Cosmetics

It was quite rare that you can find patients that are older than you in the Paediatrics module. Nevertheless, I have met a few patients who still need to attend to paediatricians despite being adults.

The difference is immense. You can't easily talk to kids to pick up their history. However, as an adult, they are more descriptive when they mention their symptoms and their long long medical history (that's why they STILL need to be seen by paediatricians!)

She is a thalassemic patient who has been transfused with blood regularly since she was born. Our medical system is good in that we try to provide useful therapy to patients. Sometimes, however, she still suffered from anemic symptoms that she was not able to work normally.

"What would you do if you felt that you don't have enough blood?" I asked her. I was never able to ask this kind of question throughout this module until that time.

"I would put on more make-ups so my face would appear red!" She answered me directly. In my mind, there was only those anemic symptoms like "SOB, palpitation...." and I just wanted to know how she would do when she was working.

That time I realized that she was on cosmetics when we talked.

Medicine is about life, isn't it? She is already a grown-up and she needed to appear attractive. Being pale surely  was not what she wanted. Sigh! It is such a simple thing that I do not understand.