14T21:16:00.000+10:00

i'm sure you've heard about the recent floods in queensland.
thank you for your concern. hanna and i are well. we are very grateful that the flood waters did not reach our suburb.

don't know if you've seen some of the pictures and videos on-line but they were just spectacular.

if you're wanting to help, the premier's flood relief appeal is still taking donations.

Off to a good start.

2011-01-03T10:41:00.003+10:00

I rarely play the lottery.
but on the 31st with the jackpot at $31 million, hanna woke up and said we should get a ticket. so while picking up some groceries, i picked up a quickpick ticket.

and guess what? we got 4 out of the 6 numbers!

for a grand winning of $47.05!!!

putting in the legwork.

2011-01-01T16:45:00.005+10:00

it's 2011!
happy new year everyone.

our 10 year old car hit 237,000 km yesterday.

and i thought... wow, this car has really paid its dues.

i think that's what 2011 is going to be like for me.
2010 was fantastic. between the engagement, wedding and graduation, 2010 was such a high.
it's not that i'm not looking forward to 2011. i'm gunning to start working and start being a REAL doctor not a fake one, even if i'm still a 'doctor-in-training'.
i just know that it's going to be a challenging year. long hours, heavy case loads, tough patients and potentially tougher consultants. more responsibility, more accountability, higher expectations.

i'm looking forward to it though. and of course, the silver lining in it all is that i start getting PAID!!! woohoo!
bring it!

i've missed you old friend...

2010-12-30T08:38:00.005+10:00

our new tv was delivered yesterday.

what i love most about it isn't it's size, nor it's fuzz-less picture quality...
it's the fact that i can now watch NBA basketball!

last night i watched the bulls beat up on the bucks.

go away rain.

2010-12-28T07:16:00.000+10:00

God, if you're reading this, I'd like some sunshine now please.
Thanks.

keeping up with the times.

2010-12-27T19:03:00.001+10:00

we didn't plan on buying much this boxing day...
however, we did need a new vacuum and so went to 'the good guys' - which is an appliance & electronics store in australia.

but as things usually happen on boxing day... by the time we walked out of the store, we had spent an extra grand or so and were the new owners of a 50 inch samsung plasma tv. >.<

it's probably about time we upgraded our tv though. our current tv must be close to 20 years, 28 inches at most, and the back sticks out like j.lo's butt...

thank you FOX tv.

2010-12-24T12:14:00.000+10:00

(this will probably send me straight to the dog house but...)

was at the gym this morning.

the victoria secret christmas/fashion show (whatever it's called) was on tv.

i don't think i've ever grinned so much while running on the treadmill.

australian content.

2010-12-22T17:11:00.001+10:00

there's an aussie movie called "animal kingdom".

it's a little slow but a good movie. i'd give it a solid B+. i know it hasn't had much press & fanfare over in north america but critics here are all over it.

worth a watch if you can get your hands on it.

also stars guy pearce, who you may remember from 'traitor' or better yet 'momento'.

dear santa...

2010-12-18T15:03:00.003+10:00

this holiday season, i am grateful. i hope you are too.
:)

babymaker.

2010-12-12T17:14:00.006+10:00

went away for the weekend to celebrate my graduation.
as a wedding gift, some friends had given us a voucher to for a night's stay at Q1 resort & spa - inclusive of chocolate covered strawberries...

a massage for 2 and q-deck tickets.
THANKS guys!
(they jokingly called the gift "babymaker" and the name just sort of stuck).

the 1 bedroom condo was sweet as!

and the view was amazing...

although the weather was uncooperative we still had a great time.
we had initially planned on going out to a fancy restaurant but instead ended up ordering pizza and watching 'back to the future' on tv. pulled out all the stops and ordered garlic bread with cheeze AND chicken fingers. WHOA... no expenses spared...

went up to Qdeck to check out the view.

for a little background information... Q1 is a very tall building in surfers paradise. as a matter of fact, it is currently the tallest residential building in the world. i say currently because there are two residential buildings that are under construction in dubai that are expected to overtake the Q1 when completed.

facing north...

facing south...

after some fish & chips for lunch, we dropped by max brenners on the way home. mmm... chocolate...

*****
as an aside, went out for a family dinner on friday night.
in the middle of the meal, completely out of nowhere, my 8 year old nephew turns to me and asks: when's aunt hanna going to have a baby?
to which i reply: i don't know. when do you think should she have a baby?
nephew: mm.... maybe next year.
me: ok. i'll tell her that.

afterwards i got home and opened the card and gift they had got me. in the card my nephew had wrote:

i'm not sure if he thinks hanna LOOKS pregnant (she doesn't), or if he thinks since we're married we should be having kids, or he just wants a baby to play with... whatever it is, it's really cute.

finale.

2010-12-10T21:19:00.007+10:00

today i finally graduated.
needless to say, words cannot describe the joy and happiness that came with the ceremony.

just walked off the stage. why the heck i am so dark???

at quick glance, i can't believe how quickly 4 years have gone by.
but when i start to think about each year, each semester, each holiday... i did manage to fit a lot in.

not to take away from all the things my wife and mum-in-law have done but it sure would've been great to have my family at the graduation. i'm not talking about just my immediate family but all my extended family... like undergrad convocation back in 2006.

now for some pictures...

with matt and his girlfriend grace.

ben! ben was my roommate at the beginning of this year.

with alex and june. these two got married exactly 2 weeks before we did.

always a poser. :)

it was an absolute scorcher of a day.

yes. it's all sweat.

in case you're wondering why we're all wearing gold ties... well firstly it's saffron. :p secondly, it is a UQ tradition that medical graduates where a saffron tie (boys) or a saffron scarf (girls).

quick moment to thank everyone for their support and concern over the years.
thank you to everyone that has sent cards or gifts. you really didn't have to... i am blessed to have you in my life.

despite the title of this post, i know this isn't the end. just the end of a chapter (i sorry for the massive cliche). i'm sure january 17th will bring it's own stack of problems and stresses - and of course, the learning never stops.

2010-12-06T09:34:00.000+10:00

although he just couldn't pull off a victory, it was good to see tiger in red again.

2 piece.

2010-12-05T16:37:00.001+10:00

why are women's togs (swim suits) so expensive??
they're like twice the price of men's trunks and that's just for the top!

kid at the park.

