“I learned to look after myself so I could look after my patients”

SLUMPING INTO A CHAIR IN the doctor’s mess, I closed my tired eyes. After a 12-hour shift I was exhausted and polished off a handful of chocolates, hoping for a quick energy boost. You might think the room where doctors rest between shifts would be full of fruit baskets and nutritious meals, but when I was a junior doctor, it was always chocolate, kebabs and pizza. I was