3 days ago, we admitted a patient who fell from the second floor of a building. Amazingly enough, after thorough examination and work-up, his injuries were only broken bones on his left forefoot.

This is the antero-posterior and oblique x-ray views of his left forefoot showing fractures of the 2nd , 3rd and 4th  distal metatarsals, plus a dislocation of the 5th metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint. Ouch.

This is the x-ray after I did close reduction of the MTP dislocation at the ED. 

Jump Shots

Breaks are important, they give an escape from routine work. So it isn't really a surprise to find out that doctors have hobbies and past times that are very much human. Some of my colleagues are very good musicians, some are writers, some are athletes, and others have culinary skills that are very promising. I love mobile photography. And I love to spend time with my family whenever I can. Time with them keeps me grounded. I train in a place where it is 180km (112 miles) away from home. Being on call makes it so hard to come home. So whenever I can I really make sure that I come home, even if it's just for a few hours. I already mentioned here how long my travel time is. :)

Mama, poised for the jump.

The jump. :)

The landing :) I totally love this shot. My mama goofing around despite her vertigo. Priceless.

Wired That Way

I love the arts.

I love music so much I have to listen to it everyday. I know and love the oldies but goodies, and I know and love fresh and modern vibes. I win in games of Name That Tune. I adore Broadway musicals. But I can't sing well. I can't hit the right notes all the time. I can play the piano and guitar but I can't play by ear. 

I can't dance. I have two left feet.

I love paintings but I can't paint. I love watercolors, but I don't know how to make one. I love to draw, and I can draw pretty, but I have to copy something.

I love poetry, sonnets, haiku... But I lack the eloquence in speech. I'm poor at rhymes. My vocabulary is limited.

But with photography it is different. I can love it, do it, and make it. All the frustrations I have in the arts are swept away. Happiness is kindled. I take pleasure in creating something beautiful. I realize that it is such a joy to me because I share this attribute with my Father. I take pleasure in what I do and create well because I am wired that way. My Father wired me that way. Because He created me in His image. 

As He did you. :)

I love portraits. Here are pictures of a baby we had at the nursery. Unfortunately he was sick, and he had a fracture of the proximal third of his left femur. He was referred to our service for treatment. We applied a hip spica, and his fracture has healed well since. 

                         

Home is Where the Laughter Begins

I had so much fun last weekend. It was my weekend off and the Lord was so good to allow me to have time to visit my family in La Trinidad and La Union. And although my travel time was longer than the time I spent with them (16 hours from Olongapo to Baguio and back, plus 4 hours travel time from Baguio to Santo Tomas, La Union and back to Baguio again, have I lost you already?), it was still so worth it. I was inspired to make an AVP for them - just pictures of the family with music. It was fun, we enjoyed it a lot. :)

Here are some of the photos included in the slides. For the collage I used Smilebox. :)

No Greater Love

Malapit na ang Valentine's Day... I'm truly blessed to be loved so much.

A Liter of Light - Solar Powered Bottles

A Liter of Light - Solar Powered Bottles

The first time I saw this campaign last year, I was awestruck. Now that it is coming to Olongapo, I am excited. :D

Shoe Philosophy

When I was younger, I used to wear a lot of platform shoes, high heels, boots, and wedges. Even my rubber slippers were elevated. Part of the reason for my shoe preference before was because of my short stature and part of it was because I thought it was a girly and kikay statement. Even on my first 24-hour duty as a medical clerk I wore black leather boots with my uniform. Most of us did. And my feet didn't ache. I was so used to wearing heels for looong periods of time. I continued to do so through my internship days. But when I was applying for my residency in surgery I dropped most of my kikay ways. I didn't wear eye make up anymore, I left my dangling chandelier earings at home, and I stopped wearing heels. My hair was most of the time tied in a pony tail. I had just dyed my hair golden blond back then, and I dyed it dark brown again. All of these I did because I didn't want my seniors and attendings think that I was too girly for surgery. I thought that I needed to project this no-nonsense girl aura, practical, and 100% no frills.

I missed my heels. It lent me confidence by adding to my height. Eventually, I learned to love flats, ballet and baby shoes. I looked and scoured for girly and comfy flats. And I learned to be confident with my height. From time to time I still wore heels, but not so much as I used to. I started to wear minimal make up, and my hair is now dyed golden blonde (but it really looks dark blonde). I no longer have the need to look like a boy to be taken seriously as a surgery resident.

My shoes are now more laid back, comfy, practical but still pretty. With ig-so-soft heels. :)