2010-12-04T21:43:00.002+10:00

went to a water park with some friends today.

can't remember the last time i went to a theme park.
probably back in 2005/2006... road trip down the east coast... went to universal orlando.

it rained all day.
but we still had a great time. the rain kept the large crowds away so we managed to ride all the rides and some even more than once.
there's this one particular ride called the 'aqua-loop'. the slide itself is nothing fantastic. a short free fall then a slanted loop. all over in less than 10 seconds. but the start! wowzers!
so the rider starts out in this capsule of sorts. standing. they tell you to cross your legs and arms, they close the lid... then all you hear is 3... 2... 1...
and the floor on which your standing gives way. you go into a vertical free fall.
hands down the best water slide i've been on.

Mr. --> Dr.

2010-12-03T16:29:00.001+10:00

i passed my final exam!
:D

dexter: season 4.

2010-12-02T13:58:00.000+10:00

thumbs up!

defriend.

2010-12-01T13:28:00.000+10:00

nothing better to do...
just dropped 10 people off my facebook.
let's be honest. 750+ 'friends' is ridiculous. i'd be lying to say that i've had some sort of communication with 100 of these 'friends' in a year.

might unload another 10 tomorrow.
burger king if you're reading this, i'd like my whopper now. hold the onions.

time to retire...

2010-11-29T17:42:00.004+10:00

my student card.

wrote my final medical school exam on sunday afternoon.
and in 2 weeks time i'll finally be able to add those extra 2 letters in front of my name.

it's been an incredible 4 years to say the least.
although i'll miss the discounted bus fare and the cheap movie tickets, i'm glad i'm moving onto the next chapter of my life.

after the exam, i ducked out of the boozing and let hanna take me out to a very nice japanese restaurant... probably one of the nicest japanese restaurants i've ever been to.

so what now?
well, i've got about 7 weeks until intern life starts.
don't have much on the docket but am planning to chill out, work on my golf game and get ready for the move up to caboolture.

old people.

2010-11-12T23:41:00.002+10:00

the anesthetist i was working with the other day joked that we as a general population were living too long. 'we're mammals. we're meant to reproduce then die' he joked. of course i can think of a few more things that are worthwhile to do before dying besides just popping out a bunch of mini-mes.

but this got me thinking...

...i heard on the radio the other morning that currently for every person over the age of 65, there are 5 people who are of working age and are paying taxes.
by the year 2050, experts predict that for every person over the age of 65, there will only be 2.7 people who are working full-time and paying taxes.

why is this important?
well it's important not only because we'll be the one's having to pick up the slack with respect to the taxes in the years to come.
but also, by 2050, WE will be the cohort that's over 65!

there was an article in the G&M recently.
the canadian social security system is (surprise surprise) based on the american system. when the americans first set this up back in 1935, the average life expectancy was around 61.7. so basically what that meant was that more often than not, people died before actually becoming a drain on the system. the life expectancy in canada is now 81 (apparently). so basically what you've got is a system designed for 40 to 45 years of work & taxes and 15-20 years of funded retirement.
this particular article argues that our 'target retirement age' should be moved from 65 to 75 gradually, over a period of 60 years or so. at which point, the 'target retirement age' would have to be moved again.

interesting stuff no?

kev jumba on amazing race.

2010-11-11T22:42:00.002+10:00

the amazing race is on season 17 already??? how is that possible? it's only been on for like 10 years!
and what??? kevjumba is a contestant?!?!?!
well, i guess WAS a contestant, cause he got eliminated in today's episode...

i remember back in the day when amazing race first came out... like in 2001. it was SO good. and i remember thinking, one day i'm wanna go and win the million dollars with my brother.

waddaya say patty boy. amazing race 18?

EDIT: !!! oh! apparently there is an amazing race australia edition that they're just about to start up!

Can't simulate real life...

2010-11-03T11:58:00.002+10:00

Did CPR on a real person for the first time today.
Unfortunately it didn't end very well...

ICU.

2010-10-27T20:24:00.003+10:00

my last block of med school is 4 weeks of critical care which is comprised of 1 week of ICU, 1 week of ED and 2 weeks of anaesthetics.

3 days into my ICU rotation and i wish i had more.
the teaching is fantastic and the medicine is incredibly interesting and challenging.
the doctors are just so f-ing cool. there is no other way to describe them.
they are loud and can seem cocky at times but boy can they sure back it up. i don't think i've ever felt this way about a specialty before. sure there have been specialties i thought were challenging and deserving of respect, but ICU is on a whole different level.

i think physicians' training (which is the pathway required for internal med or ICU) is back on top of my list.

an unexpected visitor...

2010-10-25T19:44:00.002+10:00

this little guy decided to drop by during dinner tonight.
:s
at least you know the bag of mixed greens was FRESH!

happy FIRST birthday ethan!

2010-10-24T17:21:00.004+10:00

it was the second one of these we'd been to in the last 2 months or so.
everyone's growing up so quickly...

what a cutie...

no way!

2010-10-13T16:22:00.004+10:00

saw this on the plane ride back from bendigo last night. but the version i saw had michael schumacher as the stunt driver.

this has to be fake. right???

then again, if top gear was able to do it in a renault twingo...

rain.

2010-10-11T13:57:00.003+10:00

we've been getting a LOT of rain in the last few days here in brisbane.

the only word that comes to mind is: copious.

edit: this is what it normally looks like...

weak crowd.

2010-10-09T22:03:00.003+10:00

went to go see 'the other guys'.
it was alright. things seemed a bit forced at times, but it had it's moments.

unfortunately i don't think the aussie crowd really understood some of the jokes.
case in point:

'you shot derek jeter!'
"he's a bi-racial angel!"
'you should have shot a-rod instead!'
GOLD!

and also... there were a handful of references to the might-as-well-be-defunct pop group TLC.
i swear i was the only person laughing in the entire theatre. aww... brings back memories of elementary / high school.
remember this...???

some good reads.

2010-10-08T09:25:00.003+10:00

have been hooked on the new yorker lately.
(love the random cartoons inserted into the body of the essays. like this one...

completely random, and has absolutely nothing to do with the essay.)

gotta say that i wasn't a huge fan of his book 'complications' but i've been enjoying atul gawande's essays on health, medicine, life & death...

