Interesting Phone Calls I Received #4 (And Second Lockdown)

Well, technically it's Movement Control Order 2.0, back to square one, 'cause with the constantly rising cases, it's unavoidable. Humans being humans, a lot of people were expressing their outrage in social media, and panic buying again. Really? Haven't we all learnt this back from MCO 1.0 in March? Till this day I don't understand why are people rushing to panic buy, like why? I stocked up on stuff long before cases were on the rise again because somehow, you just got that gut feeling, and it's to avoid disappointment when I can't get my cheese flavoured tortilla chips (So delicious), but I suddenly have a craving for plain M&Ms due to unable to find fruit flavoured Skittles (I didn't want those tiny packets, I wanted large ones which I could fill into a jar) Unfortunately, just like the first round, original flavoured stuff are often stocked out, unless you want nuts, tomato, salt and vinegar, barbeque, tom yam, shichuan flavoured stuff. I'm good, thanks. I'm a simple person, I prefer eating without sauces and other fillings on top, so long as I got something to keep the hunger at bay. 

        God, I miss going to bookstores and clearance sales, mainly I was trying to hunt down several books that has long been out of print. Currently chasing this book down because I feel that the author is great at writing a fast-paced, plot with twists and turns, and she's rather underrated. Furthermore, I'm getting a little tired with Patricia Cornwell. Don't get me wrong, she's a great writer, but the amount of techno jargon is getting overwhelming to me, and I prefer good old down-to-earth crime novels. I managed to track all the books down except for this one. Actually, I managed to track it down in some thrift shops and second-handed bookstore in the States, but with the current events over there regarding a certain duck (No offense), I feel that it is best to wait till things cool off. Not to mention that after conversion rate, the shipping really burns a hole in my pocket. The amount after conversion could get me a brand new novel, and I was willing to get used or second handed copy to save cost as much as possible. Praying hard that my Book Depository will stock the book up. With airmail, I often have to wait for a month plus in order to get my books but so far after using them since the beginning of lockdown I have no regrets. 

 Source: Bloodborn : Kathryn Fox : 9780061353345 (bookdepository.com)

*Patricia Cornwell got me started off with crime fiction thanks to my friend who introduced me to her works, and with that I'm forever grateful, but I can't, nor will I ever use all the technology that she has mentioned because 1) I'm not familiar with any of the tools she mentioned 2) Her recent books are just getting a little too dependent on technology 3) After too much techno jargon, I prefer good old detective solving skills. Same friend borrowed me her copy of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, which detailed the horrifying murders of the Clutter family back in 1959 in Kansas. You can imagine those were the days where didn't have advanced technology like now, and the police only managed to catch the murderers due to observation and luck.

Source: Garden City, Kansas, Police Department, Famous Cases, Clutter Family Murders

Clutter Family Murders | Garden City Police Department (gcpolice.org) (Retrieved on 17th January 2021)

Source: Crime Archives, Biographies of Key Figures CrimeArchives: The Clutter Family Murders | Biographies of Key Figures (Retrived on 17th January 2021)

Source: (24th March 2012, Podolak, Erin) Book Review: In Cold Blood Book Review: In Cold Blood - Erin Podolak (Retrieved on 17th January 2021)

        Not much phone calls but here are some.

Comparing Prices

With the rise of healthcare everywhere, it's almost like going to a shopping mall. You survey the market, you look at the doctors, then you decide whether you want to pay for their service or not. It's okay to survey, but at times I get a little frustrated when I hear the D word. Look, private side has always been at the high-end of prices, and I know, government you have a long waiting list ahead, but everyone often told me: If you can afford to come to private, it means 1) you have the means to pay 2) you're under insurance. Patients tends to love throwing this answer: Doctors are rich, surely they can afford to give a little discount? If I told you how much a doctor earn starting out, you will be horrified. The doctors who made their mark, earn their millions, those are the pioneers, the veterans who have poured all their sweat, blood, tears and sacrificed their work life balance to get where they are now.

