The Doctor in the House

The thing about us doctors is, we’re not superhuman. 

We don’t have magical healing powers on hand at all times. 

And most importantly (for us junior doctors, anyway) – outside of a hospital/clinic setting, we’re pretty much fish out of water. 


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My mother went into anaphylactic shock today. 
Started out innocently enough... rashes, itching… but then the dizziness, palpitations started…then the difficulty breathing. 
Textbook stuff. 

And although I have about a year’s worth of experience in handling emergencies, nothing quite prepares you for having to deal with a loved one on the verge of cardiorespiratory collapse. 


I have never before fumbled at taking blood pressure, but today I did.
I have never blanked out while trying to check a patient’s blood sugar levels, but today I did. 

All the while my brain was screaming : Dxt stat! SpO2 monitoring! Cardiac monitoring stat! IV line! Bloods! 

And I was so…helpless. 
I had next to no equipment at home, no medical staff support whatsoever – just a clueless brother and sister-in-law who were looking to me to somehow make things right.

And naturally, naturally, my mother was refusing to go to a hospital.
She could barely stand, and she was just point blank refusing to seek medical treatment.

“I don’t need a hospital, you’re here”

Yes, I’m here, but nothing else is! 


Somehow, through sheer stubbornness, she managed to make it to the car (only after I’d picked up the phone to call an ambulance), and we ended up at the emergency department at the hospital.
Finally, somewhere with proper monitoring and intravenous medication and a nebulizer.
Finally, safer ground.
Finally.

I have never in my life felt so helpless and unsure before, as I did today.
All that my medical training helped with today was with recognizing an impending emergency.




Us doctors…we’re pretty much worthless without our nurses, and our teams and our nice fancy equipment. 
But sometimes, maybe all you need is a helpless young doctor telling you that you need to get better medical attention RIGHT. NOW. 



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At the end of the day, when my mother turned to me and went “I didn’t think an allergic reaction would turn out so bad! I probably wouldn’t have gone to the hospital if you weren’t around. I’m so glad we have a doctor in the house”,
all I could think, was :
you know what, Ma, so am I.


So am I.



~vid~