He told me that the haematology clinic at the general hospital had treated him for an upper respiratory tract infection a week earlier but the coughs still persisted. He decided to see me, and suspecting a lung infection. I ordered a chest X-ray for him. The film did not give a typical TB picture, instead it looked to me like a simple pneumonia though he had no fever. In fact he had no other signs and symptoms of TB. I ordered for sputum AFB (TB germs) as well just to complete the pulmonary TB screening. Then I referred him to a respiratory clinic at the general hospital after giving him a course of broad-spectrum antibiotic.
This afternoon, my nurse came rushing in telling me that the patient's sputum was positive for TB germs... gosh oh my ! Three TB cases in the space of 10 days... I am floored. So today I got myself a room air micro-filter to reduce those airborne germs brought by such patients. We can never take things for granted as we, health workers are routinely exposed to infection risks.
Front of the Room Air Micro-filter
Then an 83-year old man with hypertension and a smoker came in late afternoon for review and complaining of yet another bout of unremitting coughs and owing to the bad experience of the last 10 days, I automatically ordered for his chest x-ray and it did look suspicious to me.... I have to wait for his sputum tests and am keeping my fingers crossed as this patient has been coming to my clinic regularly for the past two years and I have always been attributing his coughs to his chronic smoking!
Such is the occupational hazard faced by doctors, nurses and other health workers and yet many top students still aspire to become doctors... wait till they see the real things :)
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2 comments:
Many top students want to be a doctor, so that they can earn big money like you. :)
Big earning means bigger risk too. You should know this theory. :)
Hi Marcella,
Already quite sometime I never see any new update from you. How are you lately?
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