#34 - Mercredi 16

comprende, quelquefois

(to understand, sometimes)

I'm not sure how/where this photo came from, but its the photo I took of the canal yesterday, its somehow been edited and posted back into my blog for me - how lovely.

So tired this morning, back into hospital before nine. The other medicals students haven't tried to speak to me (after I tried to talk about the cake...) I followed them around and after a bit of waiting alone, shadowed the intern, much more interesting than yesterday and I was able to understand a lot during the consultations - supplemented with reading the electronic notes (no paper notes here!), the doctor still spoke too fast but she asked me this and occasionally tried me with some short sentences. My body language skills will certainly improve over this placement. A patient choked whilst I was on the ward - terrifying. She was okay but it was a horrible few minutes for everyone, I think I'll remember the word 'tousse' from now on, "cough". Lunchtime (I think she said?) nice to have some quiet time alone, I don't think the doctors saw me, I heard them saying 'angalise, anglaiseee' and they were quiet when I walked past a moment later.... Sun was shining, so why not go for a walk (no doctors on the ward anyway)... so the door was locked.... I needed a numerical code. Great.... "no je ne comprend pas".... "je suis anglaise...." - note to anyone trying to help a foreigner in the future - two of you both shouting four numbers does not help, numbers are difficult enough anyway (like since when would ninety make sense to be said as 'forty plus twenty plus ten' - exactly that would be seventy!) (ninety is "quarante-vingt-dix) anyway I escaped (& have since found out the code). The sun was hot here, lovely wander, returned to hospital with a plan to have the afternoon off. Deja vu - new patients coming, in an hour. This is where french would be useful.... did she say its up to me? I can go? No idea and its not the time you're allowed to ask! Helped do a lumbar puncture, well I helped to pass the sterile things - very interesting to see. Trying to translate a word into English for me reminded them that they have a patient who can speak English, fantastic. I was introduced to this lovely gentleman, what a super few minutes & not solely because he could speak my language, he asked about my family name and a few things, he was struggling to speak because of his illness but he hoped if it got a bit better we could have some talks. I would really like that. I definitely think he is a patient I will remember. Saw a patient coming to the end of her life, she was scared. Its not something I've directly seen in medical school so far and it was hard, what can we say to really reassure someone, we don't know how she will feel/what is after life, or even simply how death will be. The doctor was lovely, holding her hand, stroking her hair and her shoulder and arm. Top tip from Dad, never to touch a patient unless necessary perhaps seems a little hard, when a patient is sick, or I imagine if I was sick I'd really quite like a gentle touch and someone to hold my hand. It made medicine seem a lot more personal that the science it quite often can be. Made it home fairly early, bought some fruit and a baguette - the boulangerie are too quick to assist you, I still haven't been able to see all the cakes. Sat in the park with a book, closed my eyes for a few moments in the bright, hot sun. Anne and her daughter were going to have tea with me tonight but her daughter couldn't make it - perhaps tomorrow. Rattaouile and some 'fresh' red wine (red wine with ice and cassis syrup ((blackberries))) - really nice and brioche and homemade jam for pudding, c'est super. Anne's left me in charge of a lot of things when she's away, including her food 'finish the jam while I'm away...', my recipe books are here... My turn to cook tomorrow... courgette curry again?!