#48 - Mercredi 30th

vieille et belle

(old and beautiful) 

I forgot to add yesterday, Anne's mum quite simply told me - young girls in France don't crochet or make pastry, I wasn't sure what to say to that...
 

Short blog today (for once I hear you cry) but I am exhausted! Ward this morning, I had to check up on my patients, thankfully tagged along with the friendly med student and we didn't do too much, followed the interne. At one point shockingly discovered a water fight, two nurses and the unarmed interne.... apparently it was her last day.. they'd also cut her notes into triangles....! I was useful on the ward for once, noticed a patient choking, my worried face was all it took and I said 'tousse' (cough), she was okay, but coughed and nearly vomited for a while... scary moment. My patient when we finally saw him looked terrible - it was pretty sad, he'd been so well. Eventually had the courage to visit my patient from the other ward alone, off I set...

"Bonjour... ca va?" He was sat up, looking a huge amount better than yesterday - how much difference a day can make! He was quite deaf so it took a while for me to explain, 'english', we got there and I managed to ask, "Douleur?" (pain) - a little, bottom right of his abdo, same as yesterday... he kept asking about surgery... and said he couldn't eat lunch... was he coming back here after? Well I was quite surprised he was going off for surgery this afternoon but gave him a simple, "je ne sais pas" reply (I don't know!). It had dawned on me by this point that he could be a different patient.... 

.....anyway at least I'd spoken to a new french patient alone..!

Time to escape with the med student, she dropped me off at 'hotel dieu' for a clinic this afternoon. Here is my adventure in pictures....

quite dark and deserted...telephone sign on the left..

advertised as the 'cafeteria'...

'picnic' spot

old maternity building, first floor houses geriatric consultations

Very interesting clinic, the doctor doesn't speak English but she spoke alot of french to me, which I think I did alright with. Followed alot of the consultations, memory clinic I think - very, very interesting... I learned alot and enjoyed it. We spoke a little more about the tour and I was teased abit for being English! Long and hot... left at quarter past six... 

cycling home... obviously took a wrong turn but found a different way home, through the most wonderful park - stunning lake with fist sized flowers. As much as I want to hate France and this placement (a few times everyday) then I see something beautiful again, or I understand some French...

Ratatouille again, little bit of ginger too... (don't worry the photo just shows my first portion!)
 

 

Old and beautiful: Hotel Dieu today.... simple recipes... the elderly (in my opinion at least)....