NHS staff from GPs to nurses, surgeons to pharmacists have shown incredible resilience throughout the pandemic.
But while we have heard heartbreaking stories from Covid sufferers and their families, there can be a lighter side to working in medicine too.
Here, in an exclusive extract from his new book The Secret Doctor, GP Max Skittle recalls some of the funniest and most touching moments from his time working at an inner-city surgery.
Ive an enormous Friday feeling. Its 1pm and Im on a half-day today.
One last patient to see and then Im back home to my wife Alice and the bump. I truly am motoring. Clinical paperwork, done. Emails, read (and selectively ignored). Blood results, checked and actioned.
I look at my jobs list and even thats clear. In this moment, I feel like a capable GP.
I close my eyes and hold on to it all for a few golden seconds, packing it away safely in my memory bank for a rainy day.
With the wind in my clinical sails, I greet Duncan, a nasally well-endowed 23-year-old.
As he places a matchbox next to my keyboard, a small alarm bell rings (a sort of evolved GP Spider-Man sense of the Peter Parker variety) that this is a bit weird.
From then on it all happens in slow motion.
I sit there, listening to Duncan, but already mentally checking out and on my way home to watch Love Island on catch-up with Alice, as he tells me he thinks hes got bed bugs, but wasnt sure. I nod again in slow motion still listening, but not quite putting together the s**t-storm coalescing in front of my eyes.
Before my brain catches up with Duncans explanation of how, since he wasnt sure, he thought hed bring one in that he caught, he slides open the matchbox.
If I inhaled any faster, the now-liberated bed bug wouldve been up my nose in a heartbeat.
Image:
Despite every fibre of my being wanting to tell Duncan hes a f***ing idiot, I shut the box, quickly print out a patient information leaflet on bed bug eradication and delicately instruct him to burn the box and its contents and never to bring a suspected bed bug into my clinic room again.
Ever. I think Ive hurt his feelings so I finish off by commending him for catching the little bugger.
Im in two minds whether to tell Alice when I get home may find myself sleeping in the spare room.
Woke up itching (not in the spare room). Thanks, Duncan!
Mr Toska is 62 years old and a total rock n roller. As he swaggers in, smelling of expensive aftershave, sex, and stale cigar smoke, I immediately remember why I like him he reminds me of some guy straight off an aftershave ad campaign on television.
Here for the results of his recent NHS general health check, he wants me to tell him that hes not likely to have a massive heart attack and drop dead. Sorry, mate, youre in for some disappointing news.
Mr Toska smokes like a chimney, drinks like a (big) fish, has high blood pressure and thinks exercise is for the snowdrop (I think he means snowflake) generation. When you add in his high cholesterol despite protesting he eats healthily, which is clearly an exuberant fabrication in light of his clinical obesity his risk of cardiovascular disease (for example, a heart attack or a stroke) is positively celestial.
I explain all this and tell him he should consider changing his lifestyle and commencing a cholesterol-lowering statin (although that particular advice will all change in the next ten years, Im sure) if he wants to live longer.
Mr Toska looks at me and tells me he doesnt want to do any of that stuff he has a great life. Oh, and by the way, he wants some Viagra as hes got a new girlfriend whos 43 years old and I quote, has a high sex drive.
I darent probe further, despite my morbid curiosity (which you cant help but develop with the job). Anyway, now hes definitely going to have a heart attack.
Despite my concerns and forceful advice, he leaves no different to when he came, seemingly about to sh*g his way into an early grave.
Like I said, total rocknroller.
No words in the English language can capture what Im seeing. My jaw hangs slack, a little more than probably professionally acceptable, as my eyes absorb the flat of 70-year-olds Mr and Mrs Leigh. At first pass I count 16 dreamcatchers hanging from the ceiling.
I stop counting the dreamcatchers for now as my eyes consume the framed photographs on the wall: Barack and Michelle Obama (at his inauguration), seven Alsatians (all individually framed), Cilla Black, and my favourite, Will Smith as the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Mind-blown, Im speechless, lost in the wonder of their world. Im not even sure the fact I cant remember why Im here even matters now. I put my medical bag down and sit on their sofa next to about 15 boxes of singing garden gnomes (batteries thankfully not included).
Image:
I get out a printed summary of Mrs Leighs medical notes, trying to bury my excitement at this wonderland and suppress all the many, many questions I have and be more GP-like.
Im here for her first diabetic review (most long-term health conditions have some kind of annual check-up scheduled by the GP).
Shes received this recent diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus, picked up on a set of annual blood tests by the district nurses.
