Experiences of a Kampala Doctor.
By Denise Kavuma, Uganda: Picture this if you will A cold wind is howling outside and a chill has settled deep in your bones even as you try to stay awake at 3 a.m. on a Tuesday. You’re on call in a hospital and the emergencies have finally slowed to a halt. Optimism suddenly rises and you hope that you […]
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By Denise Kavuma, Uganda: There I was, minding my own business? well, technically I was minding the health of others but hey, if they decide to walk into my hospital to see a doctor, their health is my business. So there I was minding my own business when a lady I had discharged about a month back walked into the […]
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By Denise Kavuma, Uganda: Life is annoyingly unpredictable and for those of us who survive solely on the straining but tight grip we have on whatever control we can garner, this volatility can be quite devastating. I once had a love for pregnant women and wanted to spend my life helping them but passion sometimes burns itself out and after […]
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By Denise Kavuma, Uganda: “The patient is your boss.” I felt my eyes widen at the statement as everything in me rebelled at the idea. Everyone else in the meeting-room remained in the same positions with looks of boredom which had been the dominant expression on their faces for the past hour or so. Even Batman would have been impressed […]
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By Denise Kavuma, Uganda: I dream about my patients a lot. It's not of my doing though and in fact if I had any choice in the matter, I'd really much rather not have any reminders of most of the patients I meet, except for the new knowledge learned in treating a condition. Yes, I am one of those despicable […]
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By Denise Kavuma, Uganda: Every now and then new diseases are discovered and while some are named thus just so the pharmaceutical companies can get every last penny out of gullible individuals, others are simply just a way for the world to define something they don't understand. I verily discovered one such condition recently and I'm well on my way […]
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By Denise Kavuma, Uganda: It's hardly my place to question if a patient is in pain but man, some cases are dodgy. Somebody will walk up to you one day and declare that their back is killing them, has been for several days, and they cannot take another step so you must deal with them immediately. Of course, you ignore […]
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By Denise Kavuma, Uganda: Dealing with patients who have acute psychosis can get complicated but it's far more challenging when you mix with it a physical illness of sorts. It then comes close to the type of fictional cases Dr. House would be looking to solve; are there 2 separate diseases or is the medical illness causing the psychosis? Perhaps there […]
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By Denise Kavuma, Uganda: Every now and again, we get the flu; it could come from anywhere. Whether we ate something that didn't agree with us, or if we're staying with someone that has the sniffles and it spreads (then again, that says a bit about our hygiene.) Sometimes, it's from those creepy little restaurants that will give you the […]
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By Denise Kavuma, Uganda: And now, we shall talk about something more frightening and a million times more personal than what I've been talking about so far. This happened at the beginning of internship and frightened me more than I thought was possible. The hazards of medical care far outweigh those of many professions; even if you were a dragon-fighter, […]
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