Almost as evil as stairs.
Survived Microbiology. On to Pathophysiology. First stop: the heart. Not that cardiology doesn't interest me, but it just involves so much physics!! Pressure, flow, cross-sectional area... It's too much for a Monday morning. I was SO not ready to come back to class today... I somehow lost ten minutes this morning -- or maybe I just thought I got up earlier than I actually did.
Ugly story regarding those tests last week....
Good news first: I definitely passed the final. No grade yet on the shelf exam. My physical conditions again had horrible timing... The night before the final, I somehow exacerbated the chronic cramp in my left shoulder, and it became an unbearable spasm radiating up into my neck. Didn't sleep at all that night (this is becoming a horrible pattern for Wednesday nights), was glad that I didn't wake up Alisha with my pained yelps. (It was pretty ugly at some points.) When she woke up & found me, she convinced me to go to the ER before the exam. We'd been told before that if we just said we were med students, they'd practically fall over themselves to help us. As it turned out, I had to be a bit pushy -- which I hate, especially since the nurse seemed to think I was quite an annoyance -- in order to even get out of there in time for the exam. The only thing that got me through the exam is acetaminophen with codeine, leftover from a tooth infection. (Amazing that it didn't put me to sleep!) Once the test was over, I filled the prescription for a muscle relaxant - the one thing I got out of the ER visit - and SLEPT like the dead!! Didn't even manage to study for the next exam. Woke up early the next day, and found my pain to be incredibly tolerable -- SUCH relief to have an almost-normal range of motion again!
Still have pain in my back, it's just slightly worse than it normally is. Will see my doctor about it this week, whenever I manage to find the time. And it turns out I'm allergic to the muscle relaxant they prescribed me. That would figure.
The weekend: I decided I deserved some relaxation, so I went to redeem this voucher I'd bought for month-long access to "spa services." Arrived at the place to find that it was pretty much just a tanning salon with a few extra "spa" machines... Not. Pleased. Felt that walking out would be too rude, and since I'd already paid for it I got a "facial" (misted in the face), a steaming, and a spray tan. Was so upset that I'd spent $50 on orange skin (that stinks, and will probably give me adenocarcinoma in 20 years) that I wrote an email expressing my dissatisfaction. A refund would make this better, but I'm not expecting it.
Need to get with it again! It's going to be a full sort of week...
27 September 2010
19 September 2010
Bugs 'n Drugs
Final in Microbiology on Thursday - mostly on viruses & anti-viral meds. Shelf exam on Friday, including all of Microbiology plus Immunology, worth 20% of my block grade. (Honestly, that's the exam that scares me more.) About a week before any exam, my brain starts getting a little soft and mushy, not unlike oatmeal. It's all part of the process. So, my apologies to anyone I've been unintentionally ignoring.
Had a sleep-deprived EEG this Thursday, in an effort to figure out what exactly is going on inside my head. Is it strange that throughout the EEG (in addition to the night before and the long day following), my biggest fear was that no useful information would come of it? The sleep deprivation wasn't really hard, but it certainly wasn't enjoyable - and I'll be pretty irritated if I did it for nothing.
Is it weird that I really wanna go? It's 6 days before another final exam... But when else will I be living this close to D.C.? And if I took Amtrak, I could probably study on the way... It'll depend entirely on how block 8 (cardiac & pulmonary pathology) goes for me.
Back to bugs & drugs...
Had a sleep-deprived EEG this Thursday, in an effort to figure out what exactly is going on inside my head. Is it strange that throughout the EEG (in addition to the night before and the long day following), my biggest fear was that no useful information would come of it? The sleep deprivation wasn't really hard, but it certainly wasn't enjoyable - and I'll be pretty irritated if I did it for nothing.
Is it weird that I really wanna go? It's 6 days before another final exam... But when else will I be living this close to D.C.? And if I took Amtrak, I could probably study on the way... It'll depend entirely on how block 8 (cardiac & pulmonary pathology) goes for me.
Back to bugs & drugs...
