Friday, March 30, 2012

Sudden Cardiac Death

A Registrar once said to me, "This is why I like Cardiology. Everything just makes sense, you know. I'm not very bright."

I can't say I echo that remark completely for now - the stark differences being that I am no where near being a Cardiology Registrar yet, and I am sure that her definition of being 'not very bright' was vastly different from mine.

But I do see every now and again. That my overt preference towards Cardiology was never just an anchoring heuristic to begin with.

The term 'Sudden Cardiac Death' was almost foreign to me prior to my Clinical Medicine years. And now that I am approaching the end of my last EVER placement in Med School, I am being hurled with the terms 'Sudden Cardiac Death' and 'Cardiomyopathies' almost every other day. With all the hype about Fabrice Muamba collapsing in the middle of the pitch a couple of weeks ago and having to be resuscitated in public, I was introduced to the term of 'Non-Sustained VTs'.

Non-Sustained VT's : Ventricular Tachycardia of less than 30 seconds.

We were always taught to recognise the Ventricular arrythmias as the dangerous ones. VTs being no less so. 'Non-Sustained VTs' could progress into 'Prolonged VTs' and then eventually there was the risk of the heart arresting.

There you go. It could be Sudden Cardiac Death all over again.

I've never had an ECG in my life. I am sure that Fabrice Muamba never did regularly either. Who would have thought that a Premier League footballer would arrest for no reason in the middle of a football pitch. So in all essence, I could pretty much be at risk of Sudden Cardiac Death for all I knew. Lol. OK, I kid.

And this afternoon, I came up with a new term altogether: 'Gradual Cardiac Death'.

Clearly, I am becoming more and more insane with the manic mugging for finals than I thought. Because for a moment today, I thought that I would rather be a victim of Sudden Cardiac Death than a gradual one altogether. Although it seems that it is a little late to reverse things now.

Keep Calm and Carry On.

Vamos, Shing!

Wednesday, March 07, 2012

Lost Without You

Hello, my name is Alyssa and I am a Smartphone addict.

It seems, if a stranger were to chance upon my blog, that I could be pictured as having an addictive personality of almost every possible kind! After having confessed a while ago that I was a sucker for buying accessories, I now have to grudgingly admit that it doesn't stop there.

Yes, I suppose admitting it publicly is the first key to acknowledging the problem.

There was a time not very long ago, that I was absolutely hooked. My battery life suffered terribly as a consequence, and I would freak out the very moment my 3G stopped working.

Here is some photographic evidence. Good times those were. Note: I have changed for the better. MUCH better.

Not particularly voluntarily though. Unfortunately. My sturdy HTC Desire S, which I had been enthusing about since I got last year, decided to die on me recently, and I was left in a bit of a state making multiple panic phone calls to the Orange helpline and to their store to source out a solution.

I must say, Orange is in dire need of some brushing up of their communication skills.

"Wow is it THAT dead? Sorry, we can't do anything for you."

"What?? You can't even find help me repair it even if I paid?" *lower lip trembles and tears almost start welling up in my eyes 'Puss-In-Boots style' at the thought of being phoneless....possibly forever"

The salesperson, not picking up on any of the cues at all: "Sorry, I can't do anything for you."

WHERE was the empathy?? I mean, seriously!!

Thank Goodness HTC sort of made up for its faulty device by offering good customer services. Currently my phone is off to some corner of the country to be looked at by the people who will hopefully repair it.

And in the meantime, I get to finally come to terms with my addiction by going cold turkey. No smart phone for at least 10 days.

*lip starts to tremble again* I have felt so different since. So.....empty. Meh. So....lost.

OMG someone give me a medal already!!!!


NB: All in good fun. But on a serious note, will not be on Whatsapp for a good amount of time. Text my UK number / Email / FB msg me if anything urgent beckons!

Thursday, March 01, 2012

An Orthopaedic Heart


I once told a Gastro Registrar that my career choices lay between Surgery and Cardiology.

"What? Those two couldn't be more different."

"Really? What's the difference between surgeons and medics?"

"About 50 IQ points," he said. Typical Medical Registrar answer.

"What kind of surgery?"

"Orthopaedics."

I think he decided I was insane after that and walked off.

And then Mr. Agassi solved the mystery for me. Finally. Someone who found a similarity between the two. There must be a reason why I love Orthopaedics and why I equally love Cardiology.

In 1993, Andre Agassi was plagued with a ripping, searing pain in his wrist. His Doctor diagnosed him with Tendinitis. Specifically, Dorsal Capsulitis. Tiny rips in the wrist that refused to heal. The result of overuse.

A while later, the twentysomething Andre Agassi broke up with his girl of the moment. He told his trainer he felt shooting pains in his chest.

Sounds like a typical broken heart, was the response. Tiny rips in the heart that refuse to heal. The result of overuse.

(Open - Andre Agassi, An Autobiography)


Profoundly apt, in more ways than one. These days, my heart is set in bone. Yes, you read it correctly. A heart of bone. Notice how I am realistic, as such, because when bones fracture, we can fix them. Internally or externally. Outcomes are astounding. The less compound the fracture of the heart, the better it heals. Ah, now I see the perks of being an Orthopod. You see, you fix, you revel in a sense of fulfillment. Who knows, what career paths are to arise yet. It is a long road ahead as such. Cardio God or Orthopod, I welcome both with open arms.

But for now, let's focus on this.....or more appropriately, this case of an Orthopaedic Heart.