Ketoderm my friend

I noticed that parts of my face itched real bad. It didnt mean much the first week, but there went another week then another, and it truely began bothering me. Then my face was literally on fire. I mean, it felt like someone was pouring acid on my face especially when I washed my face with soap. So best believe, I stopped washing my face with soap. And stopped looking at my face in the mirror. I looked crazy.
Then the doctor sense kicked in. What the heck was on my face? First, I had this crazy idea that it was this condition I'd learnt about in school, Seborrheic dermatitis. It fit the criteria- nasolabial folds and forehead affected, desquamation and intense itching-except that it was simply impossible for me to have a rash this gross. So that was quickly ruled out.
Then I thought it was an allergy to...I dont know, soap, lotion, something I was obviously torturing my face with? Possible... except I'd been using the same cosmetics for over 3 months, and never had an issue before so why now? No freaking idea so I just threw out the soap, the lotion and whatever I could think of. I got deep moisturizing cream. Dry skin was probably also in the mix so why not give it a bit of loving? I got soap with glycerin. I was about to pamper my skin to the max.
But things only got worse. My face, my money-maker, que passo? I was looking like a zombie more and more. But then I remembered I had a book of dermatology full of pictures. I just had to take a look.
I saw all sorts of things. Eczema. Duh. Of course, it was atopic (allergic) eczema. I do have allergies (seasonal and shellfish) after all so it made sense. I continued perusing through the pictures though. Acne. A bit late for that, but the rash looked very similar too. Its like the more rashes I saw the longer the list of differential diagnosis got. Oh lawd, my face!!! I was going to close the book when I hit my main man, Seborrheic dermatitis. And once again, I was grossed out. But what the heck, I was desperate. I looked up the treatment, and thats how I pulled out my ketoderm cream. Boy did my skin feel cool that night. 3 days later, my skin is beginning to look presentable and I still don't know if it was SD or seasonal allergies. 

NB-Please, do not look up pictures of Seborrheic dermatitis

New GP on the block

There's a first day of school... then comes what most adults dream of -a first day of work (real work; what you went to school for; your trade; your M.O).

This day, infamous as is, was nowhere near in sight for me. I'd simply planned to match into a residency for 3 years, then do a fellowship for another 2-3 years. By the time I was done, I'd be in my early 30s, ready then to pop babies; 3-4 in succession, then who knows maybe get breast lifts, then start living the life!!!

But I soon woke up from this dream. There wasn't going to be a residency. At least, not this year. And sometimes, all it takes is for 1 thing to go "wrong" and nothing else is the same. For everything to change, it only took 1 day!!!

 So on my first day of work, I walked into the doctor's lounge, unwrapped my white coat, long like never before. And when I wore it, it was possibly the best feeling I'd felt since 2007 when I matriculated in medical school. I was no longer petrified. No longer insignificant. I was Dr. Tedga, the new GP on the block!!!

And although I knew it'd be a tough start, I had confidence in my training and in my competency. Most of all, I had confidence in my God. Gracious father, it was solely your will for things to unfold the way they have thus far, and I submit completely to your doing. I am afterall, everything you set out for me to be. And for what is yet to come, specialization amongst other things, I put into your hands as well. To God be the glory.

The Power of Forgiveness

"So if you are about to offer your gift to God at the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar, go at once and make peace with your brother, and then come back and offer your gift to God" Matthew 5:23-24


You know what they say: Pride comes before a fall.


And pride comes before holding back <<I'm sorry>>


I've often found myself intrigued by the word S-O-R-R-Y. It's like saying <<I love you>> only a bit harder...yet so soothing to the soul. It has the capacity to cure the most burnt hearts...in such little time. It's like a tender caress to the hardest ego. 


I have learnt to apologize. I have learnt to say sorry and mean it. Because at the end, it makes me a better and happier person.


I am sorry, my dear friend, for not listening. I am sorry for not giving you the chance to get through. I am sorry for not being sorry until now. I hope that you can forgive me...

Medicine Without Frontiers

I just talked to a pregnant lady (that I like very much). She said she's feeling very tired lately, and I asked if she was taking Iron. To me, obviously a rhetorical question as she was 5 months pregnant. Who in their right mind wouldn't take Iron while pregnant? I mean, even 3rd world hospitals can afford to give this information to patients!!!
But when she answered, I proceeded to question her further, and that's when I realized she wasn't on Iron. She wasn't even on Folate, a vitamin important for the proper formation of the fetus' spinal cord amongst other parts of the body. In fact, she was on NOTHING!!! Didn't get an ultrasound, didn't have any tests done. Wasn't followed by a gynecologist.

