Code 999

I'm sitting around finding worship song lyrics on the computer when all of a sudden a disembodied voice announces over the intercom:

"Code 999. Code 999. Please report to the ER. Code 999."

I'm like "Uh. What the heck does that mean?" but before I can turn around and ask Pastor Chao, she's already pulling on a surgical mask and running downstairs. The pastor and other associate pastors soon follow suit. My face must have reflected how "WHAT THE HELL??" I was feeling because the secretary, who was the only person left on my side of the room, turned to explain

"Code 999-"

She's interrupted by the shrill sound of the phone ringing. The head of the Social Worker department picks up.

"Yes? I understand. (hang up) EVERYBODY DOWNSTAIRS."

Now the entire other side of the room pull on surgical masks and run out the door. Not briskly walk. RUN. I am still slightly stunned as I hear the rapid clicking of high heels fade away down the stairs. (That's when you KNOW it's serious. They didn't even bother waiting for the elevator.)

Now the secretary and I are the only people left in the office. I turn to her and gesture between us. "Does everybody include us?"

She laughs and shakes her head. At this point, I'm torn between being all "WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED?" and being a calm adult who waits until everybody gets back before asking questions. I settle for sidling up next to the secretary and sending her intent stares until she tells me what's up.

Apparently, Code 999 means that a patient has just been rushed into the ER who is in critical condition. Like literally teetering between life and death. The associate pastors and social workers all rush over to the ER to pray over the patient. Whew, for a moment there, I thought they were heading into a life threatening situation...like a holdup or something.

Anyways, that's the most exciting thing that's happened this week. haha. Yesterday, I got the opportunity to shadow Dr. Xu. If the name sounds familiar, he's the family doctor with the ginormous ego who told me I was overweight. haha. My feelings toward him are slightly less bitter and acrimonious, but we're definitely not seeing Lizzy Bennet change over here. (So Amy, you shut up about me being fickle.) I acknowledge that he is a very smart man who has studied in many different fields of medicine (He does internal medicine, family medicine, gynecology, urology, just to name a few). Last Friday, I get a call on my cell phone from him and he insisted on seeing me. For some reason, he thought I was leaving that weekend. Anyways, we met up for about half an hour, just the two of us, and had a good talk. First, he pulled out all his certificates and medical licenses and went over them in meticulous detail. Then, he proceeded to read me all the letters he's received from his past students...even the ones in English. haha. Even though he has a penchant for tooting his own horn, I started to grow quite fond of his laugh. Now...imagine a orangutan, laughing and swinging his arms. "OOOH OOH HA HA". Kind of like that. But funnier. And with more clapping.

haha. He's hilarious. Still, there's definitely a lot I can learn from him. He was throwing out medical trivia left and right. How to tell the weight of the fetus just from how many centimeters the tip of the mother's bulge is from the belly button. All the different mnemonic devices he uses to memorize symptoms (JACCOL: Jaundice, Anemia, Cyanosis, Clubbing, Ocedema, LAP). He's a total Dr. Chatterbox. All the other staff are afraid of him because once he starts talking, he doesn't stop. They have to politely tell him to shut up. WAHAHAHA. Anyways, he asks me if I'd want to see him in action and I say, "Yeah, sure, why not." Just for him, I go out and buy a notebook. I know he's going to talk a lot, and I want him to feel like I'm there to learn. haha. However, about three patients in, I'm bored to tears.

In Taiwan, doctors get their own rooms. People drop their insurance card into a slot in the door and are admitted directly into the doctor's office. There's no front desk or anything. Dr. Xu makes sure to tell all his patients that I am a PRE-MEDICAL student (emphasis on PRE) who is there to learn from him. Then, as he screens his patients, he occasionally turns to me and asks me questions, answering them before I can open my mouth. I learned to just nod.

"Do you know what TSH is? It's thyroid stimulating hormone. Similar to the follicle-stimulating hormone in women. It plays a large role in hyper and hypothyroidism. Did I tell you about the time that I spotted a case of hyperthyroidism and saved my patient's life?---blah blah"

I took copious notes. Anyways, I found it a bit strange how many tests he ordered for each patient. I think it's a Taiwan/universal health care thing. Every patient walked away with a prescription for at least one drug and most had tests ordered. It seemed that Dr. Xu was convinced that all his patients were in danger of having subclinical hypothyroidism. "You have high blood pressure. Do you know this could be an indicator of hypothyroidism? Let's order some tests just to be sure." He is very thorough and obviously cares very much for his patients, but I think there's a fine line between being meticulous and being paranoid. About 80% of the patients that came through his door were told that they could have hypothyroidism and should be tested. I'm not even exaggerating.

I was amused by how he continued to toot his own horn in front of the patients. ("Did you know I studied urology too? Oh yes, I know a lot about many things!") He took his time with each patient and the atmosphere was very different from what I'm used to at Kaiser. Some of his patients were in there for over 20 minutes. And, before they left, he prayed with/over them. Some of them were ambushes.

"Thank you for coming today. (GRAB HAND. BEGIN PRAYER)" I was so stunned, I didn't even have time to close my eyes before he started. haha.

A lot of his patients request him by name. They know, with him, they're in good hands (If hands could talk you to death).

I was a little irked when he'd turn to me and ask me questions about specific diseases and expect me to know the answer. When I gave him what I soon named The Look, he'd say, "What? You don't even know this?" in front of the patients and everything. I don't think what I told him about me just finishing my first year in undergrad really sank in. He treats me like an intern or resident. (sigh) Still, I'm very grateful that I had an opportunity to learn from him. I really like the attitude he takes toward healthcare and patient interaction. I learned that even though his words can be belittling or hurtful, he has absolutely no idea. He thinks he's being encouraging. haha. Or he's just taking the opportunity to tell you what he knows. By the end, whenever he'd ask me "Do you know...", I'd pick up my pen and respond, "Not yet."

haha.

Praise the Lord! I learn new things every day! I can't believe I only have one more week in Hualien before ADVENT starts.