I'm still going full steam ahead for #NaNoWriMo2018.
Today I spent most of the morning writing on my project and I'm now gearing up to continue writing my sixth book 'Growing Love' again. There is still a bit left of the book and I would like to finish the first draft of this book soon as well. Although I'm getting close to the end of the book, I'm still not quite there yet.
So, how did I get on with 'Diary of a Female GP' today? I have now passed the 40000 word mark and have reached 40969 words, today 6772 words were added to the project.
I hope you are enjoying my daily updates so far, with the little excerpts from the book as well.
Here is another taster:
And then it is time for my fifth patient already. The amount of time I was ahead, has now been reduced and shattered and instead I'm running five minutes behind. Oh, well, you can't have it all I guess.
Thirty-seven year old Jenny comes complaining of abdominal discomfort and bloating. She has gradually increased in weight over the last few months and denies any possibility of pregnancy, "I'm just getting fat, should stop eating rubbish."
When I ask her when her last period was Jenny informs me she has no idea, she has always been irregular and doesn't keep track. "They come when they come and that's just how it is."
After asking her to lay on the couch so I can examine her, I have a good feel of her stomach. It is quite large and, if I am to believe Jenny this is due to obesity. However, I'm fairly certain I can feel a baby inside. Even if it is not moving at the moment, I'm fairly sure I can feel the head, the body and the limbs. No chance of pregnancy? I'm definitely not convinced.
"Jenny, I believe you may be pregnant after all. Would you like me to check if I can find a heartbeat?"
Jenny's eyes shoot wide-open as does her mouth. Speech appears impossible, but she nods.
I walk to the cupboard and collect the doppler. Hopefully the battery is still working. After putting a bit of jelly on the probe, I place it where I expect the baby's heart to be, and..., indeed, there it is. A fast heartbeat can be heard.
"That is my heartbeat, though, isn't it doctor?"
Not a lot of patients have a resting pulse of around one hundred and twenty a minute. I move the probe to where it picks up her heartbeat, "This is your heartbeat. Nice and slow." I move the probe to the baby's heartbeat again, "And this is the other heartbeat. Hear, it's faster."
"But..., but...," Jenny can't get her words out easily, "I can't be pregnant. This can't be true."
Well, I'm afraid it's too late now. When I examined Jenny it felt like the womb reached to around thirty-six weeks already, there is no going back now.
After informing her of the approximate pregnancy duration and advising her she will probably need to prepare herself real soon, I arrange for an emergency referral to the midwife. If my estimation is correct, she only has about four weeks left. Not a lot of time to get used to the idea of becoming a mother and preparing for it. Not quite the surprise you would expect on your visit to your GP.
Joni
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