'letting go' looks at when it's time to say enough is enough. but how it's never that simple.

and this one is a bit of an oldie but still good. 'the checklist' underlines some really simple measures to increase survival and decrease complications in ICU.

and lastly, a friend of mine recently posted an piece in ChristianWeek about working for InSite - a 'supervised injection site for IV drug users' in Vancouver, and why she does it.

flippin' the bird.

2010-10-07T09:56:00.003+10:00

there have been national headlines from the commonwealth games in new delhi about aussie athletes behaving badly. first it was aussie wrestler Hassene Fkiri and yesterday Shane Perkins, a cyclist, gave judges a double highway salute after they disqualified him for "dangerous riding".

did you know...
(i heard this on the radio)
that the origins of sticking up the middle finger date back to ancient roman civilization?
apparently, during times of war, when an archer was captured by the enemy, they would cut off the middle fingers so that they wouldn't be able to shoot arrows anymore.
eventually, before a battle, archers would wave their middle fingers in the air in the direction of the opposing army as if to say: 'come and get it!'

classy.

bendigo, victoria.

2010-09-25T08:50:00.005+10:00

i will reserve my opinions on the ineptitudes and redundancies in the queensland health intern recruitment process - and the australian for that matter, for another day.

today, some good news.

i was offered a position in bendigo, victoria.
bendigo is about a 90 minute drive north of melbourne. it has a population of around 90,000. for all you canucks, it would be something comparable to say pickering or ajax.

of course this now brings up some tough decisions that need to be made...
what do we do now? as a family...?
do we try the long-d thing for a year?
do we all move down to bendigo? (they are willing to offer hanna a PGY2 position)
and what about hanna's mom? do we take her with? leave her here?

i think the intern experience at bendigo itself will be a fantastic one.
i was worried that it'd be too small and too rural but i don't think that'll be the case.
it takes 28 first year interns, 18 full time and 10 on a rotating basis from some of the metropolitan hospitals in melbourne. those numbers are comparable to some of the smaller centres here in queensland like: caboolture (13 interns), ipswich (20), mackay (24), mater (25), redcliffe (22), rockhampton (22), prince charles (15), toowoomba (25).
it sounds as though it's more than big enough to provide the proper medical education and training while being small enough such that i'm able to get more hands-on experience.

at this point we are grateful.
i haven't signed anything yet, and if a hospital in brisbane was to call next week, i'd be hard pressed not to at least consider.
i don't know where we'll be next year but i have no worries that we will be looked after. i trust that God will look after us. one of my favourite bible verses and one that i find myself reading more often lately is: matthew 6:25-27
25 therefore i tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
26 look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. are you not much more valuable than they?
27 who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

again, thank you for your prayers, thank you for your concern. will let you know if anything else comes up.
:)

TV catch-up.

2010-09-24T10:20:00.002+10:00

polished off season 6 of house over the hols. i know i'm a season behind but actually watching tv shows ON tv is really annoying and a massive waste of time with all those commercials.

i'm proud to say that i did not illegally download or stream any of these episodes either.

i legitimately paid $2-2.50/video and rented them from the video store. less than $15 for the whole season and i can sleep completely guilt free. :)

i didn't know that david shore (the creator) was canadian.
i didn't realize until i noticed all the jabs at canada and decided to look it up.
nice.

des... des... despicable!

2010-09-18T20:14:00.003+10:00

despicable me is a really cute movie.

hanna says i have one of these built-in.

so close!

2010-09-17T20:11:00.000+10:00

i've got one more, ONE MORE rotation to go!
for now, a week off. :)
i promised the wife i'd do her taxes. i regretted those words the instant they came out of my mouth. >.<

still nothing.

2010-09-13T15:03:00.002+10:00

i haven't posted anything in awhile because i didn't want to have to address the elephant in the room.
this is getting ridiculous.
i still don't have an intern position lined up for next year.
*sigh*

for your viewing pleasure.

2010-08-21T10:53:00.002+10:00

wedding photos are finally up!

Does the totem keep spinning?

2010-08-17T06:53:00.002+10:00

If you have not seen inception you need to go and see it.
It is hands down the best movie I have seen in quite a while.
Two big thumbs up!

축하 메세지

2010-08-16T21:47:00.001+10:00

this is a little video made by our church friends wishing us well on our wedding.
i'm told that they had intended on playing it during the reception but had run into some audio problems.
:)

fridge work.

2010-08-15T21:31:00.000+10:00

:)
my niece and her friend gave this to us at church today.

Friday the 13th.

2010-08-13T20:27:00.003+10:00

i guess the upside is that it's like a fresh new start.

the downside is that my hard drive died.
bye bye pics. bye bye music. bye bye a bunch of stuff that i can't even remember right now.

:(

back to reality...

2010-07-30T16:34:00.004+10:00

can't believe july is over.
seems like just yesterday all my family was flying in...
just yesterday we were having our final fittings...
just yesterday we were stressing about the little details...

we had a great time in cairns.
the weather was a little uncooperative at first but we still had a lot of fun. we napped, caught a movie, went to the spa, contributed to the local economy via the casino... :)

and we completely pigged out on food.
without any worries about tuxes or wedding dresses, we really splurged and ate everything we wanted. oysters, mud crabs, steak... and of course, ice cream.

we didn't want to come back. and our mini honeymoon really did seem too short.

but when we came home, there was a stack of cards and a mountain of gifts that we hadn't opened.
what a great way to transition back to reality.

thank you to EVERYONE for all your gifts.
your thoughtful words and generosity was... palpable.
of course we loved every single picture frame, every single cup/mug set, every cute little figurine, and every dollar that we received but if i'm allowed to have favourites...

runner up: one of our favorite couples got us matching bathrobes with our names engraved! how cute!!

but the grand prize goes to my second family here in australia. the boys and girls from sisley... the canasians... without you i don't think i would've adjusted to australia so well. without you, i'm sure there would've been a lot more days where i felt homesick. i love you guys.

awesome collage...

& the babymaker. :) Q1 resort and spa certificate. i won't let you guys down!!!

thank you...

2010-07-27T10:42:00.004+10:00

a quick thank you to everyone for all the warm wishes and kind words. Our wedding was exactly what we had hoped for thanks to you all.

We're having a great time here in cairns. We've had some rain on the first 2 days but that just gave us a reason to roll around in bed.
The weather has finally cleared and we're just about to head out for a helicopter ride to the reef!!!

