I Wonder

I've had some memorable patients in my days in Kuching. I sometimes wonder if they are still around, whether they won their battles....or had succumbed.

M was a young lady who had never smoked a cigarette in her life. At age 32 years, she was diagnosed to have stage IV lung carcinoma. One of the first chest drain insertions I performed was on her, which she bravely tolerated. Her husband brought me fresh tiger prawns from the village - I think they lived in my freezer for months. She was lost to follow-up subsequently. I wonder if her last weeks or months were good.

J was another young lady diagnosed to have multiple sclerosis. It was heart-wrenching to watch her disability progress. Each time her ward stay became longer; soon it felt like she'd never left the ward at all. My colleague and I chipped in to buy her an AM/FM radio to ease the boredom of being confined to her bed 24-7. It broke my heart when her young son came to visit and took the radio home with him. I wonder if you're in a better place now, J.

Mr B had bronchial asthma, initially cared for by a GP who put him on years of long-term oral corticosteroids. His asthma control was atrocious. He was a regular at the emergency department - on most of my on-call days he was certainly there. I wonder if he is still steroid-dependant?

Finally, an adolescent with Type I diabetes mellitus, who had recurrent episodes of diabetic ketoacidosis. His presentation was classic - he'd walk in, looking a little dehydrated, breathing a little rapidly, and he'd say, "Doc, I think I have DKA"! A blood gas analysis always confirmed his acidotic state. He'd survived each one. I wonder if he'd run out of "luck" some day.

I wonder if I'd still see some of these folks when I return to Kuching.