I looked at the young lady, trying to understand what could cause such negligence. And I got SO MAD! Yes, mad...when I thought of her unborn baby. How could a mother be so negligent? I was having flashes of pictures of children with spinal malformations-spina bifida, meningoceles, etc, all of these so easily prevented by pregnant women taking Folate vitamins. And that's the least we can do for our kids because when they're born looking like aliens then the implications are everlasting. And yes, I got even madder when I thought about the things that I now knew; what about the things I didn't? Do you even watch what you eat? Drink? Have you stopped drinking alcohol? Madddeeeerrrrrr!

But then I decided to breathe, then looked again at the young lady. Needless to say she was feeling uneasy because her answer to all my questions so far had been no.
"You have to watch over your baby. Whatever you eat it eats. Whatever you drink it drinks. Your blood is its blood because everything it gets comes from you"I needed her to realize that her fetus was defenceless, and needed much more than being carried around in an immobile sack. I needed her to realize that she must take her vitamins and visit a gynecologist as soon as possible.

She was very receptive, and after leaving, I was left with the same question: what could cause such negligence? Could it be ignorance? Having stopped school at an early age, I knew this was plausible. Could it be lack of means to afford health care? Or could it be simply our culture (Cameroon) where we go see a doctor only when things are out of control?
I think it was a combination of all these, and I realized that I shouldn't have been quick to judge her like I did.

God in me

You're so fly, you're so high
Everybody 'round you trying to figure out why
You're so cool, you win all the time
Everywhere you go, man you get a lot of shine

You draw like a magnet, better yet I have it
Everything you wear people say they gotta have it
From the sweat suit to the white tee to the Gucci
You can probably say people wanna get like me

But what they don't know is when you go home
And get behind closed doors, man you hit the floor
And what they can't see is you're on you're knees
So the next time you get it just tell 'em

It's the God in me, it's the God in me
It's the God in me, it's the God in me
It's the God in me

You think I'm so fresh, you think I'm so clean
You think I'm so sweet
It's the God in me, it's the God in me
It's the God in me

You see her style, you think she nice
You look at her whip, you say the whip tight
You look at her crib, you thinking she's paid
You look at her life, you think she's got it made

But everything she's got, the girl's been given
She call it a blessing but you call it living
When it come to money she can be a hero
She writes them checks with a whole lot of zeros

But what you don't know is when she get home
And get behind closed doors, man she hit the floor
And what you can't see is she on her knees
And if you ask her she'll tell you

What is it you think you see when you see me, you see me?
You don't know how much I pray
Don't know how much I gave, don't know how much I changed
I'm just tryna explain

It's the God in me, it's the God in me
It's the God in me, it's the God in me
It's the God in me

You think I'm so fresh, you think I'm so clean
You think I'm so sweet
It's the God in me

Song - GOD IN ME by MARY MARY

African Hospitality

Jan 25, 2012

I looked outside the oval window, and the clouds were gone. Instead I saw land, and lots of it. Spans of wilderness. I was exhausted. With the timezone swapping, I had no idea how long I'd been in this seat. I did know however,that my butt hurt, and that I was suffering from restless leg syndrome. The automated voice came as a relief. It said to prepare for landing...in three different languages! International travel, always so intriguing.

So I braced myself for the worse, and as always, said a little prayer. And five min later, the Lord had answered my prayer. We were safe...on ground...at Addis Ababa. We all clapped for the pilots who had diligently done their job.Then it got me thinking... about Customs. Traditions. One's culture. What is it that makes us us? I am African; how do I show it?

As soon as I boarded off the plane, the hot air kissed me, and I knew at once that I had to change out of my winter clothes. I walked to the ladies' restroom, which wasn't much bigger than 5 cubicles put together. The line almost reaching Timbuktu; I had to improvise. So I opened my carry-on, took out a dress, and looked for a nook where I could fit to handle my business. Alas, there were women everywhere. With veils around their faces. Oh God, wasn't I about to be judged...for stripping in a public space? And the longer I stood the hotter I got. To grab the bull by the horns or not to? Another heat wave grabbed me, and I knew I couldn't be the bull anymore.