We noticed that our photographer has put up a few of our wedding pictures on her blog (http://yoorirose-wedding.blogspot.com/)
Check it out!

Love you all.

Albert & Hanna

pre-wedding photos.

2010-07-11T20:46:00.003+10:00

we had some photos done last thursday.

:)
feel free to swing by facebook for a few more.

church retreat.

2010-07-10T23:53:00.000+10:00

just got back from a retreat to mt tamborine with our church's high school students.
had a great time.
it was a tad cold and the views weren't as great as i had expected but the drive up and down the mountain was spectacular.

it was great to hang out with young kids. little boys and girls with so much potential. their whole lives ahead of them. i know i'm only in my mid-20s but these kids were SO CUTE! and their desire to grow as Christians - it's just lovable!

the youngest of the bunch were 13 turning 14. born in 1996. 1996!
let's do a little flashback. i was already 11 turning 12, swimming had ruled my life.
alanis morissette's song 'ironic' won 2 grammys.
donovan bailey was the pride of canada as he set a new 100m world record at the summer olympics in atlanta.
bill clinton won his first term in office - his relationship with monica was hot and steamy but still 'off the record'.
OJ was finally on trial after trying to outrun the police in his white ford bronco.

ah... the good ol' days.

me & the kids. can you find me?

new PM of australia.

2010-06-24T10:04:00.003+10:00

Tilda Swinton is the first female PM of australia.
correction, Julia Gillard is the first female PM of australia. you gotta admit that they do look alike though.

livelihood at stake.

2010-06-23T11:56:00.003+10:00

queensland intern applications for 2011 closed yesterday night. as a priority 4 applicant - meaning i am not a queensland or australian resident, i will get another chance to tinker with my preferences. but as of right now, this is what all the students have preferenced:

doesn't look all that great. here's hoping that a large chunk of the P1s head interstate.

what a drag.

2010-06-22T23:52:00.000+10:00

after 4 weeks of just me and my preceptor, it sucks to be back at the very bottom of the totem pole again.

i started my 4 week paediatric surgery elective yesterday.
on my "team" there's an intern, 2 registrars and a consultant. spent the whole of yesterday being a fly on the wall in clinic. hopefully things will get better, especially as we get into some surgeries.

making the transition.

2010-06-21T15:00:00.002+10:00

i got a queensland driver's license today.
pretty straight forward. no fuss, no muss. they gave me an open driver's license and a learner's license for my uncompleted motorcycle license.

i look pretty orange in my photo.

the kicker though? the card is a laminate. seriously!

they DO exist!

2010-06-18T14:27:00.001+10:00

do you remember the episode of scrubs where elliot gets caught in her bra and panties because she has to put her clothes into the scrub machine in order to get fresh scrubs?

when i first saw that, i thought... what is that machine???

here in brisbane, scrubs are kept in the staff changing rooms heading into the ORs on a big trolley. so naturally a machine that dispenses fresh clean scrubs after you've placed dirty ones into another machine - is cool. at the very least, different.

so at st mike's...
you swipe your card and put your old dirty scrubs into this machine:

you then turn around and swipe your card into another machine:

which will dispense you fresh clean scrubs!

i was impressed.

BP Oil Spill

2010-06-16T22:00:00.003+10:00

I can't believe how long it's taking BP to clean up their mess.
found this through a friend's buzz post... thought it was funny.

tough choice.

2010-06-10T11:18:00.005+10:00

had a couple present in High Risk Clinic today.
female in mid-to-late 30s, the man older. both very smart - university educated. was having difficulty getting pregnant so had gone through trials of IVF - specifically ICSI intracytoplasmic sperm injection. 2 fertilized eggs were introduced at 48 hours.

through the IVF clinic, they have had several ultrasounds done to see if the embryos had implanted.
on their last ultrasound they had found what looked like one viable fetus and a molar pregnancy. today's beta-HCG came back at 440,000+. and that's how they found themselves sitting in our clinic chairs.

so essentially at this point, she's 14 weeks pregnant with one viable pregnancy and a complete hydatidiform mole.

for some background information... a case like this where there is a complete molar pregnancy with a co-existing viable twin - is quite rare, anywhere from 1 in 20,000 to 1 in 100,000. complete molar pregnancies are bad. if it wasn't for this co-existing viable twin, you would intervene as soon as possible. the greatest fear is that they will progress into choriocarcinoma. if she was to continue the pregnancy there are a multitude of other RISKS including: pre-eclampsia, seizures, stroke, PE, severe hemorrhage...

so what do you do?
do you give up this viable baby that you've invested so much time, effort, emotion, money...?
or do you take your chances?

nothin' on you.

2010-05-31T11:06:00.004+10:00

yes, i'm in toronto!
it's good to be home, but something is missing.
this song seems to be on the radio constantly.

the lyrics go something like this:
beautiful girls all over the world
i could be chasing but my time would be wasted
they got nothin' on you baby
nothin' on you baby
they might say hi and i might say hey
but you shouldn't worry about what they say
cause they got nothin' on you baby
nothin' on you baby
!!!

one day...

2010-05-14T21:54:00.003+10:00

some people want to climb mt everest.
others want to complete an ironman race.
but me, i want to do something like this one day. maybe not in one go, it could even be over several years.
i don't know why, it's not like i LOVE baseball. sure i enjoy it and sure i LIKE it but i definitely don't "eat, live and breathe baseball". nonetheless, for reasons beyond simple explanation, i want to. maybe one day.

Cards...

2010-05-03T11:26:00.000+10:00

Was doing some spring cleaning and somehow found myself reading through a bunch of old cards that I've accumulated over the past 3 years or so.

Out of roughly 42 cards, a whopping 11 of them were sent by my cousin Stella. Including this rather scary looking pirate card...

However the pimpest card goes to Clara. Not for the card itself but for the envelope:

that's a personalized wax-seal. see the "C"? That's hardcore.

What a great video...

2010-05-02T23:01:00.003+10:00

And such a catchy tune too!

Anti-smoking campaign from New South Wales, 2008.
*Graphic video. May be offensive to some.

cat scratch fever anyone?

