Monday, April 21, 2008

Oasis Chiyu

Nosotros fuemos al un randon finca en Alta Verapaz se llama "Oasis Chiyu." El hombre que manaja esta finca se llama "Filipe." Esta loco. Ve las imagenes (si, el esta fumando marijuana cerca del rio...).
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We also went to a random farm en Alta Verpaz, called "Oasis Chiyu." The guy who runs it is named "Filipe." He's crazy. Look at the pictures (yes, he is smoking marijuana near the river...).
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For a link to all the beautiful pictures from our trip (hiking "2 rivers" on day one; exploring the caves on day 2; jumping off a 30 foot waterfall on day 3) click below. I think the coolest video is the cave, when Jyo was showing off her musical skills! :)
Oasis Chiyu

Mas aventuras #2.

Ahora yo trato publicar un album en todo en il mismo tiempo.
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Now, I will attempt to load the whole album at the same time.
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From Tikal - Be sure to check out the cool videos (especially ziplining through the rainforest!!!)
Tikal 12-04-08 to 14-04-08

Mas aventuras! #1

Lo siento para no publicar entradas hace dies dIas! Jyoti y yo fuemos al Tikal, entonces al un finca en la esquina de tres departamentos (como estados en Guate - Alta vera paz, Peten, y Isabal). Fue muy desfrutado. Voy a entrar muchas fotos "ahorita" pero quiero tratar usar "Picasa Web Albums" por que "Picasa" no me sirve bien. :( Entonces, esta es la primera prueba.
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Sorry for not publishing anything for the last ten days! Jyoti and I went to Tikal, and then to a random farm at the corner of three departments (like states in Guatemala - Alta vera paz, Peten, and Isabal). It was really fun. I will upload a bunch of photos "in just a minute" but I want to try to use "Picasa Web Albums" because last time, "Picasa" didn't work so well. :( Well then, this is the first test.
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Link to random photo of Jyoti and me posing in the Tikal ruins (Templo I):

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Estoicismo

Hola!
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Primero, se permite introducir un nuevo compaNero: Miguel, que es de Ingletaria, en el lado izquierdo. Buenos lentes...
Segundo: hace mucho tiempo desde mi ultima entrada. Lo siento...pero, a veces no hay internet, a veces nosotros fuimos al el lago atitlan, y otra veces trabajamos mucho (jaja) entonces nos ponemos muy consados. Aqui son imagenes de Atitlan (fin de semana pasada):




Tercero, se permite venir al el punto de mi entrada. Vi mucho pacientes en los puestos y la hospitalita (el CEMI). Mas de ellos son niNos , bebitos, O mujeres. Quiero hablar sobre los niNos por unos segundos. Nosotros ellos pinchamos, damos codazos, damos instrumentos en sus oidos, bocas, y anos tambien! Hasta inyectamos con vacunas y otras cosas tambien. TodavIa, los niNos no gritan, ni nos morden, ni lloran mucho! Que estoicismo! No se porque, pero quizas no pueden quejar mucho durante niNez, si no padres griten a ellos ni golpeEn tampoco! Sin embargo, es increIble cuando nosotros dar vacunas o suturamos cortas y los niNos no quejan nunca. No todo los niNos, pero mas de ellos. Porque? Es un pregunta mas interesante.
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Hello!
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First, allow me to introduce a new student: Michael, who is from England, on the left side of the photo. Nice shades...
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Second: it's been a long time since my last entry (>1 week). I'm sorry...but sometimes there's no internet, sometimes we go places like Lake Atitlan, and other times we work a lot (haha) and then we get tired. Here are some pictures from Atitlan (this past weekend):
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Third: allow me to come to the point of this entry. I have seen many patients in the puestos and the little hospital (the CEMI). Most of them are kids, babies, or women. I want to talk about those kids for a few seconds. We poke them and prod them, and insert instruments en their ears, mouths, and anuses too! We even inject them with vaccines and other things too. And yet...those kids don't shout, bite us or cry too much! What stoicism they have! I don't know why, but maybe it's because they can't complain much during childhood, or else their parents shout at them or hit them. Anyway, it's incredible when we give them vaccines or suture their lacerations and the kids don't complain at all. Not all of them, but most of them. Why? It's an interesting question.

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Prueba #2

Second Round of Picasa blogging
(N.B. - did not work, had to redo it...boo picasa...)

Preciosa Jyoti. :)
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Cute Jyoti.

