Thanksgiving, Nepali-style

Okay so Thanksgiving is kind of an American-only thing, no one else really feasts on behalf of Native American and pilgrims. The Nepalese don’t need an excuse to feast on amazing food, we do that everyday :)

Nevertheless, having grown up in the U.S., I have American holidays engrained into me so I couldn’t forget the third Thursday of November.

The only problem is that no one else celebrates it here (also, there are no turkeys here).

So instead, I spent this Thanksgiving on top of a mountain, picnicking with my family while watching the sun set in the Himalayas.

Nagarkot is the highest peak around the valley at an elevation of 2,195 meters.  The 360 degree mountain view is breathtaking. It really can’t get more perfect than this.

I have so much to give thanks for. Even just this trip itself - sometimes I still can’t believe that I got this incredible opportunity. I have been talking about this trip for years and I’m finally here. I’m so thankful for the support of my wonderful family and friends, my alma mater, my professors and advisers, my mentors, and my scholarship donor. I really would be nowhere without you. 

Thank you.

Nepali Wedding

Congratulations!

the team

Finally got over that wretched illness and got back to work. I started at a private hospital on Sunday

–inpatient rounds and outpatient clinic in the morning, and the operation theatre in the afternoons.

 

The doctors  have been spectacular and it is pretty amazing to see them in action (read more about one of the consultant surgeons) . It is thrilling to think that I’ll one day be in their shoes.

I get to see patients all the way through from the initial consultation to post-op follow-ups. Being at a private clinic, the doctors have a lot more time to explain EVERYTHING to me - everything from how to read an x-ray and explaining diagnoses/diseases/treatments to showing me step by step several surgical procedures, how to manage anesthesiology, pre/post-op procedures.

kidney stones
after removal

As a sidenote, after seeing mini-Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (MPCNL – kidney stone removal) and laparoscopic surgery…. 

I asked one of the doctors what we’re doing today, and he replied with treasure hunting. Kidney stones really do look like gold on a video feed, and the electrohydraulic gun used to break large stones into smaller pieces sounds like a paintball gun, to top it off, the forceps used to grab the pieces out looks like a giant claw game

Of course that is an immensely simplified way of looking at a difficult technique, but still… I’m now completely convinced surgeons have to be really good at video games :) and also can confirm the well known fact that anesthesiologists are multi-tasking geniuses.

some of the team relaxing before getting started for the day

The doctors, PAs, nurses, interns, and other staff are a tightly knit, highly cohesive AND incredibly welcoming group. They’re professional, fun, friendly, easy-going, and amazing at what they do. As we sat in the lounge chatting and joking around, waiting for the next case, one of the doctors said to me, “You know it’s always like this, day or night, we spend most of our time here; these are my friends, my family, my coworkers, my team.”

Described it perfectly.

I want that.

Home Sick, not to be confused with homesick.

I know I’m on the path to becoming a doctor but I still hate going to the doctor’s. After over a week of a sore throat and cough during the holidays, I was still holding strong. Until last night when I was abruptly woken up at 3am by an unbearably dry sore throat, cough, fever, and racing heart beat. I’m cranky when I don’t get sleep so off I went to make this go away.

The doc ordered a typical 5 day course of antibiotics

Day 1 – I feel worse, can barely talk without wanting to somehow shove ice down my throat to soothe it. This is going to be fun.

Probably the worst part is that this means I can’t work. I’m in the minority that actually hates calling in sick. Staying home is like admitting defeat. Part of me feels like I’m lying, screaming “Yeah you can work, you wimp, you’re just making excuses.” Will my boss think the same? Am I really not able to work today? Can I possibly work from home? …and you can see where this cycle goes. 

Short story, I’m a workaholic, I hate giving up when I could be doing something.

However, this is a whole different story. This week I was supposed to start in adult oncology. There is absolutely no way I’d set foot inside that door. Even if I put on a mask, viewed from afar, and took all precautions, it just doesn’t feel right. I came here to volunteer and learn, staying at home does nothing for me but even the slight risk of spreading an infection to a patient or health care team member far outweighs any benefit. Not just because this is a developing country, I recall feeling the same when calling in sick while volunteering at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston. The workaholic in me caves when I realize it compromises the cost-benefit ratio. All those hours spent on CITI certifications has reinforced that nagging feeling of my conscience. If it was office paper work or school work, it would be different. If I were an essential member of the team, if it wasn’t a high risk immunocompromised patient population, if this wasn’t a third world country with high rates of infection, maybe I’d give it a second thought…? Probably not, but either way, right now, it’s just not happening. My conscience is pretty clear on that. 

Here comes five days in sweats, slurping piping hot chicken soup, endlessly gargling salt water, aimlessly trying to pass time.