2010-04-29T22:27:00.006+10:00

so after a long day of packing (hanna is moving house), i came home just after 9.
as i got out of the car there was a little tabby cat. at first i didn't think much of it and tried to shoo it away but it wouldn't leave. it was clear that it was friendly and domesticated. it stood about a foot away from me and purred and meowed. not wanting to anger or scare the cat i went around it and headed towards my front door, but the cat promptly turned around and walked in the same direction. it stopped right in front of my door, with it's back to me as if it was waiting for me to open the door.

and that's when it hit me.
on my way to the bus stop this morning i had seen signs along the street about a cat that had gone missing about 3 weeks ago. a little light bulb went off in my head and i thought: this is the missing cat!

the cat didn't take much convincing and in no time, with the cat in my arms, i was headed up towards the poster on the street to give the cat owner a call.

after 3 rings, a woman picked up the phone. she asked if the cat had a collar (which it didn't) and for my address. she said she would be here in 10-15 minutes as she lived just down the road but didn't have a car. not wanting to take the cat back to my place, i stood at the side of the road for 15, almost 20 minutes.

as we waited, my patience started to wane and so did the cat's. it had enough of sitting calmly in my arms and wanted to be let out. but i was afraid that if i put it down it would run off again so i continued to hold on to it. the cat continued to squirm in an attempt to get free and at one point, scratched me just hard enough on the side of my face to draw blood. :(

a few minutes later the woman i spoke to on the phone walked up.
at first she flashed a big smile.
but after doing a double take, she shook her head and said it wasn't her lost cat. :( x2.
so here i am, standing at the side of the road holding a - for all intents and purposes - stray cat. DOH!
after discussing with the would-be cat owner, she convinced me that cats are resourceful (but also incredibly disloyal) and that it probably be best for me just to let it go. so i did.

as i walked back down the driveway, even in the dark, i could see that i was covered in cat hair.
if you didn't know, i'm allergic to cats. :( x3.
once i got home, in the light i could see that my dress shirt was ripped in 3 places.

this is/was one of my favorite shirts! it was my SALMON-coloured shirt!!! :( x4.

so after trying to do something nice, instead of that warm fuzzy feeling inside, i have a cut on my face, my favorite dress shirt is ruined, and i'm starting to break out in hives. great. *eyeroll*

PS. don't worry mom! i put some polysporin on it!!!

falling into place.

2010-04-28T22:17:00.000+10:00

after a few false starts, this wedding is finally starting to take form.
hanna has her wedding dress picked out...
we've ordered our rings...
we've booked our wedding venue...
we've booked our lunch reception venue...
my parents & brother have booked their flights...
and...

sure, there's still a lot to do but the big stuff has been settled. and that's good to know.

you'll never guess what this church is called.

milk-a-what?

2010-04-11T00:01:00.002+10:00

so there is this condition that paediatricians commonly refer to as "cow's-milk anemia".
basically what happens is, as the baby is gradually weaned off of breast milk and transitioned into solid foods, he/she takes an interest in cow's milk.

and cow's milk in general is very tasty with that sweet, creamy taste and contains a multitude of vitamins, minerals, etc. except one very important element... iron.
so what these little babies/kids do, is they fill their little tummies with milk. parents of course think that milk has everything that a growing child needs and is happy to give it to them. the kids fill up on milk, and come lunch or dinner time they don't eat their green leafy vegetables or even their meat (not everyone is born a carnivore i guess) because they're full on all the milk that they've drank.

as mentioned, milk has almost all the nutrients needed and plenty of calories so the child continues to grow as if everything is normal.
however, without iron, amongst other things, production of hemoglobin begins to drop off and the child eventually becomes anemic. this may lead to symptoms such as being short of breath, dizzy or even having heart palpitations. but for the most part, it's picked up via a blood test before these symptoms present.

now, what do you call these babies that really like milk and like it so much they fill up on it and skip meals?
milk-a-holics!

and of course, during this whole discussion with my registrar, all i could think about was this commercial:

date set.

2010-04-10T18:12:00.005+10:00

this is a couple weeks late, but hanna and i have set a date.
saturday, july 24, 2010 here in brisbane.
it's a little earlier than initially planned but i assure you that it's not a shotgun wedding.
:)

we'll be sending out invitations shortly.
if you're not sure if i'll send you an invitation but would like one, please e-mail me your postal address.
first class plane tickets will not be included in the invitations. sorry. :p

learning to fake smile.

2010-03-31T23:19:00.006+10:00

something that i can improve on is my poker face. or at least concealing my emotions.

i'm sort of like a little kid in that when i don't like something, i don't like it. i'm stubborn. and i don't hide my displeasure very well.
sometimes i pout.
sometimes i frown.
my eye contact decreases and so do the words that come out of my mouth.
and sometimes i get really upset and fling myself on the floor and scream and wail at the top of my lungs.
ok, may be not this last one, but nonetheless, they're all very childish behaviors in reaction to a person/thing that i don't like.

case in point:
the other day we went to check out a church as a potential wedding venue with an acquaintance. before we arrived we were told of how great & beautiful this place was. i'm sure you can imagine where this is going... when we arrived, let's just say that "great & beautiful" were not the 2 words that first came to my mind.

i really tried my best to smile, and nod, and to generally appear agreeable and content. but it was really tough. i don't know if they picked up on my negative vibes, but i know she did.
it's terrible because this is someone's church. it's their home. their sanctuary. their safe haven. and my opinions should be kept exactly that. MINE.
it was doubly terrible because the minister was absolutely lovely. he had gone out of his way to show us his church and basically had greeted us with open arms.
:(
on reflection a few hours after the viewing, i felt terrible.

i'm not saying that i have to like every venue/every photographer/every cake/every tux we see or try. but i think the least i can do is act like an adult and appreciate the people and their efforts. i need to learn to smile even if that's not exactly how i'm feeling inside.

speciesism.

2010-03-21T16:54:00.003+10:00

not too long ago, there was an article in the G&M regarding the proposed ban of shopping mall pet stores. i'm not sure if this will be the solution (the problem being, puppy mills and overcrowded shelters) but what i do know/think is that something needs to be done. and perhaps the first step is in educating the general public. specifically... where these puppies come from, and where they end up.

this video breaks my heart.
it's a documentary called "earthlings" and is narrated by joaquin phoenix. the documentary looks at our treatments of animals bred for our needs as pets, food, clothing, entertainment and research. (this is video 2 of 10). warning: this video is quite graphic. please view at your own discretion. in another words... mom, do NOT click on this link.
:)

clem 7.

