#22 – Friday 4th

wandering

Sunset over Kirkwall - look at the moon!

  

Back on the medical team with Charlie, a GP with special interest in acute medicine – two of them used to run the hospital before they switched to consultant-led care a few months/a year ago – its all a bit complicated at the mo. Charlie, the GP was absolutely lovely, fantastic with the patients – but far too popular, so many bleeps and questions & he’d been up from four-thirty that morning doing some paper or something! I actually think I helped on the ward round and in between – which is such a rare but wonderful feeling! I did not impress or help the anaesthetist during teaching at lunchtime – horrendous lack of knowledge… he didn’t even make eye contact with me after about 30seconds & he’s my supervisor… I wish he’d signed my forms on the first day like he suggested! Lunchtime – had to go home to find my phone... Quick call to the bike shop guy “so can I please borrow a bike like you said?”, yes I could… brilliant, “pop in tomorrow for a Peugeot, with downshifters and made of something fast and light”… super! Rebecca and I managed to wander into theatre, to watch the woman who’d been in the day before also… very, very interesting (again instantly regretted going in..) really, very sad though, a young woman with massively life changing illness – really very, very sick. We again saw the difficulties of rural places and transfers. Rebecca and I very tired (Rosie at home to see the Tour de France) had a chilled evening – and a wander down to the harbour. After a day of constant rain, it was fantastic to see the sun. Stunning evening. Quiet excitement for the cruise liners – 7500 people arriving tomorrow morning… Orkney mainland population’s only 17,000.

 

#21 – Thursday 3rd

surgery

Hospital was challenging today – firstly because it was my turn to be on the surgical team, something I’ve only ever done a week of before & during that week I managed to get switched to medicine…. It was a nice, busy morning seeing patients, saw some interesting things – had to move a patient who’d just walked in straight onto today’s theatre list… And then we had a phone call… a man was coming by ambulance…. With a severe life-changing (not life-threatening) injury. Absolutely amazing to see – but in the worst way… straight into theatre… (I nipped into town to try and sort out this bike for Sunday’s triathlon. I’d spoken the organizer who was lending me a bike – leaving it at the Cycle Orkney shop before she went away – easy. Asking at the bike shop it was clear however no bike was there & I was found out to be the girl who’d emailed Cycle Orkney for a bike and then changed my mind previously after this woman promised I’d lend hers. Orkney is a small place – always remember that.) Anyway he sent me on up to the pharmacy, “just go up to Sutherland’s”, “you’re a doctor at the hospital you should know these things…” – I did manage to clarify I was not a doctor and to discover this is where the woman usually works – awkwardly asking if she was in, I was obviously told she was still on Shetland (as she’d already texted me)… back to hospital after collecting Rebecca’s purse from Tesco. Ended up in scrubs and a hairnet in theatre – all these new experiences – walked in as a large saw was being used frantically. Instantly regretted going into theatre. The surgery was actually very interesting and so impressive – you’ve got to hand it to the general surgeons, they really can be asked to do anything here. Back to the ward, pretty heavy day today, emotionally rather than anything – some patients with real life changing events. Went out for dinner to meet Katy and her Gran, Joyce – Katy did the same elective as me last year and helped me to organize mine. Her Gran knows my Gran. Lovely meal, the most delicious tagliatelle and then Orkney fudge cheesecake, banana, toffee….. waddling home with the girls having a good giggle at the sign “Weet Pent”.

#20 – Wednesday 2nd

discovering

Don’t skip to the pictures – read the story first! Woke up in our wee dorm room after some ‘cheesy dreams’ – dreamed I’d been locked in a wartime gas chamber (K and Dad you were there too), horrible. Anyway Rosie treated us all to delicious omelettes – fresh eggs from the Dr! Despite the grey weather and our convictions that we’d make it to the lighthouse (at the other end of the island) within an hour and then be bored, we set off walking…. Made it up to the Laird’s (beautiful) house and turned down a smaller track… it had already started raining… a little while and a fair bit of rain later we made it onto the beach… - the one we had been staying beside – great we’d already managed to do a circle back on ourselves! Decided to wander along the rocky ‘path’ beside the 13m long sheep dyke (around the island’s perimeter which keeps the sheep on the shore, allowing them access to the seaweed and enabling them to survive). Hilariously we looked up to over thirty of these tiny sheep sprinting around the outskirts of this wall – it looked like they were doing a relay race! Not long after we spotted a couple of seals, so, so curious, watching us and swimming closer and closer, we kept spotting more sat on the rocks and eventually we had about thirty seals following us along the shoreline. And then, somehow spectacularly we found what we believed to be a small fortune. Amongst the dark rocks we saw it, glittering and sparkling the size of Rebecca’s head – a ball of ‘whale spit.’ The doctor with us had said the nurses googled 'ambergris' the other day & it sold for thousands for its use in perfume…. And our ‘golden nugget’ looked exactly like the photographs she had seen! Fantastic… where would be go on holiday next? Needless to say we encouraged each other and got quite carried away… especially after Rebecca and rang and confirmed with her boyfriend over in Ireland that what we had looked just like the real deal from google. Hiding our money-maker from passers-by along the road and hanging it in Rebecca’s coat whilst we ate at the Lighthouse (took forever to get to) & which disappointingly had a huge energy/satellite tower right beside. Got a lift back from Mark – the man with fourteen jobs on the island (rubbish! I don’t count chocolate making as a job…. its part of the shop/restaurant…) but he is a fireman and ambulance driver too. Somehow made it back to civilization – with the golden nugget.. Rebecca made delicious creamy jacket potatoes for tea and we started our knitting/crochet class. I had to get back out of bed to hide our whale spit from our forth flatmate, a mature nursing student – I didn't fancy having to answer her questions … I’d surely sound mad….we still have the potential whale spit... any ideas? Crazy, surreal, laughter filled few days.

