"keep wearing the smile no matter what happened and you will be alright."
I can still remember clearly back in the July 2015,
when I was still in my first week of posting in Northern Health.
Things weren't easy for me, I was struggling with the accent and the expectation.
I remember I had done hundreds of stupid mistakes and being an overseas student alone, I have no one to go to, tones of guilts being accumulated and I felt so useless at that time.
On my 4th day of posting around the afternoon, while me and my registrar were doing some paper works we got a med call in CCU to attend an Atrial fibrillation case. That's was the first time I met the patient or I rather say a friend that I would never forget in my life---Peggy.
She is suffering from severe COPD that leads to cor pulmonale, which she was admitted due to acute pulmonary oedema and pneumonia.
I remember me and my registrar, Justin were rushing to the bed, we drew the curtains on and Justin started to talk to Peggy and here comes my duty--writing the progression notes which I was a bit traumatized for the past few days because I was so unfamiliar with the accent and I did a lot of stupid mistakes and misheard a lot of important details. Half way through the conversation, Justin received a page that he needed to return immediately so I was left alone with the Peggy.
I remember I was standing awkwardly at the end of the bed side and she looked at me and said:" sweet heart, you looks so tense up, come and sit with me if you don't mind talking to this old lady."
I laughed and of course I sat down and have a chit chat with her, I told her the reason that I was so tense up and nervous and I remembered she hold my hand and said:" you are great sweetheart, at least you don't have children at home waiting for you to feed or trying to pissed you off , that doesn't matter you will be alright." She also told me she was struggling in quitting smoking. She was all tears up and kept blaming herself . I'm not very good in comforting people but the only thing I could do at that moment was holding her hand and told her to take thing slowly and everything will be fine. I try to cheer up the situation by asking her some random daily stuff and found out that Peggy is actually a big fan of Coca-Cola that she needs to have one can of it everyday.
Justin came back after 30minutes and surprisingly Peggy's heart rhythm reverted back to sinus without any medication and he jokes that probably our small talked just now works like a miracle.
Peggy's condition went up and down throughout her stayed in hospital. I think one thing I regretted the most nowadays is that I should have spend more time with her and have a little chit chat like we used to . Unfortunately, I was expected to help in a lot of paper works that basically I have very little free time to do my own stuff. However, I will still met Peggy on daily basis during ward round but not really have time for talks but she will always tells me that "you are looking better today" or threw me a cheeky wink.
After 3 weeks of hospital stays, her condition finally have some improvement that she was allowed to discharged to Bondoora rehabilitation centre. I still can remembered she was so delighted when we delivered the good news. While she was packing her luggage she told me and Justin that " It's funny how I'm acting like a kid right now, I wanted to leave this place so much yet I'm so nervous now, I finally got to discharge and I have no idea why I'm acting like this."
At that moment what strikes my mind was exactly 3 weeks before I used to be the one that being so nervous and acting unconfidently but now is Peggy's turn, I believe it is the anxiety towards the unpredictables in the new environment that everyone have.
While we left her room, I asked Justin to excuse me for awhile because I wanted to do something for Peggy, who see through my uneasiness and woes when no one does.
I remember I was running to the nearest cafeteria because the transit will come and picked her up any time sooner and I asked for a can of Coca-cola, Peggy's favorite drink. Luckily, when I came back the the ward she is stills there and doing the last packing before she was transferred to Bondoora.
I handed her the can of Coca-Cola I bought for her and told her that" everything will be alright Peggy, you don't have to worry, you will be fine over there like you used to told me that I will be alright and I'm doing great now." She looked at me with tears in the eyes and caressed my cheek and kept saying I don't have to do all of this . I remembered I was in tears too that time, she wouldn't knows how much I appreciated her , if she didn't show me the concern that time, I might not make it through the posting.
Before I left, she told me to "keep wearing the smile no matter what happened and you will be alright."
