cross clamp
on Nov 18, 2009 in gunshot wound gunshot abdomen aorta cross clamp some things in surgery are not taught. you sort of pick them up on the way. the cross clamp was one of those for me.the first time i heard of it was during the m and m meeting after a story i've already told. luckily i was on rotation and was therefo...

good old boy setup
on Nov 6, 2009 in bariatric surgery academic discussions obesity i thought of not telling this story at all. recently when it was in the news here it seemed wise to rather bury it altogether. but it is something i experienced and, after all, this blog is about my experiences, so...the surgery department had a fair...

it's probably not funny
on Nov 3, 2009 in medical humour ct scan we have a different sense of humour. we just do. what we find funny can be macabre to most people. it is probably part of our general desensitization or maybe it's a way of dealing with the things we see. you can't get emotionally involved with every...

extreme
on Oct 30, 2009 in gastrointestinal bleeding peptic ulcer adrenaline recently i had a moment to reflect on adrenaline and adrenaline inducing sports. it was a bloody moment. but i'm getting ahead of myself.bleeding peptic ulcers occasionally cross the path of general surgeons. usually they stop bleeding with conservat...

fabulous las vegas
on Oct 22, 2009 in blogworld expo medbloggers las vegas i've just returned from the blogworld expo in las vegas. what an experience. i suppose vegas is designed to be an experience. but there is so much more that impacted me.vegas is a strange place. it comes alive at night. for a jet lagged south african...

blogworld
on Oct 7, 2009 in blogworld expo the medblog tract at blogworld is not only a reality but just around the corner. it is on 13 october in las vegas. thanks to the great val jones i will be there as a panelist!!! so if you want to hear my 10c worth on the topic blogging for change: ho...

nudge nudge ... ...
on Oct 4, 2009 in wink casualties moonlighting. i recently read a post that reminded me of an incident. depending on which side of the eyelid you found yourself that day, it could have been funny...or not.i was doing casualty sessions after hours. it was a way of making ends meet while i was speci...

powerless
on Oct 3, 2009 in student training medical students perforated bowel mpumalanga health some things make me feel so powerless (yes, even i can be powerless in the face of incompetence)i have previously mentioned a thing or two about my opinion of where medical training is going in this country. basically the powers that be are not-so-gr...

the baby story
on Sep 26, 2009 in rhesus obstetrics mortality kalafong the life of a medical student is somewhat left of normal. most people shy away from blood and guts and gore. as a medical student you need to embrace it. but in the beginning it is quite an adjustment. sometimes you don't know how much to adjust. wha...

selfish bastard
on Sep 21, 2009 in gunshot wound gunshot chest murder family murder intercostal drain of the things i encounter in my work, the one i find most disturbing is family murders. for some reason they happen with too much frequency in our country. it seems that some people, when life is too much for them are not happy to only put a bullet t...