Basingstoke Hospital

Just a quick note to mention that I have organised work experience at Basingstoke Hospital, where I will be following a porter around in order to get an idea of the whole hospital, rather than just one speciality. This will take place over February half term, after an induction afternoon on Thursday. I'm really looking forward to it, as it will be my first experience in a hospital when I'm not the patient!

Mencap

My fourth week at Mencap started off slowly, however this made it all the more amazing and beautiful when the child I was working with began to laugh as I blew bubbles around the room. He was quiet and a little impatient for the first hour or so, but when we went into the craft room and got the bubble blowing bottle out, the change in his behaviour and facial expressions was outstanding. He laughed for nearly hour (while I tried not to swallow any bubble making liquid!), which was really special. For me, I learnt that after a bit of perseverence, there is likely to be something that will make a child smile.
When I'm at Mencap, I feel like I can forget about all my worries, however little or large, and just enjoy the moments spent having fun and helping the children, which just increases my determination to study medicine; there is nothing better than the feeling of making someone happy.

Enbridge House

I went along to Enbridge House (a care home for the elderly) yesterday, as I had expressed an interest in doing work experience there. I learnt what the carers do at the home, and how it is run. It was interesting to hear that they work in conjunction with the local GP surgery, showing how the surgery really integrates into the community, and also how Enbridge House is getting the best for its residents.


I was given a pack with the resources for the NCFE Certificate in Dementia Awareness, which I will be reading through in order to gain a better understanding of how the residents' minds work. The course goes through recognition of dementia, knowledge of the different forms dementia takes, understanding the importance of memory in our behaviour and what we do, learning about 'person-centred care', recognition of 'well being' and 'ill being', compilation of a person's life history, supporting people and maintaining their relationships, communation with people who suffer from dementia and how behaviour can be viewed as a form of communication and caring for these people in a kind and effective way. This will hopefully give me many skills associated with the medical profession of today, for example being able to compile someone's life history could help me to take a history from an unwilling patient in order to create a diagnosis, or recognition of dementia and the symptoms could help me to understand when to change my behaviour and form of communication accordingly.


Hopefully, I will be able to spend a few days observing and learning at Enbridge House over the Easter holidays.

Mencap (2)

Had my second session at Mencap on Friday afternoon, and I really enjoyed it (again!). The time spent there is so fulfilling, and makes you feel so good inside. As it was my second week, I felt a little more accustomed to the centre, so found it easier to get to know the child I was assigned to. As my assigned child's best friend also attends Mencap, I became the volunteer for both of them. We spent some time having a 'tea party' in a little 'house' in the soft play room, where I discovered the amazing feeling when you coax a laugh out of a child with limited speech. It's lovely to know that they want you to be there, and that you're making a difference to how they would have spent that afternoon.

When I leave, I feel like I have just done something really special (albeit very tiring!), and I can't wait until the next week comes around, where I can interact with children who appreciate a friend for the afternoon so much.

Mencap

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon at Mencap, the charity I mentioned in my first post. It was my first time volunteering there, and despite the fact that I'd felt a bit worried and unsure of what to expect before I got there, I felt welcomed in by the staff.
Being with the children was so rewarding; I was given a child to play with, and we spent most of the time in the fantastic soft play room, running around and building towers out of the soft play equipment there. My child was quite outgoing, and made sure I did everything he asked, from holding the tower steady as he jumped on, to pushing it over so he could 'fly' into the ball pit. He was so happy and polite, and this showed me what an amazing job the centre does. It really makes you feel good when you give a child a smile, and they come over to hug you. After he had gone home, I spent the last ten minutes or so with a few other children. By spending time with children who didn't speak very much, I felt I could communicate better using gestures alongside talking, as well as being more able to understand what they wanted. I'm definitely not an expert, but I felt I learned a lot in those three hours, and I will definitely be going back next week!


The charity Mencap supports people of all ages who have learning disabilities. The West Berkshire branch after school club focuses on disabled children and allows them to "play, have fun and socially interact". The link to the website shows just how far it does this: http://www.westberkshiremencap.org/index.htm.




I also found out yesterday that I have been given a language mentee. I will help him to learn his French vocab, and go through the topics he is studying in class. On Monday I plan to introduce myself to him, and organise a weekly lunch time that we can work in. Hopefully this will give me skills in both communication and leadership, but more importantly will give me the feeling that I'm helping someone with such an valuable part of their life, their education.

Research into cramps

At dinner after a long walk recently, mid-sentence I found myself in extreme pain, with which I couldn't move my right calf (unfortunately, I was sat with my legs crossed underneath my chair, meaning it would have been tricky to disentangle them even if the slightest movement wasn't causing agony!). Between shrieks and cries - and a little bit of laughter - my dad diagnosed it as cramp, having had it a few times before. This scene was then followed by frantic treatment of encouraging me to stretch out and move my leg, after all, Sherlock was about to start on BBC1!

This outburst triggered my curiosity, so I decided to try and research into cramps and why they happen, and wrote this report, compiled from a variety of sources, and in my own words:

Cramps

What they are

Cramps are where an already contracted muscle is stimulated to contract further. They range from a few seconds of slight spasming to quarter of an hour of excruciating pain, and can happen either very rarely or, in some cases, every day. The likelihood of getting cramps increases with age, around one third of people over 60 years old, and about a half of those over 80 get regular cramps.

What they are caused by

There are four different types of cramp, the first being true cramp. This is caused by the muscle stimulation nerves becoming hyperexcitable, following an injury to the bone or muscle in that area, exuberant activity (the cramps may occur during the exercise or later), dehydration and body fluid shifts. Tetany cramp is similar to true cramp in its symptoms; however it is where the nerve cells all over the body are stimulated, causing the muscles to spasm all over the body, as opposed to just in one main area. The main cause of this is low levels of magnesium and/or calcium, which results in increased nerve tissue activity. Contractures are when the muscles in one area do not relax and remain cramped for an extended period of time (longer than regular cramps). They are caused by a reduction in ATP in the cells, which then prevents the muscle fibres from relaxing. They can be inherited, they are a symptom of McArdle’s disease, which is a fault within the muscle cells concerning the breakdown of glycogen into glucose (which would then produce ATP). Contractures can also be acquired, through hyperthyroid myopathy, a disease caused by an overactive thyroid. The final type of cramp is the dystonic cramp, in which muscles that are unnecessary for an intended movement are stimulated. These contractions are uncommon, and can be treated with injections of botulism toxin (Botox), which last for several months.

                How they are treated

General treatment of cramps involves treating the underlying condition that causes the cramps. These conditions include unbalanced salt levels, peripheral vascular disease, kidney dialysis and underactive thyroid. However, for immediate pain relief it often helps to stretch out and massage the affected area. On the other hand, there is not much evidence to suggest that this is a good way of preventing further cramps.

References: www.medicinenet.com; news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/health_and_fitness/4275144.stm; www.patient.co.uk > InformationLeaflets

Unfortunately, scientists have not been very helpful, given that there is no certain reason as to why cramps happen!