8 months on

"Hey dudes and dudettes,
I'm leaving soon! All the best!"

went the sms that I received 2 weeks ago from mus. As silly as it sounds (yeah man, mus... "dudettes"?), there was something about the message that struck me unlike the other goodbyes before this. M205 has moved on.

Two and a half years rushed by like that.

The last lecture we had together

Back then, Praseong were still a couple. Siau wore bling blings around his neck.

Things have never been the same.

No more 2 hours of lecture and kamikazebbqwthshizukani after that (Outsiders: I really meant studying).
No more CGs at PBL rooms.
No more PBLs.
No more pseudo-escalator stairs.
No more Sun newspaper.
No more "staying awake" at the back of LT.
No more Sri Emas cafeteria (Thank God).
No more 5 minutes walk to Vista.
Friends are no longer a stone's throw away.
No Sri Petaling Chow Toufu (Ivy!!!!!)
No more jogging @ 9 loops lake.
No more air-con wherever we go.
No more pseudo-patients!
No more posters and videos to make (personal).
No more trying to study in the library but end up surfing websites at the e-lab.

I do appreciate the time we spent together. The jogs, the CGs, the chit-chats, the lame jokes, the cyber-cafe sessions, the game, the education et cetera.


Friends, how are you guys getting on?

thon glaikit laddie amang the mons isna daft efter a'

2 weeks into the bridging course in University of Dundee Medical School, can't say we've really learned much haha. Most are just 1.5 hour lectures on the overview on the different specialties - Cardiology, Orthopaedics, O&G, and the like.

And of course there's also the much boredom-inducing communication skills class. Which is actually an English class in disguise. We learned how to restructure questions. And 'British' colloquial slang words mean, like awesome, loo, wee, take a hike, pissed off, bimbo, fag. Yawns. Imagine 2 hours, twice a week on that. Swear we almost asked for a refund. Haha.

Anyway that wasn't the thing i wanted to blog about here. Well, earlier yesterday, we had a clinical skills class on history taking. 3 SPs, 3 cases. Here's what one of the doctors told us about her view.

The way we take the history of the patient, is bombarding the patient with all sorts of questions, and then sifting through the HUGE load of answers trying to figure out what is wrong.

The way they take the history of the patient, is trying to figure out what is wrong while asking the questions. Sifting through the patient's answers, while asking relevant questions to rule in/out the differential diagnoses they thought of. Sort of making arguments for or against the diagnoses in their mind.

So how did they go about taking history?

Look at the presenting complaint in three ways:
1. Anatomy
2. Systems
3. Disease Mechanism

Let's say the patient has right upper quadrant pain in the abdomen. Looking at the anatomy, it might be the liver, gallbladder, lung, kidney, colon.

A patient with bilateral ankle swelling, looking at systems, it might be CVS or Renal. By disease mechanism, you might want to think what can cause the swelling? Proteinuria?

Another helpful tip is how to come up with differential diagnosis. Remember:

VINDICATE
Vascular
Infection/Inflammatory
Neoplasm
Drugs/Degenerative
Idiopathic
Congenital
Autoimmune
Trauma
Endocrine/Environment

Using this mnemonic, the causes of the symptoms can be easily figured out. For example, glomerulopathy. Infection, drugs, autoimmune, endocrine?

Hope this helps in taking histories. Happy talking to patients! (:

ps - the title is in Dundonian, the local Dundee slang. haha have fun figuring it out :P

Spark of the day

While testing for vibration sensation (getaran) using a tuning fork.

"Cik, ada rasa gementar tak?"

-anonymous-

a lil update here, a lil update there - links updated!

This blog can be classified as dead anyway. Haha. Since i haven't start my clinical phase which means i should have the most time of all the contributors.. i'll just put up this sorry excuse for a post.

The links to fellow M205-ians are updated!

Welcome our newest blogger batchmates Jackie Liew (tall Jackie aha) and Chee Mei! Also some of the bloggers have changed their blog URLs and i've updated them accordingly, namely Sebby, Keat How, the CH sisters Chui Han and Chia Huan, Yunny Hunny Bunny, M205's best speaker Pwasad, self-proclaimed leng zhai Chow Chow, and not forgetting not-the-other-Gary Gary Chia :)

Meanwhile feast your eyes on these picture updates by our fellow batchmates all over the globe :)

Jeremy Nunis hiking in Tasmania

Chia Huan celebrating Easter holidays in Melbourne

Chui Han clubbing in Perth

Yun and Fish going around Adelaide and Sydney

Chow, Nurliana, Wei Ming, Juliana going to Kapiti Coast and Botanic Garden in kiwi-land

Sebby, Bmed-ians and the Infinity Milers being leeched at Gunung Hantu Besar

--

Till next update, ta!

the end of a journey is the start of another

This is it.

