the bizarre side of medicine.

being a medical student does give me plenty of weird experiences. one that perhaps isn't what a normal human being should do. things like seeing and telling old patients to undress, just so we can look at them and examine them. That isn't exactly normal is it? or asking patients about sex in detail. do you get erections? how long does it last? is it full, is it partial? does it bother you? how long have you not have it? Even one of these questions would seem rude, crude, or awkward in society minus the 'medical' badge... yet, such is normal life in medicine. The students flinch when they say it, try to suppress the 'awkward stare' or the 'surprised look', or the odd laughter. the new house officers try to act cool while asking these, but their voices give in. yet higher up the ladder, registrars and surgeons ask those questions just as they would any other question - like 'how are you?'. nothing abnormal about these intrusive questions. all in a day's work.

then, there are things we do... we fiddle with every part of the body, the painful, the numb, the weak, the strong, the bared and the private. touch, poke, prod, tap, rub, stroke, press, ballot, insert. as if seeing ain't intrusive enough, we do the unthinkable - well if you are in a culture without western medicine, who on earth would think about doing all these things? it is absolute crazy, absolutely bizarre...

so here i am, accepting bizarreness to be part of me, exchanging my normal life for a medical student and hopefully doctor's life.