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@dresmerelda

ID/Micro Academic Doctor & Smiley-faced lover of purple

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@dresmerelda

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When you’re ‘the teacher’ rather than ‘the taught’ but you feel like it went pretty well after all the nerves before delivering it! 😕😝😁 • Image: the incredibly talented @little_lsquiz • #hiv #otherside #teacher #learningtoteach #medicine #medic #virology #redribbon #alwayslearning #doctordoctor #infectiousdisease #skeleton #dancing #medicalschool #throwback #womeninmedicine #confidence #scicomm #science #theory #pursuitofknowledge #meded #educating #skills #art #microbiology #outofthelab #colourful #fun
Got my flu jab today from Steve 🙌 • From a population point of view, we’re aiming to reduce transmission to patients. From a personal point of view, there’s increasing data that the vaccine reduces the severity of symptoms if you get flu. WIN! Totes should have remembered to smile but was too busy reading the label while keeping my camera hand steady 😂🙈👍 • #flu #flujab #timeofyear #vaccines #medicine #research #womeninmedicine #itu #infectiousdisease #infectioncontrol #science #scicomm #doctorsofinstagram #doctorslife #scrubslife #nurses #pa #medic #microbiology #virology #strikeapose #patientcare #girlboss #workstyle #fashion #vintagehair #sepsis #forthewin #purple
Sometimes being an ID/micro Reg is about pointing out associations between microbes and disease that other clinicians may not know 👩🏻‍⚕️ • Fusobacterium necrophorum is a good example of this. Isolated from patients with tonsilar/neck abscesses makes us think of Lemierre’s disease. In Lemierre’s, patients develop clots in their neck veins and at worst the infection tracks towards their chest and heart (mediastinum). Consequently we will often push for further imaging to rule out 1) clots and 2) mediastinal abscesses. Thankfully it tends to be a very sensitive bug to antibiotics and we don’t have to treat the clot itself. 🔬 • Caught early, outcomes are good and just require a prolonged course of antibiotics and a wash out of the neck abscess. At worst though, I’ve seen patients require ITU and multiple chest drains. It can sometimes get tricky convincing people that we have this worry just based on a bug though! 🙈 • Do you know any other bugs that make us think more laterally? 👇 • #doctorsofinstagram #medicine #friyay #science #sci #scicomm #ent #abscess #sepsis #clinical #medic #nursing #womeninscience #womeninmedicine #microbiology #intensivecare #emergencymedicine #microbes #doctorslife #pathology #stethoscope #infectiousdiseases #surgery #radiology #studygram #thinklaterally #braingame #alwayslearning #pathology
Oh the realisation of how much there is still to do! 🙈 This week is about action planning (you know, to complete the audit/2 case reports/systematic review/general review/PhD plan/teaching prep/presentation/exam prep etc (not counting day job!) that I have to crack on with...!) 💪 • So I’m working on following my own advice in order to keep achieving my goals: • 1️⃣ Break things into chunks- not just what needs doing but a starter on how can be really useful when you’ve got a long jobs list 2️⃣ Add variety- sometimes it’s helpful to focus and finish one thing but sometimes that zaps attention or just overwhelms you when you realise how much else there is too! 3️⃣ Do the work stuff you enjoy when you’re feeling like doing nothing at all- that way you don’t lose momentum 4️⃣ Write lists and tick boxes. Always 🙌 5️⃣ Don’t fill your to-do list with only work. This week, I have an early bed-time goal and 2 fun exercise classes I know I’ll enjoy 😊 • What tips work for you when your trying to catch up with a back-log? 👇 • #studytips #workstyle #fashion #vintage #studygram #research #worklifebalance #balance #stressrelief #stayhealthy #microbiome #microbiology #researchlife #medicine #medic #pa #nursing #doctorsofinstagram #instascience #scicomm #science #success #girlboss #womeninscience #womeninmedicine #doctorslife #reading #goalsetting
E. coli... pretty in pink. 💕 • Recently I came across a patient with a rare condition called emphysematous cystitis. You’ve heard of water (urinary tract) infections? Often they’re caused by bowel microbes working their way into the ‘sterile’ bladder. A lot of these infections are caused by E. coli. 💧 • Rarely though, the organism forms pockets of gas in the bladder wall (see picture 2). In our patient this presented with urinary retention- the bladder couldn’t relax properly and release the urine so it filled up like a massive water balloon. Urine that was coming out was blood stained. When we scanned the patient’s tummy, it looked so unusual that the radiographer thought it was a cancer. A more detailed scan revealed gas pockets in the bladder wall and a full bladder! We originally planned to call urology but a quick read of case reports and we realised this was our bag! 😂 Prompt, targeted antibiotics were given and our patient did very well. You learn something new everyday! 🧠 • Picture 2: Miera et al. Emphysematous cystitis- a case report. Brazilian J of Infectious Diseases. 2008; 12(6):552-554. 🙌 • #microbiology #microscope #agar #art #beautiful #lab #science #microscopy #infection #agarart #artofscience #medic #medicine #physician #clinician #scientist #sepsis #lablife #colour #colourful #gram #gramnegative #urology #surgery #radiology #notalwaysright #alwayslearning #alwaysgrowing #prettyinpink #colourful #friyay
