Elephant sightings

On Friday we went to the local hospital and met with a patient to interview, and do some basic physical examinations on. One thing about being in the Caribbean is that I will be able to see certain health conditions and problems here that I will probably never encounter as long as I’m in the US/Canada. So I have to say that it was truly an amazing experience to meet the patient I saw on Friday.

During our first 2 semesters in clinical skills had to write a couple of papers. The first topic we wrote about was acute rheumatic fever, and the second was infective endocarditis. The first condition is rare in the US these days, but can still be seen more frequently in developing countries such as Grenada. When I researched the topic back in first semester, and found the signs, symptoms, and diagnostic criteria – I really had no clue of what they were, never mind what they would look like. The scariest part of these conditions is the damage it does to the heart valves. Many patients end up having to get heart surgery to repair/replace the damaged valve. After visiting with a patient, I felt so sad because the lack of medical resources in this country, and the history of patient compliance do not always add up to a most happy ending.

It is unfortunate that the best way to learn is through experience, but as our neuropath professor “the Emperor” said: it’s like seeing an elephant – something you will never forget.