05 September 2010
Addendum: The Ankle
So I twisted my ankle on Monday, directly after the midterm exam. I was actually descending the stairs in the lecture hall on my way to turn in my exam when I tripped. My mistake was paying such close attention to the final check of my bubble sheet that I wasn't watching my feet. Anyhow, I tend to have bad ankles. Every now and then I'll hurt my left one and it'll be super-painful for a few minutes, then I'm fine. The professor saw me fall and came over to offer to help me up. I turned him down and insisted I was okay; he returned to his table, looking at me in a confused sort of way, as though he was thinking, "If you're okay, why are you still sitting there?"
Ack - it was so embarrassing I nearly cried. The worst part was being repeatedly asked if I was okay (although, of course, everyone just meant to show concern), even by people I swear I've never spoken to. The next-to-worst part was having to sit there for five minutes before I could walk. The next-to-next-to-worst part is that my ankle is STILL sore, specifically when I move it in certain ways. There's no acute pain, really... just slight aching sometimes, and a pang now and then when I get into my car. (I think it's the inversion that does it.)
I shouldn't have been TOO embarrassed... Quite a few students were already done with their exams, and about half of those who hadn't turned theirs in yet were too focused to notice my fall. And by now, it's yesterday's news.
BEAUTIFUL weather!! Going to take the cat out for the first time since we got back to Philly... I shouldn't, because he'll be bugging me eternally and making mad dashes whenever the door opens. But he could use the stimulation.
Ack - it was so embarrassing I nearly cried. The worst part was being repeatedly asked if I was okay (although, of course, everyone just meant to show concern), even by people I swear I've never spoken to. The next-to-worst part was having to sit there for five minutes before I could walk. The next-to-next-to-worst part is that my ankle is STILL sore, specifically when I move it in certain ways. There's no acute pain, really... just slight aching sometimes, and a pang now and then when I get into my car. (I think it's the inversion that does it.)
I shouldn't have been TOO embarrassed... Quite a few students were already done with their exams, and about half of those who hadn't turned theirs in yet were too focused to notice my fall. And by now, it's yesterday's news.
BEAUTIFUL weather!! Going to take the cat out for the first time since we got back to Philly... I shouldn't, because he'll be bugging me eternally and making mad dashes whenever the door opens. But he could use the stimulation.
02 September 2010
Microbiology
I would sum up the seventh block of med school thusly: So much to know about what you can't see. I swear I must have at least a dozen of these infections; when you hear about them every day, it's hard not to be a little paranoid...
Survived bacteria and parasites, moved on to viruses. I was really lucky that I took Parasitology in undergrad; otherwise I would've had a much rougher time with the midterm. (I told a peer that I'd already had all the parasites we talked about... His eyes got large and he asked me if I'd had a rectal prolapse. At this point, I had to define my use of the word "had.") I caught a minor cold and felt pretty run down in the days before the exam, so I wasn't exactly at my studying peak. Still did fairly well though!
It seems that when I get stressed out, it's rarely because of school. I'll be frantically trying to figure out my health insurance or get my phone fixed, or waiting for my student loan funds to come in (only a month late, so far...), but school usually seems like more of an inconvenience on the side. Except, of course, within a week of an exam. Then school becomes my entire life, and nothing else really exists.
Not too much has actually changed in my world... Tried to get Kitty to eat home-cooked cat food (boiled chicken breast, sardines, hard-boiled egg, parsley, & a multivitamin); he wasn't a fan. As a result, the food sat in his bowl for extended periods and the entire apartment ended up reeking of sulfur and fish. Decided to put an end to that. Also, the weight he lost (which I assumed was from running around outside all summer) was apparently due to a tapeworm, which was eradicated last week. (To be fair, it was due to running around outside...) On the brighter side, he's been doing well with our daily brushing routine (on the evenings I remember to do it!)... He submits to a brushing, I encourage him to inspect his new feline toothbrush, and I reward him with treats for good behavior. The problem is, he always goes straight for the treats and is loathe to be dissuaded. (Luckily, he can't break into the tin I keep them in!) And he bites when I try to brush his belly.
Got to video chat with Mahlon & Layla last week... I was thrilled that Layla remembered my name (seeing as last spring she was afraid of me, and over the summer she consistently called me Auntie Lila), and Mahlon "slimed" me through the computer. Ah, I miss those kids...
