Dr: Do you still fell pain ma'am? Is this area numb? (while pressing on her arm)
Pt: I can't feel my hand doctor. I'm afraid. (shivering badly)
Dr: Can u feel anything ma'am? Is it pain if I press here?
Well, pain relieve. Thats what everyone thought anaesthesiology is all about. Hands up if u're one of them. Dont worry, I'm one of them too =p . Hm, or shall i say, WAS one of them?
Pain is something disturbing. Something annoying. Something uneasy. Something destructive?
Well, it can be any of those. In fact hospitals in a few countries have also adopted the concept of pain as the 5th vital sign beginning with the US. It's as if it is as important, as valuable as the other 4 vital signs which are temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate and blood pressure.
Perhaps, pain, unlike the other vitals wouldn't cause death if there's abnormality with them. Direct death not. Indirect maybe. But pain is what every living beings wouldn't want to experience, to put it properly, would like to experience it less. Prolonged or very bad pain would really affect a person's life. From daily activities to their psychological state of the mind. Pain would really scar them... for life if it's severe enough. Like what my cousin experienced during his childhood days, which he claimed that he wasnt given any analgesia before the procedure to remove an abscess from his gluteus region. It was pain alright, he said he could recall exactly how it felt like, even to the extent of feeling the pain when he recalled the incident.
Aside from pain, anaesthesiologist also deal with patients in the intensive care unit. They try their best to keep the patient's 4 vital signs within the normal range for one to be able to live. I guess thats the signs which indicate u're dead or alive.
They also play a part in calming down the patients, putting off their anxieties. And assist them by general anaesthesia if the patient fails to calm down. It all comes to aiding n relieving both patients and the surgeon. I guess the job must be a little boring? I'm not sure. I could only see them monitoring the patient over the procedures. Most of the patients are already screened properly before being allowed to do surgery. Therefore, there's nothing much for an anaesthethist unless the patient unexpectedly have some sort of complications.
Well, for the madam mentioned above, she came in for an operation to repair her broken humerus. She's a 70-odd year old lady. Even before the surgery, in the waiting room, she already voiced out her concerns to us. Although tried to calm her down, she remains anxious. She was due to be operated on using only a brachial plexus regional block. However, she still remained anxious and worried. Which prompted the usage of general anaesthesia, which was her own suggestion anyways. Good thing she's fit enough for it. General anaesthesia can kill, just like how i killed my simulated patient post-operation. LOL
I would still say ophthalmo sounds more fun =p
2 comments:
there are two types of pain, physical and emotional. physical pain can be relieved by drugs, no doubts. the latter is what we fear most. people could actually end their life if they couldn't let go their emotional pain. and i guess this is your reason for anesthesiologist(gosh... this is so hard to spell) play a role in calming patient down too.
dealing with patients who are between life and death, must be a really stressfully serious work i guess? need to be streesfully cautious all the time as patients' life will be in your palm.
yeah anaesthesiology is not as easy as they say, if u take into account of lives under ur care in icu. haha.
must be careful, efficient and know all ur facts at all times.
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