A Doctor's "Secret" Health Notes

I've just been informed that our scheduled Caesarean Section has been posponed - the Caesarean Section was scheduled for 6.00 p.m. - just a couple of hours from now, but alas, the patient had gone ahead to eat a meal of Amala just 2 hours ago. You don't do a Caesarean Section on a full stomach, no way. Not unless it is an Emergency Caesarean Section in which case one is then in full alert mode for the risk of aspiration of the stomach content while under anaesthesia - a condition that can cause the patient to "drown" to death in her own vomit. I've informed Dr. Nsisi and the Anaesthetist of the need to reschedule the Caesarean Section Surgery.

Well, this "dad" came down to my consulting room yesterday, complaining angrily that it appeared his daughter had been neglected. Up until then I had been unaware of the case of the young lady with Bone-pain Crisis in Sicle Cell Disease - it wasn't quite half an hour that I had resumed duty and apparently the patient's intra-venous "line" had been unsuccessfully attempted earlier in the day, or so it seemed, and her parent had started to feel abandoned - which wasn't quite the case as she wasn't yet due for her next shot of i.v. injections, anyway. Eventually I went up and was able to secure the i.v. line on her right forearm. I then resumed her continuous i.v. fluid infusion - good thing that she had all the while tolerated lots of fluid by mouth. Apparently she had also ran a fever and diagnosed with possible Malaria. She appeared a little subdued in mannerisms as her dad informed me of her forth-coming school exams in three days. Later, I learnt o...

August 3rd I'm on my week-end off, however I had to be called to assist Dr Nsisi in performing an Elective Caesarean Section. I greeted the patient in the Theatre to help cancel some of her anxieties. The indication for the Section was, a previous Section in the past as well as a Breech presentation currently (buttocks-down position). What this indicates is that a past Caesarean Section would have weakened the potential strength with which the womb can muscularly contract during labour. This fact, now coupled with a Breech presentation which on its own constitutes its own difficulties for the baby's smooth passage, is what informed the decision as regards the mode of delivery. Hence, the option for an Elective (Planned) Caesarean Section. The surgery went very well. I cannot believe I failed to update you - The Hysteric patient with the convulsion. She turned out to be H.I.V. positive. Meaning that her convulsive seizures (or fits) must have been H.I.V. Encephalopathy, thou...

April 12th Off-duty this week-end. Time to catch-up on other things.. April 11th Saw a few out-patients then left for Ikoyi to attend to some personal matters. April 9th Caesarean Section today went well. Mother and baby-boy are fine. Remind me to introduce my boss, the Medical Director, to these secret documentations. He quite simply is an interesting individual; a Consultant Neurologist at that.

April 7th It was confirmed at Theatre two weeks ago that the second twin of this unfortunate mother was macerated. Our first incline came an hour earlier when it was noticed, a life-less little hand gone all blue and cold, protruding out of the mother's vagina. The other twin was alive. The poor mum had been on admission about a week or so prior to the incident, as a case of Twin pregnancy at 8 months gestation in a once previous Caesarean Section, and with one twin persistently in Transverse lie. Post-operatively, both mother and surviving twin have continued to stay in good health. April 6th Women have achieved normal delivery more readily, so I have observed on record, when labour is allowed to progress unaided for as long a time as possible. Such is the case when at advanced labour, say 8 - 9cm cervical dilatation, a patient arrives at the hospital haven laboured at home for quite a while, and will soon be delivered of her baby with relatively more ease. The baby then seems to ...