Blessed

Because all good things are worth the wait ❤️ 

My Lego-Themed Wedding

The past few months had been such a rush, I couldn't believe it is already December now. So much had happened since I last blogged, but I guess the only big thing is that I am now officially married! =) Not that it felt much different for us both, but then again, it does. Whilst I am not a big fan of weddings, I am a believer of marriage. A promise to stay with one another through thick and thin, to love and to grow old together. =)

But since everyone loves weddings, I would just share some snippets of my simple little wedding here, for those who are as nerdy as us, or for those who just wanted something simple and sweet. I must say I am proud of my effort at planning this wedding, considering I only started planning about 2 months away. Single-handedly, whilst juggling a full-time job (80-110 hours a fortnight) + moving houses + getting my drivers' license. Looking back now, I am still amazed at how I could manage to accomplish all of that! All by God's grace, I must say.

I'm not sure if I ever mentioned this, but both the Boy and I are Lego fans, and I am working on a pretty decent collection at the moment. An expensive hobby, I must say, considering they are just little plastic toys. There was an article I once read about Lego investment giving higher returns than gold. Hmm... Anyway I've digressed. 

So my point was, we had a Lego-themed wedding! Lego and the oh-so-popular Rustic theme, to be exact. I did have some of the standard decor like bird cages, candle-lanterns, vases, petals scatters etc, but with a touch of Lego. Just to avoid looking like a 5-year-old's birthday party, that is. I am not overly-fussed with weddings, but I must say the planning did get me pretty excited and I loved how things came together on the day!

We had both our ceremony and reception at the same place - The Hadley's Hotel in Hobart cbd. A short and sweet ceremony, complete with vows, celebrant and signing of papers. Three-course sit-down reception afterwards. 40 guests in total (all who graciously turned up with lots of gifts and love, despite our last-minute invites). We also had most of the standard wedding stuff - guestbook, wedding favors, wedding cake, pre-wedding photos in a leather-binded album (if you are wondering, it's a BIG asian thing haha), bridal gown etc. But we've done away with the bridal party, the wedding march, the awkward first dance, the diabetes-inducing lolly buffet (though we had nicely-packed Lego candies as a second wedding favour for everyone), and the embarrassing drunken-blabbers a.k.a wedding toasts. Instead, I prepared a guest pamphlet detailing the sequence of events of the night and some quirky Q&As, and a Lego-Building Station that was definitely the highlight for most guests. And I would gladly say that we enjoyed every part of our night (without any of those freak-out-moments or Bridezilla-stress-explosions), and the same goes with our guests! 

And the best thing is, we barely spent much at all on the wedding, despite having a classy function room with a crystal chandelier, hotel-grade three-course meals, top-notch service, and an open tab! Thank God for friends that doesn't binge-drink. =P

Our Lego Building Station. We prepared various pots containing male and female hair/headpieces, heads, torso, legs and accessories. All guests are given a white podium with our names printed on a white tile. They are to take the podium to the station and build their very own version of Christine and Michael to take home as keepsakes/wedding favour! 

 

An example of a completed Lego wedding favour =)

A close-up of our rustic birdcages decor with pre-built Lego Creator sets in them

Our guestbook signing table

We used this cute little picture book as our guestbook

This was our geeky Wedding Prescription Pads, where guests could write down their "prescription for a happy marriage" and drop them off in our little first-aid box. These "script pads" were custom-made by yours truly! *patent pending

Our dinner menu for the night and another one of my custom-made event pamphlet (made during my row of night-shifts haha)!

Lego centre-pieces! We only had 40 guests which came to a total of 4 tables. Instead of using table numbers, we assigned a different colour to each table (correlating to the colour of the Lego pieces).

    

Our custom-made three-tier Lego cake! Made by this wonderful lady we found online who even delivered it to our venue. Yummy cake, reasonably priced too. I would definitely use her services again for my future cake-requirements! (sorry I only got to take a photo of the cake after it had been cut, hence the dark line across the back)

Feel free to steal the idea for your very own big day, and share your photos with us too while you're at it! =) 

  

One month to go...

One month till forever. We're ready. =)

Where have we left off?

Finally I am back from my long hiatus. Where do I begin? 