*This is something I'll take to the grave, so don't bother asking.

The Best Time To Do Covid Tests

There's no right or wrong answer here. I attended this call recently. A caller had a close contact with a person and recently found out they are positive so they wanted to know the best time to do it. For me, the answer is simple. Close contact? Get a swab now and get yourself quarantined. No need to dilly-dally. If you are unsure, go to the Ministry of Health site. There is a lot of information and guidelines on what to do.

Source: Pemantauan Kendiri Kes Positif COVID-19 di Rumah oleh CPRC Kebangsaan, KKM

Pemantauan Kendiri Kes Positif COVID-19 di Rumah | COVID-19 MALAYSIA (moh.gov.my)

 

Psychiatry Is Often The Last Resort

I tend not to refer people to psychiatry until it's the patient requested, or once I get the full history and am certain it's related to mental health. Recently, someone twisted a story on how we send them to see a psychiatrist, when the story is actually they agreed to it after much discussion. To be safe, always put it as a last resort. Usually I'll go for Internal Medicine to be on the safe side.

I Want To See A Doctor NOW

I attended this call near 9 PM. A called on behalf of B that B has a thing on their throat and wanted to see a doctor NOW. I told them nicely since it's already night time, they can go to the Emergency Department where a MO can attend to them. A wasn't happy because they want to see a doctor NOW. Repeated the same thing and told them, don't worry, the MO on duty will get the correct doctor for you. I even gave the doctor's name myself and offered to schedule an appointment. Nope, they still insist on NOW. The case wasn't life threatening, I was trying to help save the cost because do you know much are the after office hours rate? It's like buying things from a 24-hour convenience shop. The prices get marked up. In the end, they didn't turn up, even though I managed to get a nice doctor to see them.

Discrimination

Sad but true. I don't want to use the other word because it sounds offensive, but whenever I say that there is no (insert here), callers tends to hang up without warning, especially (insert here). Some can even outright tell me (insert here) are more trustworthy. I myself also got it at times when I couldn't speak fluent Cantonese, I understood the language but I speak broken Cantonese, Rusty Japanese, Mandarin (mainly conversational), Bahasa Malaysia passable and English. I tend to get: "You are (insert here. Why can't you speak to me in (insert)?" Another common one is that (insert here) are more trustworthy, or (insert here) are (insert here). You know what this is? Bias, prejudice, stereotyping, unfairness, narrow-minded. I could go on and on, but it's hurtful, and I have to put in a lot of blanks because it is sickening.

I Want The Best Doctor (Chemistry Matters) 

I'm going to say it till the end of time. All doctors are the best, because it is not easy to be a doctor, and they worked hard to get where they are now. I couldn't be one, I hated the three major science topics, and I couldn't bear to dissect animals (FOR SCIENCE!) The only thing I could say is I can recommend you a doctor, but after that is chemistry. Say I recommend you doctor A, you don't like them. You like doctor B, but no one likes them, but you feel comfortable with doctor B, and that is okay. You do you.

 All Doctors Does A Specific Test

Not necessarily. We received a call on cost breakdown regarding a urology case. The normal breakdown will be a diagnostic test/scan and the doctor's fee. To try to get a fixed price is impossible because we do not know if the doctor is going to ask you to do this test or not, and we haven't even count the cost of the medications yet, which a another whole story. The most I could advise is to carry a few hundreds and a credit card.

Matchmaking 

Doctors can be the best of the best, but at the end of the day, some patients love spending time with their doctors. They don't want a doctor who goes in five minutes in and out, or "Hi" and "Bye", even if they are a senior. I am in the second group, I don't mind which doctor I get, provided my condition gets solved. I don't like to talk much in real life anyway cause I tend to get into a lot of mess if I open my mouth, so I'm okay with whoever, but most of my patients love to talk, so we usually have to know who to match with whom. This is why I heavily stressed that we need to know our doctors well. 