EOS 9 in less than 6 weeks, you will be alright Jasmine...
when I was still in my first week of posting in Northern Health.
Things weren't easy for me, I was struggling with the accent and the expectation.
I remember I had done hundreds of stupid mistakes and being an overseas student alone, I have no one to go to, tones of guilts being accumulated and I felt so useless at that time.
On my 4th day of posting around the afternoon, while me and my registrar were doing some paper works we got a med call in CCU to attend an Atrial fibrillation case. That's was the first time I met the patient or I rather say a friend that I would never forget in my life---Peggy.
She is suffering from severe COPD that leads to cor pulmonale, which she was admitted due to acute pulmonary oedema and pneumonia.
I remember me and my registrar, Justin were rushing to the bed, we drew the curtains on and Justin started to talk to Peggy and here comes my duty--writing the progression notes which I was a bit traumatized for the past few days because I was so unfamiliar with the accent and I did a lot of stupid mistakes and misheard a lot of important details. Half way through the conversation, Justin received a page that he needed to return immediately so I was left alone with the Peggy.
I remember I was standing awkwardly at the end of the bed side and she looked at me and said:" sweet heart, you looks so tense up, come and sit with me if you don't mind talking to this old lady."
I laughed and of course I sat down and have a chit chat with her, I told her the reason that I was so tense up and nervous and I remembered she hold my hand and said:" you are great sweetheart, at least you don't have children at home waiting for you to feed or trying to pissed you off , that doesn't matter you will be alright." She also told me she was struggling in quitting smoking. She was all tears up and kept blaming herself . I'm not very good in comforting people but the only thing I could do at that moment was holding her hand and told her to take thing slowly and everything will be fine. I try to cheer up the situation by asking her some random daily stuff and found out that Peggy is actually a big fan of Coca-Cola that she needs to have one can of it everyday.
Justin came back after 30minutes and surprisingly Peggy's heart rhythm reverted back to sinus without any medication and he jokes that probably our small talked just now works like a miracle.
Peggy's condition went up and down throughout her stayed in hospital. I think one thing I regretted the most nowadays is that I should have spend more time with her and have a little chit chat like we used to . Unfortunately, I was expected to help in a lot of paper works that basically I have very little free time to do my own stuff. However, I will still met Peggy on daily basis during ward round but not really have time for talks but she will always tells me that "you are looking better today" or threw me a cheeky wink.
After 3 weeks of hospital stays, her condition finally have some improvement that she was allowed to discharged to Bondoora rehabilitation centre. I still can remembered she was so delighted when we delivered the good news. While she was packing her luggage she told me and Justin that " It's funny how I'm acting like a kid right now, I wanted to leave this place so much yet I'm so nervous now, I finally got to discharge and I have no idea why I'm acting like this."
At that moment what strikes my mind was exactly 3 weeks before I used to be the one that being so nervous and acting unconfidently but now is Peggy's turn, I believe it is the anxiety towards the unpredictables in the new environment that everyone have.
While we left her room, I asked Justin to excuse me for awhile because I wanted to do something for Peggy, who see through my uneasiness and woes when no one does.
I remember I was running to the nearest cafeteria because the transit will come and picked her up any time sooner and I asked for a can of Coca-cola, Peggy's favorite drink. Luckily, when I came back the the ward she is stills there and doing the last packing before she was transferred to Bondoora.
I handed her the can of Coca-Cola I bought for her and told her that" everything will be alright Peggy, you don't have to worry, you will be fine over there like you used to told me that I will be alright and I'm doing great now." She looked at me with tears in the eyes and caressed my cheek and kept saying I don't have to do all of this . I remembered I was in tears too that time, she wouldn't knows how much I appreciated her , if she didn't show me the concern that time, I might not make it through the posting.
Before I left, she told me to "keep wearing the smile no matter what happened and you will be alright."
EOS 9 in less than 6 weeks, you will be alright Jasmine...
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