This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay: a review

This is a book that I’ve had my eye on for a while. Every time I’ve seen it in a book shop, I’ve been close to picking it up, and, for some reason, I’ve never bought it. When I saw it in my local library, I snapped it right up and I’m certain to buy it for myself at some point.

            This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay is a collection of his diary entries from when he was a junior doctor. Some are funny, and some brought me to tears. It deals with loss in places we never want to think about it. For most of his career as a doctor, he worked in obs and gynae (labour wards, things put where they shouldn’t be, and general health of the female reproductive system).

            The level for the funnier side of the book starts right at the beginning, right on the dedications page. His first thanks are nothing out of the ordinary, but then we get to:

            “And to me, without whom this book would not have been possible.”

The introductory chapter continues this humorous feel. It’s gallows humour, for the most, and it works brilliantly. His commentary on requirements for entering medical school, and how Harold Shipman fit that role perfectly gives you an idea of what we’re working with. it’s bleak, but it’s funny, and it makes a bloody good point.

            His footnotes are fantastic. A necessity to anyone who hasn’t studied medicine. Though some of them are there simply for humorous effect and their all brilliant. I find them reminiscent of Terry Pratchett at times.

            I want to avoid spoiling as many of the entries that I talk about as possible. I’ll say the date and how I felt about them. They aren’t all spoiler free, but I’m not here to ruin your enjoyment of the book. Also, if you have the book yourself, let me know if you agree with anything I’ve said.

Friday, 10 September 2004:

            I have faith restored, finding that even the smartest amongst us can falter in the sweetest ways.

Sunday, 17 October 2004:

            I can’t imagine anything quite as grim as this. I never again want to think about “that sound”. Humans should not bubble like that.

Monday, 7 February 2005:

            I know I said I wouldn’t spoil any entries, but there won’t be too many parts like this. Anyway, on with the reaction; so, I’d heard of de-gloving. I know bikers, and it’s an injury that many of them have seen first-hand surrounding bike accidents. Its where the skin is torn away, leaving only the tissue and bone behind, and severing the blood supply. I thought this was, because of where it’s most likely to occur, only a hand injury. I wish I was right, so I would never have had to read the phrase “complete de-gloving of [the patient’s] penis”. Hell, I won’t get my own for a few years yet, but my future penis is screaming in agony at the sheer thought of sliding down a lamppost only to have my genitals ripped off.

Tuesday, 7 June 2005:

            “Eiffel Tower Syndrome” meaning “I fell” when somebody has something that shouldn’t be inserted inside them, and have claimed to have fallen on it, is a remarkable bit of word play. Also, I really wish that things being inserted didn’t appear as often as it did, but here we are.

Monday, 8 August 2005:

            The human body is truly disgusting. Even the most natural occurrences are honestly gross.

Wednesday, 16 November 2005:

            We’ve all had surprises at work, but this is astounding. We’re all aware that death is a part of being a doctor, but I doubt that it’s a common occurrence that they walk into a room where they are expecting to find a drowsy patient, but find said patient dead.

Wednesday, 18 January 2006:

            People often have strange reactions to something new, especially when it’s medical. The father of the baby being delivered is an absolute gem.

Tuesday, 24 January 2006:

            I didn’t mention earlier that people either have their names replaced by an initial, or with a Harry Potter pseudonym. The initials are more common, and by this time I’d forgotten about the Harry Potter names. When “Mr Flitwick” popped up, I was pleasantly surprised, and it certainly gave me a little giggle.

Thursday, 26 January 2006:

            Not only is the human body disgusting, but it’s also terrifying. Ovarian torsion is something that I hadn’t previously heard of, and now I’m going to be terrified about it.

            This date brought some heart-warming content too. Seeing “and she did text me” was very sweet to see. The footnote where that quote is found shows you that, if you had any doubt, your doctors in the NHS really do care about you.

Wednesday, 22 March 2006:

            “Diagnosis: taste buds” really tells you everything you need to know about hypochondria. We’ve all searched our symptoms on the internet, and stop it.

Monday, 10 April 2006:

            Glad I wasn’t eating when I read that one.

Friday, 21 April 2006:

            I’d forgotten, once again, about the Harry Potter pseudonyms, and it was as pleasing to see as ever.

            The Michael Jackson joke should not have made me laugh, but, of course, it did.

