“As a doctor, there are only two things. First, you must have a good attitude, prioritising the patient’s best interests. And second, you must be a good doctor. Each doctor is brilliant in their own way, but they must be able to adapt their skills for each patient. You must always update yourself, because allergies are a new field. The treatment is always changing.”
– Dr. Anchalee Senavonge –
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นี่อาจเป็นสัญญาณของโรคภูมิแพ้ วิธีที่จะได้รู้จักอาการตัวเองโดยไม่ต้องออกจากโซเชียลมีเดีย คือติดตามคอนเทนต์ให้ความรู้เกี่ยวกับโรคภูมิแพ้จาก พญ. อัญชลี เสนะวงษ์ หรือหมอแซนด์ภูมิแพ้ กุมารแพทย์ด้านภูมิแพ้และภูมิคุ้มกัน ประจำศูนย์รักษาโรคหอบหืดและภูมิแพ้ โรงพยาบาล BNH ซึ่งรักษาอาการแพ้ได้ทั้งในเด็กและผู้ใหญ่ และมอบความรู้แก่คนทั่วไปในโซเชียลมีเดีย
The Institution’s Darling
“A senior student initially approached me to be a cheerleader, but I felt it was too revealing and I was shy, so I declined. I became a drum major instead. Then I went to a chemistry Olympiad training camp, and because I was tall, I also competed in badminton and won a championship.”
Dr. Sand’s high school life at Triam Udom Suksa School was colourful, to say the least. Her graceful beauty earned her a spotlight from her first year, but her academic and athletic skills were just as outstanding. In her fifth year, she became the school’s Nopphamat Queen.
“I had to sit in a wooden palanquin. The boys who carried me complained that it hurt to have to carry me around the school.”
You could say that Dr. Sand’s childhood experiences were well-rounded, but the social circle of classmates who wanted to be doctors led her to the Faculty of Medicine at Chulalongkorn University, even though she secretly wanted to be a scientist.
“My parents told me to become a doctor, so I said okay because the fields are quite similar.”
Dr. Sand thus became the first doctor in her family, with her father as an engineer, her mother as a nurse, and her older sister as an airline flight attendant. Her family is very warm and close-knit.
And even though Dr. Sand initially entered the medical field due to the expectations of her family and friends, over time, she felt more and more that this was a profession that required sacrifices for others. After dedicating her time fully to her studies and graduating from her sixth year, her life came to a turning point when she had to go for her rural medical service in a small district in Sisaket province, which was a completely different world for someone who was born, raised, and had always lived in Bangkok.
“I remember on the first day, my father drove for five hours. When he left, I cried. I didn’t know what to do. The next day, I had to do surgery. But I fought through it. There was nothing I couldn’t do. If I couldn’t, I would just look it up in a book. I encountered every disease there. There were only a few of us in the hospital, and we had to be able to do everything. It was located on the Cambodian border, so there were a lot of Khmer workers. We had to treat Khmer patients. The communication was difficult, but they were very tough. I didn’t even have to give them local anaesthesia when I stitched their wounds.”
“I used to hate fermented fish paste. But when I was there, they put it in everything—in their stews and in their soups. I ate it, and now I love it. I would even prefer not to eat if it’s not in my food.”
Her next rural service was at a hospital in Si Racha, Chonburi, where Dr. Sand began to develop an interest in paediatrics. She loved being around children, was good at caring for young patients, and got along well with her colleagues. She was still the institution’s darling.
“They had a vote, and the patients voted for me as ‘Dr. Angel’ because I was kind and always helped the junior doctors and nurses. I was proud to have been the angel of the hospital once. I even have the sash and the crown, which I still have saved.”
After specialising in paediatrics and allergies at Chulalongkorn Hospital, the doctor joined BNH Hospital as a paediatrician and allergist. She has remained an angel to her patients and colleagues, earning her the title of the darling doctor of BNH Hospital as well.
My Love for Languages
Dr. Sand loved learning languages as a child. Whenever she had the chance, she would practise her language skills. Her time as an exchange student in the United States and Canada as a child was the starting point that opened up her world to different cultures.
“Being able to speak a language helps you understand their culture, and it trains you to express yourself more. It helps me a lot in my work today. It’s an advantage to be fluent in English.”
Dr. Sand also participated in a medical student exchange programme in Italy and Japan. She trained under a famous allergy professor in Canada. Her medical experiences from different parts of the world gave her another perspective on public health.
Her love for languages led her to practise her Chinese skills during her limited free time as a doctor. However, communicating about medical issues is a different level than general language skills; many words are specialised terms that she had to teach herself to communicate with patients, and she succeeded.
“I can talk to patients now. For simple things, I don’t need a translator. Talking directly to patients doesn’t feel the same as talking through a translator. When a patient compliments me on my ability to explain things well, it makes all the effort of learning worthwhile.”
An Allergist's Path
“Some children are allergic to flour, so they’ve never had a birthday cake. But we have a treatment called immunotherapy that allows a child with a food allergy to not have to avoid that food for the rest of their life. It allows them to attend a birthday party and eat birthday cake. Even just a few bites. That’s the happiness of being an allergist.”
