Here at last…..
Yowah! I know you might be wondering if the recent heavy rains that we have been having in the afternoons here wash weh mi rass, but no, nutten like that has come to pass, I have just been busy to rahtid. No time to write a post, though when I get the chance I have been dropping comments here and there at the sites I check.
Last weekend was a busy one with me being on call and awakened early o’clock by the hospital with the news that one of our patients was not looking good. So, I managed to drag miself outta bed early pon a Saturday morning, gulped down a cuppa tea and rushed up there without even holding a fresh. Nevertheless, Mr. C really looked liked him time was a draw nigh, and indeed, it did. He did arrest in front of me and resuscitation attempts proved futile. After twenty minutes and no joy, I called it quits and pronounced him. Sad. He’s a patient I knew from when I began working in my Unit some ten plus years ago. A victim of poor social circumstances and chronic disease that was difficult to control. I hope he will find eternal rest in the Lord’s house.
What else a gwaan? RAIN!! Man, I tiyad fe tell people seh September, the month when mankind was blessed with my arrival here in the Kingdom 
is rainsville! The skies have literally been pissing like a man who has been imbibing Red Stripe Beer non-stop in the afternoons. Consequently the road surfaces have become riddled with even more potholes craters and if you are unlucky enough to be caught driving at the time when said pissing is occurring, be prepared to navigate your vehicle well as the roads become seasonal rivers due to improper drainage. Suppose you see the road me live pon now…..my road actually behaves like a natural river bed for the area in which I reside, hence whole heap o rockstone, dirt and rubble is again piling up in my corner of the ‘hood after being washed down from the hill above us. Last year during heavy rains in September to October….said effry took place and it took the agencies responsible some nine months to get a bulldozer to move the crap. Well, like Arnold, the rockstone dem a seh……”We’re baaack!” Sigh. Another thing, the heap o water is causing the mosquitoes (a rass scourge on the land) to multiply as if sex deh pon sale in some bargain basement to blurdcleat! How I hate the likkle beasts! 
Anyway, some good does come out of these rather wet times…it cools the place down making for pleasant temperatures in the night, and of course, the hills are again an emerald green.
On other topics, preparations are taking place for me to go to Bim for our regional annual dermatology meeting, first week of November. I’m the tiyad Secretary of the association going four years in office now. Well, guess wah, I man stepping down this year. Time to let someone else shovel the shyte. Any of you who have been the Secretary of any association will realize that as an executive position, it involves the most of kill dead work. Well, the workhorse waan go eat some grass and trouble a posse o mares for some goodly ‘riding’…… 
In addition, I’m doing the bleaching talk at the meeting, which needs to be brushed up a bit, so free time is not that plentiful. Again this accounts for my absence.
That’s about all I haffi seh right now. Me on call dis weekend as well. (Knocking board)….things been pretty reasonable so far, so later I suppose fe go check a bredrin who roping in some peeps (dudes and dudettes) up him yard for a lime. Its not too far from the hospital in case they need me, so me suppose fe kriss. Enjoy your Saturday nite.
September 23rd, 2006 at 8:40 pm Never mind Doc, as the saying goes…into each life a little rain must fall….sorry, I could not resist.
September 23rd, 2006 at 9:46 pm Sounds like it’s been a mixed bag 4 U, Doc, but even de rain hasn’t dampened your mood 2 much. Enjoy de party at your bredrin’s.
September 24th, 2006 at 8:54 am Its been raining here too, but not too much. Its cool. Now if only the guy who is responsible for mowing my lawn would show up.
September 24th, 2006 at 8:57 am By the way, greetings in the name of the Most High to Ciya!
September 24th, 2006 at 10:00 pm So Doc, this might be a silly question, but do you do general practioner work as well? Was just reading the post and wondering. The traffic after/during the rain is just ridiculous!
September 25th, 2006 at 9:45 am No Gela, I don’t do general practice. I suppose you are wondering why it is that a patient on the dermatology service might have died? Many people are completely unaware/misinformed of the type of illnesses that inpatient dermatology serves…..we have the cosmetic side of the specialty to blame for that. We do have patients that can be quite ill and unfortunately, though it is not a common occurrence, we have patients that succumb to their illness or on occasion, side effects of their treatments. Inpatient dermatology does involve internal medicine. Enuff said.
September 25th, 2006 at 8:44 pm You’re right. We are ignorant about ‘inpatient dermatology’. Us non-medical people tend to think it’s about acne, etc. I really do read your post and wonder about it. See how informative blogging can be. I’m already much smarter just for that bit of info
September 25th, 2006 at 8:50 pm Gela, I could show you some pictures of the type of patients we have in hospital from time to time and then you’d understand that it is not all about acne and eczema. I have a host of clinical photos on my computer that I use for talks/teaching purposes that some of my family/friends have seen and they truly are shocked sometimes!
September 26th, 2006 at 1:49 pm I was going to ask you the same thing that Gela asked. And I thought of skin cancer…but I thought only white folks or albinos have that.
September 26th, 2006 at 3:26 pm The afternoon rains certainly created havoc on the paved tracks we have here in Jamaica both phisically and with the traffic. And you are right by calling them craters, cause dem big, wide, deep precipice deh pon the road/track nuh normal
September 26th, 2006 at 7:53 pm Actually several times I read your post and then think, ok what would bring a patient to the hospital needing the service of a dermatologist. The only thing I could think of was burnt victims and skin grafts. That would require a dermatologist right? I just resisted asking cuz I didn’t want to sound silly
September 26th, 2006 at 7:55 pm Nope, burns are treated by Surgery Gela! BUT, we do have patients whose skin diseases can make them look like they have been burned. I could go on……
September 26th, 2006 at 7:55 pm Jeez, I didn’t even think of skin cancer, and that thing that Michael Jackson has (can’t remember name now)
September 26th, 2006 at 8:31 pm They say Michael has Vitiligo….but I wonder….
September 27th, 2006 at 11:53 am Dr. D: When my brother and I were growing up in Jamaica we both had continuous skin problems. His was a kind of eczema that seeemed to go away once he became a teenager. I was always breaking out here and there and eventually got a boil on my leg that left a nasty lifetime scar. Even now when I return to Jamaica, I’m afraid of the slightest skin eruption and am out of there if my skin starts feeling “funny.” My question is this: Are some people allergic to some of the tropical plants on the island. Have you seen cases where Jamaicans who have no skin problems in the Northern climes have skin eruptions when they return home? Not asking for diagnosis, just a general question. Thanks.