Time goes simultaneously quickly and slowly; it's a really strange phenomenon. Perhaps because so much tends to happen in one day, it seems like much more time is elapsing than actually is.
Staying in school until 5 today (my biggest beef with this is the end-of-day traffic!); I have a session at 3 to practice my skills in the pulmonary and abdominal exams. Purchased a couple knee-length skirts especially for "Doctor Dress-Up"... Very professional, look good with button-down shirts. Forgot to trim my nails, though they're not very long at all... Hopefully I won't injure anyone when palpating their bowels. Filed them down a bit -- so now they're at an acceptable length, but I'm covered in white dust.
More opportunities to practice clinical skills this weekend. After my OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Exam) at the end of last year showed me to be slightly deficient, I set up a day to shadow my mentor and practice on actual patients. Of course, my mentor is a pediatrician who works in inpatient. It's hard to interview toddlers, and I don't want to bother anyone who's seriously ill with my clumsy physical skills.... So I'll probably end up working with asthmatic teenagers. The goal is to practice, practice, practice!!!
"Hey, kid -- lie down and lemme feel your liver!"
Survived bacteria and parasites, moved on to viruses. I was really lucky that I took Parasitology in undergrad; otherwise I would've had a much rougher time with the midterm. (I told a peer that I'd already had all the parasites we talked about... His eyes got large and he asked me if I'd had a rectal prolapse. At this point, I had to define my use of the word "had.") I caught a minor cold and felt pretty run down in the days before the exam, so I wasn't exactly at my studying peak. Still did fairly well though!
It seems that when I get stressed out, it's rarely because of school. I'll be frantically trying to figure out my health insurance or get my phone fixed, or waiting for my student loan funds to come in (only a month late, so far...), but school usually seems like more of an inconvenience on the side. Except, of course, within a week of an exam. Then school becomes my entire life, and nothing else really exists.
Not too much has actually changed in my world... Tried to get Kitty to eat home-cooked cat food (boiled chicken breast, sardines, hard-boiled egg, parsley, & a multivitamin); he wasn't a fan. As a result, the food sat in his bowl for extended periods and the entire apartment ended up reeking of sulfur and fish. Decided to put an end to that. Also, the weight he lost (which I assumed was from running around outside all summer) was apparently due to a tapeworm, which was eradicated last week. (To be fair, it was due to running around outside...) On the brighter side, he's been doing well with our daily brushing routine (on the evenings I remember to do it!)... He submits to a brushing, I encourage him to inspect his new feline toothbrush, and I reward him with treats for good behavior. The problem is, he always goes straight for the treats and is loathe to be dissuaded. (Luckily, he can't break into the tin I keep them in!) And he bites when I try to brush his belly.
Got to video chat with Mahlon & Layla last week... I was thrilled that Layla remembered my name (seeing as last spring she was afraid of me, and over the summer she consistently called me Auntie Lila), and Mahlon "slimed" me through the computer. Ah, I miss those kids...
Time goes simultaneously quickly and slowly; it's a really strange phenomenon. Perhaps because so much tends to happen in one day, it seems like much more time is elapsing than actually is.
Staying in school until 5 today (my biggest beef with this is the end-of-day traffic!); I have a session at 3 to practice my skills in the pulmonary and abdominal exams. Purchased a couple knee-length skirts especially for "Doctor Dress-Up"... Very professional, look good with button-down shirts. Forgot to trim my nails, though they're not very long at all... Hopefully I won't injure anyone when palpating their bowels. Filed them down a bit -- so now they're at an acceptable length, but I'm covered in white dust.
More opportunities to practice clinical skills this weekend. After my OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Exam) at the end of last year showed me to be slightly deficient, I set up a day to shadow my mentor and practice on actual patients. Of course, my mentor is a pediatrician who works in inpatient. It's hard to interview toddlers, and I don't want to bother anyone who's seriously ill with my clumsy physical skills.... So I'll probably end up working with asthmatic teenagers. The goal is to practice, practice, practice!!!
"Hey, kid -- lie down and lemme feel your liver!"
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