Experiences of a doctor in covid times

It came as a slow threat in early March 2020 when we were asked to wash hand, use mask & follow social distancing. Before we could adjust to this new lifestyle it became a full fledged enemy hitting us left and right.
Government declared total lockdown, administration started defining zones, hospital administration started arranging beds, PPE kits and society glued itself to television, staying indoors throughout. CORONA HAD ARRIVED.

Doctors were caught in a battle between ethics, social responsibility, safety of the family and fear of being infected, in the same order. The last one “fear of own life” could sneak in only in those few minutes in the elevator while returning from hospital and before entering the house. There was no time to think about our own life.

We felt rude to tell our patients to stay away, reminding them intermittently to cover the mouth & nose with mask, which as a habit they would keep on dropping. We lost a sense of touch which is so important for both of us. Anaemia became a laboratory diagnosis, which was otherwise identified by checking the patient’s eyes, tongue and palm which were now kept covered.

Teleconsultation became a norm. It was initially difficult to find a quite corner in the house. For a more professional feel kids & pets were kept away, pressure cookers were not allowed to whistle during teleconsultation sessions. Becoming savy with videoconferencing, scanning, payment gateways became a necessity even for the camera shy. Webinars were held back to back to guide us about new guidelines on managing covid, which also kept on changing every week.

Patients who were pregnant had to be attended throughout, even in the darkest of times. Many patients came without knowing their covid status & we had to equip ourselves in PPE kits to deliver them. Every patient had to be handeled as corona positive, until proven otherwise.
We kept trying to give our best professional service sweating inside the safety gadgets and seeing through fogging specks & face shields.

Challenge was entering the house with a minimal touch technique, taking a bath every time after returning from hospital followed by steaming, be it 3 am or 1 pm. We started popping in every possible immunity boosting food, drinking ginger, tulsi extracts and supplements. To keep immunewe would try to catch up with sleep as much as possible, which was otherwise a rare commodity for us. Health of elders was a concern and hence we kept away from them and managed with video calls.

There was a bright side of covid too. For the first time, we found time in hand. We could lie down on a couch and do channel surfing which was an ultimate relaxing act for few. Old cookery notebooks, diaries, albums with a yellow tinge on pages came out from the trunks. We could spend more time with our spouse, kids. Pets were the happiest creatures in the house with everyone ready to play with them, all the time.

Now life is returning to near normal. We lost many colleagues from medical fraternity. My heart goes out totheir family. They were true heroes, who gave up their lives.
Lucky those who are alive will keep on giving their best service to the society, as our Hippocratic oath taken at the end of MBBS, teaches us to always keep patient first. Long live doctors & patients!

Pregnancy in the time of Corona virus

Coronavirus risk: Is it safe for pregnant women to travel? Doctor ...

Pregnancy in the time of Corona virus

While leading a normal life, one fine day, the whole world is caught in the grip of corona virus. Women who were planning to have a baby, those who are already pregnant & those who are about to deliver, are all utterly confused & fearful about what corona holds for them.

The question which comes to one’s mind is how is corona going to affect the pregnant woman & her unborn child. As it is a beginning of the pandemic, it is a learning time for medical fraternity also. But with the cases seen so far, all over the world there seems to be no major effect of corona virus on the pregnant woman and her unborn child.

As a precaution, you should follow government advice about social distancing, stay away from public places and avoid anyone who has symptoms suggestive of coronavirus. Follow frequent hand washing with soap & water, avoid touching your face. If the baby is moving well and there is no other high risk factor, then you postpone your hospital visits by few weeks. Those nearing term or> 34 weeks must continue their regular checkup visits to the doctor, with all due precautions.

Too much of news inputs will disturb your mind. This is the time for staying calm a7 happy. Pursue your hobbies, turn over the long forgotten albums, story books. Being pregnant you must continue to exercise & meditate atleast twice a day.

If you develop fever with dry cough, isolate yourself and contact a physician urgently. You may be  asked to undergo corona testing. It is a simple swab test being done only at government approved labs. Once detected in time, most patients are quarantined and treated by various drug combinations. So don’t worry, together we will win the battle against corona virus, very soon.

How an Email Made Our Day

A doctor’s life is a hectic one with hardly any time to breathe but one which requires you to be alert and on your toes all through the day and sometimes night as well! Despite all this, a case well handled, a surgery gone well, and in the case of gynaecologists, the happiness of a successful delivery, makes all the beads of perspiration vanish and smoothens the creases on the forehead.

 

The birth of a baby brings a smile not only on the mother’s face but also on us doctor’s. And, the smile only gets broader if we were to get an email from a patient who crossed a number of hurdles and eventually experienced the biggest joy in a woman’s life – that of holding a bundle of joy in her hands. Here’s one email that definitely made our day!

 

“My sincere apologies to you for not being able to send the email earlier. I just want to thank you wholeheartedly for giving me the most precious gift of my life in form of my son. I have seen other doctors also before meeting you, but the empathy, guidance and the personal care I received from you and all other staff at Blossom’s Women Clinic was simply amazing. I am extremely thankful to you for helping me through the most difficult phase of my life, encouraging me to face the challenge and finally making it a success. THANK YOU very much for all your help, support and guidance. I wish all success to you and all others in the clinic.”

Warm Regards,
Barnali Chaudhuri

 

We’re glad we were able to make a difference in your life, Barnali!

 

Infertility – Opening the blocks………..

Laparoscopy

Laparoscopy

Infertility – Opening the blocks

Pregnancy is a dream of every woman, but getting pregnant may not be an easy task for all. To simplify the mechanism of pregnancy, female produces one egg every month which is released from the ovary & enters the Fallopian tube. Male sperms enter through the vagina and reach the tube, where final meeting of sperm & egg (fertilization) takes place. Hence any blocks in the Fallopian tube will lead to failure of fertilization & infertility.

What causes block in the tubes?

Pelvic infections such as tuberculosis & previous surgeries are common causes of tubal block. These blocks are often first diagnosed on HSG or SSG during a fertility workup.

Treatment

Blocked tubes leave a woman with two choices – IVF or surgery to open the tubes.

Opening blocked tubes is a simple procedure through minimal access technique/endoscopy/ keyhole surgery. For blocks close to the uterus (cornual blocks), hysteroscopic tubal cannulation is the method of choice. Procedure involves passing a very thin guidewire through the blocked segments, under vision with a hysteroscope.

Blocks away from the uterus (ampullary/ isthmic/ fimbrial), are opened by laparoscopy. Use of high magnification, fine instruments causes minimum tissue trauma & gives better results.

Previous sterilization (family planning/ tubal ligation) operation may need to be opened after untimely death of children. This is also best done with laparoscopy. Tubal recanalization involves cutting the blocked part & stitching the fresh ends with very fine sutures. Large hydrosalpinx, where the tube is ballooned up, may necessitate removal of the tube.

All tubal surgeries need extreme expertise of the surgeon. Unlike IVF, which is an expensive technique & needs to be repeated everytime, tubal surgery If done well, gives the patient a chance to become pregnant naturally, not just once, but as many times as she wants.