Espere...ella sonrisa a fuera, pero que maldita a dentro!
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But wait! She smiles on the outside, but what evil lurks within?Procesiones de la noche.
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Night-time processions.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Prueba



Esta es un prueba de "Picasa," para veer si esta es mejor de el blog para entrar las imagenes.
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Un poco contra-vestir accion? :)


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This is a test of Picasa, to see if it is better than just the blog for uploading pictures.
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A little bit of cross-dressing action? :)
Posted by Picasa

Imagenes#2

De semana santa en Antigua:








Un video de los procesiones:



Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Sunday, March 23, 2008

!Residencia!

Hola! Esto es la primera entrada desde 20 de Marzo -- Dia de Match! . Jyoti y yo vamos al Filadelfia en il aNo entrante. Ella va assistir en el CHOP para Pediatria, y voy assistir en el HUP para Medicina Internal. Vamos ser tristes para salir de Boston (yo mas de ella, por que he vivido alli por ocho aNos!), pero somos muy emotionados para llegar al Fili. Vamos conocer con Katie y Marlise y Aditya (el hermano de Anu, quien es la esposa de Shail) y Apurva y Dan Horton y Kate Nelson y muchas otras muy simpathicas! Esta bien.
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En esta fin de semana, nosotros hemos hecho tan muchas cosas. En martes pasado, nosotros viajamos al Mixco Viejo para veer las ruinas. Fue como un pequeNo Tikal! Fue muy bonito.
Entonces, en miercoles fuemos al Antigua y Panajachel y Santa Cruz en Lake Atitlan! No tengo images ahora, pero voy entrar en el futuro. En juves llegamos al Guate, entonces al Antigua en viernes para semana santa! Fue muy rico, completa con muchas procesiones. To tengo images tampoco...
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Sin embargo, nosotros sabemos como tener divertido. ;) Aqui es un ejemplo de los felicidades:


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Hello! This is the first blog entry since March 20 -- Match Day! . Jyo and I are headed to Philadelphia next year! She will be at CHOP for Pediatrics, and I am going to HUP for Internal Medicine. We are going to be sad to leave Boston (me more than her, because I've lived there for 8 years!), but we are pretty excited to go to Phili. We'll meet up with Katie and Marlise and Aditya (brother of Anu, Shail's wife), and Apurva and Dan Horton and Kate Nelson and many other cool people. It'll be great.
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In this past weekend, we did so much. Last Tuesday, we went to Mixco Viejo to see the ruins there. It was like a mini-Tikal! It was beautiful: .
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Then, on Wednesday we went to Antigua, then Panajachel, then Santa Cruz on Lake Atitlan. I don't have pictures right now (they're going on the DVD), but I'll upload them later. On Thursday we went to Guate, then Antigua on Friday for the Holy Week celebrations. It was incredible, complete with lots of processions (death of Christ on Friday, Ressurection on Sunday). I don't have those pictures either...
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Anyway, we do know how to have a good time. ;) here is an example of our celebrations: .

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Bien venido!

Hola! Jyoti ha llegada aqui! Ella volO en domingo, pero durmiO en Guate esa noche. Entonces, ha llegada aqui ayer, y hoy es primera dIa de ella para visitar los puestos y assistir las classes. Creo que fue muy bueno, y todos de nosotros vamos apprender mucho.
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Jajaja, (nota que en espaNol, es "J", no es "H"!) los estudiantes guatemaltecos dicen que es tiempo para un fiesta -- por multiplos causas, incluye bienvenido para mi (y Gloria y Hiu-Fai), bienvenido para Jyoti, la llegada de Dia de Santo Patrico (en lunes entrante), semana santo, y Match Dia! No se que haceren ellos para nosotros...creo que va ser en lunes entrante.
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Nosotros gringos nos ponemos en un poco apuro ayer...no completamos la tarea que recibemos en semana pasada, por que no sabemos que era aplicable de nosotros (fue tarea de "distinguidos guatemaltecos en salud publico"). Sin embargo, Dr. Diaz enfadOse y nos dijo completar para fin de semana...lo sientemos...por eso, nosotros pagamos todo el tarde ayer para completar la tarea! :)
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Entonces nosotros caminabamos alrededor el CEMI. Aqui son unas fotografias:

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Hello! Jyoti has arrived here! She flew over on Sunday, but spent the night in Guatemala City. So, she got here yesterday, and today it was the first full day to visit the puestos and attend the classes. I think it went very well, and all of us will learn a lot.
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Hehe (note that in Spanish, laughter is with "J" and not "H"!) The Guatemalans say it is time for a party - MULTIPLE causes, including a welcoming for me (and Gloria and Hiu-Fai), a welcoming to Jyoti, for the arrival of St. Patrick's Day (next Monday), holy week, and Match Day! I don't know what they will do for us ... I think it will happen next Monday.
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We gringos got into a little trouble yesterday ... we did not complete the homework that re received last week, which we did not know was applicable to us (the homework was about "distinguished figures in Guatemalan public health"). However, Dr. Diaz got upset and told us to complete it by this weekend ... we felt pretty bad ... but that is why we spent the entire afternoon yesterday doing our homework! :)
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Then we went for a walk near CEMI. Here are some pictures:

