face to face with H1N1

it was 4.30pm and there came a call to teach MDI inhaler technique in 8C. it didn't hit me at first that that was the isolation ward until the SN said the patient was H1N1 positive.

shudders..

well, i guess i didn't have much of a choice. given the timing and knowing that most probably the name will just hang there in the office, i went up, postponing my article review for tomorrow.

the robing was quite fun actually, ignoring the fact that i put the robe the opposite way first time round. when i got up there there were actually TWO patients, not one. just my luck. i guess this has to do with my bad habit of having spares. now fate is mocking me.

but i digress.

so anyway, the robing was quite fun. there was the robe, shoe cover, gloves, head cover, N95 (i put on a normal mask too for double protection). not too bad, i could still breathe.

i had to robe myself 2 times since after each patient i had to throw everything into the yellow bin.

first patient was quite fast since she did not have the inhaler with her, so all i could do was show her the leaflet and try to explain. gosh i hope they don't call again tomorrow. :S

second patient was quite a harrowing experience. she didn't wear her mask. she kept coughing. i tried hard not to visualise the tiny bugs flying out of her mouth and wafting across my face in the room. gosh.. can they even penetrate through skin? or mucosal membranes? or enter through pimples on my face??? open wounds wei.....:( half my face and eyes are not covered. they should make some kind of mask so that i'm fully coated.:(

and so she coughed and coughed and coughed.. sigh..

then since i had to reassess her technique, i had to ask her to exhale.. sigh.. all the bugs flying out.. :S :S i had to demonstrate inhaling, through the mask of course, but even then i shudder to think if the bugs can penetrate the mask then i'm inhaling them deep down into my lungs...

sigh.... tonight i cannot sleep dy..