Waking up early is a struggle for a candle burner. It seems that all the emulsified cholesterols are getting their fair share of respite. But these old bones have to get up and be ready for work and all that comes with it. Such an everyday scenario for me.
We live quite far from the hospital and my son’s school, ngitngit pa gud ig lakaw namo, nindot pa ka-ayong iku-ub sa habol. What we do is sleep through the journey to the city with our pillow on board. Mag-lanug-lanug pa gud kuno among hagok ingon pa sa driver, mamukaw na lang na siya kung naa na nami sa Boy’s High. Pilit-pilit pa among laway ig mata namo. Mukalit dayon ug kaabtik akong anak kung abot nami sa iya school , dayon pangutana ” late nako, mi?”
When its my turn to got off, diha pako magkara-kara ug sudlay, pulbos ug lipstick. Dayon dagan sa taas para mag-rounds, dali dali ug ilis ug scrub suit para sa mga kaso. Usahay muhapit pa ug panga-saba sa ophtha interns nga nag kwinanggol.
After all the procedures, adto dayon ko sa OPD. This has been a routine for quite sometime.
You see, im the only resident physician in my department with no applicants in sight. We serve a lot of patients a day and sometimes mag-GGB ka.
Manawagan unta ko kung naa moy kaila nga gusto mo training pagka-ophthalmologist, palihug kontaka dayon ko. Dawaton siya sa among department nga way lisud-lisud.
Pul-an pud biya ko usahay sa akong kahimtang, pero wa na may jud koy mabuhat kung dili sa pag-dawat sa sitwasyon. As in NO CHOICE. The only redeeming thing amidst the fatigue is the smile of the people you have help.
Like what happen yesterday. There was a patient who sought consult. She was not my ordinary clientile. She was a rich looking old woman with an educated bearing. (no offense to my other patients ha, who belong to CDE crowd) She wanted to have a second opinion on her eye problem. (nakalitan pud ko sa iyang tuyo kay kinsa ra man gud tawn ko nga pangayo-an ug second opinion, ni konsulta na ni siya sa usa sa mga ginoo sa ophtha sa cebu who is by far very much experience than me) She said she just came back from the US, where 3 american doctors saw her, they were not able to satisfy her. After examining her, i told her that indeed she had a serious eye problem (total retinal detachment), if she will undergo surgery, there’s only a slim chance that her eyesight could be restored.( this is what the other specialist also said) I was telling her that you should’nt be sad or felt sorry, God is so good to you, your other eye is still good. God gave you a lot of blessings, He gave you a good life, at least you will not worry where to get your next meal, all your children have studied well and you have never experienced anything to being poor. In fact your blessings are way beyond the usual. But I impressed upon her that with all the information that she’s getting about her condition, she and only she can make the decision for herself. Either she will undergo the surgery and all its risks or accept the situation wholeheartedly. It’s all up to her. The technology to treat her will always be here, and she has no financial hindrance to speak of, but the decision to use it will be her’s alone. And that was it.
Then, this afternoon, two girls were looking for me at the opd. I ask them why, they said that Mrs. XXX sent them to give me a bagful of chocolates, one for my interns and one for me. There was also a letter from her, thanking me for the time i spent with her and that technology cannot be compared to truthful and heartfelt explanation. Of course, i cannot deny that I was touch (tao lang po ako). And definitely, Im not sharing these with you so that I can brag ( im not also sharing my chocos, bleh!). Im sharing these because I wanted you to know that there are still people who have good souls, who appreciates what you’ve done to them. These are the things that makes me believe in the goodness of humanity. And for us overworked, government MD’s, this is what makes us keep going.
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