Yes, it is a weekday. Yes I am really tired and I need to reach the hospital by 7am tomorrow which means I have to wake up at 6. yes I am still sick and flu-ey and feverish but lo and behold! Here I am am blogging again!

Ah well. Never did mean to blog today. But the events that unfolded today made me want to blog.

My surgical electives started almost 3 weeks ago. It was of course a rather interesting experience to follow a new team of doctors which were previously strangers to us all, and we all took some time to settle down. And yet, what strikes me was how these surgeons can work tirelessly around the clock and yet remain smiling, calm and considerate towards their charges.

You see, my previous surgical posting had given me the false impression that all surgeons can scoot off home at 5 pm and hey! I thought that wasn’t so bad after all. Maybe ‘cos SGH is definitely one of the busiest hospitals around, but the number of surgeries scheduled are crazy. I really have no idea how the surgeons can simply stand at the operating table for endless hours, without so much as the occasional toilet-break and a rushed gobble-everything-within-ten-seconds lunch. A peritonectomy can lasts for as long as 12 hours. And yet it may not be the only operation scheduled.

Contrary to popular layman’s beliefs (which was mine too a long time ago) that surgeons recommend operations so that they earn more moolah, these people show me the different side of the coin. They squeeze patients in for operations, at their own expense of rest and an easier life, because it is the best thing to do for them. Patients who have been misled by rogue doctors into trying alternative medicine who only visit the clinic when their cancer have spread, worried family members who take a long time to deliberate over safety and cost issues… these are the people we see everyday. And knowing there isn’t a moment to lose, the surgeons do the only thing they know they can: operate as soon as possible.

I remember my first day of electives. Having heard rumours that elective postings are slack, I sort of expected myself to be comfortably perched on my sofa lazing the afternoon away by 5pm the LATEST. To my horror, I only left the hospital at 7.30pm. more than 12 hours spent in the hospital. And this is just yet another day in the life of these surgeons. I remembered I was soooooooooooooo exhausted that I could hardly bear to wolf down my dinner. I almost didn’t want to bathe. (ALMOST. But I did anyway. Hah)

But I learnt a lot. Maybe not so much in terms of knowledge and those regurgitable textbook info we always have to bash our heads to remember by heart, but it was awe-inspiring tagging behind these surgeons.

We were attached to Prof Soo Khee Chee, as he had been highly recommended by our classmates who had been taught by him. He was gruff but very lovable in his own way. Of course, he was too busy to really meet us much but he is such a good doctor that you can’t help but wish you would grow up to be like this too. When we presented our first case to him in tutorial, he listened and then proceeded to give us a illuminating tutorial. At the end of the session, he concluded that the patient “had cancer of the pancreas, probably in the body of the pancreas.”

We were totally stunned. Five heads whipped up simultaneously, five wide-eyed gazes torn from our feverish scribbling to look at him, gape-mouthed. Never ever had I seen a doctor who can localize the lesion just from the history alone, with no prior knowledge of him and without ever setting eyes on him.

If I ever had any problems (choy! Touchwood!!!!) he would be the surgeon I know I would be safe with.

And our main tutor Mr Tan Hiang Khoon was another awe-inspiring surgeon. Mind you, we didn’t get his jokes earlier on and it took us some time to adjust to his mode. Haha but he’s really nice and lots of fun. Always treating us to drinks, and blatantly calling us sticky students who always seemed to be hot on his heels. (can’t blame him, we are REALLY practically glued to his back. Almost followed him to the Gents once, hahah) I guess he must be pretty “scared” of us, the way we follow him around, 5 in a row.

What strikes us the most is his rapport with his patients. The young the old the ladies and the gentlemen all seem to like him immensely. He is the kind of doctor one would be very comfortable seeing. And of course, we liked him a lot too! Especially after today (where he lambasted us for being apathetic young voters who don’t care two hoots about the elections— we like him cos we are sadistic I guess) and also waxed lyrical about Chinese poems and even sang them to us.

FWAH. Impressive man!

And Ah Ma secretly recorded down his singing for “future refences”. *grinz* read: blackmail. Ahahaha

And now my respect for him has grown hundredfold after chancing upon an article which made me realize that Mr Tan is none other than the chairman of the Children’s Cancer Foundation! Despite the heavy workload, a wife to accompany, he still had the time to contribute to these poor little kids. It’s really incredible. I have always respected doctors who really genuinely seem to care. And he seems to be just one of them.

It is because of fine surgeons like those I have met in AH and now in SGH that really draws me to surgery. Although I highly doubt I am cut-out to be a surgeon, it’s still very encouraging to have tutors who inspire me and show me how it can all be done. If only the electives were longer. *gloom*

P.S: thanks to Miss Alice Bennett for your nice comment! Although I can’t find it anywhere on my blog currently… =)