Are you from Kenya?

June 1, 2015

            First day at Janet Nursing Clinic was eventful. The only thing I didn’t get see on the first day was a women giving birth, but I was I got the wonderful opportunity to witness multiple vaginas tests, ultrasound scans, and intrauterine device insertions. I have never seen another women’s vagina until today when I was introduced to around 50 different women’s vagina. It was shocking at first, I felt uncomfortable looking down there, but I also felt as if I was intruding. In the U.S ultrasound scan seeing are usually a private moment between the expecting parents and the doctor, so I felt bad being present during this private moment. However, things are different here in India and privacy isn’t a priority. For example, a lady came in today for an ultrasound, but before she even got the news, I was shown that that the baby wasn’t alive. It was a sad moment, and I felt weird hearing finding out the baby wasn’t alive before the mother. The mother did cry when she found out the news, and I didn’t know how to handle the situation as I watched her cry surrounded in the room with 10 other patients. It made me realize that I’ve never considered the emotional stress that comes with being a doctor. I’ve always dreamed of being of being a doctor and saving lives, but I never considered the fact that I wouldn’t be able to save every live. I don’t think any amount of schooling can prepare you to watch a mother grieve over the death of a child, or prepare you enough to deal with the emotional stress. I guess that is something every doctor has to learn how to cope with on their own.

Dr. Victoria, the amazing doctor that I’m shadowing, sees all her patients in her office. I deeply believe that she is a true wonder-woman. I don’t know how she manages everything, but she does. There always a minimum of ten women in her office and she alternates between giving an ultrasound, proscribing prescription, collecting payment, and occasionally shooting babies with their first Hepatitis B vaccination. There is always something going on in her office but she handles all of her patients efficiently and with care. The system they have when it comes to patient care is different from the U.S but it works for them and it’s efficient. Also about every hour she takes a trip to the labor room to tend to the patients there. I witness her break a water sac/membrane today on multiple occasion, and I watched her insert a intrauterine device. It look like an arrow but it supposed to kill the sperms to stop fertilization from occurring. She explained to me that many of the women come in the get the device implanted so they can have space between their first and second child. While other women come to get sterilize to stop having kids. It’s interesting to see that these are the methods they tend to use avoid pregnancy instead of practicing other methods commonly seen in U.S like the use of condoms.

It’s amazing to the see difference in age when women get pregnant here and in the U.S. Many of the ladies coming in pregnant were between the ages of 20-24.. Also, there were a lot of young girls coming in to see how fertile they are and checking to see when would be the best time for them to conceive a child. It’s interesting to see these girls the same age as I starting to raise a family, yet I’m still learning how to raise myself.

            I’ve learned a lot in one day from Dr. Victoria. I made the mistake of not bringing a notebook on my first day because I was overwhelmed with information. I learned they track pregnancy in the terms of weeks not months and there are 40 weeks. From 0-12 weeks is the first trimester, 13-28 the second, and 29-40 is the third. I loved seeing ultrasound scan of women in their 14 weeks of pregnancy an up because by then the baby has already formed limbs and a spine and you can clearly see its heart beating. One lady came in with triplets which was an amazing sight to see all the babies within the sac. I also got to learn the different sitting positions the babies can be in. There was a lot of learning occurring today and it was fascinating. Tomorrow I won’t make the mistake of forgetting my notebook.

            I guess the funniest moment that occurred today was in the labor room. Dr. Victoria was introducing me to the staff and one of the elder doctors, who I later found out was Dr. Victoria mother in-law, was staring at me for a long time and then ask “are you from Kenya?” The question caught me off guard, but it also made me wonder if most of the Indians I encountered today think that I’m from Kenya.

Day two in Trichy and I’m feeling overwhelmed.