            For a doctor, his bedside manner can often leave something to be desired.

Friday, 21 July 2006:

Cried a lot at this entry. Cancer is a tough one for most of us to hear about. Many, if not all of us know at least one person who has battled it. Hearing this patient talk of her struggle, knowing what she’ll never experience brought me to tears. The last line of the chapter inspired me to do as he did. Tell at least one loved one that you do love them. Personally, I told my mum, but it doesn’t matter who. They don’t even have to be family for you to let them know.

Thursday, 14 September 2006:

I have quite a few piercings, but this is confirmation as to why I’ll never get that one.

Sunday, 17 September 2006:

            I can’t help but fell that it was printed too many times on purpose, but it got out of hand. Printers are known menaces, after all.

Monday, 9 October 2006:

            I’m fairly sure there are lessons on this at school. People can be astoundingly stupid sometimes.

Thursday, 14 October 2006:

            It’s an incredible skill to keep a straight face when confronted with absurdity. I certainly wouldn’t have lasted as long as he did.

Senior House Officer– Post Three (introduction):

            Please, you can’t just hit me with a footnote like that. I’m trying not to snort in the library.

            I wasn’t aware that pacemakers had to be removed before cremation. The fact that this is due to a pacemaker exploding if it’s heated to that point is mortifying.

Wednesday, 2 May 2007:

            Children are a gift and I wish I could understand their minds. Where do their questions bubble up from?

Tuesday, 12 June 2007:

            Despite my ability to give birth for now, I refuse. I can’t say I wanted to anyway, but the thought of anything tearing like that is horrendous.

Friday, 29 February 2008:

            I think people need to pop into Ann Summers, or something. I really cannot fathom why people put miscellaneous objects into themselves.

Monday, 21 April 2008:

            Being hungover at work is always messy, but the student doctor fainting into an open abdomen is next level.

Monday 2 June 2008:

            I was nearly brought to tears with this. It’s something no prospective parent should have to go through. The last line really got me.

Thursday, 5 June 2008:

            I cried in the library, but managed to go unnoticed because a child was crying much louder than me.

Tuesday, 18 November 2008:

            I was reminded of the Harry Potter thing again. Gets me every time.

Saturday, 22 November 2008:

            Issues that have come from adult media are plentiful. Pornography has ruined body image for a lot of people. I’ve never heard a story quite this grim. I feel sorry for this poor girl. Please, no matter how you feel about yourself, do not take sharp objects to any part of your body. Look after yourselves.

Thursday, 19 February 2009:

            People should be banned from parenting if they give their child a name that said child cannot live with. Nobody should be called LeSanya (yes that is pronounced like the pasta dish ‘lasagne’).

Friday, April 2009:

            A lot of these are tough to read, even when they end well. One slight miswording can be a matter of life and death.

Sunday, 26 April 2009:

            God, if you’re out there, why have you left us? There’s no other explanation for anything so vomit inducing.

Thursday, 20 August 2009:

            We’re back on the true idiocy of people. Why is sex so often involved?

Wednesday, 21 April 2010:

            I feel like it goes without saying that you can’t stop a desk fan with your erect penis, but please don’t try this. Also, the nicknames are terrible, and I love them (“Dick Fan Dyke” was my personal favourite).

Friday, 18 June 2010:

            I suppose at least this one was accidental, and she didn’t put the pole up herself. Though, climbing over railings, only to fall and end up with a metal spike in your vagina is really going to put a dampener on your day.

Tuesday, 27 July 2010:

            We never consider how lucky we are that we can attend events for family and friends (weddings, funerals, etc.). There’s a reason your doctors are always there at a moment’s notice.

Thursday, 2 December 2010 (final diary entry):

            A genuinely horrendous event. Doctors deal with difficulty all the time, but this was off the charts. I’m struggling to keep it together while reading, and I wasn’t even there. For all involved, my heart goes out to them. I cannot imagine what this must have been like.

The reason for this book’s existence is that the Conservative government seems to want the NHS dead and gone. In 2016, Jeremy Hunt (at time of release a possible Prime Minister) had the audacity to claim that junior doctors work too little for what they are paid. I must remind you that his name is ‘Hunt’, by the way, with an ‘H’. The work these people do is greater than any of us can understand. The NHS is a thing of beauty, as are its staff members.