My grandfather used to counsel my mother’s worries about my insatiable carnivorous tendencies as a child by suggesting that the only solution would be to ensure I gain a butcher as a father-in-law. I would frequently be teased at dinner parties when it looked like I was struggling to make it to dessert with mock incentives such as the profiteroles actually being meatballs. My meat eating was so ingrained by my teens that an aunt felt compelled to proclaim that I should stop making my stomach a graveyard for dead animals. more…

“Medicine is an ever-changing science” goes the familiar message on the opening page of most medical textbooks. Judging by the rapid pace at which textbooks expand, you have to wonder whether that would be a good enough reason to abandon the written word for good. Lateral epicondylitis used to be learnt through reading and repetition; with new textbooks you have the added quality of experiencing the syndrome’s excruciating symptoms first hand. Never before did the list of symptoms seem so straightforward to memorise. more…

I need to eat more healthily, so I’m going to cut down on foods containing E numbers. Here’s my plan. I must stay away from tomatoes, as they’re full of E160d (lycopene) and I’m giving up oranges as they contain lots of E300 (Vitamin C). Spinach and cabbage are definitely out as both are big sources of E101 (Vitamin B2). Apples have too much E440 (pectin) so they are blacklisted.  And I should avoid oats, as they contain E306 (Vitamin E). more…

I overheard an interesting conversation the other day. One man was telling his friend about an inflamed joint he’d had a few weeks previously. He had gone to his GP and had eventually been admitted to hospital and put on intravenous antibiotics. He’d spent a few days in hospital, but had a holiday booked, so he wanted to be discharged. He was told the doctor would be busy for several hours and couldn’t discharge him, so he discharged himself (after noting down all the medication he was on). more…

Finding out what’s wrong with a patient is the ultimate challenge for doctors, and relies on a multitude of factors. The other day I encountered an enigmatic patient. He arrived on the ward with a mild fever, abdominal pain and fatigue. more…

Three down two to go just started my fourth year. I am excited about sinking my teeth into some of the diverse fields of medicine. Orthopaedics, gynaecology and dermatology are some of the specialities I can look forward to. My excitement was short lived for I received my loan papers today. Granted my initial reaction was a sense of relief as the cash strapped summer holiday was officially over and now it was time for some spending. more…

Initially I thought the lady was choking. I was close to rushing towards her to perform some of the jazzy first-aid moves I learnt in medical school (and become the star of the evening). But very soon it became fairly obvious that Heimlich manoeuvre & co. were uncalled-for. Dignity and self-control werewhat this woman was lacking, the consequence being shocked stares and disbelief from everyone around as she was sick all over the table right next to me on my romantic Friday night out. more…

If you had asked me last week what I associated with a red nose, I would have replied (slightly puzzled about the question) “common cold” or possibly Rudolph, the celebrated reindeer to whom we owe the accurate delivery of our Christmas presents even on the foggiest Christmas Eves. Only very recently have I discovered that year after year, the people of the UK go wild for a day, demonstrating generosity as well as their often questioned sense of humour for a very noble purpose – raising money to help those in need. more…

There is a famous proverb in Nepali which says we learn something either by reading about it or by facing it. I prefer the latter because of the everlasting impression that “facing something” leaves, in contrast to the hazy-sketchy memories of reading. I have been reading about HIV and AIDS since my first year in my medical school but never have I really thought beyond my textbooks until earlier this month in Kuala Lumpur at the 22nd East Asian Medical Students’ Conference (EAMSC). It was at this conference that I really saw HIV from different perspectives which changed my own perception of this condition. more…

So new year, new term of med school. Before we broke up at the end of last term a couple of our lecturers warned us that, having completed one term, we were now doctors (in the eyes of friends and family at least) and would be bombarded by requests for advice all through the holidays. I wasn’t asked once! I was disappointed and seriously considered wearing my stethoscope just to make myself look more doctorly. more…