olaoluwatomi

Im always amazed at the level of confidence patients have in me when they divuge information they would not dare tell their spouses or closest friends. It gives me a thrill but also the weighty knowledge that their confidence cannot be broken under any circumstance. What makes a man/woman decide to spill the beans on issues over a decade old to a mere stranger simply because he/she has a label 'Doctor' attached to his name. Is it the certainty that the doctor has sworn an oath forbidding him to spill secrets that loosens the tongues or the overpowering need to unburden a load that has weighed him down for eons? Secrets are sacred things and I consider them holy ground, to be shared by one already desecrates the ground, to break the confidence is akin to a taboo. I would never dream of disclosing something shared with me. If I have a secret I'll probably not tell, not that I wont be tempted to whisper it to the grasses but the fear of the grass being turned to a flute and ...

I grew up speaking English as my first language and I can tell you that is one fact I am not proud about. I remember once when we were much younger shouting out the only Yoruba words we knew as children 'olosi', 'oloriburuku' etc. My grandmother came out of the house hurriedly to put a stop to our foolishness, what on earth did we think we were doing? she asked, our reply still puts a smile on my face 'we are speaking Yoruba' we replied. My lack of proficiency in speaking Yoruba ( I can write it:) is revealed anytime I speak to my patients. When our conversation is not just me answering in monosyllables, I begin to speak rapidly in my mother tongue but by the end of my first two sentences, I hear myself stuttering and stammering and Im wondering if the patients don't think this doctor is having a sudden attack of catatonia! My Yoruba teacher in Secondary school summed up my Yoruba speaking prowess to my parents during an open day 'She is a good student b...

Yesterday was quite a day at work for me. I had been idle most of the day; having sometime to myself I indulged in my favorite pastime- reading. My quiet time was soon shattered by the sound of gunshots fired in rapid succession. The shots were soon followed by the cries of what I first assumed to be that of a murderous mob and my first inclination was to dive behind anything that looked remotely like a shelter from whatever was coming my way. The cries of ‘Doctor do something’ rent the air and I had to change direction to face the oncoming crowd. They were made up of students from a nearby secondary school and on closer inspection; they bore the blood soaked body of one of their colleagues. They quickly deposited him on our examination couch and proceeded to cry out in heart rending tones that we should save their friend. In between a cursory exam and crying out for various materials needed to resuscitate him, it was quite obvious he was in a very bad state. He had been stabbed by unk...

I saw a young lady last week with gangrene of her left foot. She had developed a sudden pain in that foot while returning from an errand a month before which left her unable to use the limb. As is usual in this part of the world, 'forces of darkness' had been responsible for the pain and loss of function. It was suggested by many people that she had stepped on some fetish and thus was unable to walk. She presented a month after the initial episode with gangrene of the foot. All her toes were already very dark. She was cachectic, pale,and very unhappy. I took one look at her and knew right away what needed to be done, I was sure that my diagnosis and suggested mode of management would not be warmly received. She was my first patient that morning and I wondered at my rotten luck to have to dish out such unpleasant news to a young woman. I did not rehearse the lines running through my head ('young lady, the only way your life can be saved is to have an amputation'). How co...

Simple measures save lives, thought I'd add a few tips to my blog about simple health measures you can take to prevent disastrous situations. This topic is basically for those who are diabetic but I guess anyone can learn a few tips. Diabetes is one disease that sticks with the patient for life. Like primary hypertension, it is not a disease that dissapears. So its important to do things that help prevent complications that may arise if the condition is not well managed. In diabetes the care of the foot can prevent a most dreaded complication- The diabetic foot. Here is what I tell my patients who are diabetic about their feet: Doctor O: So Baba have you ever been told how to take care of your feet? Patient: Ese mi, O ti o (My feet, No i haven't) Doctor O: OK ill tell you. Your feet are very important to you and you need to do the following: 1. Don't wear ill fitting shoes, that is shoes that are too tight, or don't fit you too well. Patient: Ah doctor I don't eve...

I have so many questions running through my mind none of which Ill ask here. But i need a Daniel to not only tell me what questions trouble me but give me answers to these questions:) Ill be right back!