A medical student's post

Recently, I saw a patient who had a discharging abscess, very messy. The SHO who saw him after me asked for my tourniquet to use in taking bloods. Needless to say, I wasn't too keen, but gave it up anyway, knowing that that was the end of my tourniquet as a useful device.

An Accident and Emergency rotation without a tourniquet....not the best situation ever. And since I haven't discovered lunchtime meeting areas yet, I haven't been able to rely on that benefactor of medical students to provide me a new one: the drug reps.

After chucking it in the bin, I found I had to keep asking the nurses around for their tourniquets to use in taking bloods, putting in cannulas etc. Otherwise, I'd just be hanging around (the Royal Liverpool Hospital sees 200 plus patients everyday in A&E, so it gets pretty busy).

I was fortunate to have a yearmate who had an extra one and loaned it me for a few days. It was nice having my own for a while; I even lent it to a doctor who seemed to be in the same boat as me earlier.

***

I think a touniquet is just one of those things that I don't really think about until its not there. Its just one of those things.

I find that I can misplace God pretty easily and not miss Him. Until I come to a situation when I need Him, that is. And its then that I ask for help, that I repent, that I cry out to Him, etc etc. And He answers, always.

Going to meetings, camps, boosting my faith by meeting others and living by their testimonies etc is fine, for a while, but ultimately I need to pursue this relationship by myself.

With purpose, and not by convenience.

Not borrowing off others, but seeking my own (insert)

Actively seeking, not trusting to circumstance.

God didn't leave me to chance, on His part.

***

I still do really need a tourniquet. In Malaysia I'd have used gloves, but I'm still not that confident putting cannulas in for me to try that.