Sunday, March 9, 2008

TURF

"Turf. Block. Referencia." No importa como se llama, pero es la mismo idea. Yo requierdo mi Sub-I en MGH, cuando nosotros mandamos multiplos casos al "Team 4" (que es el kipo de curar terminal, o otras causas como curar psiquatrica). Nosotros tambien mandamos un paciente al "Team 3" -- no por que no podemos tratar eso, pero por que ella fue en esto kipo antes (hace un ano)!
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Aqui, no es differente nada. Por que unas cosas confunditas, yo he quedado en el CEMI hace cuatro dias (si...yo he tenido turno por cuatro noches!). Es bueno, por que yo assistE mi primero parto! Ella es un bonissima bebita que tiene ses libres y nueve onzas. Y tambien, la madre es buena; necessitO solamente tres suturos. Todo fue bien.
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Sin embargo, el titulo de mi entrada es "TURF," por eso necessito explicar un poco. Durante mi cuatro turno dias, nosotros encontramos mas de cinquenta pacientes. Hubo ses o siete pacientes que eran emberazadas -- pero, nosotros estudiantes assistemos en solamente dos partos! Donde van los otros partos? Fueron "TURFed" a la Roosevelt hospital! Una emberazada fue 42 semanas desde la fetcha de ultimate regla, y nosotros piensemos que hubo disproporcion de cefaclico-pelvico. Un otra emberazada tenio la historia de caesario antes (pero fue dos aNos antes, y fue bajo anterior transverse!). Todavia, un otra emberazada tenio la historia de rompio de matriz en pasada (como rompio y entonces todavia embarazada, no se). Todos los casos -- nosotros mandamos al Roosevelt. Esta bien -- yo creo que fue necessario en mas de casos.
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Sin embargo, hubo otros pacientes que (algunos de nosotros) queremos mandar al Roosevelt que quizas no necessitan ir. Un hombre, que tiene 35 aNos, esta emborrachada y el cayO de coche. Hubo dos cortas; uno arriba de ceja derecha y uno sobre de maxilla derecha. Yo queria retener el para suturar, pero hubo la idea que la herida sea sobre un fractura zygomatica. Pero no hubo movimiento de maxilla, dolor al tocar, o mucho hinchazon! No creI que hubo fractura. Sin embargo, cuando dijimos el plano para mandar al Roosevelt, ellos decidieron ir a la casa en lugar! Finalmente, convencemos ellos quedar para suturar... Pero, fue un ejemplo de un innecessario TURF.
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Hay otras ejemplos -- un politrauma paciente en que no ponemos "foley catheter" por que "ellos en Roosevelt hacen eso," etc. Yo entiendo que no podemos hacer todo, pero yo creo que hay unos casos en que hacemos menor que debemos... un poco como intern aNo en MGH! :) Veremos...
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"Turf. Block. Referencia." No matter what it is called, it is the same idea. I remember my Sub-I at MGH, when we sent multiple cases to "Team 4" (which is the team that cares for terminal illnesses, or other things like psychiatry). We also sent a patient to "Team 3" - not because we could not handle that (heme-onc), but because the patient had been cared for by that team before (albeit a year ago)!
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Here, there isn't a huge difference. Because of some confusion, I have been at CEMI for four days (yes. .. I have taken call for four nights!). It's good, because I delivered my first baby! She is a beautiful little girl who weighs 6 lbs 9 ounces. Oh yeah, the mother is also good; she only needed three suture ties for the epesiotomy. Everything went well.
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Oh wait, the title of my post is "TURF;" I guess I should explain why. During my four days on call, we encountered more than fifty patients. There were six or seven patients who were pregnant - but we students only delivered two babies! Where about the other births? They were "TURFed" to Roosevelt Hospital. One woman was 42 weeks pregnant, and we thought there was cephalo-pelvic disproportion. Another pregnant woman had a history of a C-section before (but was two years before, and it was a low-anterior transverse approach! [which means a normal vaginal delivery could follow that]). Still, another pregnant woman had a history of a ruptured uterus from a previous pregnancy (how she ruptured her uterus but then still got pregnant, I don't know). All these cases - we sent to Roosevelt. It's okay, I think that it was probably necessary -- in most cases.
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However, there were other patients that (some of us) wanted to send to Roosevelt who may not have otherwise needed it. One man, 35 years old, was drunk and fell out of a moving truck. There were two lacerations, one above the eyebrow, and one overlying the right maxilla. I wanted to keep him so we could suture the lacerastion, but there was the idea that the wound may be overlying a zygomatic fracture. Nonetheless, there was no movement of the facial bones, pain on palpation, or even that much swelling! I really didn't believe there was a fracture. However, when we told them of the plan to send him to Roosevelt, the patient's family decided to go home instead! Finally, we convince them that at least we could suture the lacerations... But it was probably an example of an unnecessary TURF.
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There are other examples - a multiple trauma patient in whom we did not place a foley catheter because "they do that at Roosevelt," and so on. I understand that we can not do everything, but I think that there are some cases where we do less than we should ... A bit like intern year at MGH? :) We'll see...

