Whining on Oncalls

Its weird that despite me always getting stressed up for oncalls, I'm known to take someone's call without any exchange, payment whatever. And I'd get this look, "You crazy? Are you sure? You don't wanna swap with my call?" "No, lar just give me the call only." I have to admit I was inspired by a certain senior back in my university for this type of behavior. Though people take advantage at times. But oh well.

Even with RM100 incentive per calls for housemen, people would rather be back at home and sleep. A rare luxury for me indeed nowadays.

Funny how I wish that my oncalls would be cold (though they almost never are) and that I'd be able to get some sleep.

Pfft.

The reason why you are ON - CALL is so that people could call you up in the middle of the damn night to attend to - whatever. Wishing for a good night sleep is only WISHFUL THINKING.

Besides, the more you encounter during your oncalls, the more experience you get, the more procedures you are able to perform, subsequently building your personality to get over anything that work or life can throw at you. During my calls in O&G, I've had experienced red-alerts for post op intra-ab bleeding, bleeding miscarriages, high octane labour room calls, hordes of mothers coming into PAC to deliver, vacuum deliveries, ERPOC, caesarian section and for my most recent peds, I got to experience an intubation, exchange transfusion, and hordes of babies to poke and prick at 4 am in the morning. During these calls also I've picked up skills on management of certain common problems. I don't admit that I would know how to handle each of them again but the experience matters as it will most likely be stuck with you for the rest of your career.

Oncalls are then more valuable than the money earned, as in medicine, nothing is as important as the experience one gains during work. It's sort of unfortunate with the excess of housemen nowadays, calls are getting less. This may not be a good thing in the long run as we, young doctors won't be able to get the necessary experience needed. But I guess then one has to make the best of whatever they have and benefit from it.

People tend to get grumpy whenever they hava bad call. Me included. I can become a nit nastier than I usually am when faced with a bad call though I'm still generally nice :p But I'll try my best to be professional during my next call and do my best to go through them with a level head.


PROMO: If you need to switch calls, or need someone to take your calls do ask me. If I'm ok with it I don't mind the extra call. It'll only be beneficial for me.

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Mothers

I haven't worked in the hospital a very long time. But what I've seen amaze me time and time again. Working in O&G and pediatrics, I've seen durability or mothers, the immense sacrifice and time they take to nurse their kids. Heaven is at the footsteps of our mothers. Witnessing all this, it is justified to have mothers have at least a step in heaven.

I've seen mothers bearing child, while at risk themselves, harbouring life-threatening hypertensive disorders. These mom's are like Tamil Tigers suicide bombers carrying bombs. They can blow up at any moment. That's a metaphor. What I really mean is they can die just because they are carrying their precious child.

Labour comes. Along with the pain. Vaginal delivery, caesarian section. It doesn't matter which path both again carries risk of death. I've seen torrentous bleeding in both cases where the mothers life is just a few minutes away from death. The probability of mothers suffering post labour is like playing Russian roulette.

Then when the baby is out it's not all well yet. If she's the majority of the lucky mother, she'll have a normal baby that will grow to become you or me or better. But if fate has it that she is not, the baby ends up in the NICU for months, nursed til in good shape, if the baby's lucky. Ive seen twins nursed for 3 months for prematurity. And with patience, and support, mama and baby comes home well. And I've also seen baby with stormy post natal period ending up with a hypoxic brain. The baby is bound to grow with neurological defects, unable to live a normal life like you and me. Again the mother will suffer from the extra care the child will definitely require.

But she won't care. Because she's the child's mother. It's an inborn thing to care for her child. Whether her baby is diagnosed with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, a restrictive lung disease with very poor prognosis and life span. She'll stay with the child until the end. Because that's what she does.

I've seen mothers spend almost half a year caring for her child with meningitis with hydrocephalus. She's in a hospital so far away from home with no nearby relatives. Her husband's earning is below average. Yet she stays. Coping with her whinny kid whom complains of everything. Her only company besides her kid is the nurses and the housemen. She'll be around for a long time. Along with other mothers with kids with tracheostomies, leukemia, and kids with malnutrition.

I've also seen mother's with kids whom are fat and thriving but still feel that they do not have enough. Kids whom whines for everything gets into trouble with everybody. Whom shouts back at their mothers when being told off about something. Despite all that, momma endures. For better or worst.

No I haven't seen everything. What I've seen are only fragments of what mothers are made of. Not every mothers are like this I concede, but most are. You don't a 'Mother's Day' to celebrate. That's because everyday is mothers day.

As long as she's around she'll care for you. Whatever you attempt to do to pay back for all that she's done will never ever be enough. But for her it will always be. Because you are your mother's sons and daughters.