2010-03-17T09:33:00.001+10:00

the clem 7 is a new underground tunnel that's recently opened up here in brisbane. it connects the northern suburbs (bowen hills) with the southern suburbs (woolloongabba). it's a toll route that's supposed to cost roughly $4.28 for a passenger car, but for the first 3 weeks or so it's toll-free. so hanna and i checked it out last night.

and i gotta say, i was actually quite impressed. the height of the tunnel is surprisingly high and it consists of two, 2-lane, unidirectional tubes. and it's not fair to compare it say to the lincoln tunnel which was built in the 1930s but the clem 7 seems so much more spacious. a LOT less likely to induce claustrophobia.

so why's it called clem 7?
well, it's 6.8km long. so that's where the 7 comes in.
and clem refers to Clem Jones who is brisbane's longest serving mayor (from 1961-1975).

"Clem Jones was responsible for Brisbane’s first town plan and established sewerage, water and road networks. He sealed roads, built new ones and developed city gardens, sporting fields and swimming pools."

seems like a great mind.
but this brings the question... there was no city PLANNING of any sort before the 1960s?? that doesn't surprise me much at all actually.

wedding fever.

2010-03-16T08:42:00.001+10:00

for obvious reasons, i/we've been thinking a lot about weddings. don't know if you've seen these but these videos are hilarious. and one of them is for a good cause too!

kevin & jill's 'entrance'

brian & katie's 'wedding dance'

i don't think i could pull something like this off though.
plus we'd need a heck of a wedding party.

FAIL.

2010-03-12T10:25:00.001+10:00

the school of medicine hit a new level of incompetence today.

we had a 90 minute, 300 True/False written exam for O&G, the 2nd of 3 assessments for the end of the rotation.

they tell us to get there by 8:15 for an 8:30 start.

of course they are running late and we don't actually sit until just past 8:30. as they hand out the papers, they notice that they're one paper short.

how the heck do you not print out enough exam papers?

especially on the SECOND exam of 3???

even i know, that there are 73 people in our cohort sitting this exam. and would it hurt anyone to print out, oh i don't know, say 2 extra???

the whole cohort sat there, some people giggling, some people sighing... and waited as the coordinator ran out to make more photocopies.

idiots.

unlucky.

2010-02-28T00:33:00.002+10:00

9.5 hours in birth suite and not a single catch.

what a great saturday afternoon & evening.

BLAH!

looking for a pastor.

2010-02-27T07:25:00.000+10:00

while reading through a friend's blog (strong hands), i came across eugene cho.

he's a korean-american pastor in seattle. his most recent endeavor is an organization called "one day's wages". it's described as being 'an international grassroots movement dedicated to ending extreme global poverty'.

some facts from his website:

- more than 3 billion people around the world live on less that $2/day

- one day's wage is only about 0.4% of your annual income

- $20 is enough to provide clean water for one person for 20 years !!!

- $45 is all you need to pay annual school tuition for one child

something to think about...

but reading through eugene's blog also got me thinking about something that's been on my mind quite often lately.

and that's the lack of english-speaking korean christian leaders in australia and more specifically brisbane.

perhaps i'll post again when i've better organized my thoughts but for now, maybe i can share a prayer request... or not. never mind. i can't seem to come up with the words i'm looking for today. sorry for the haphazard post this morning.

ID please?

2010-02-26T20:38:00.000+10:00

so a couple weeks back, my fiancée (sounds weird still) and i went out for dinner. it was a restaurant/bar where they serve alcohol and so as the hostess took us to our seats she asked for our IDs.

my fiancée, like most women in their mid-t0-late twenties, doesn't mind when she's carded. she says it's proof that she still looks young.

if this wasn't enough to make her happy the next bit definitely was... so as i'm pulling out my ID, the hostess turns to me and says, "you're ok. i just need to see hers" !!!

we're the same age!!! how can you think that she looks SO young to ask her for her ID, and how can i look SO old that you practically refuse to see mine?

needless to say, she paid for dinner that night. not me.

yippee!!!

2010-02-14T00:02:00.002+10:00

the interviewer seemed to like what she saw.
and she said: YES!

(sorry the picture isn't of the greatest quality. it was taken with my phone.)

little albert is growing up now.
:D

big step today.

2010-02-13T05:37:00.001+10:00

feels like i'm going for an interview.
some nervousness. some excitement.
it's like applying for a job but going in knowing that the interviewer REALLY like you.

obstetrician to the stars?

2010-02-12T05:53:00.000+10:00

i delivered another baby during the wee hours of this (friday) morning.
and i'd have to say it was a somewhat famous baby. i obviously can't tell you who the mom/dad were but it'd be akin to delivering boyd devereaux's baby. in winnepeg.

if you don't know who boyd devereaux is, that's ok. that's the point i'm trying to get across!

saints 31, colts 17.

2010-02-08T20:16:00.002+10:00

to be honest i was cheering for peyton and the colts. but if any city deserves this, it's new orleans.

bet the kids at ochsner are having a CRAZY time.

2010-02-07T21:28:00.001+10:00

church politics is stupid.
:(

Aussie English lesson from the Aussie Open.

2010-01-29T16:16:00.002+10:00

It's been awhile since I've put one of these up.

Hewitt after playing Baghdatis: “I just said to him, ’mate you’ve got a lot of ticker to come back like you did today”’.

"ticker" in this case refers to heart.
:)

O&G.

2010-01-28T10:39:00.004+10:00

sorry i haven't been bloggin' as much.

it's been a pretty crazy 2 weeks. i can't believe i've been back in brisbane for less than 2 weeks. canada and korea seem like they were ages ago.

my first rotation for the year is O&G. and it's been a lot of fun so far. the teaching has been probably the best it's ever been. early mornings but done on most days by 4 or 5pm so can't really complain.

as a bonus, "x" is at the same hospital for her pediatric rotation. it's nice to meet up during the day to sneak in some coffee or a meal together.

last saturday was my first birthing suite shift. now i've seen vaginal deliveries before and i've seen c-sections before. what i had never seen before for a live episiotomy. simply, an episiotomy is a cut through the perineum to enlarge a woman's vagina and to help the baby's big head fit! the belief is that a controlled/intentional incision is much better than a tear. either way, it's not a very nice thing to do a woman. and if you think it sounds bad, i gotta say it's worse when you actually see it.

come to think of it, getting someone pregnant doesn't seem like a very nice thing to do to a woman.
:p

mom would use to say that she was forced into have a c-section because i was in a breech position. now that i think about it, i think she should be THANKING me that i was in a breech position!

if i was a girl, i think i'd opt for a c-section. but seeing as how i don't have to carry anything for 40 weeks i guess i don't have much of a say. but still, i'm just saying.

my 2010 korea trip.