To be honest there wasn't much happening at all for the past 3 months. I went back to Malaysia for a 3-week-vacation and it was great, especially since my brothers were on uni holidays as well. It was like going back in time to my childhood days again, waking up in my childhood bed, delicious home-cooked meals prepared by my mum, playing with Frosty the cat, watching tv and playing video games with my brothers... It felt as though I never left home. Which made it so difficult to leave again when the time comes. I would've thought that it'll be easier every year, but I had been away from home for almost 10 years now, but I still suffer when it comes to goodbyes. 

Other than that, it was just work, work and work. I am now on a temporary retreat away from the hospital setting in the Drug and Alcohol Detox Unit, which was a refreshing change from all that relief work and surgical night shifts. It was indeed a whole new experience for me and once again, every day was a learning opportunity, and every client has a story I love to listen if they would share it with me. I am enjoying it very much so far (apart from the commuting), a much-welcomed slower pace compared to surgical, friendly colleagues and bosses, and plenty of mental health involvement. Whether I decide to pursue psychiatry or general practice in future, this rotation would still be very beneficial. 

Oh, and I have a wedding to plan... in 2 months! Procrastination at it's finest, really! I am never big on weddings, so I guess it would just be the simplest ceremony I can put together. Now it's just the matter of finding a venue, inviting the guests and finding a celebrant. Shouldn't be too much work (I hope!). Funny that I'll be way more willing to put in effort to plan our marriage life and babies and whatsnot, but when it comes to weddings, I find them a real chore! Afterall, I see weddings as putting on a show for others to see, it's never really just about the two of us. If we get our own ways, we would've just signed the papers in the registry office! =P    

Anyway, rant over, time to get that procrastination monster out of my head.

There are many pretty girls in this world.

With their porcelain-smooth skin, perfect vision, big sparkly eyes, perfectly-shaped nose, luscious lips... yada yada. Some people reckon that even their sweat smells sweeter. 

Alas, I am not one of them.
But then again, so what. Life goes on. Beauty is overrated these days.

Girls, cliche as it may sound, appearance is NOT EVERYTHING. I've witnessed countless girls giving up all they have and who they really are in pursuit of the ideal image of beauty; from splurging on skincare/cosmetics to visiting aesthetic clinics to undergoing plastic/cosmetic surgeries. In the end, they all look like photocopies of each other, pretty, but without personality. Pretty, but forgettable faces.

And do they even know what sort of substances they are actually injecting or implanting in their bodies? What effects they have on the anatomy and physiology of a human body? Let alone the unnecessary risk of potentially introducing infection. Sepsis kills, severe hemorrhage kills, PE kills...

Oh well. The up side of it, it brings about a HUGE business. A growing business, especially in this new era whereby cosmetic procedures and plastic surgeries are seen as a norm rather than a taboo (thanks to Korea and Japan for being the pioneers!). The debate is heated, and the proposition is heading towards a winning trend. It's pro-feminism, it's about women (and men) exercising their rights to achieve what they want, it's giving people a chance to increase their self-esteem and confidence for better mental well-being, it's what's trending, it's a symbol of wealth...

My take? Honestly, I probably would've yearned for a nose job when I was say, 15 and don't know any better. Or even maybe a blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), dermabrasions... heck, change my whole face and body if you could! But now, I probably wouldn't take up the offer even if it's free. It's probably easy for me to say as I am now on the other side, 10 years older (and hopefully 10 times wiser). But on a serious note, let me tell you, there will come a time when you'll learn to love yourself for what you are, and see that there is a much bigger picture to life than that of your own nose (or any body part you would've wished to change).

And one day you would meet that special someone who knows how to appreciate you the way you are, who thinks that you are beautiful even when you don't see it yourself or even when the world does not see it.

Make your choices, girls. But remember to think twice, think thrice, think a zillion times if you need to. For this is a decision you have to stick with for life; reversal surgeries are not impossible but why go through all that to realize what you really wanted was always what you already had?

But if you still decide to go for it, Maybe I will be here to offer you my services in... some years to come. Because now I am seriously considering tapping into that aesthetic business when it's hot (maybe as a part-time sub-specialty), for the promise of a better financial future for me and my family (wait for me, million-dollar dream house(s) and Lamborghini Aventador and a complete Lego collection from year 2000 to present, that I could buy a special house to store them all!) Oh yes, I am shallow practical like that. Teehee. A practical dreamer. Heh, I love the paradox.

Also, I think I make a really bad salesperson/ business promoter as my post would probably have killed my potential business, what if every girl in the world decide not to go for it anymore?!! 