Mr and Mrs Leigh sit in front of me, taking in the information about what diabetes is, how it can occur, what the treatment will entail, and what an annual review like the one today involves.
Do you like Home and Away, Max?
Im already on first-name terms.
Bloody love that. Theres something about these two that really makes me want them to like me. Slightly blindsided by the question, I explain, while trying to professionally complete her diabetes checks, that while I dont get a lot of time to watch it (given the fact Im no longer 15 years old, have a job, and moved out of the 1990s), Im sure its still great.
Image:
Fighting the urge, I stop short of telling them Im sure I could probably still sing its theme tune.
God, I want to impress them.
Mr Leigh reappears as I pack up my bag, the diabetes review testing now complete.
He has a photo for me of their wedding day from 50 years ago.
Im really touched, if not slightly confused as to why he has this handy for such an occasion.
I listen with a warm sense of happiness for them as they speak about it with such reminiscent love.
A wave of pessimism sweeps over me sh**, am I being groomed? Itll be sweets in the bedroom next. I bat it away (putting it down to lunchtime hunger) and accept the photograph graciously, not quite sure what else to do.
I wonder what Alice will say? Maybe not one for the family photo wall. Still, a caring gesture nonetheless. And with that, I say goodbye, leaving the Leighs wonderland.
I really do hope to come back soon, this being one of the most fascinating home visits. EVER.
One things for sure, these two need their own television show I even know a theme tune for it . . .
I couldnt have ironed a shirt that well if I had all day. Let alone, square a tie off that neatly and pair it perfectly with a buttoned-up blazer. Also, I dont think I can stand up that straight. As I hover in Mr Cheemas living room, Im acutely aware that my shirts creased, definitely not tucked in at the back, and my trousers (yet again) are covered in my son Williams regurgitated milk from this mornings feeding frenzy.
I also find myself straining to stand up straighter, aware of my comparably inadequate posture. Mr Cheemas incredible: he walks over and shakes my hand, eyes evidently still full of twinkle. He invites me to sit, and I do so in silence, a little stunned by the amount of life in this man.
At one hundred years and two weeks (he adds, exuberantly) he looks 40 years his junior.
I wasnt expecting to find the answer to eternal youth on todays home visit.
Whats your secret? I have to ask as we sit here, imagining all the changes that hes lived through in this world.
Being kind and happy, he says without hesitation, not a beat missed.
A little disappointed at the intangibility of his answer, I probe for anything else more tangible like cheese. Or holidays to Bali.
Sadly, he says thats it. I make a mental note to remember this. Aware that this afternoons clinic is only half an hour away, I get down to business.
Now clinically speaking, theres not much wrong with Mr Cheema. To be honest, at his age, Ive also no interest in poking around to find something to sour his remaining years.
This visit is rather a general check-up as we havent seen him for a while.
Remarkably, he still lives alone with only one weekly carer doing some odd jobs for him.
I take in how immaculate his compact first-floor flat is, while the blood pressure machine tells me that he still has the blood pressure of a 21-year-old Olympic-level gymnast.
Yet, as with all of us, if you scratch deep enough, youll always find something. I can feel the quiet of his life, strange as that sounds.
The flat is a cacophony of newspapers, books, and crosswords.
Do you see many people?
Mr Cheemas veneer didnt take much scratching. It turns out he is in fact incredibly lonely, and has been for years.
He sees hardly anyone at all, with no family nearby (all largely dead, including his wife some 20 years ago), and a community that he doesnt really recognise or understand any more.
This upsets me for two reasons: first, this man clearly has so much to give.
Second, weve become the kind of non-communicable society thats perpetuated and fostered loneliness despite being on top of each other in bricks and mortar.
Its something Im seeing more and more in the patients I meet.
Yet Mr Cheemas clearly still up for life I love that about him.
We can all take a leaf out of this centenarian (and two weeks) book.
He agrees for me to get in touch with the local Age Concern organisation and some of the other local services that plan social activities like tea and cake mornings (though I do promise him that they do other things a little more exciting too).
Before leaving, I ask him to show me the secret to ironing his shirt so well.
Thankfully, his advice here is a little more tangible than being kind and happy to your shirt.
Read the original post:
Secret diary of a doctor - bed bugs, sex drives, Fresh ...
