I don’t remember anything at all – Dr Joe-Anthony Rotella

Anxious, scared, disbelieving. Despairing and broken. I don’t really know what words to use; all of them. You can see the physical transformation as the parents enter the room, energy drained. They are supporting each other, each stopping the other from collapsing. For our patient’s family, this is not happening, this is surreal, this is just a terrible nightmare. This is not meant to happen … Continue reading I don’t remember anything at all – Dr Joe-Anthony Rotella

Everything we can – Dr Simon Judkins

A needle goes into her leg for medications while we continue with CPR. The monitor shows no heartbeat at all. It’s a well-practised drill. We know what to do and we do it: chest compressions, adrenaline in, a tube in the airway to breathe for her, more adrenaline. A bit more of this, more of that. We go for twenty minutes, maybe thirty, there’s no heartbeat; we’re not winning. Ten more minutes . . . this is bad, very bad. Continue reading Everything we can – Dr Simon Judkins

Pregnant again – Dr Peter Aitken

‘I’m pregnant again,’ she said. ‘I just wanted to say thank you.’ She had approached me at the supermarket check-out. I had been packing the trolley while my wife paid the bill, our usual routine. My wife looked at her, then looked at me, unspoken questions in her eyes. I’m not sure if you are supposed to be happy when another woman tells you that … Continue reading Pregnant again – Dr Peter Aitken