Friday, March 7, 2008

lo siento.

Hoy, yo escribo noticias un poco mal. Hoy, yo junto Mario en el puesto de salud de Pajoces. Vemos muchas pacientes -- casi viente en solamente dos horas! Sin embargo, yo hace un accidente hoy...o yo creo que eso. Un neNa que tiene 2 aNos viene con su madre. Ella tenia fiebre todo el ayer, y no comia bien por esto tiempo. Yo di acetominofina para el fiebra y yo ellas mando a la casa. Pero -- y su madre no me dijo! -- ella tenia "varicela" desde ses dias! Por supuesto, yo busco durante el examen physico. Yo pienso que ella probabilmente tenga fiebre por que ella tenga varicela tambien. Pero...ahora yo se que el fiebre viene un dia antes de ranchas, y termina sola un dia despues. Por eso, no creo que el fiebre es por que la varicela. Yo busco en los oidos, la garganta, y el abdomen y no hay problemas. Tampoco, no hay sonidos en los pulmones o otras seNas de enfermedades. Pero, sin embargo, es possible que el fiebre es la seNa de un complicacion de varicela, como pneumonitis, o otitis media, o otra cosa. Quizas mi exam clinico todavia no es perfecto para diagnosticar? Por eso el situacion aca no es perfecto -- no hay ningun otros doctores que busquen los pacientes despues de nosotros. OjalA que la neNa no tiene otros enfermedades...pero no estoy seguro. lo siento. :(

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Today, I write some bad news. I joined Mario today in the puesto de salud at Pajoces. We saw a lot of patients -- almost twenty in only two hours! Anyway, I made a mistake today...or at least I think so. A baby girl, 2 years old, came in with her mother. She had a fever all day yesterday, and she wasn't eating well for that time. I gave her acetominophen for the fever and sent her home. But -- and her mom didn't tell me this, of course -- she also had the chicken pox for the last six days! Of course, I saw this during the physical exam. I thought that she probably had a fever because she had chicken pox also. But...now I know that the fever should come one day before the rash, and leaves one day after the rash starts. For that reason, I don't think the fever was only because of the chicken pox. I looked in her ears and throat, and did an abdominal exam, and there were no problems. I also found no abnormal sounds in the lungs or other signs of fever sources. But...nevertheless...it's possible that the fever is a sign of an underlying complication of the chicken pox, like pneumonitis, otitis media, or something else. Perhaps my clinical exam is not yet perfect to make these diagnoses? That's why the situation here isn't too perfect -- there aren't any other "doctors" who look at the patients after us. I hope that the little girl is okay and doesn't have serious other problems...but I can't be sure. I'm sorry. :(

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Futbol, EEUU v Guate

!Goooooooooool!
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Anteanoche, nosotros jugamos futbol, un bueno deporte que esta muy popular en centralamerica. Fue EEUU (Kevin, John, y yo) v. Guate (Mario, Antonio, y Hector). Los Guatemaltecos chicos ganeron, 10-9. Fue un bueno juego! Sin embargo, fue un pequeno accidente...cuando Mario corria al gol, yo obstruI la viaje, pero yo sacudI la bola fuera de el muro!
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Ahora, necessito explicar unas cosas. Primero, aca esta la "campo" por jugar. No es demasiado largo...Tambien, hay un muro cerca de gol. Mira la imagen por favor.Entonces, cuando la bola volO sobre de muro, necessitamos recojer esa. Pero...mira de cerca el muro.Hay muchas piezas de cristal juntada de muro! NecessitE saltar el muro para recojer la bola! Pero...despues de saltar el muro...necessitE escalar entre esto bosque!
Hubo multiplos grillos, legamosos serpientes, y muy grande ratas en el campo! Imagina eso en las nueve horas, muy obscuras, de la noche!
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Sin embargo, yo recojI la bola, con buen exito. Tambien...no hubo ninguna criaturas...pero fue muy espantoso!
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Last night, we played soccer, a great sport that's very popular in Central America. It was the USA (Kevin, John, and I) versus Guatemala (Mario, Tony, and Hector). The Guatemalan boys won, 10-9. What a great game! However...there was a small problem. When Mario was running toward the goal, I blocked his path -- but in doing that I kicked the ball over the wall!
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Now, I have to explain a few things. First, here is the field we were playing on. It is not too big...Also, there is a wall near the goal. Look at the picture.
Then, when the ball flew over the wall, we had to get it back. But...look at the wall a bit more closely:There are a lot of pieces of glass plastered into the wall! I had to jump over the wall to recover the ball! But...after jumping over the wall, I had to climb through this forest!
There were lots of crickets chirping menacingly, slithering serpents, and very large rats crawling in the field! Image this at 9 pm, really dark.
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Anyway, I recovered the ball, with great success. Also...there were no creatures...but it was scary anyway! (Kevin refused to go into the forest after "serpents" were mentioned...).