This weekend I went to help out at the Science Fair, promoting Biomedical Scientists and other professionals that work in Pathology in hospitals but aren’t necessarily doctors or nurses. Unfortunately, one of the attendees felt unwell so it then became a bit medicy for a while (they were fine so we can grin about the irony!!) 😂 • It was nice to meet the hospital pathology training manager too, who is interested in getting me to chat to girls in school about Women in STEM. 👩🏻‍⚕️👩🏻‍🔬👩🏻‍💻 • Now off to soothe my muscles as on Sunday I did a 10K obstacle course with no training! 💪 • How was your weekend? 👇 • #science #scicomm #womeninscience #womeninmedicine #womeninresearch #steminist #showyourstethoscope #emergencymedicine #doctorslife #microscopy #downthemicroscope #medicalstudent #physician #alwaysadoctor #neveradayoff #biomedicalscience #biomedicalscientist #alliedhealth #healthcareprofessional #sciencefair #motivationmonday #obstaclecourse #warrior #stayhealthy #keepfit #run
“We just didn’t know what was happening- but thankfully, we got my husband to hospital in time and he’s doing well now.” I overheard a patient’s relative talking to one of our Critical Care Outreach nurses at the World Sepsis Day stand as I collected these leaflets. 💕 • We all understand what an infection is. If you have a chest infection, there will be inflammation in your lungs in the area of the infection as your body tries to fight it. You may feel a bit rubbish but that’s about it. 🌈 • In sepsis, your body’s immune system responds abnormally, causing it to damage itself. Your organs may stop working and ultimately it is a killer- 5 people die from sepsis every hour in the UK. We don’t fully understand why the body does this- it is essentially overwhelmed. Any infection- bacterial, viral, fungal, parasitic- in any part of the body- chest, abdomen, bladder etc- can cause sepsis. Early, appropriate treatment (supportive, fluids, early and appropriate antibiotics etc) can save lives though 👩🏻‍⚕️ • Know the signs so you can get help: S-lurred speech or confusion E-xtreme shivering or muscle pain P-assing no urine (in a day) S-evere breathlessness I-t feels like you’re going to die S-kin mottled or discoloured 🚑 • #sepsis #sepsisawareness #science #scicomm #worldsepsisday #survivesepsis #infection #infectiousdisease #microbiology #clinician #intensivecare #criticalcare #emergencymedicine #medic #medicine #physician #medicalstudent #premedstudent #doctorslife #scrubslife #patientcare #patientempowerment #empowerment #stethoscope #sciencesaturday
“Sadly two of the volunteer doctors I worked with died while I was there. Simply because they had micro-tears in their gloves and cuts on their skin. After that, we always double-gloved in different colours, so we could see the holes...” Our infection prevention nurse had worked in Sierra Leone during the Ebola crisis. She was teaching us about the protective gear they used. Moreover, she was making us think hard about what equipment we could use when treating a patient with Ebola. 😕 • “Imagine you have a patient with Ebola. How can you do obs on your patient? If you do, you have to leave the equipment in with them and it’s expensive. What about listening to their chest? You can’t put the stethoscope in your ears or you risk take your hood off and exposing yourself. How do you get your blood samples to the outside world for testing if you can’t hand them to your colleagues?” (Answer to the latter includes drop boxes and double bags...!) 😥 • The point is, with haemorrhagic viruses like Ebola, we have to do our best by the patient while also keeping ourselves and everyone else safe too. In our ID unit we have a purpose-built patient room with an ante-chamber and a doffing room. Pictured is me next to the special shower in the doffing area. None of the ‘grey’ water (used shower water) can enter the sewage system remember- it would be a danger to the public- so this shower doesn’t have a drain! Waste-water management is an important part of the work done by many charitable medical projects- including when ‘designing’ refugee camps to minimise cross infection and ensure clean water supplies 👍 • Quite a juxtaposition of terrible viruses and my smiling face, I know(!)- but I am glad that here in the North of the UK we could safely help such a patient if needed, before getting them to a specialist unit. 👩🏻‍⚕️ • #infectiousdisease #scicomm #infection #ebola #virology #viral #virus #microbiology #research #infectionprevention #infectioncontrol #wastewater #water #refugeecamp #medicine #globalhealth #publichealth #globalmedicine #medic #doctorsofinstagram #nurses #pa #patientcare #charity #sci #science #ppe #workwednesday #workstyle

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