The Covid Hotlines Are Not Working

Have you seen the poor people behind the line? They get tons of calls everyday. If at first you don't succeed, dial till you get them. 

Source: Hotline | COVID-19 MALAYSIA (moh.gov.my)

Stay safe everyone.

*Today's case: (Not out yet, so I'll take yesterday's case) 4,029 (Oh, HELL NO)

**We're nearly at our wit's end, but then I found this wonderful song from one my favourite band. It's basically a message to the world to never give up. If you are ever feeling down, listen to it. I'm currently listening to it while editing.

Source: 和楽器バンド Wagakki Band / Sakura Rising with Amy Lee of EVANESCENCE

(Published on 18th November 2020 by Wagakki Band)

和楽器バンド / Sakura Rising with Amy Lee of EVANESCENCE (Animated Lyric Video) - YouTube

(Retrieved on 17th January 2021)

Interesting Phone Calls I Received #3 (With Some Rants In Between)

Emergency blog post. I have originally planned to lay off blogging for a while as I'm currently editing a ginormous manuscript, but the lengths of some people goes to...

Telemedicine = EVERYTHING

I'm not sure who put it out there that we handle everything. Our main service is to give you health advice, not to be at your beck and call. Unfortunately, most of the people seemed to have gotten too clever. They call our lines direct, meaning I can't tell what they are going to ask. In my mind, every phone call is important = emergency/ need help. I feel like moping when people call me to make an appointment with So-and-So because they couldn't be bothered. Seriously, why would I type an extremely long message for you with the doctor's clinic details and extension if you can't be bothered to call? I gotten a few phone calls with people being impatient telling me no one called them. Look, I can't predict the clinic timing, and sometimes the person on the other end could be busy. Furthermore, we are seriously short-staffed so sometimes I have to attend the much more urgent calls first. Appointment calls vs call regarding stroke. You do the math.

You Can Check My Appointment, This Means You Can Fix It For Me Too 

Again, I'm not sure who puts this into people's mind. Of course the hospital system allows me to check your appointment, but asking me to interfere in the clinic schedule is going too far. How can you ask me to interfere in my clinic assistant's schedule? How would I know if the doctors have surgeries or not? This is the reason why we stressed so often, please call the clinic personally and query with the person in charge. No one is going to eat you alive, just a simple phone call and ask, "Can I make an appointment please?" And honest to God, sometimes I don't believe things in the website. Make a call to find out. (There was an incident where someone gave me a telling off because I "do not know how to do my job". I called the clinic personally to make an appointment. Once I had everything planned properly, the person claimed I didn't see my doctor's schedule in the website properly because by right they do not have a clinic tomorrow. This is why I called the clinic assistant personally to find out, don't believe the website, for God's sake >.<)

Everything That Goes Wrong = Our Fault

When you are in the servicing line, be prepared for this to keep on happening, no matter how much you tried your very best. I received a phone call regarding promotion and packaging. I didn't attend this person at first, but I received the phone call the next day and got yelled at because they were unhappy with the service because they are unable to get the person on the other end. Baffled, I offered the person if they would like to speak to one of the clinics who does this procedure, they refused and kept talking over me, demanding to find someone who will talk to them regarding the package. While I was calling the person in charge, the person kept ringing and yelling me to, "Don't bother wasting your time calling the number because no one is answering." Look, I get it that it seems odd, but after making several calls, I have managed to track down the person and did you know what they said, "We didn't receive any calls and messages at all. Perhaps they have called the wrong number?" Oh, Christ...

COVID Vaccines Are Out, So I Need To Get It

Indeed, some countries have started distributing the vaccines to frontliners, but until the Ministry of Health gave the green lights, at the moment we do not have it yet. We received calls from several people demanding that they are entitled to get the shot now. Hate to break it to you, but the first people who will get them are our Ministers and Cabinets, followed by the frontliners, then the people are susceptible to Miss Rona. So just hold your seahorses and just be patient, okay? 