(Hmm, nah probably won't happen...) =P

0700

Watching the sunrise from my window, praying that my phone does not ring an hour before I am due to finish my shift.

Last night shift for this month! =)

Heading to Melbourne for the next four days. Great food and shopping, that's the life! =)

To be a ME with a YOU

To me the most romantic moments are in the little things.


Like when I had a fever the night before, and the first thing he did the following morning when he woke up was to touch my forehead to check if I was still burning.

Like when we were walking hand in hand down the street when he suddenly pulled me into a locked hold and kissed me.

Like when we put together our new home, one flat-pack furniture at a time, and his hands were covered in blisters afterwards because he insisted on putting in all the screws himself...

Here's to many more great moments to come. =)

Nocturnal Creatures

Count me in as one of them.

I'm doing night shifts again as surg senior, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but I am actually enjoying them. The peacefulness of the night (when patients behave, that is), the long quiet corridors of the hospital, the private time, the wonderful surg senior room in the resident quarters... So much different from the hustle and bustle of day shifts. But I would say nights are more challenging. For you are on your own most of the time, keeping patients stable and alive till the day comes.

Scrubbing in on a 2 to 4am emergency laparoscopic procedure, being able to manipulate the camera for the very first time was pretty fun. Almost like playing video games.
Admissions... not so much.

But I'm not complaining, as nights allow me to finally have the time to blog again! While awaiting the next phone call...

Away

Tonight, I was that little girl once more.

Running aimlessly amongst the weeds in the field,

Trying to shake this loneliness again. 

Light grey dress, the colour of the sky;

Searching... for days that were lost and forever gone. 

My mother, her face kind and beckoning. 

The smell of home, warm and comforting.

How many years had been?

The clock goes on and on and on... 

I'll be free some day.

I'll find myself again some day.

I'll be dancing and singing like I used to some day.

I'll be me again... some day. 

I'm finally home

Sorry for the very belated update.
One year has gone so fast that it was almost impossible for me to catch up with the passing of time.

So much has happened since my last post, yet I still remember vividly the anxiety and the uncertainties of it all. Believe it or not, I had a very difficult time in the last few months. Slow, inefficient and unfair recruitment processes almost drove me nuts. I would not want to bore you with the details, but I am so glad that it is all over now. Hopefully from now on, everything would be smooth-sailing. I really hope that was the last of the storm.

So despite not being able to get my psychiatry registrar job in Hobart (due to major mess-up by the HR), I was still able to secure myself an RMO job in Hobart (albeit really late), which was really what I would prefer. For that, I am very thankful.
Guess that's one more year for me to consider carefully whether I wanna be a GP or a psychiatrist!

I think 2016 would be a good year for me, for us.
I am now finally back in Hobart, back to the place I had called home for the past few years, back to where you are. I could still remember the elated look on your face for that whole day when I first came back down to Hobart for good. You were so happy and for some reason it moved me to tears.

We are buying a house together too, hoping to move in this coming month or two. It was a great little 250 square meters brick house, full of sunlight and great view. I am no great designer, but I am gonna make this feel like home. For us, for our future family.

We are engaged, planning to marry within this year. It wasn't a huge engagement, no friends or family present, just a little private time between the two of us. In my favourite Sydney, during a weekend getaway. A dainty little diamond ring. I am never that girl who has an ideal wedding in mind down to the little details like the colour of the napkin rings, so I would envisage a small, simple ceremony. (I would have went for the option of just registering and not having any ceremony at all, but I guess The Boy and my parents would probably not like the idea... >.<)

Anyway, so there, lots to plan in the months to come! That, and adapting to my new job in a new hospital. Sounds like an exciting year. I am looking forward to all that life has to offer me!

And counting my blessings everyday. =)

9 more sleeps to the big day

So it's gonna be an interesting birthday for me. Job interview in Hobart in the morning, flying off to Melbourne in the evening.

Now that I am almost a quarter century old, I find that I don't enjoy birthdays that much any more. It's just an unpleasant reminder that after multiple relocations around the world, how very few friends you have left by your side who would be free to spend your birthday with you, or how few would even remember your birthday. And how this could be about the 5th birthday you are spending away from your family who are thousands of miles away. Oh and of course, how you are getting another year older, and still without a stable job, a home, a family of your own. At times I feel like I am no much different from that fresh-faced 17 year old girl who left home in pursue of greater things (deep down knowing that the best life would probably always be the one she was leaving behind); I can still taste that fear of the uncertainty, that helplessness in the hands of faith, that loneliness ...