air traffic control

#19 - Tuesday 1st

giggling

Trip to Occupational Health, needed some verified bloods or something doing. Aunty B look-a-like greats us on the ward: “Most importantly…first.. would you like some eggs?”. She doesn’t know how many hens she actually has… but anyway a dozen eggs later we were told that before doing any work we had to try and book our flights to North Ronaldsay…. After each of us in turn spoke to Loganair (we three are peas in a pod, apparently smart medical students.. but really pretty ditsy, giggly girls who haven’t a clue…) and booked a room at the hostel… Rebecca was sent away to buy a coat from the local charity shop before our expedition north. Rosie and I took some medical photos of a patient and emailed them – took all morning, we had a wander and left our mobile numbers in various departments… visit to HDU – absolute grilling from a consultant, who then suddently switched to mr nice guy – telling us all about his sheep (of a rare breed with only 350 breeding ewes in the world – he has 10!) Half an hour later made it back to the Drs office for a lecture about India… I thought I’d fooled everyone and looked vaguely interested… however Rosie said she was just hoping I didn’t fall asleep I was so glazed over… oops! Didn’t really do much else, by two o’clock it was essential we bought some wool for North Ron as one of the nurses had said “why are you going there? There is nothing to do. You’ll need more than one bottle of wine… you want rural? Just go and lie down in a field!” Feeling a little more hesitant about North Ron (but having promised the lovely friendly foreign man at the airport we’d see him later) we ventured into ‘town’ and back to tesco for the essential supplies (see below).

 

Nicola one of the junior doctors had decided to come too – resulting in yet more phone calls to loganair and the hostel.. She picked us up – auntyB-look-a-like thowing her out of the hospital too – nipped to hers for clothes and sped on down to the airport! Rebecca, the friendliest person I think I’ve met introduced us to the foreign airport check-in guy “we are the four ladies”… he told us “he could see that…” made our way to the tiny plane – stopping for a photo outside (contrast to the I’m-a-local-here-vibe I was going for last time). The plane was absolutely stunning, the sun was out over the horizon and it was incredible. Landed on North Ron, Rebecca managed to wangle us a lift with a GP’s children – kicking the poor schoolboy (Gavin) into the open back of the jeep. We had our first look at the famous North Ronaldsay seaweed eating sheep! “Feral”. Walk on the beach – honestly looked as though it could be in the Bahamas (pretty chilly sea though). Made it back and chatted to Gavin for a while – he pointed out the islands to us, Rosie fed the North Ronaldsay lamb ‘Sprout’ and we considered bird ringing later that evening… Courgette curry (also made it into Rebecca’s food diary) and a few glasses of wine later we went to see the sunset… there wasn’t really one… Sampled the local ales… and then back to the hostel for profiteroles, a ‘cheese board’ and more chocolate… very posh up here you know…. So many laughs – my sides were hurting and struggled to breathe a fair bit – how did we get there?!

 

#18 – Monday 30th

meeting

view from mt bedroom window... I think taken on monday...

First day in hospital! Doctors seemed pleased to see us! Met a GP who used to run the hospital – until recent re-development, consultants have now been brought in, many of them just locum. Small hospital, two main wards, not sure of their titles – like A&E/Receiving or Emergency receiving unit maybe? There’s a resus and HDU attached… Even with only two wards I’m getting lost a lot… Met Rebecca, an elective student from Northern Ireland… she’s apparently in our flat.. arrived last night & left just before us that morning – I hadn’t heard a thing…! We both failed to bleed a patient and then spent the day clerking two patients – we were terrible. This is absolutely the hospital for me, 40% of (the few) medical patients are over ninety years old – absolutely fantastic. Thankfully the Dr we were reporting too, (aunty-betty-thirty-years-younger-look-a-like) turned out to be a sweetie, and spent the afternoon telling us where to visit and encouraging us to take days off – we were forced out of hospital just after four to plan our travels. Saw some patients from Westray, my Westray GP was slagged off – Orkney’s pretty small…. Quick swim, absolutely fantastic swimming pool – although my swimming cossie (newly purchased pre-elective, fitting perfectly then) was now pretty snug… Swimming went okay.. so hopefully I’ll be able to complete this weekend’s triathlon… Tesco was therefore a shop filled with goodies – it was obvious Rebecca and I were shopping hungry (Tesco visits totally 7 now – gracious!) Had to go back in as we forgot washing powder… was accused a few times of stealing two baguettes.… Made it home & cooked dinner – Rebecca taking photos for her ‘food diary’, to prove to her Mum she’s eating properly… About half nine Rosie and I decided to look into flying to North Ronaldsay for one night, flights are reduced from about £75 return to £21 return if you spent a night on the island….