*Explicit* Weekend Oncall

I was again oncall over the past weekend. I normally wouldn't post up much about my work but I just could not resist telling you guys about the weekend.

I don't know whether I should be proud or horrified with this. I'm sure you guys have heard on the news or in papers about MRSA or "methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus", a strain of bacteria which is immune to powerful, broad-spectrum antibiotics and hence the newspaper nomenclature, the "super bug". Guess where MRSA was first discovered in this whole world? Yup ... a hospital I have worked in before (Sakki wa uso! Sonna koto wa boku no ima no byouin desu yo!) ;) Hmmm.

Ok ... next (the explicit story).

Unstable angina is a medical term used to describe a heart attack like chest pain in patients with ischaemic heart disease. The prominent characteristic is that this pain occurs at rest therefore the term unstable as opposed to stable angina which occurs on exertion (or stress, emotional tension etc). Having unstable angina is a medical emergency and is a serious matter, the patient may end up in the coronary care unit for urgent treatment.

Over the weekend I had to see a patient who came in with severe chest pain and also bleeding from her, you know, "women's bits" (also known as "down below"). After I had finished, a nurse asked me, "Doctor, could this patient by sent to gynaecology?" Horrified, thinking the nurse didn't realise just how critical the patient's state was, I answered "This patient has unstable angina! I think CCU would be more appropriate." Clearly surprised, and looking at my poor handwriting the nurse went, "Oh ... I thought you wrote Unstable Vagina".

Yup, true story.

Now that I've started I might as well finish. Different story now. Yesterday I was so embarrassed passing Tesco's summer wear section when Sarah, the cheeky 2 year old cried at the top of her lungs, pointing and reaching "Babah! Mama nye panties!!! Babah, PANTIES!".

Oh dear.