Many children are born with an allergy to something, but immunotherapy can reduce their allergic reactions and unlock their limitations in life. This is why Dr. Sand chose to specialise in this field. Back then, only eight or nine people per year chose this specialisation at Chulalongkorn Hospital.
“Some children with a flour allergy would have a severe reaction just from walking past a food stall where they were frying something with flour. They would turn red and have difficulty breathing.”
“Many parents had to quit their jobs to cook for their children because they didn’t trust the school to do so. The problem doesn’t end with just avoiding the allergen; it also causes family problems, like parents fighting because one of them made a mistake. Family issues would follow.”
Allergy treatment is a challenging job that doesn’t just save lives but also improves the quality of life of patients and their families in every aspect. However, allergies are a common disease, but people don’t pay much attention to them or know that there are now treatments available, like immunotherapy. If allergies are left untreated, they can lead to other symptoms.
“Some children with allergies have a rash. They feel ashamed in front of their friends and don’t want to wear their school uniform. I would tell them that I used to have rashes, acne, and ‘keratosis pilaris,’ but after I took care of myself, exercised, and took good care of my skin, it became beautiful again.”
Many times, the side effects of an allergy do not end at the Allergy Centre but involve other departments, such as Dermatology, OB-GYN, Surgery, and Nutrition. Dr. Sand has to coordinate with other departments at BNH Hospital to provide holistic care that doesn’t just treat the allergy but also improves the patient’s quality of life, both physically and mentally, in all aspects, especially for severe cases of acute drug allergy, which can be life-threatening.
“At BNH, we intend to join hands with the ENT, pulmonary, and allergy departments. If a patient comes in with a sniffle, we can look at all of it at once, making it a one-stop service so the patient can receive Complete Care.”
In her work of treating allergies, Dr. Sand has to be a detective at all times to find the allergen. She has to take a thorough history from the patient, delving into their past, what they ate, and what they came into contact with, to ease their worries, test for allergens, and then gradually provide immunotherapy. The end goal is to enable the patient to live with the allergen as close to a normal person as possible and remove the limitations from their life.
But sometimes, the cause of an allergy is not external but internal. Stress can cause the body to become ill. Another aspect of being an allergist is that you have to help patients with their mental health by listening to them. Many times, patients come in for allergies, but the entire conversation is about their stress and anxiety, which cause insomnia, and their bodies show a reaction similar to an allergy. Dr. Sand provides care to alleviate the patient’s suffering. Her optimism, easy smile, and gentle nature help patients feel comfortable opening up and sharing their stories, which is beneficial for treatment.
“When patients get better—for example, if they used to have asthma but can now breathe better, play sports, run, or go to the gym—it gives me encouragement and happiness.”
The Power of Fur
“I have a dust mite allergy and I love dogs, so I understand people who love dogs and cats.”
Dr. Sand has had a Chow Chow beside her in every stage of her life, from childhood to adulthood. No matter how many generations she has of this breed, it’s always a Chow Chow. Even though they are big, have long fur, and weigh up to 30 kilograms, and the doctor herself is allergic to dog fur.
“I have two Chow Chows now. The general advice would be to remove them from the house, but I know I can’t do that. I know how to live with them.”
Even though Dr. Sand’s allergy is not severe enough for her to need immunotherapy, she manages her environment to be suitable for someone with a dust mite allergy, which means having a leather sofa, two layers of curtains, and bathing the dogs every one to two weeks so they can be close and give her encouragement in every situation.
“When I’m stressed, if I can go home and take a deep breath of my dog’s fur, I get a certain power from it. I call it ‘fur power’. Sometimes I sneeze, but it’s okay… I give in a little.”
“As a doctor, there are only two things. First, you must have a good attitude, prioritising the patient’s best interests. And second, you must be a good doctor. Each doctor is brilliant in their own way, but they must be able to adapt their skills for each patient. You must always update yourself, because allergies are a new field. The treatment is always changing.”
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พญ. อัญชลี เสนะวงษ์
ศูนย์รักษาโรคหอบหืดและภูมิแพ้
ความชำนาญพิเศษ
ภูมิแพ้และภูมิคุ้มกัน
ภาษา
ไทย, อังกฤษ
– กุมารเวชศาสตร์ ภูมิแพ้และภูมิคุ้มกัน
– วุฒิบัตรกุมารเวชศาสตร์
– วุฒิบัตรภูมิแพ้และภูมิคุ้มกัน
– 2010 Doctor of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University
ตารางออกตรวจแพทย์
| วัน | เวลา | แผนก |
|---|---|---|
| จันทร์ | 08:00 – 18:00 | ศูนย์รักษาโรคหอบหืดและภูมิแพ้ |
| พุธ | 08:00 – 18:00 | ศูนย์รักษาโรคหอบหืดและภูมิแพ้ |
| ศุกร์ | 08:00 – 18:00 | ศูนย์รักษาโรคหอบหืดและภูมิแพ้ |
| เสาร์ | 08:00 – 18:00 | ศูนย์รักษาโรคหอบหืดและภูมิแพ้ |