At least I have you with me. And that is enough to make me feel so so blessed. You're my window in the dark.

Now if only dear God would please grant me a successful interview, and a job in Hobart, where I intend to be. That would be the best birthday gift ever.

*praying hard*

To the one who was never meant to be:

I kinda miss you tonight.
Not the I-badly-want-to-see-you-now kind, just a subtle regret that you aren't present in my life any more and I somewhat wish you were.

I find that I can no longer recall your face in the details like I used to. For in those days I used to memorize every line on your face, your slightly lopsided smile with the perfect white teeth, the soft brown roots of your hair, and those eyes which colour I could never really tell. Your scent, strawberry cheesecake. How you reminded me of sunshine. The sound of your name rolling off my tongue. Five-thirty waiting for you in the foyer wishing you would walk by. How you could always take my breath away and leave me tongue-tied.

Despite all that, looking back I don't think I had truly loved you. I thought it was love back then, but somehow it wasn't. Or maybe it was, but I had gotten over it now and could no longer comprehend how I felt before.

You see, as unbelievable as it might sound now, there was this one time three lifetimes ago when "loving" you was my world. And despite the pain and the tears and the shoulda-coulda-woulda, I kinda miss the sentiments of that. There is a kind of bittersweetness that sounded almost romantic; destructive but beautiful.

Things change over time; I bet I did, and so do you. But just so you know, I still like your previous last name better. For that was the you that I knew and loved.

Wherever you are, I wish you are happy, just like I am happy. It took me a while, and many regretful choices in the interim, but I had once again found happiness in the form of love.

I miss you.
Not in an I-love-you way, just... in an I-miss-you way.

But as always, you'll never know. 

Knick knacks

The mystery had finally been solved. Our deductions were pridefully accurate, and when interrogated, the 'culprit' (surgeon...orthopod...duh) confessed right on the spot. Case closed, one point for Detective Stephen and Detective Christine! =)

I would've loved to tell you that my life had been happening but it sadly isn't. The power trip in the psych unit medical officers' room has been the highlight of the week. Pathetic much? Heh. Still, I'm not complaining, somehow I am getting used to this mundane, slow-paced rural lifestyle. I am still undecided whether it is a good thing or not.

Fortunately, the fortnightly drive down to Hobart and back is starting to be increasingly enjoyable. Especially when singing along to Taylor Swift records. (Don't judge me! =P)

Interview calls seem to be gradually coming in from the mainland and all, I am both anticipating and dreading the one from Hobart. I NEED to get a job there next year. Burnie is no doubt a very beautiful place, but it gets tiring, all these 'long-distance thing' with my beloved boy. It gets lonely too.

30 weeks down, 22 more to go.

At times, I'm jealous of those people who get to see you everyday... 

 

Of purple fingers, unequal pupils and sore bottoms

You might wonder what rotation could offer me such great opportunities to review these mighty presentations. And some of them were even "urgent"! Of course, purple fingers turned out to be Raynaud's phenomenon and not ischemic fingers; unequal pupils was just due to an old eye injury, and sore bottoms were usually due to prolonged sitting/lying (common in catatonic/schizophrenic patients who assume a statue-like posture, not moving for hours at a time!)  

I am currently in week 3 of psychiatry relief and I am kinda enjoying myself. I had always loved mental health and truly enough there was never a dull moment in the ward! Head-banging, dismantling doors, shouting and wailing were common occurrences. However as the psych RMO, my job seems to be nowhere mental health related. Rather, I was much like the over-exploited pseudo med reg/ward slave/walking encyclopaedia/dental consultant/receptionist/IT support/patient's boredom reliever. Sometimes I wonder, where is the psychiatry?

Anyway, I am not gonna complain because compared to ward cover or surgical rotations, the workload in psych was a breeze. It could easily be as few as 5 jobs per day, including writing up investigation forms. No discharge summaries too, what a treat! I could hang out with my friends in the med/surg ward or sneak out for an hour-long lunch break. Other times, I could work on my languages. Yes I'm proud to announce that I am finally back to working on my Spanish again, after a year-long hiatus! And I am starting to pick up some French too (since the Boy learnt it in high school, maybe it could be our secret language. Heh).  

Also, Stephen (my partner in crime) and I had currently became part-time detectives, whereby our newest case is to investigate the ownership of a certain black Porsche 911 Carrera in our hospital staff parking lot. Whoever it is, what a lucky bastard!

