Anecdotes Of April..

Being irregular on the blogosphere has now become a habit so the less said about it, the better..

April was an eventful month and there's a LOT I'll need to write about but given the paucity of time I'll just stick to the basics.

• Preparation for DeMedcon 2015. Basically involved meeting Indhudhar Sir, Reading up on Tuberculosis from Robbins, Harrisons, Park, Tuli and any related content on the net, preparing the abstract (done by Sir), preparing the poster (done by Sir, again) and printing the poster (Done by Ma). Heyy, but "I" had to Present the poster and that forms the crux (ok, not really) of the matter!
• The travel from Shimoga to Bangalore via the Morning train with PPK is one I'll remember for a long time. I was travelling in the General Compartment after probably more than 12-13 years and it gave me ample opportunity to indulge in my favorite hobby: People Watching! We started at the crack of dawn and watched the scenery unfold while the rain drops on the railings descended downward. The fields looked fresh and green (it had rained heavily the previous night) and the weather was pleasant throughout. I finished re-reading The Class (Eric Segal) and spent the rest of the journey wondering about the population of our country.
• DeMedCon was between 23rd-25th April. Day 1 was CPCR (Cardio Pulmonary and Cerebral Resuscitation), Theatre of Oppressed and Movie Night (Now You See Me [I was too sleepy so PPK and I walked out midway]. Day 2 featured the Keynote Address by Devi Shetty, Plenary session on Bedside Manners by Malavika Kapur, CPC (Clinico Pathological Conference), Oral and Poster Presentations, Quiz prelims (in which PPK and VP participated and hence I was alone and ... *ahem* the rest they say is history and better as a mystery!) and a Talent Hunt involving contestants from the participating colleges as well as the host college. Day 3 began with the Finals of the Oral Presentations, CPC Finals, Quiz Finals and finally culminated with the Valedictory Function. Overall, it was a great experience and I'd say more only if time permitted but alas, it doesn't. There was a lot to learn and I'm glad I attended it.
• Highlights of Devi Shetty's speech were on the emerging trend of courts giving crores as compensation in alleged medical negligence cases, the Yeshaswini scheme, the existing vs. projected required number of specialists in our country and concluded with Save the Doctor campaign.

• Quiz questions will be mentioned in a separate post for interested candidates.
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• So basically, I presented a Poster of Tuberculosis of Navicular Bone which is a rare occurrence and this was an isolated case (i.e no history of pulmonary TB or any other extrapulmonary TB). Radiological picture suggested a lytic lesion and FNAC showed Giant cells. Finally, a C-arm guided Biopsy showed Langhans type of Giant cells as well as epithelioid cells which confirmed it as a case of Tuberculosis. There was no M. tuberculosis bacilli seen in the biopsy but this is not essential since it is a paucibacillary case. The patient was on the standard drug therapy (HREZ) and has been making steady recovery since then.
  
  
  
• After DeMedCon, I was back in Bangalore (after an interesting bus journey :P ) and the next day I was again off to Shimo. In the following week, we had 2 field visits as a part of our Community medicine postings:
• Nandini Milk Federation (where they pasteurize, process and package the milk, make peda, curd, buttermilk and other yummilicious products that we hogged afterwards.
• KR Water Treatment Plant (additional entrants include Akkamma and Abhii) where we saw how water was taken from the river and then led to different areas and finally filtered in the filter beds (which we saw thanks to our guide Ms. Mo)
• After running around from Department to Department haggling for attendance (which some declined to give Point Blank), studying for a Mycology test (which I ruined after forgetting to attempt a question altogether) and taking a long walk with Abhii (on a so-called lonely unsafe road for girls) where approx 325823658734605 people on the road stared at us for no particular reason other than the fact that we had XX chromosomes. (-_-) But We enjoyed the walk nonetheless but Abhii heaved a sigh of relief as we entered the safety of the campus. :P
  
  
  
  
• Solo Train Journey Time!! I set off for Bangalore (again) on Thursday night and had a pleasant experience. I even saw a familiar face in the station but alas, speech could not be established. It remains as a convergence of light rays for a fraction of seconds.
• Bangalore Diaries:
• BhopieShamieMe: My girl has grown up. But Sheepie remains the same. How I miss my mains. Oh the Pizzas were divine! The joy of hogging in Dominoes and then walking into Pizza Hut to hog some dessert cannot be experienced by all. :) Times change, people evolve and we begin to perceive the world differently but some essentials remain the same. There were some who could not make it for valid reasons, but I guess one has gotten used to that. 

• Pai Viceroy: Just like the old times, well almost. ;)
• Bheemiee Bonding. <3
• PingiKiGruhaps: Drove down to Pingi Ki New House (after following the directions they'd pasted on every other tree en route to their residence. Made a new friend and came back! :)
• PakkadManeKiGruhaps: a.k.a family selfie time.:P
• Shopping! <3
• Ajji Mane: (the shortest visit probably) Met AjjiBajji after a LOOOOONG time :)
• I bought BOOKS!!
• Medical
• Parasitology by Chatterjee
• Hematology by Ramdas Nayak
• Another book on Neuro
• Non Medical
• Stephen King: Mr. Mercedes
• RK Narayan: The Guide
• RK Narayan: The Bachelor of Arts
• Dad got me Eric Kandel. First Hand. OMG. I can't believe it. I've started. :P
• MaDiMe in Shimoga: Ma and Di came to Shimoga (after nearly 6 months). They had a view of my room and spent some time with my friends (Di and Deepu bonded big time [over Ninja Hatori, Chota Bheem and so many more things! :D ])
• Back2Square1: Revert to the old routine. Patho class in the first bench and Patho Lab were Vaibhav Sir enlightened us to the fact that we were first class fools. Ophthalmology postings for a month from now! :)

I've never really believed in this, but of late, I've begun to wonder: Does being a girl imply that you can have lesser adventures in life? Of course, the answer would be "No! Of course not. Today's women travel the world and explore all territories without any inhibitions and restrictions." but that's probably not entirely true. In the ideal situation, yes, it should seem as if to travel by ourselves shouldn't be a big deal, but when it comes to reality, the truth is rather bitter. As childish as it seems, it is difficult for me to digest that a harmless walk in the evening on a highway road is perceived as dangerous (by members of our own generation) and implies that "one is asking for trouble". Now, if we ourselves resign ourselves to such a fate, what change can we expect in the next generation?! 

I've been a grouchy git today and I'm rather happy with myself for the same reason. ^_^