- Bed Bug Inspection Dog in Ontario, Canada - March 14th, 2011 [March 14th, 2011]
- Tracker The Bed Bug Dog In Action - March 31st, 2011 [March 31st, 2011]
- Fighting Bed Bugs in Canada with ThermaPure CTV News - August 2010 - April 3rd, 2011 [April 3rd, 2011]
- Treating a bed frame for bedbugs using Diatomaceous Powder - April 4th, 2011 [April 4th, 2011]
- When the bed bug bites-One Woman's Story - April 12th, 2011 [April 12th, 2011]
- "Mel, Niagara, Tongue and Bed Bugs" Mattoliver's photos around Toronto, Canada - April 15th, 2011 [April 15th, 2011]
- Bed Bug gets owned - May 20th, 2011 [May 20th, 2011]
- The Bed Bug Epidemic - May 24th, 2011 [May 24th, 2011]
- Bed Bug Heat Treatment - May 30th, 2011 [May 30th, 2011]
- Bed bugs invading Winnipeg in public places - May 31st, 2011 [May 31st, 2011]
- Tracker The Bed Bug Dog on Breakfast Television - June 3rd, 2011 [June 3rd, 2011]
- Why ThermaPureHeat is the #1 most effective way to kill bed bugs and their eggs. - June 9th, 2011 [June 9th, 2011]
- Hospital Turns Patient Away Due to Bed Bug Bites [ABC: 5-28-2011] - June 10th, 2011 [June 10th, 2011]
- Bed Bugs 8.1 Kanas Earthquake Dream Mega Tornado Sickness Earthquakes. and More - June 12th, 2011 [June 12th, 2011]
- Bed bug thermal heat treatment | How to get rid of Bed bugs using heat thermal remediation.mov - June 22nd, 2011 [June 22nd, 2011]
- Where do Bed Bugs live and How to Get Rid of Them - June 23rd, 2011 [June 23rd, 2011]
- How To Stop Bedbugs - June 24th, 2011 [June 24th, 2011]
- Bed Bugs in the NWT - June 25th, 2011 [June 25th, 2011]
- Chase our Bed Bug Dog training - July 15th, 2011 [July 15th, 2011]
- Latex Mattresses for NYC, LA, Houston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Philadelphia and more! - July 20th, 2011 [July 20th, 2011]
- Cryonite Science Behind Freezing.mp4 - July 28th, 2011 [July 28th, 2011]
- Research shows bedbugs can carry superbug MRSA - August 11th, 2011 [August 11th, 2011]
- 128. Don't Let The Bedbugs Bite! - September 4th, 2011 [September 4th, 2011]
- Bed Bug Awareness - September 10th, 2011 [September 10th, 2011]
- Bedbug Lillie 4 Chatham, Ontario - September 30th, 2011 [September 30th, 2011]
- Bed bug inspection Hollywood, Bed Bug exterminator Koreatown, exterminator koreatown, 213-928-7721 - October 4th, 2011 [October 4th, 2011]
- LA Pest Control - Mice, Roach, Rat, Bed Bug Removal 213-928-7849 - October 4th, 2011 [October 4th, 2011]
- Treating a Baseboard with DE to Prevent Bedbugs - October 5th, 2011 [October 5th, 2011]
- Bedbugs Prevention - Reduce Your Clutter! - October 10th, 2011 [October 10th, 2011]
- HOW TO STOP BEDBUGS CLIMBING INTO YOUR BED - Video - October 14th, 2011 [October 14th, 2011]
- VTS_01_1.VOB - Video - October 14th, 2011 [October 14th, 2011]
- BEDBUGS AND BEDTIME - STOP THE AFFAIR - Video - October 14th, 2011 [October 14th, 2011]
- BED BUGS, PUNAISES DE LITS - Video - October 14th, 2011 [October 14th, 2011]
- BEDBUGS - BED BUGS - Cimex lectularius - Video - October 16th, 2011 [October 16th, 2011]
- Bed Bug Thermal Treatment Private Home by A3 Superior Pest Control - Video - October 17th, 2011 [October 17th, 2011]
- BED BUG DOG - Inspections - Video - October 17th, 2011 [October 17th, 2011]
- Bedbugs - Video - October 21st, 2011 [October 21st, 2011]
- bed bug : improvise mortar and pestle to crush silica gel cat litter, food, makeup - Video - October 22nd, 2011 [October 22nd, 2011]
- Bed bug inspection 213-928-7721, santa monica, west side, Bed bug exterminator - Video - October 24th, 2011 [October 24th, 2011]
- Bed Bugs - Key Facts and Information - Orkin PCO Canada - Video - October 26th, 2011 [October 26th, 2011]
- How to do a bed bug room inspection - Orkin PCO Canada - Video - October 26th, 2011 [October 26th, 2011]
- bed bug exterminator Pasadea - CALL 213-928-7721 bedbugs, roaches + more - Video - October 26th, 2011 [October 26th, 2011]
