Off to Bangalore

The reminder of my medicine week was interesting. We did some more ward rounding and outpatient clinic work. I did see a 34yo female patient with somatization, which to a doctor means she may be using her physical complaints to mask emotional problems because her chart was filled with notes from many different departments, yet all her tests were negative. It was difficult to explain to her that we couldn't find anything wrong, so Dr. George gave her a psychiatry referral.
I also saw a 46yo male with 9% eosinophils on his CBC differential (which by the way is a sign that the patient may have a parasitic infection because the normal count is around 1%). Come to find out he has strongyloides, which is a roundworm that lives in the mucosa of the intestine. Don't worry though, we gave him a prescription for albendazole which should cure it. Speaking of prescriptions, I like how I can walk down almost any street and find a pharmacy with a sign that reads, "Dr. So and so, Druggist and Chemist." (Whatever that means.) Because of all the pollution and dust, I've had to buy the Indian version of Zytrec and Flonase. The good thing is that they work pretty well and they are definitely cheaper than in the states!
This weekend Bimpe and I went to Bangalore, which is described as the "IT" (information and technology) city of India. Surprisingly at one point I felt like we weren't in India anymore because the city has some developed areas and there are huge malls and great restaurants. We decided to go by train, which wasn't as bad as I thought. We even ate the Indian version of McDonald's!
Touring the city was nice. We went to the Iskcon Temple, which is similar to the golden temple in Vellore, but definitely not as captivating. In the temple people were chanting, "Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare." I read that you are asked to chant these words a minimum of 108 times daily! We also went to a palace where Tipu Sultan (I think he was a king) lived in 1790 AD. It was interesting and if you are not from India you have to pay 100Rs to see it!
The best part of the tour was visiting the botanical gardens. There are beautiful flowers everywhere, ancient trees and monkeys playing on the sidewalks. It was refreshing to get away from the busy city streets and enjoy the nature around me.

I can't believe my trip is already half-way done. The time has flown by and there is still so much for me to see and learn. It is fun to meet people from different places as I travel and ask me if I'm from any country you can think of. Everyday I'm from a different part of the world! So far I've been asked if I'm from North India, Nepal, Australia (I don't know where that one came from), South Africa, Malaysia and Indonesia!!! I guess these people haven't see to many people from Mexico. :) Tomorrow I start my Community and Health Development Week which should be exciting. I am looking forward to meeting the people who live in the villages and I hope to see and learn some new things!