Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Storm of Influenza

     Today is a national holiday. A kind of Independence Day. An Independence Day is an annual celebration commemorating the anniversary of a nation's assumption of independent statehood, usually after ceasing to be a colony or part of another state. Most countries honour their respective independence day as a national holiday. In Japan the purpose of this holiday is to commemorate the establishment of the nation and to promote love for the nation.
     By the way, my hospital is open today. Because most hospitals in this city are closed, my hospital is thronged with people who have something wrong with their health. 80% of the patients have a common cold with a high fever. Some of them are suffering from influenza. I gave the same explanations to the patients again and again and am dead tired.

(Vocabulary)
unilateral declaration of statehood　一方的な国家宣言
statehood　州［独立国家］である状態［の地位］
throng　～に群がる
assumption   (フォーマル) (責任などの) 引き受け, (権力などの) 掌握

Working space

     The photo shows the consultation room of OPD. Two displays were for the CT scan and the MRI. You can check the live images of the CT scan or the MRI here. Several models of skeletons, spines, and brains are on the shelf. The stamps are for writing the diagnosis or lots of procedures on the patients' charts. You know, Japanese letters are complicated. When I write rapidly, you can sometimes hardly read it properly. Besides, it takes time to write Japanese letters, so we often use alphabets. It's the reason we often use stamps for the charts. The schedule board is on the wall. Illustrations for explanations to the patients are hanging on the left wall. I usually spend 4 hours a day here.

 

Briefing

     I attended a medical briefing. Today's briefing was about Chinese herbal remedies. I learned nothing about oriental medicine at medical school. They were apt to underrate oriental medicine 20 years ago. I was thinking those days that Chinese herbal medicine would be prescribed by the dropout doctors. However, Chinese herbal medicines have become popular in Japan. I have to learn how to use them.

Cold Day

     It's raining and very cold today. On such a day, the number of OPD patients is usually small. All the staff members except for the boss are relaxed enough to flick through the shopping catalogue. I like this atmosphere. I spend the time cleaning up my room.

My Hospital

     The photo shows the view from the roof of my hospital. My hospital is located in the center of the city. I live in the outskirts of the town and commute by compact car. I sometimes go downtown after getting off work. At that time I leave my car in the parking lot overnight. This location is ideal for hitting the town.

 

Famished

     I need something to eat. I'm on night duty now. Medical Care Law established detailed rules for hospital dietetics and one of the night shifts has to eat and check the dinner for the patients. Today I checked. The hospitalized patients should hit the hay at 9 o'clock. However, I have to stay up until midnight. I'm famished.

Teaching

     I gave a lecture to students of the technical college today. Today's topic was dementia. This is not my major, so I had to learn it last night. Hasty cramming is only hasty cramming. Cold sweat broke out all over my shirt during the lecture. I might not be good at teaching, but teaching is useful for me. Advances in science are prompt. Teaching something needs re-organizing knowledges in my brain.

Pneumococcus Vaccine

     I gave my parents the pneumococcus vaccine today. This vaccine is not so famous as the influenza vaccine, although there is a lot of evidence that shows the efficacy of the prevention of the infection of pneumococcus. I don't know why.
     By the way, I got a shot of the influenza vaccine last November because influenza is highly contagious in Japan now.

Hernia Repair

     I know that 2 physicians and 3 surgeons are accessing this weblog. I'll write about the inguinal hernia repair today. Generally speaking, Japanese inguinal hernias are smaller than those of western people. It's considered to be due to the difference in the build. Anyway, there are several methods for reinforcing the abdominal wall. Originally, in Japan, there were rare cases using a mesh. When the hernia was not so big, we didn't need such an artificial device. However, the reinforcement by a mesh became popular in Japan at this time. The reason is that the mesh technique is easier and doesn't require much knowledge about the anatomy of the inguinal portion.
     I think it's lamentable. Doctors-in-training wouldn't study so hard. In case of a recurrence of inguinal hernia or occurrence of femoral hernia after the mesh operation, they couldn't deal with it properly.

     Stubborn surgeons!

     I'm waiting for your e-mails.

Dodging work

     I did a house visit today. The weather was fine and comfortable, and all the patients were stable and I didn't have to do anything unusual. Consequently, I could save time. If I got back to the hospital directly, I needed to work more. I plotted with a nurse and a driver to kill the time over a cup of coffee outside the hospital. We could spend a relaxing time outside.

