Block one, Week Two (#3)

Monday

Today was pretty average. I think we were all slightly relieved about having fewer lectures this week meaning we had breathing room. I also managed to pay attention to all three of my morning lectures which is something I am (sadly) proud of. I had to wrestle with the scanner at lunch as I had handwritten my CBL notes which were annoyingly just a recap of the morning’s lecture on gastric acid secretion drugs.

CBL proved to be as great as ever despite the lack of cupcakes on my end due to my abysmal cooking skills…

We managed to finish half an hour early and began discussing how we all felt about how the course was going. It turns out we all had the same worries (not being able to give a correct answer in the lecture when everyone else was chanting away).

We had anatomy in the afternoon so we were slightly dreading it. However, we all managed to get through it and I think I know more than I’m letting myself have credit for…… Just need to get my head around peritoneum layers and the folds and sacs they form as well as surface anatomy – the favourite topic of my anatomy professor.

We also had an amazingly helpful seminar with him in which he cleared up how the midgut (intestines) end up back inside your body during development with the aid of a Henry hoover nozzle.

I lastly had a peer group support session which is run by two people from the upper year. It was incredible and I enjoyed learning from my peers and getting to go over material that hadn’t quite stuck. I’m looking forward to more of them in the future.

Tuesday

Not the best start to the day. I have been up half the night with the mother of all earaches, should have got it sorted the weekend but I had too much work to do. I ended up completely sleeping through my alarm and missed my first lecture of the day, so I was not in the best mood.

Eventually got to lecture two of the day about liver pathology which was interesting and the lecturer was great. However, I wasn’t too focused as I still had this pain drilling into my skull. We had an introduction to community placement in the afternoon and thankfully we have a lot of drivers in our group so I can be rescued from campus to Stratford which is our base.

Went to the walk-in clinic in the evening and two and a half hours later, I emerged with some antibiotics 🙌🙌 I got back to the flat and tried to do some work but the pain was too much and I ended up crashing at 8 pm – as I said, not a great day.

Wednesday

I have never been more grateful for a day off. Managed to have a bit of a sleep in but the pain was still shocking so I’ve spent the day sitting in a GP clinic as the pain has spread so I just wanted to get it checked. I also got some stronger painkillers so I’m hoping that I can get some sleep tonight.

The plan is to go home after seeing the doctor and try and get some work done huddled up in bed – hopefully, I will be well enough to go to the hospital on Friday.

Update – got sent to A&E after seeing the GP (a Warwick grad) and I saw an ENT consultant who inserted a swap into my ear to allow the antibiotics to get to the inner ear, and was treated to some more oral antibiotics.

I had taken some co-codamol on the bus home eliminating my last dose of paracetamol for the day. I had gone home and got straight into bed only to be awoken 2 hours later with splitting ear pain.

Long story short, I am sitting in A&E after being prescribed more painkillers, IV antibiotics and some fluid with mum and grandad who had driven up from kent to take me to A&E. The A&E doc was a Warwick grad too!!

Look after both your physical and mental health kids

Thursday

Long story short – UHCW is my home for the next 24-48 hours… Gutted to be missing Friday teaching…..

Sat next to a lovely lady who I got talking to and then she proceeded to mention that I was a medical student to everyone who walked into the ward 😅

Friday

Been waking up all night due to having obs done and receiving meds. However, it’s the best nights sleep I have had in ages.

The doctor came at 8 and after 1min consultation, announced I can go home. I panicked because I couldn’t go back to the pain I had experienced but, they have been giving me oral drugs and the pain has been kept back to a minimum meaning I can get on with work. I still have a few twinges but nothing like it was and my canal is less swollen meaning I can hear better now too!

Currently disobeying my mother by getting the bus home but I enjoy the ride so I don’t mind. I am worried about my ward buddy though as they came back in so much pain but I had to leave. I’m hoping they get better soon, they really did break my heart.

The NHS is incredible though and I can’t thank every health professional who saw me enough. The nurses are superheroes and kept me calm even when I was in so much pain.

 

That’s it for this week now. I have a weird weekend as it’s my dads 50th so I’m popping back for a day and then the catch-up work begins… Can I have some more painkillers for the amount of work I am going to have to do?