Have a Drink Up There

It has been a tough day, both physically and emotionally for me today. One of my patient passed on and I could still remember her request from Tuesday morning for some macchiato and ice cream. It was a poignant afternoon after she passed on. She had been a good patient and a wonderful human being. I was not able to help her towards the end and had referred her on to a colleague in Singapore.

The treatment over there also did not work out despite her having a good go at it. She got weaker overnight and was in a great deal of pain. The analgesia allowed her some respite and by this morning, she was only responding to pain. I do not believe that she suffered at the end.

After settling her, the next thing I wanted to do was to get some macchiato. Promptly went there with a colleague and just reminisced. Cheers ....

Some bad news

My God invigilating was boring. Today was my second day here and I spent last night in my hotel room watching a marathon of Fringe. I completed five episodes before feeling sleepy. Did not manage to edit any more chapters of my the Haem UMMC website. Was not in the mood I guess.

The exam this morning was over 3 hours. Then I have to do some paperwork before driving back to UMMC with some documents. Back at work tomorrow. I also recieved some bad news from Sarawak last night. One of my patient who unfortunately relapsed following stem cell transplant drew her last breath. She had a good Christmas and at the end decided against any further chemotherapy when she learned that her disease was back. I think it was a very good decision on her part. Some felt that that was a defeatist attitude but it was always better to fight battles you were likely to win. With that decision, she survived an extra 3 months, spent it with good quality of life doing all the things she always wanted and died surrounded by friends and family rather than tubes and needles. Rest in peace Dear!