Referred a patient this morning...

"Doctor, you see, I have this problem bugging me for months...My left heel hurts when I walk...and look, it gets swollen now and the ointment given by the doctor didn't work at all!"

I was stopped by the cleaner as I came out from the public toilet at the jogging park in Seremban town. With a look of appeal on her face, I looked and examined her left foot. Yes, it was tender and swollen. I was thinking it was a Plantar Faciitis*, or just a bone spur** that's causing pain.

*Plantar Faciitis is a common,but painful foot disorder. It is the inflamation of the of the band of fiber tissues along the bottom of the foot from the heel to the ball of the foot. It is caused when the plantar fascia is strained over time, beyond the normal extension. The soft tissues of the fascia strech at points along it's length. It becomes inflamed and a bone spur can result.
**bone spur is actually the reaction of the body to the inflamation. Anyone can get heel spurs, but it is common among athletes that run and jump. It is more common in women and overweight patients.

My first encounter with this woman, who works at this jogging park, as a guard and cleaner, happened two weeks ago. She was chatting with the staff nurse, Sister Pxx, that takes charge of the CSU (clinical skills unit) of our university, while I jogged passed their way. I acknowledged them and she smiled at me in return. She knew that I'm a doctor, from Sister Pxx.

Under the Malaysia Medical Council, I'm not a registered doctor yet! Albeit graduated, I'm literally not eligible to treat patients and hence prescribed medications. However, I can't be so indifferent towards my "patient", I finally sorted things out by referring her to my former lecturer, Dr.xxh.
(Dr.xxh is a family physician, as well as my former lecturer, who's running the service clinic , at Jalan Rasah, Seremban, on Wednesdays)

Despite any prescriptions, hopefully, by doing so (the verbal referral), I'm doing good for her!