Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Adam Kay

182 reviews

mel_s_bookshelf's review against another edition

emotional funny informative fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Medical content, Miscarriage, Death, and Child death

Moderate: Infertility

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

kieransilika's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.0

It was crazy to see how the writers pain was masked under the words of a light heart. He talked about things that would be scary, challenging, emotional and overwhelming like it was normal. Kay managed to give a great insight into a life in the NHS - balancing a non-medic point of view with an informative counter part. It makes me angry and annoyed.

the writer works on a labour ward where he is stressed and overworked, and on the other side of that: black women are 4 times more likely to die during labour than white woman. This really highlights the awful dynamic between stressed workers and inadequate healthcare - a clear change needs to be made for employee and patient benefit.

overall the book was informative and intriguing and definitely a great read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Self harm, Infertility, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Minor: Addiction, Dementia, Abortion, Racism, Miscarriage, and Animal death

ezzo's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful informative reflective fast-paced

4.0

obviously amazing i couldn't put it down at all. unfortunately adam kay does kind of come off as quite a dick in some scenarios like when he feels he has to trick people into getting the treatment they need, etc. he also makes a few really unnecessarily rude comments about a patients' weight. i'm really glad the uk has the nhs and i know nhs doctors go through a rough time but it's beyond "dark humour" to just straight up make fun of somebody's appearance. besides that the book is great.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Blood, and Medical content

Moderate: Fatphobia

reillya's review

dark emotional funny informative reflective fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma

smupple's review against another edition

funny reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Chronic illness, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Child death, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Pregnancy, Drug use, Excrement, Infertility, Medical content, Terminal illness, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Grief and Cancer

Minor: Drug use, Domestic abuse, and Drug abuse

bookbird's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring fast-paced

5.0

Jan 2023: This must be my third or fourth reread of this incredibly special book. Kay is a master storyteller, and it's his finely balanced combination of light and dark that make this book so impactful. A must-read for anyone who has ever had even the briefest experience of the NHS.

Jan 2024: I don't think I'll ever be able to properly express how highly I recommend this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Suicide attempt, Excrement, Fatphobia, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide, Addiction, Miscarriage, Blood, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Child death, Pregnancy, Abortion, Death, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Cancer, Eating disorder, Terminal illness, Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Infertility, and Vomit

westeggspinster's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

5 stars for a memoir. It was definitely entertaining, funny and horribly sad at times. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Medical trauma, and Child death

rosalie362819's review against another edition

challenging funny informative sad fast-paced

3.0

Favourite quotes:
“It now seemed extreme and unreasonable in terms of what was expected of me, but at the time, I’d just accepted it as part of the job. The extra mile was the normal distance.”

“The depth of the lows is the price you pay for the height of the highs.”

“She bursts into tears, and out come all the will nevers, the crushing realization that forever is just a word on the front of Valentine’s cards.”

“The other thing I realize is that none of her many, many concerns are about herself; it’s all about the kids, her husband, her sister, her friends. Maybe that’s the definition of a good person.”

“He must realize we have the same chat every time, but it clearly doesn’t matter—he just wants to know there’s someone out there who cares. And actually, that’s a very large part of what being a doctor is.”

“I dress him again, look up to a God I don’t believe in, and say, ‘Look after him.’”

“You don’t cure depression, the same way you don’t cure asthma; you manage it. I’m the inhaler he’s decided to go with and I should be pleased he’s gone this long without an attack.”

“Medicine is the host who manages to keep you at the party hours after you first think about leaving.”

“It’s funny—you don’t think of doctors getting ill.”

“Think about the toll the job takes on every medical professional, at home and at work. Remember that all of them do an absolutely impossible job to the very best of their abilities. Your time in the hospital may well hurt them a lot more than it hurts you.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Cancer, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Abortion

elizabethblue's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny informative reflective sad fast-paced

3.5

An informative look into the realities of working in medicine. Although the topics can be quite sad, the author leans in to the funny side enough for you to not come away feeling completely devastated. Fascinating to read if you're interested in the behind the scenes of the NHS. 

3.5/5✨(Good, I enjoyed it) 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical trauma

Minor: Suicide

dizzyizzy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Excrement, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Blood, and Miscarriage

Moderate: Abortion, Cancer, Death of parent, and Vomit