The Hospitals Are Terribly Unsafe 

Haven't we been through this back in 2020? When you are sick, and your health is already in danger, you have to come to the hospital for treatment. I'm not trying to sound like a crazy person, but why delay when you are already in so much pain? I received a call from a person to rule out a diagnosis and they were scared to come to the hospital because of Miss Rona. Um, if I'm in severe pain, Miss Rona or not, I will go to my doctor immediately. Please don't play with your health here. 

Teleconsult = I Don't Need To Come To The Hospital

This depends. Most doctors would prefer if you come face to face so that they are able to assess you. Safety is one thing to consider, but the reason why the doctors wants you to come is so that they are able to thoroughly assess you and run the necessary tests needed. If someone is having a spine problem, how can they assess through the webcam? With the jerky movements, poor wifi connection and the constant breaks (My side, a lot). Maybe for follow up cases it's still fine, but if it's a new or complicated case, please make an effort to come at least, just for one consultation. Please?

Going to Emergency Means Shorter Waiting Time

Not necessarily. This is a common misconception. I've been to private and government side for treatment, and the waiting line is always long. Now with Miss Rona on the rise, Emergency are flooded with the sudden rise of cases. Furthermore, why would I go to Emergency when my condition is not severe? Emergency Department care usually reserved for severe cases like traumatic and life threatening cases. Fever? Unless it is dengue and your platelet count is dangerously low. 

If This Country Does This Procedure, This Means We Do It Too

Different procedures varies on different countries. I know some countries does transgender surgical procedure, remove your ribcages to give you that perfect waistline, implant radiation seeds... In Malaysia, it is against our law to do a transgender surgery. The only treatment we do give is hormone injections as per prescribed by the specialists. I know America does it, my colleague says Singapore does it as well. Just because they do it, doesn't mean we do.   

I Only Want To See ONE Doctor

I got a phone call from someone who claimed they have so many problems ranging from different parts all over the body. It is technically impossible to see just ONE doctor when you have so many issues. The person claimed also claimed that I am money-minded, I just want to help you solve your problem, but we need to be realistic here. I can't just send you to ONE doctor and expect everything to be solved when you have so many places which have issues. For me, I only have a knee problem so I go to the bone doctor, problem solved. But you... Jesus Christ. If that's the case, I don't think we need specialize fields for area of expertise then.

Just Because You Can Doesn't Mean You Should

This applies to everyday life. Yeah, technically you can walk in but then do not complain if the waiting queue is long. Especially government side. I always tell people, if you are heading for government clinic, just make sure you take a day off, pack some food and snacks cause it's going to be a long while. You could say the same for private side as well. That's why people often carry coffee cups and snacks with them. I like carrying some small snacks, water and my books. 

You Should Know Everything

I don't know everything, I had to do countless research and ask around a lot. A doctor joked with me that if human beings know everything, then we are not human anymore, we are Gods. I make effort to try find out things for you so that I'm able to help you a little, but I received a phone call regarding about lab tests and the person was rude, telling me that I'm wasting their time even though I offered politely to find out the info and get back to them. Oh, why??? It's not like I brushed you off. In the end, I got one of the lab staff to help out and they took over. Crisis averted.

Take Things With A Pinch of Salt

This also applies to everyday life. A colleague came up to me and told me the doctor has no clinic despite they are on call. I know this doctor very well, having worked with him previously for a while. I told my colleague to just give a casual call, but they were hesitant, so I ended up calling. I was lucky, the doctor was accepting patients and they took the case immediately. I'm not trying to blow my own trumpet but I told my colleague when in doubt, always give a casual call and find out, because you don't want to give the wrong info and lose a potential case.

And now back to my editing, with rock music blaring in the background. Happy 2021.

*Today's case: 3,027 (In James Marsters Spike's voice, bloody hell)