Call, Fever & Another Call

Salam..

I'm back.. So much to tell, yet so little opportunity at this stage.. I will try to sum the major events that took place since the last entry.. So, here goes..

I was on-call for the whole night on Tuesday.. It was not that bad, in fairness.. I admitted a few, yet Dr O'Hare only ended up with a low seven for the night.. That was good! Given that we are on-call again this whole weekend..

Call being call, it was not that bad.. However, post-call day Wednesday, I was not feeling a 100%.. Head woozy, body aching - just not sharp! And I hate when I am not 100% at my job.. Went back home that Wednesday, had a bath and then straight to bed.. Yes, I did not have any dinner - I just was not feeling very well, what else my appetite..

11.30pm, Ina woke me up.. I was burning, mounting a temperature of (probably) somewhere in the region of 37.5-37.8 degrees Celsius! Yes, that is still technically low-grade fever, however given that I will be at work again in the morning, it was not helping at all.. Plus, Jenni (my colleague in Haematology) was away Thursday and Friday, so I was covering both the day-ward and the ward.. It was a lot of stress on the body.. 4.30am, Ina woke me again, again another temperature spike! This time we actually did take the thermometer and slipped it under my left axilla (that's armpit in medical term).. It was 37.4.. I knew Thursday was not starting off well at all..

Day-ward was busy that Thursday, more than ten patients to see, plus I had to cover the ward too, since Jenni was away.. Alhamdulillah, it went quite well and thankfully Johnny (my registrar) helped a lot.. It did eased a whole load off my shoulders.. He probably didn't do much more than he used to, but I felt even the small helps to my advantage..

Got the Job

Alhamdulillah, Ina was called for the interview on Tuesday and she got the job.. The next step would be signing the contract (once they arrive) and she would be secured a job starting January.. As for me, I will still be in the same hospital but doing another specialty rotation.. It would be a great advantage as both of us would still be working in the same venue..

I am not going to say more about this.. Suffice to say, I knew she got the job before she even did that Wednesday! I was at the coffee dock having my morning tea the day after Ina's interview day, when Catherine (Ina's previous registrar in Geriatrics) walked in and saw me.. She came over and told me that Ina got the job.. I said thanks and said that I would keep this a secret until Ina officially knows from Human Resources.. Of course, Catherine send Ina a text message shortly afterwards and also Ina saw Prof. Lyons before she got the call from HR.. So, as much as it was a surprise for her, not so much for me.. Hehe.. Sorry, honey! I got the news first!

This is her story, so I will not say much.. I know I did say that she would write a bit about the interview and all, but she didn't get the chance, so I will not barge in and take the mic.. I will let her tell her account..

On-Call Again Tomorrow - Can't Wait For Monday To Be Over

Well, I will pen-off now.. Sadly, I am still not 100% for the call tomorrow, from 9am Sunday to 9am Monday.. But that's not all, we doctors are among the world's greatest workaholics! I will then continue my usual day job from Monday at 9am until 5pm before I am allowed to step out the hospital front door again! That is 33-straight-hours working! How do we function? We don't know how to explain that, we just do! And if things went wrong, oh, it's the doctors fault - he didn't do this, he missed that! Simply because he's the doctor! (Probably not in the human category once we walk in the hospital with a stethoscope around our neck!)

I am sounding so bitter now.. I need to stop! But I think I have planted enough seed for you to (hopefully) eagerly await my entry on the doctors life..

I will write again soon.. Bye for now.. Congratulations to Ina - I always knew you would get it! Have a bit more faith in yourself.. Wassalam..