Journal Entry #12

Amita Raj

Abney

6^th Period

Journal Entry #12: Thursday, November 12^th and Tuesday, November 15^th, 2010

                I spent both Monday and Tuesday with my mentor at her clinic and saw four patients. In all cases, the patients were severely obese and this made their kidney function worse. One particularly interesting case I saw was a woman in her late seventies who exhibited less than 15% kidney function. Since she was diabetic, this meant that she would need to be put on dialysis soon. I was surprised to hear that she did not want to be hooked up to the machine that could potentially prolong her life. She told me that her sister had been using a dialysis machine and she did not want to experience the same hardships that she went through. She wanted to reach the end of her life naturally without having a machine supporting her. The doctor respected this decision and told her she would conservatively treat the symptoms and do the best she can to make the patient feel comfortable.

                I also discussed my final presentation with my mentor, and she offered to help me whenever I needed it. I also inquired about surgeons she knew who might be willing to mentor me for next semester. Last Tuesday was the last day I would be able to work with my mentor since she is going on vacation for the rest of the week. It has been a truly inspirational experience working with her. She has given me a lot of insight into her career and I hope I can be as successful as she is once I become an established physician.