placebo

Yo pienso, que cuanto de cosas hacemos en medicina es placebo puro? No pregunto este por que yo tenga problemas con eso, pero por que yo pienso que es difficIl para separar unas cosas de otras. Por ejemplo, muchas personas en EEUU (especialmente, hijos de clase educada) necessitan antibioticos para un sinceta IRS por que sin embargo no salgan la oficina! Quizas, mas filosOficomente, algunos tratamientos son mismos, tambien. Por ejemplo, por que usamos pulsos-fetalis por cada embarazada? No hay ninguna evidencia que este es mejor para madres o bebitos. Quizas, es confortante para padres saber que hay pulsos -- pues como el placebo? (Sin embargo, es ahora necessario, por que los tribunales nos obligan eso.)
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Entonces, yo escribo eso por que yo encontre muchos casos en Guate donde el placebo fue usado. Vimos pacientes con "arthritis" que damos acetominofina (pequena dosis) -- cuando, en actualidad, los tienen acaques y dolores cuando demasiado trabaho, y el tratamiento mejor es descanso!
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Hoy, hubo uno caso unico, que causO mi sonreir. Vino paciente que tiene 53 anos; hace tres anos que ella ha tenido dolores de articulaciones, especialmente en sus rodillas, cinturas, y brassos. Ella ha venido en il semana pasada con mismos sintomas. En il semana pasada, Claudia (mira la imagen) diagnosticO ella con "arthritis" y diO pastillas de ibuprofina para ayudarle. Pero, no le ayudaron. Por eso, hoy decidimos dar o mas "fuerte." El tratamiento regular, Claudia me dijo, es inyecciones de piroxicam. Entonces, yo ella di inyecciones -- 6 mg en cada nalga y 3 mg en cada brasso. Fue increible! Esta mujer, que no puede caminar, de repente (un poco menos de 30 segundos) puede saltar arriba y bajo! Ella monstrO nos eso. Como fue magia magnifica. No piensI que piroxicam trabahe eso! :)
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I wonder, how much of what we do in medicine is pure placebo? I don't ask this because I have any problems with that, but because I think that it's difficult to separate some things from others. For example, lots of people in the US (especially the sons and daughters of the educated classes) require antibiotics for even a simple URI -- without which they would refuse to leave your office! Perhaps, more philosophically, some treatments are practically the same too. For example, why do we use a fetal heart tracing monitor for every pregnant woman? There is no evidence that is it better for mothers or babies. Perhaps, it is more comforting for the parents to know that there *is* a pulse...perhaps like a placebo? (In any case, now it is mandatory because the courts and law suits oblige us to use it).
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But I'm writing this because I've found many cases in Guate where the placebo was used. We see patients with "arthritis" whom we give acetominophen (very small doses) -- when, in reality, the have aches and pains from laboring too hard, and the better treatment is just rest and relaxation!
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Today, there was a unique case, which caused me to smile. A patient came in, aged 53 years; she had felt pain in her joints for three years, especially in her knees, hips, and arms. She had come in the week before with the same symptoms. Last week, Claudia (see the picture) diagnosed her with "arthritis" and gave her tablets of ibuprofen to help her. But...they did not help her. For that reason, we deicded to use more "force." The regular treatment, Claudia told me, is injection of Piroxicam. Then, I gave the injections -- 6 mg in each buttock, and 3 mg in each arm. It was incredible! This woman, who wasn't able to walk suddenly (in less than 30 seconds) was able to p up and down! She even showed this to us. Kind of like a magic trick. I didn't think piroxicam works like that!