2010-01-14T11:05:00.002+10:00

wow.
where to start...???

technology...
3 letters for you. DMB - digital multimedia broadcasting. in a nutshell it means TV everywhere. TV on your cellphone in the subway. TV on your nav in your car. this is REAL TV. completely puts "mobile TV" in australia/canada to shame - none of this terrible resolution, choppy streaming. probably better quality than the tv we had at sisley. >.<

speaking of cellphones in subways... there's no such thing as being "out of reception". you get reception in underground car parks, subways, concrete bunkers. wherever you are, you can yak on your cell all day & night.

instant text messages once a purchase is made on your credit card. you know instantly if someone's made a purchase on your credit card - i bet it comes in real handy if you have more than one person under the same credit card, not to mention if your credit card's been stolen.

mass transit...
what fun.
the subway system in seoul is amazing.
riding the subway is entertaining in itself.
there are vendors selling a wide assortment of clothes and knick-knacks on the subway cars.
there's always a crowd everywhere, all day and night. rush hour is just extra crazy.

culture...
of course by "CULTURE" i mean food. let's just say, 2 thumbs up!

girls...
wow again.
i'm not saying that korean girls as a whole are any more attractive than say canadian or australian girls. but boy they are impressive. the word valiant comes to mind. or maybe, tenacious...
this winter was incredibly cold. not only by korean standards, but this is coming from a torontonian.
but these korean girls, wear nothing but a pair of leggings and a short skirt. they march around in 4 inch stiletto heels and race up & down icy subway steps faster than me.

family...
it's been lots of fun meeting up with family and friends.
there was a lot of family whom i hadn't seen in 11+years... others in 19+years... but its incredible how warm and welcoming they all have been.

i wish i could see these people more often.

it's been fun.
but i'm ready to go home.
home to her.
see you in brisbane everyone.

holiday photos.

2010-01-05T10:30:00.002+10:00

i've been uploading my holiday photos on facebook.
browse as you please.

snowstorm.

2010-01-04T22:27:00.003+10:00

it snowed 15cm last night.

i might remind you that i'm not in toronto.

i'm in seoul.

apparently it's the first time it's snowed this much in 40 years.

wowzers.

2009/2010.

2010-01-03T12:53:00.001+10:00

2009.
what a crazy year.
lots of ups and a few downs. but all in all a very VERY good year.
according to my post in jan 2009, i was supposed to run a 1/2 marathon, study harder, eat healthier and be healthy - mentally, physically and spiritually.
let's call it 50/50.

2010.
it's just barely starting and i know this is going to be an epic year.
first trip to korea since 1998, final year of med school, elective in toronto, harri's wedding, graduation...
i can't wait.

as for resolutions...
i hope to grow.
i hope to grow academically.
i hope to grow in patience, understanding and maturity.
i hope to grow in humility.
i hope to grow closer to her. closer to my family. closer to her family.
i hope to grow closer to God.
i know 2010 will be a trying year at times... but i am looking forward to it.

toronto 2009!

2010-01-02T13:08:00.010+10:00

it was so great to see everyone - although there were lots of people who i didn't get a chance to catch up with and i apologize for that. 2 weeks is such a short period of time. but what was i so busy with?

the culprit.

things we did in toronto...

also took a few days to drive down to new york...

it was good to see everyone back together.

happy 2010!

2010-01-01T11:20:00.002+10:00

i've left the great white north and am in the motherland for the first time in 11+ years.

i can't believe how quickly my 2 weeks in toronto flew by.
looking forward to my 2 weeks here in seoul.

all the best in 2010 everyone!

are we there yet?

2009-12-14T05:10:00.003+10:00

just about to embark on yet another long flight back to toronto.
flying korean air. brisbane --> seoul --> toronto.

reflections on 2009?
i'll do that another time. right now i'm just psyched about going home!

3 things i'm looking forward to most. in no particular order.
1. family & friends. it'll be the first time in about 5+ years that the original 6 will be in toronto. don't know the original 6? i'll introduce you in a week or two.
2. mamma's new car!
3. COLD weather. what's the opposite of a snowbird? cause every year i migrate towards the cold. i love it!

and an honourable mention: FOOD! i look forward to putting on a pound or two.

hope to see you soon!!

congratulations sweetie.

2009-12-12T09:20:00.001+10:00

my new digs.

2009-12-10T09:51:00.004+10:00

moved out of sisley and into a friend's place closer to the hospital. it's a nice little townhouse with 3 bedrooms. smaller than sisley, but it'll do. :)

living room.

kitchen.

bathroom.

my room.

3 things that i DO like about my new place:
1. a vacuum cleaner that works!
2. queen sized bed.
3. AIR CON!!!

feels a little empty inside.

2009-12-08T19:36:00.009+10:00

after 2 glorious at the sisley house, today we moved out.

our 3-tonne truck.

our (empty) living room.

my (empty) bedroom.

it's not easy finding great friends.
and it's not easy finding great roommates.
great roommates that are also great friends... now that's something special.

i'm going to miss these guys.

caught in my underwear.

2009-11-27T09:28:00.003+10:00

the google street-view camera car just drove by.
good thing i had a shirt on!

cover to cover.

2009-11-23T09:37:00.000+10:00

took me a little longer than initially planned, but i've done it.
i've read the bible from the beginning to end.
:)
shall we start again?

mr popular.

2009-11-22T07:47:00.001+10:00

it's tough being so popular.
especially when we're talking about being popular amongst the mosquitos.
>.<
i feel like i've been camping out in the bush for a week.
it must be summer...

almost 3/4s.

2009-11-19T14:12:00.003+10:00

1 week left until my final assessments for my surgery rotation.
1 week left of my last rotation.
1 week left on year 3.

it's going to be an epic week of cram-o-mania.

brain freeze.

