ARGH!
I’m a medical student, currently ending an 8 week Paediatric rotation (or Pediatrics if you’re American).
As part of the course I have to take a history and examine 2 or three sick kids a day. Kids, being kids, they’re mostly suffering from delightful and highly infectious viruses.
So here I am, the day before an exam, sitting at home with earache, headache, nausea and vomiting and a temperature of 40 degrees C. Hopefully I’ll be well enough to do the exam, but as part of it involves examining a real child I may not be allowed to do it as I’m probably infectious.
I’m sick because I did my best to do well in this bloody course, and now I could lose all the marks from this exam that I’ve been studying for, for the past 8 weeks.
I won’t be able to resit it, they’ll just use the mark from my final clinical exam next November to determine my overall mark. Sadly this exam is much easier to pass, even if it is only worth 10 percent, that’s still 6 or 7 marks I’d like to get my hands on (bear in mind that the pass mark for Paeds is 50%, and I’ve already got 9% from an exam in the first month and 3% from a group project).
Grr.
I totally get if no-one understands why I’m pissed off over possibly missing an exam, just take it from me that I am.
Well… IANAMS, but my college roommate was (she’s now a surgeon) and my sister is in medical school right now…
So while I don’t have personal experience with which to empathize, I am somewhat famillar with the delirum/insanity called medical school.
So, here’s virtual {{{hug}}}, and a nice hot cup of steaming tea/lemon/whiskey. As I’m sure you know, the whiskey is there so if the tea and lemon (Vitamin C) don’t make it all better, the whiskey will make you not care!* Oh, yes, and a box of tissues and some decongestant.
** Personally, I find this taste combination revolting, but if it didn’t taste bad it wouldn’t be medicine, right?*
I do understand, but the reason you’re sick, is most likely due to the fact you didn’t wash your hands either often enough or at the times they most needed it. You will never forget to wash your hands again.
BTW a temp of 40?C is pretty high for an adult. You may have a bacterial infection.
As a note of encouragement, I had hemorrhagic cyctitis, with fever, trotting off the the potty every 5-10 minutes, with a proctor during my nursing boards. I still managed to have the highest scores in the state.
Good luck and get better.
The reason I’m sick is because the infant in question sneezed in my face while I was examining his throat. I’m partly annoyed because I know exactly who I got this from! I wash my hands before and after touching every child and use an alcohol rub when entering and leaving each ward, hygiene is not the issue.
I’m the kind of person who spikes very high fevers every time I get even a minor cold, this is not unusual for me. I’m wandering around my flat in my underwear with the window open, and taking paracetamol, so I have it under control.
Like I said, I’m happy to do the exam tomorrow, just pissed off that they might not let me if I’m sick.
Sorry to hear about the exam. I used to work in a pediatrics department - I had little to no patient contact, but would get sick all the time. I blame the germy charts; the nurse would wash up as she would see all the coughing/hacking/wheezing kids, but I wouldn’t, and would have to handle charts and other things from the clinic.
These days I get a lot fewer colds, and I even have contact with patients who have compromised immune systems. I’m also much more careful about washing up/using (alcohol-based, not the typical “antibacterial” stuff) hand sanitizer, and so forth.
Far more effective. “Antibacterial” hand cleansers are usually made with Triclosan, a chlorinated aromatic compound that appears to be losing its effectiveness, or some other chemical agent – I’ve seen one cleanser whose active ingredient was inactivated by other ingredients in the cleanser (brilliant, that). Alcohol, OTOH, kills by physical destruction of cell structure, and is very reliable (though not perfect).
Better for sore throats and whatnot is equal parts whiskey, lemon juce, and honey popped in the microwave for a few seconds. Mmmm, warm, sweet, sour booze, just don’t drink too much.
There is the theory that triclosan’s wide use in home antibacterial soaps may be inadvertently producing a strain of resistant bacteria, much like overuse of antibiotics can do. It is - or was - a perfectly good antibacterial agent, but there is indeed too much of a good thing.
I used to work in a pediatrics department - I had little to no patient contact, but would get sick all the time. I blame the germy charts; the nurse would wash up as she would see all the coughing/hacking/wheezing kids, but I wouldn’t, and would have to handle charts and other things from the clinic.