Hmm...or maybe not. =P 

Think twice before you marry a doctor!

This will be the engagement story I'll tell my friends and future children:

He didn't propose to me. I wasn't even sure if we were ever engaged, really. We just sort of came to a consensus that we are getting married, vaguely "in about a year's time for that would be a suitable time". About the same way doctors and patients discuss treatment plans: 

There was no sky-writing, heart shape balloons or candles, fireworks, riding in on a white horse or 999 roses. Not even the typical feat of man getting on one knee asking "Will you marry me?". The only thing I recall was that we had a great meal in a mall in a third world country. We were walking around window-shopping when I suggested "Let's look at rings here, they might be cheaper. We could buy one, you know, get it over and done with."

Now which little girl still dreams about marrying a doctor? =P

Will you call me tonight?

Hello, Christine here, ward cover/night intern!

Sorry for the long hiatus. These days, my biological clock's a mess.

Ten things I learnt about working nights:
1. The term SHIT MAGNET.
2. You'll be amazed at the magnitude of the 'flight or flight' response that the beeping of your pager could generate.
3. You'll almost always PUT ON WEIGHT! (Imma blame it on midnight snacking!)
4. You'll love the peace and quiet of the wards (most times) but dread the social isolation.
5. Getting used to walking down long, dark hospital corridors and not thinking of scenes from a horror movie.
6. You will be constantly praying that there will be no MET calls/Code Blues, and obsessively counting down to handover time. (Yawn yawn yawn)
7. 0400 is the most difficult point of the shift to stay awake.
8. 0600-0730 is when it gets busy. (and when you're most crankly)
9. Add "home team to review mane" in almost every plan you make. You can never go wrong. =)
10. Your main aim is to keep em' hangin' on till 0800.

So catch me if you could.

Beyond - Circa

I was back for the long weekend.

It felt as if I never left. 

The circus is in town. The splendid Spigeltent, and all the wonders it holds within. 

The Boy got us tickets to the opening of Circa (half price for Battery Point residents - SCORE!).  

It was a night filled with out-of-the-world experiences. Trapeze, aerial hoops and straps, silks, and of course, the almost-two-storey-high pole.

Once again, I wish I could run away with the circus.
Yet I'm just that awe-struck girl watching them soar.

Isn't it bliss?

Don't you approve?

Me here at last on the ground,

You in mid-air.

Where are the clowns?

Send in the clowns.

Don't bother, they're here.

Ain't Nobody Got Time For That

I never liked Chinese New Year. It is the time of the year that reminds you that there are people in your life that you need to get rid of.

Toxic people. People who tries to make you feel small because they are insecure in themselves; people who curse you because they are jealous of you and people who are so fucking selfish they would take advantage of the elderly or disabled.

Oh yes there ARE people like that. Not just anyone, but relatives.

Well the truth is, I don't care one bit. Because even if allegedly you people have some vague blood ties with me in some way or other just because we are related, I AM NOTHING LIKE ALL OF YOU. I would give a gazillion bucks to bet that my set of DNAs are nothing like yours too. As far as I am concerned, you are NOT family to me.

But I do care if you hurt MY FAMILY.

So back off. Go hide behind your pompous shells and mind your own goddamn business. Oh, and do us all a favor, don't ever come over to 'visit'. Because we all know, that those visit are just to borrow more money or to steal someone's fridge magnet or your elderly mother's coffee powder. For God's sake, how low can you people get to?!!

Well then, hope you get rich one day just by saving up on paying your part of grandma's monthly medical bills of approximately....... 30 dollars.

IDIOTS. 

Valentine's Day

It's basically just like any other day. Albeit over-commercialized.

At least the Boy's here with me. And I'm not working that dreaded 15-hour weekend shift.
That's good enough for me.

I thank God today for having him (and all his leftover reports from work) here with me on our very first Valentine's Day together as a couple.
I thank God he knows me well enough to have the sense not to spend unnecessary money on flowers that will wither or chocolates that will exacerbate the ache in my sensitive gum near my left premolar.

Instead he brought me a whole box of (healthy and not-so-healthy) snacks that I can have in bed while reading my ALS course preparation handbook. (Think pine nuts and pork crackling) Also, Indian takeaway for dinner. Pea pulao and garlic naan's the best.

I pray for the many more Valentine's Day to come. That the Boy will be here by my side, regardless of whether we celebrate it or not. I  don't need any expensive gifts, fancy fine-dining or fireworks. Just us, together. Spending quality time, sharing workplace gossips.