2009-11-17T15:52:00.003+10:00

it is stinkin' hot today.
like 37˚C hot.

we stopped by a 7-eleven on the way home & picked up some slurpees.

as my brain numbed from drinking the slurpee too fast, it brought back memories of summer time when i was a kid. i remember sitting in the back seat of our red ford tempo and sharing a ginormous extra large slurpee with my brother.
:)
those days were fun.

who says money can't make you happy?

2009-11-16T06:39:00.007+10:00

after 2 weeks of my surgery rotation at a private hospital, the thought of working private has crossed my mind more than once.
i've always been of the school of thought that health care should be available to all. and that private hospitals are inherently bad. but... is that really true?

the patients seem to be happier in their private rooms.
the support staff are without a doubt more polite and friendly.
the VMOs (visiting medical officers) seem to be in less of a hurry and more willing to chat. and in many cases, more willing to teach.
their scrubs are nicer.
the hospital is cleaner. quieter. softer.
heck even the hand sanitizer doesn't dry out my skin as much!
and this may be the deal sealer... they have better food in the doctors' lounge. seriously. during my 2 week rotation, i didn't have to pack lunch once. the coffee machine is always on, the fridge is always full of an assortment of sandwiches and subs, and if you time it right, there is hot soup and warm meals in the form of pasta, rice, bread rolls...

i'm back at rbh this week.
back to the hustle and bustle of a public hospital.
couldn't tell you why, but even without the free food, i'd rather be here than there.

virgin no mo'

2009-11-05T17:24:00.004+10:00

my right index finger got some action yesterday. action in the form of DREs!
:D
afterwards our preceptor offered us drinks and sandwiches. we graciously declined.

saw some laparoscopic gastric banding today.
i was very impressed with the surgeon's laparoscopic suturing skills. your brain has to convert the 2D image that's being shown on the TV and work in a 3D plane. easier said than done.
i think that's more impressive than the suturing involved in a nerve graft or a carotid endarterectomy.

quick rant.
the melbourne cup was on tuesday.
i don't quite understand what the big deal is. it's JUST a horse race.
furthermore, at the beginning of the race, as part of the festivities, they introduce all the jockeys. picture something like the introduction of players before a baseball all-star game. all the players standing in a straight line. stepping forward to tip their hats or wave to the crowd as their name is called. but remember, these are the JOCKEYS. i'm not here to argue whether jockeys are true athletes or not. it's whether they deserve that kind of recognition. to me, that's like steve williams getting this warm introduction just before tiger is about to hit off the first tee. what a joke.

what a joke.

2009-10-27T16:43:00.005+10:00

oh boy.

"for the first time since game 1 of the season, the maple leafs own the lead..."

"it's the first win since april 11th... 109 days ago"

EDIT: my brother just told me this one - "what's the difference between the leafs and a square? a square has four points."

pathologists are special.

2009-10-27T00:47:00.000+10:00

today was my first day with the urology team.
ward rounds started at 7am.
and then there was a histopathology meeting at 7:30. needless to say, it was not the most interesting part of my day.

BUT... the pathologist was quite interesting. and not necessarily in a good way.
inbetween each patient/case presentation, she would include a picture of these 'lolcatz'. i personally don't like 'lolcatz' and think they're pretty stupid.
as a matter of fact, i would go so far as to say that people who like these 'lolcatz' pictures are... special. socially special.

a REAL blue man.

2009-10-26T05:19:00.000+10:00

met a man during my 'burns' rotation that likes to drink colloidal silver.
the deposition of silver within the skin and eventual reaction with sunlight leads to a blue discoloration of the skin. this condition is called argyria.
how interesting...

2 weeks in ortho.

2009-10-17T08:58:00.003+10:00

sorry for the lack of posts.

surgery rotation thus far has been pretty intense. 7:30am ortho meetings, lightning ward rounds, 4+ hour operations and clinic duty to fill in all the gaps.

i can't say that my 2 weeks with the orthopedics unit has brought me any closer to wanting to become a surgeon. it's been fun, but not tantalizing.

ward rounds in internal med took ages to get through. you'd stand at the foot of the bed, look at the patient, look at their chart, exam the patient, evaluate their meds, look up their bloods & other investigations, TALK to the patient...
but in ortho, it's pretty much: "are you alive?" and if the answer is yes, that's it. next patient!

the coolest operation i got to scrub up for was a nerve graft.
a 30-something year old male had been in a motorbike accident (MBA) and injured while riding in a sidecar.

he was a professional side-car racer. never knew such a thing existed? neither did i.
his primary injury was to his left shoulder and arm. turns out he had a complete plexus avulsion. that's where the nerve roots pull straight out of the spinal cord. he had virtually no control, no power and no sensation down the whole of his left arm. so in an effort to salvage some function of his left arm/shoulder, they took a nerve graft from a distal section of the arm, identified the phrenic nerve (which normally controls your breathing), and attached the graft to connect the phrenic nerve with the injured musculocutaneous nerve.
it was pretty awesome. the sutures they were using for this graft were incredible. they were practically invisible to the naked eye.
i thought something like this would normally be the domain of say neurosurgeons but i was quite impressed that orthopods were able to do something so delicate and fine. :p

after 2 weeks in ortho, i sort of don't want to get back on a motorcycle anymore.
it seems like every other patient is a post-MBA. it just seems like such a dumb thing to do...

the rest of my surg rotation looks like this.
1 week in burns.
1 week in urology.
2 weeks in vascular.
2 weeks in heptaobiliary.
6 more weeks!!!

2009-09-30T19:37:00.002+10:00

spent the entire day at home.
didn't even change out of my pajamas.
it's good to be on holiday. :)

ayr update 4. last one.

2009-09-19T13:38:00.005+10:00

tomorrow we leave ayr.
i can't believe how quickly 6 weeks have passed by. it feels like it was just yesterday that we arrived and were scared sh*tless.
now we just have one sleep left. and we're alive! :)
i actually think we were incredibly lucky to be placed here. the clinical exposure we've had - both medical & surgical, has been well beyond my expectations.
i look forward to going back to brisbane though. back to my bed. back to my friends. back to civilization.
thanks ayr. it's been fun.

matt & i with our preceptor dr. row.

DH.

2009-09-06T18:13:00.006+10:00

you jackass.

i will see you again in 3 weeks.
be strong. be hopeful. grit your teeth and fight. don't ever give up.

and pray.

psalm 91: 14-16.
"Because he loves me," says the Lord, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honour him.
With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."