Operation Undone

     Today is Saturday.  I've scheduled an easy operation today because I have an appointment for a party with my friends this evening, so the operation never dragged along. The operation was an inguinal, direct hernia repair. However, I couldn't get the patient anesthetized. The 79 year old patient has a history of multiple operations of the spine. His spine was like steel.  It's the first time for me to fail the spinal tap in 20 years.  I'm so sorry. Actually his spine was partially braced by the steel. I'm going to give him surgery next week under general anesthesia.

Morning Assembly

     Today kicks off another year of work. I attended the morning assembly. My boss abruptly ordered me to say something suitable for the day to everyone. As you are maybe thinking I didn't have anything prepared. I was upset. "Well, another year has started. We'll work hard but our health has to be the first priority." That's all I said.

Found Flu

     The first 3 days of the year is usually a holiday for most hospitals in Japan. However, Jan 2nd is a duty day at my hospital. My hospital has to be open to public today. Because most hospitals are closed today, our work was so hectic with many opd patients. We found 5 cases of influenza for the first time this winter. At this time of the year many people go back to their home town. There are a lot of people in Matsuyama city who usually live in other places. Influenza is thought to be carried by those people. Many people will start their daily activities on the 4th. Public schools will start on the 9th. I'm afraid influenza will get more and more contagious at the same time because packed conditions are ideal for the influenza virus.

Soba Party

     The O.P.D. of my hospital was closed Dec. 29th at noon. The work this year was done. At lunch time all the members of my hospital got together at the cafeteria and held a Soba party. Soba is kind of a noodle made from wheat flour. Soba was used to collect gold flour in making gildings. When you make gildings, gold pigment would be scattered on your work table. Soba was used to stick and collect gold flour. We began to think that soba could collect gold and make us rich. In Japan there is a custom of eating soba at the end of the year hoping that the coming year would be a lucky year.

Night Duty

     Most members of my hospital have got off work. Only a few staff members are staying in the hospital to take care of hospitalized patients. It's so quiet in the hospital. After supper, I threw on a white coat and went on the rounds of the ward. Everything was almost complete silence except the sound of panting and life -support devices.

Welfare

     Today is Sunday. My hospital is usually closed on Sundays but is especially open today because it's our turn. (See Every Eight Days.) Only 3 hospitals are open to the public in this city whose population is about 600,000.
     A middle-aged woman was transferred by ambulance. People around her thought that she might be a victim of a traffic accident. She was lying drunk on the street. I examined her and diagnosed she was just drunk. I allowed her to go home. However she wouldn't go home. That's because she was a welfare case.
     The Japanese medical insurance system is highly established. People who get welfare don't need to pay any medical expenses. That is to say, she can stay in hospital for free, where she can eat, sleep, take a bath, and feel relaxed in air-conditioned surroundings. The welfare system must be meant for really poor people. Most unfortunately, however, people who don't want to work utilize this system.
     So, of course, I rejected her desire for admittance.

Boxing Doctor

     I live in Matsuyama city in Ehime Prefecture in Shikoku. Shikoku( means 4 countries in Japanese) is made up for 4 prefectures. Today the high school student boxing champions of the 4 prefectures gathered in Matsuyama. The Shikoku Games were held to select the representatives of Shikoku. I attended the games as a ringside surgeon. It's one of my jobs but I like to see boxing. I was lucky because I was paid for doing what I like. If someone was badly injured I would have to act as a surgeon but usually I have only to stay ringside as one of the spectators.

End-of-the-year-party

     Today the hospital end-of-the-year party was held at the Japanese-style restaurant. All the staff members except the staff on duty got together and played bingo. I got a pair of socks with 5 fingers.

 

House Visit

     I went to see 2 female patients in their houses. Both of them are affected with sequels of cerebral apoplexy. They are confined to bed and need full-time assistance. Their husbands are taking care of their wives. I take off my hat to them. I don't know whether I could do the same as them if I were in the same situation as them.

Friday!

     It's Friday, late afternoon. My business will be almost done. I feel like hitting the town to get a drink. When I am thinking of that, one of my buddies calls me. Let's go out!
     Steak? Fish? or, "Nabe" (winter cuisine served in the pot) It's a big problem.