It's the end of our 2.5 years in IMU.

Good times, bad times, we've had it all.

Orientation, IMU Cup, EOS, CSU, PBL, MMS, we've been thru all.

Cheers to every M205ians..

..and hope this Friday will be a happy day for us all =)

ps - pray hard for those who got into the VIVA list!

pps - will be giving this blog a whole new makeover soon. perhaps a new chatbox since the current one doesn't update by itself.

and i feel like Rapunzel

Ever wondered what it feels like to be Rapunzel?

To be locked-up in a room, only out to clear your bowel?

Strangely enough, i could have been living in her lair

Albeit without the golden stair made from her hair

But one day, when i have amassed enough lecture notes

I'm gonna tie them together and throw out my window a rope

And off to freedom, only to realise with a thunk

It's EOS in 9 days, and stop reading this junk

senaiboy (1986-present)

plagiarised from my blog.

I would like to dedicate this inspiring poem to my fellow batchmates. Haha :P.

Good luck for EOS guys and gals! And a Merry Christmas! And Happy New Year! And Happy Chinese New Year! And Happy Birthday (whenever yours is)!

matching results out! (updated after second matching)

Not that everyone don't know anyway =.=". Haha. Anyway just to update this blog, i think i'll just post here who's going where. Please help add whoever i did not include here =) (and confirm them too. help needed to update after appeals)

[+/-] show/hide Australia list

University of Adelaide, Oz
Roshini
Sien Loong (Fish)
Thinesh
Timothy Chan
Yeap

University of Melbourne, Oz
Arvind Puri
Chia Huan
Dharma
Eleanor
Fabian Chiong
Linda
Sonali

University of Newcastle, Oz
Alvin Beng
Jae Mie

University of New South Wales, Oz
Ee Leen
Yun

University of Tasmania, Oz
Fatin
Jeremy Nunis
Joanne Chew
Kang Ler

University of Western Australia, Oz
Chui Han
Daphne Li

University of Queensland, Oz (confirmation needed)
Devi
Priya

BioMedical Science, IMU (University of Queensland, Oz - 2009)
Alexander Tiong
Alvin Quah
Irshad
Jack
Jaslyn
Patrick Chan
Shao Yang
Shin Yee
Siau Ying
Yu Ling

[+/-] show/hide New Zealand list

University of Auckland, NZ
Danny
Florence
Jamie
Kalpana
May Ee
Pamela
Rahel

University of Otago, NZ
Chow Chow
Jimi
Liana
Wei Ming

[+/-] show/hide Canada list

University of Calgary, Canada
Hafiz
Mustaqim

University of Dalhousie, Canada
Shin Yin
Shu Shan
Smarika (Bob)

University of Memorial, Canada
Hazwani
Karbela

[+/-] show/hide Ireland list

University of Galway, Ireland

[+/-] show/hide UK list

University of Aberdeen, UK
Deborah Chew
Fabian Lee
Jackie Liew
Karl King
Kong Fui
Lydia
Sue Ann

University of Dundee, UK
Hui Suan
Hwee Hong
Siaw
Wai Kian
Zameer

University of Edinburgh, UK
Benjamin Ng
Chee Mei
Ivy Ang
Prasad
Sarah

University of Glasgow, UK
Alfred
Li Li
Li Ying
Yew Wen
Zoe

University of Keele, UK
Jason

University of Leeds, UK

University of Leicester, UK

University of Liverpool, UK
Hui Lin
Li Shan

University of Manchester, UK
Aaqil
Fleur
Kee Fong
Jane June
Stephanie
Wilfred

University of Queens, UK
Andrew Yew

University of Southampton, UK
Wei Wei

University of St Georges, UK
Mun Ling
Rasyidah

[+/-] show/hide US list

University of Jefferson, US
Teik Jun
Yin Khurn

ps - if you can't edit this post, just leave a comment and someone'll fill it in =)

Thanks Hui Lin, Zoe, Sonali for your help =)