The pediatric rotation lasts for 6 weeks. During my time, I tried to keep a running note of things that I deemed to be interesting cases. So here it goes:
--Umbilical hernia
--Klipple-Trenaury-Weber Syndrome
--Pilionidal dimple
--Coxsackie A virus (Hand-Foot-Mouth disease)
--Scrotal fungus
--Torticolis
--Juvenile Huntington's disease
--Functional bedwetting
--Achondroplasia
--Patau Syndrome
--Turner's Syndrome
--Ringworm
--Poland Syndrome
I know not everyone has a passion for medicine and illnesses, but I can't help but think that one must appreciate being able to see all of these abnormalities in the same location over 6 weeks!!!
Now that pediatrics is over, I'm doing a 4-week elective in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Things are going quite well (I'm currently half way through). There are two doctor's I work with, both of which are amazing people and physicians. It's definitely fun to go to work everyday knowing that I'm going to see tiny babies, but nothing like I thought. Doctor's don't do what I call the "fun" part of the NICU work. I say the "fun" is holding & feeding the babies...but that's all up to the nurses. So every exam consists of: wash hands, open incubator (if in one), listen to heart, lungs, abdomen, feel stomach, feel head, look at vitals, walk away, wash hands and go to your computer. The majority of the day is spent at a computer, putting in orders, changing orders you previously put in, or discontinuing orders you no longer need. Therefore, while I love it..I don't know that it is for me. I love talking to people and having more patient contact, so I don't think this is my nitch.
So far we have lost 2 babies during my time. Only one was our patient. However, he was born at 23 weeks - normal term being 40. Therefore, he was born with so many factors against him - he was not neuroligically in tact, couldn't breathe well, his liver was large but non-functioning, couldn't eat so was being fed by tube...it was just a mess. On top of that, he had a large hole in his heart. All babies have this hole in their heart when they are still inside their mom. It serves the purpose for blood to bypass the lungs. There is no need to make that trip when inside mom's belly because they aren't using their lungs. Therefore, this is a normal finding. However, once babies are born and they come out screaming, it signals the lungs to work and that hole (called a patent (meaning hole) ductus arteriosus) to close. This generally does not occur in premature babies (any baby born before 37 weeks). This baby had this problem, but his was so large, it was causing him to be in heart failure. All in all, yes, it was sad to lose a baby and extra sad for the parents. However, that baby is no longer in pain, and the parents now are not faced with the decision to send him to surgery (which could kill him) or to pull the plug and let him go. Amazing how God takes care of you, keeping them from making that decision, while always looking out for each of us.
2 more weeks of NICU, then starts Internal Medicine!