To me, that's the best kind of Valentine's Day.

Burkholderia Pseudomallei

Doesn't that sound lovely?

I have been learning a lot about infectious disease these days. (Who says orthopedics is only about the bones?) One would think that in a little hospital like this, you do not come across many types of bugs. Mainly just the Staph Aureus, at times some C.Diffs, and occasionally some gram negs (proteus mirabilis). 

How wrong were we. 

For on this faithful week, we were visited by not one, but two rare infections amongst our inpatients. I am not going into much details as it will be a boring read (I don't have many viewers to start with and this would definitely send the last of them fleeing - microbiology seems to be everyone's least favourite subject).

Hence, quick succinct case summaries as below, with plans as per ID consultant from Hobart:

Case 1

65yo F, presented with septic L knee. 

Joint fluid culture grew Burkholderia Pseudomallei.

B/G - Recent visit to Darwin during wet season. Had pneumonia 4 weeks prior to this admission - now resolved. No past medical history. 

Dx - Clinical picture consistent with melioidosis.

Mx - Extensive investigations warranted as occult sources of melioid might be present and can be asymptomatic (ECHO, CT, bloods etc). IV meropenem cover for at least 4 weeks, and then at least 6 months of oral antibiotics as prolonged eradication therapy.  Weekly bloods + inflammatory markers. Repeat investigations down the line as well.    

Sounds like a big deal? IT IS A BIG DEAL. Not a bug you ever want to get, as it has a high recurrence rate, as well as being associated with high mortality and morbidity. Technically, it behaves kinda like TB. Both being tropical diseases, endemic in Northern Territory of Australia, and South East Asia. Usually spread via contact with contaminated soil or water, at times even via inhaling dust particles. Increased susceptibility among the immuno-compromised, diabetes or cystic fibrosis patients. 

Main cause for melioidosis. Melioidosis is an infection caused by Burkholderia. Signs and symptoms may include pain in chest, bones, or joints; cough; skin infections, lung nodules and pneumonia. Might even cause liver abscess - typically with a "honeycomb" characteristic. Lung nodules and liver abscesses might at times be asymptomatic, hence the need to perform extensive investigations. The strange thing is, melioidosis is said to be able to affect any organs except for the heart valves (endocarditis). (*We are not sure how far this is true, so we did an ECHO just in case.)

Case 2

48yo F, presented with infected R index finger.  

Wound washout m/c/s grew Roseomonas Gilardii. 

B/G - Previous similar infection in thumb. Both infections requiring repeated surgical washouts and debridement. Both infections arise from simple cuts from household work. Works at a milk processing factory in the packaging department. 

Dx - Infected R index finger

Mx - x2 surgical washouts and debridement. For IV Tazocin + oral Ciprofloxacin until wound-healing is satisfactory. Then stepdown therapy with oral Ciprofloxacin + oral Augmentin DF for another 2 weeks then cease. For investigations of why she suffered recurrent similar infections (likely linked to her workplace). Occupational health physician to review with regards to workplace safety and prevention/precautions to be taken.

As compared to Case 1, this is a less menancing bug. However, it is very rarely known to cause human infections, and we were unsure how did the patient actually pick it up. Transmission is via contact with contaminated soil or reservoir water. The most likely explanation was that the source of infection was from her workplace, possibly from the pumped creek water they use for general cleaning purposes. 

Roseomonas infections tend to occur in the immunocompromised or debilitated host. Most patients recover completely from their infections. Bacteremia is the most common clinical presentation reported in the literature. The patients generally present with fever. Other rare presentations reported in the literature have been peritonitis, septic arthritis, ventriculitis, left ventricular assist device (LVAD) infection, vertebral osteomyelitis and keratitis.

Once again, kudos if you survived my boring blog post up to this point. You may call me a nerd, but I actually found these cases pretty interesting, so I thought imma share with you this time. Even the ID consultant was like:" these are not infections that you will normally see. You might not even get to see another case of Burkolderia infection ever again, especially if you are working in this part of the country (the very much non-tropical Tasmania)!" 

Once again, behold the beauty of a Burholderia colony on blood agar. And culturing these is apparently a biohazard to the lab and special isolation is needed! (sounds cool! Made me think of  my fav zombie movies i.e. Resident Evil) 

*all patients are fully de-identified and no patient details contained in these case summaries*