Damane Zehra is a radiation oncology resident in Pakistan.
Recently, a very young colleague of mine who worked in the same hospital as me passed away from sudden cardiac arrest. We were shocked and deeply saddened by his death. A few days later, I met a common friend of ours who told me that he was under a lot of stress due to some family matters and work politics. He had a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders. He …
I’ve always been afraid of driving. My home is quite far away from my hospital, and for the past eight years, I’ve been traveling via Uber for my daily commute. I don’t have a good memory of roads, lanes, and streets, even in my own city. I just rely on the driver and Google Maps. This experience with Uber and online taxi services is comfortable for me for two reasons: …
My question to all the health care workers is, “Have you ever kept pets or tried to keep them?” If the answer is “yes,” then you are indeed very lucky. I think there are only two sources that can bring utter joy to humans in this life. One of them is children, and the other is pets. After a hectic day at work, when you reach home, the innocent laughter …
The reward for good work is always more work. The employer becomes dependent on the quality of work that you do because he knows that you, as a person, are a workaholic and perfectionist. You put your heart and soul into everything you do. No other employers can do the kind of work that you do. But don’t ever think that you would be appreciated for your hard work. You …
Young children have different hobbies and preferences while playing in every part of the world. Some things are universal, but many are influenced by the culture of that specific area or the living conditions of that family. In the subcontinent, young girls are very fond of playing with dolls. Most of the time, these dolls are handmade by their moms or …
I had a teacher in my third year of med school. His name was Dr. T. He taught us pediatrics. At that time, he was the head of the department of pediatrics in the busiest teaching hospital in our city, where I was working. Every day, hundreds of children from far-flung areas are referred to our hospital with complications due to suboptimal treatment received in their local areas, as we …
In elementary school, we read an essay named “The Man Who Was a Hospital” by Jerome K. Jerome. This is a humorous essay in which the writer describes his misadventure in a humorous way. He says that once, he was reading a liver pill circular when he suspected that his liver was out of order. He went to the British Museum Library to study the details of liver disease. He …
“Airports have seen more sincere kisses than wedding halls and the walls of hospitals have heard more prayers than the walls of churches.” – Anonymous
It’s 1 a.m. in the night. I am on call duty, which starts at 8:30 a.m. in the morning and ends at 10 a.m. the next day. I finished entering the labs and doing my final tasks at approximately 12:30 a.m. Then I ordered some food …
A few weeks back, a young male from Afghanistan visited us in the oncology clinic. He was in his late 20s and came with a translator to facilitate his consultation. He was not very fluent in either Urdu or English but could still understand most of it. He seemed very anxious and perplexed in the initial assessment room. I observed him closely and noticed that there was no family member …
We have a female patient admitted to our oncology ward for a week. I’ve known her for a long time. She works in our hospital’s dental department as a technologist. She is currently 40 years old. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2009. She underwent maximum safe resection; it was oligodendroglioma grade 3. She underwent concurrent chemoradiation followed by chemotherapy and received a few more cycles of adjuvant …
I recently watched an Indian movie called The Three of Us, which revolves around a woman named Shelujah. She is in her late 30s, very charming, traditional, and intelligent. She works as a marriage counselor, leading a happy married life with one son studying abroad. Shelujah diligently maintains a diary, documenting even her minor daily chores. Often, she becomes engrossed in her thoughts, even failing to respond when called by …
It was my first week in the radiation oncology department as a resident. The day had been busy, and most of the consultants and staff had already left the outpatient department (OPD). I was exhausted and famished, with thoughts of dinner dominating my mind.
Just as I was beginning to wind down, the physician assistant (PA) rushed in and informed my consultant that a patient from a local hospital required immediate …
Three months ago, a case was discussed in the multidisciplinary tumor board. A 17-month-old child was admitted through the ER with a posterior fossa tumor (brain tumor) and multi-level spinal cord compression due to tumor deposits. The tumor was so extensive that only a biopsy could be performed rather than maximum safe resection. The biopsy report was discussed in the MDT (it was medulloblastoma), and after considering the neurological deficits …
“My best friend’s mother arrived at our oncology outpatient department. She had recently been diagnosed with locally advanced breast cancer and was understandably apprehensive, filled with numerous questions. I took her medical history and performed an examination. She didn’t have any relatives with cancer, so all the treatments and terminology were completely unfamiliar to her. Her medical workup was completed, and she began neoadjuvant chemotherapy, with surgery planned for a …
This is not an ordinary 1000 Rupee note. It’s a happy memory for me.
For those who say I always share depressing stories, this one is for you, for a change.
We performed concurrent chemotherapy and radiation on a 70-year-old lady with nasopharyngeal carcinoma a few months back. She was elderly and frail, and she experienced a lot of mucositis and skin radiation …
I am a Desi doctor, where Desi refers to someone from India, Pakistan, or Bangladesh.
I am currently a final-year resident in radiation oncology at a private-sector hospital in Pakistan.
During my medical school and house job, I worked in a public sector hospital where I experienced a high patient influx, a heavy workload, and limited resources. This environment made me a true “Desi doctor.”
Now, in this private sector hospital, I have …
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