- fruit fly trap difficult problem simple solution comedy bedbug bed bug powder SNL bulldog lipstick - Video - October 29th, 2011 [October 29th, 2011]
- Treating a Cable Outlet to Prevent Bedbugs - Video - November 23rd, 2011 [November 23rd, 2011]
- BATCH of bed bugs and PUBES on my face! - Video - November 23rd, 2011 [November 23rd, 2011]
- WHERE BEDBUGS COME FROM - PLUG IN - Video - November 25th, 2011 [November 25th, 2011]
- HOW TO KEEP BEDBUGS AWAY FROM YOUR HOME - Video - November 25th, 2011 [November 25th, 2011]
- HOW TO STOP BEDBUGS COMING THRU YOUR WALLS - Video - November 25th, 2011 [November 25th, 2011]
- All About Bed Bugs with "At Home" - Video - November 26th, 2011 [November 26th, 2011]
- Prevent Bedbugs by Applying Diatomaceous Powder - Video - November 27th, 2011 [November 27th, 2011]
- Bed bugs Part 2: Identifying and inspecting for bed bugs - Video - December 7th, 2011 [December 7th, 2011]
- Vancouver bed bug heat treatment - Video - December 9th, 2011 [December 9th, 2011]
- bed bugs inspections long beach 213-9287721, rossmoor, seal beach, lakewood - Video - December 12th, 2011 [December 12th, 2011]
- EucoClean 3in1 vs Bed Bugs Laboratory Test (Every Hotel in the World take note!) - Video - December 14th, 2011 [December 14th, 2011]
- When Bedbugs Attack! - Video - December 15th, 2011 [December 15th, 2011]
- Don't matter - it proves evolution. This is Genesis Week, Season 1, Episode 1 - Video - January 6th, 2012 [January 6th, 2012]
- Toronto woman recounts vacation nightmare in Cuba - February 2nd, 2012 [February 2nd, 2012]
- Iqaluit bed bug problem began months ago, says government - February 7th, 2012 [February 7th, 2012]
- bed bug exterminator, westchester, LAX - CALL 213-928-7721 bedbugs, roaches, ants - Video - February 7th, 2012 [February 7th, 2012]
- Craig Ferguson 10/6/11E Late Late Show Dan Riskin - Video - February 7th, 2012 [February 7th, 2012]
- MEGA Babies "Don't let the Bed Bugs Bite" Pt 1 of 2 - Video - February 7th, 2012 [February 7th, 2012]
- Toronto council debates OMB, affordable housing funding & other issues - February 8th, 2012 [February 8th, 2012]
- Bed Bug Proof Laundry Bag - www.CorporateTravelSafety.com. - Video - February 8th, 2012 [February 8th, 2012]
- Live: 2012 Academy Awards - February 27th, 2012 [February 27th, 2012]
- The 2012 Academy Awards - February 27th, 2012 [February 27th, 2012]
- And the winners are ... - February 28th, 2012 [February 28th, 2012]
- 2012 Academy Awards - February 28th, 2012 [February 28th, 2012]
- All Oscars accounted for - February 28th, 2012 [February 28th, 2012]
- Top Entomologists Call 2012 Pivotal Year in Bed Bug War - February 29th, 2012 [February 29th, 2012]
- According to Rest Assured MC, Freezing Bed Bugs with Cryonite will Become One of the Most Popular Methods for Killing ... - March 1st, 2012 [March 1st, 2012]
- Allergy Technologies Signs Exclusive Agreement with Hospi-Tel to Distribute ActiveGuard™ Mattress Liners to the ... - March 12th, 2012 [March 12th, 2012]
- Nodding approval for a new mattress - May 4th, 2012 [May 4th, 2012]
- New Dundee entrepreneurs tackle bed bug problem - May 30th, 2012 [May 30th, 2012]
- Entomologists to discuss insect issues at annual meeting - May 31st, 2012 [May 31st, 2012]
- Here's Why Renting Your Home Through Airbnb Could Be Illegal - June 7th, 2012 [June 7th, 2012]
- Bed bugs attack jurors - June 10th, 2012 [June 10th, 2012]
- Huntsville, Ala., offers look at rocket science, history, gardens and more - June 17th, 2012 [June 17th, 2012]
- Spring Air Partners with Protect-A-Bed to Redefine the Sleeping Experience - June 28th, 2012 [June 28th, 2012]
- Organic Plant Health, Inc., (OTCQB: OPHI), Introduces New and Improved Eco-Cedar™ All-Natural Bed Bug Killer. - July 6th, 2012 [July 6th, 2012]
- Bedbug-detection dog sniffs out critters at Central Library - July 20th, 2012 [July 20th, 2012]