With my dress in hand, I stood besides the sink, and began removing my clothes as fast as I could. I didn't doubt that astonishment filled the room, because I could feel it. But I knew better than looking up lest there was a medusa waiting to turn me into stone.Surely this must have been unacceptable to these conservative ladies, but I couldn't stop now. Suddenly I felt darkness closing in, and you can believe I got  ready to uppercut somebody. But that's when I realized that I wasn't so far off from the door, and the ladies were shielding me from outside where an ambitious onlooker could have easily hit the jackpot. These women were merely trying to protect my integrity. And also fix my dress for me.

This is what we call African Hospitality! Complete strangers who take you as their own...despite the differences. I had forgotten about that. And even unusual acts like clapping on an aircraft for a job well done had hardly jilted my memory. I needed unknown women to treat me like their own daughters to remember that I was part of a people rich in culture, caring and loving and highly regardful for one another. African Hospitality is feeling at home amongst strangers, feeling loved by everyone. African Hospitality is being accepted regardless of your skin color, religion or affiliation. African Hospitality in short, is Africa, and her children epitomized.

Consider this your invitation to the Continent of Africa.

PS. pics coming up soon

Yours truly,

Dr Tedga

Gloomy Days Ahead??? Part Deux

Everything I did was a success so why ever consider failure? I never considered not matching an option...until it happened. 


Rewind to Monday, March 12th. I wasn't stressing; I knew it was in the bag! In fact, all I had to do was check my email, and post on facebook a few seconds later. I'd already played it in my mind. So  I opened the annoyingly complex AUC webmail, and without blinking once my eyes stumbled directly on "we're sorry. you did not match" So I stared at defiance in the eyes. Smiled. Goliath vs Goliath. I can take this!!! 3 seconds later, I knew I was the weak one. In surrender, I texted Neye the bad news. Announcement = acknowledgement; I was realizing there was no turning back. The burn was irreversible. And only to frown further when I read her reply.
God has a way of doing things. He won't give you a load that's too heavy to bear. There's no way I could handle being the only one who didn't get a placement. Funny how she and I always had similar grades in class and we'd been partners-in-badluck with lack of interviews and all the like so if there was anyone to go through this ordeal with (not that I wanted to extend my ill luck to anyone), it was her.


In spite of everything, I kept cool. Deep down, I was beginning to feel the annoying truth catch up with  me: I've never failed a single course in my life. Instead I'd gotten away with skipping classes, procrastinating to study and partying on the day before my exams. Winning!!! I had cruised through Basic Sciences like it was nothing. And with Honors. Dropped the ball once in a while, but came out with a bang despite everything. Killed Step One, killed Step Two, killed what ever you felt like throwing at me. CS gave me a bit of a scare, but I killed that too. Bi-winning!!! I felt untouchable because all I did was win, win, win. 
Never once did I consider the possibility of not matching. After all, I'd had a near-perfect course through med school; it certainly wasn't at the final stop that I'd get stuck. Unfortunately for me, God had other plans. You see, God has the final say in every thing we do, and when we don't include him in our plans we cross him. My arrogance has led me to rely on my track record, and not on God, who had blessed me with all the success. And what does God do? He strikes you where you are most vulnerable-my precious little career. What better way to get your full attention!!!


But how can one recover from a pretty bad burn like this one? "For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" Jeremiah 29:11
-->By God's grace, you will recover...in due course.


But why do I have suffer this bad? "But after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who calls you to share his eternal glory in union with Christ, will himself perfect you and give you firmness, strength and a sure foundation" 1 Peter 5:10. 
-->Because when we suffer, we cry unto God and his grace is made perfect in us as He rescues us. We'll have ups and downs for sure, but we can relax during hardships because we know God will grant us a better outcome.


Not getting placed into a Residency program hurts real bad. But I know God has a plan for me, and I trust him with every ounce of life in my being. I get sad sometimes, but mostly I'm grateful for my life. I have a place to stay (a palace matter-of-factly), food to eat, my loving family around me and most of all, no loans to pay back thank you Jesus!!! I also learnt a valuable lesson of humility. Everything we are and own is solely because of God. All the glory and praises belong to him.