My days this past week included two Cesarean sections, one normal delivery, and one ectopic pregnancy. I've managed to find many babies' heartbeats while they're inside mommy using Doppler devices. I've met a woman who is pregnant for the third time after having lost her first pregnancy because the baby developed no brain and lost the second in a miscarriage. She and the doctor are ecstatic that this third pregnancy is going well and she's getting really close to term with a healthy baby growing inside her.
This past weekend I saw the Engineer and some other friends. I came to realize that while I had become slightly desensitized to bar smoke in the past, my year or so of abstinence from smoke-ridden air caused my throat to heal up and feel Friday night stronger than usual. My grandmother's birthday was on Saturday. And Valiben showed up just before I ate dinner and then drove off to my schooltown. Sunday I managed to get laundry done and I had some good chats with a couple friends.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
One Hundred and Sixty-six, Humanity's Progress
I had a family member who witnessed a terrorist's bombing. I will work with my family to make sure she gets the psychological help (from family and professionals) she needs to work through it in her mind. I do not wish for revenge on the ones that did that and killed others. I just wish for proper justice based on the transgressed laws of that land.
Evolutionary fight between physical might and the ability to protect/kill versus moral understanding and the ability to understand/forgive?
Evolutionary fight between physical might and the ability to protect/kill versus moral understanding and the ability to understand/forgive?
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
One Hundred and Sixty-four, Wrinkles
It's both amazing and freaky to watch a baby come out of a woman's uterus. More to come later this week!
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
One Hundred and Sixty-two, Pass
A sigh of relief escaped me yesterday when I found out. I wasn't as worried as some of my friends, but the moment of truth was a bit nerve-wracking. I still have a lot of work to do, but at least I don't have to fall behind my classmates at all.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
One Hundred and Sixty-one, Introductions
I still stop and wonder what the hell I was thinking when yesterday, meeting a young woman for the first time at the Contra dance gathering, I introduced myself and then continued with, "These hands have been inside women's abdomens this past week! ... Oh, in surgeries."
Tact I do not have. Still, it was an enjoyable time and my enthusiasm for the dancing overshadowed any odd worries she might have had that her abdomen would be dissected. She had the habit of staring me right in the eyes. I do not know proper etiquette for dancing so I'm just glad I was still learning and had a reason to look at other people to have an idea of what to do. $3 is well worth enjoying group dancing again, whether or not the acquaintances of the Kid are there.
In other news, I find out my Step 1 Board scores tomorrow.
Tact I do not have. Still, it was an enjoyable time and my enthusiasm for the dancing overshadowed any odd worries she might have had that her abdomen would be dissected. She had the habit of staring me right in the eyes. I do not know proper etiquette for dancing so I'm just glad I was still learning and had a reason to look at other people to have an idea of what to do. $3 is well worth enjoying group dancing again, whether or not the acquaintances of the Kid are there.
In other news, I find out my Step 1 Board scores tomorrow.
Monday, July 14, 2008
One Hundred and Sixty, Contra
Dancing something called the Contra - Free on first go, $3 for each subsequent visit.
Seeing one of the Kids - whatever a tank of gasoline costs to drive an hour and half.
Wearing yourself out and then getting only three hours of sleep before your 7:30 surgery the following day? Priceless
Seeing one of the Kids - whatever a tank of gasoline costs to drive an hour and half.
Wearing yourself out and then getting only three hours of sleep before your 7:30 surgery the following day? Priceless
Sunday, July 13, 2008
One Hundred and Fifty-nine, Gyn/Onc
[Disclaimer: Medical terminology and surgeries are described here. No "graphic violence" or descriptions about how bloody it was or bodily juices, but relevant surgical terms are used]
Ok, where to start...[ponders]
Gynecology - the branch of medical science that deals with the health maintenance and diseases of women, esp. of the reproductive organs. (definition from here)
Oncology - the branch of medical science dealing with tumors, including the origin, development, diagnosis, and treatment of malignant neoplasms. (definition from here)
July 7th, 4:30 AM I met with my classmates in a dark parking garage. We walked to the hospital and changed into scrubs nervously. We learned.
That early in the morning we wake up old ladies and ask them whether their pain is controlled. Whether they are feeling nausea or have vomited overnight. Did they have any bowel movements or did they pass any gas (I always want to say fart but I have to sound proper even though the patients can say whatever they want). One lady talked about popping a kid off on July 4th and another mentioned she'd let rip a big fart just the past night. We proceed on with our exam.
The exam isn't anything horrific. I just listen to lungs to make sure there's no fluid buildup and listen to the heart. This is where I start practicing listening to normal stuff and might hear abnormal stuff time to time. Then I check the abdomen. There's a variety of abdomens. Some are pale and doughy, others are pinker and more rigid. I always get nervous poking near the site of the wound.
After all that, we sit and write our progress notes. Basically a distillation of all we learned from the patient and writing down all the pertinent lab information from the computer and from the nurses' vitals' sheets. We try to finish before the residents come in--I still find this morning deadline challenging. The residents then repeat everything we did except they go much faster and they have an idea about what treatments to follow for the day. The Attending doctor arrives at some point and we proceed to summarize all the patients for him (or her) and then go to each patient as a large horde. We talk to each patient and sometimes re-examine them telling them what we have planned for them and listening to their concerns.
One day a week I have clinic. This is akin to a doctors office and deals mainly with pregnant women coming in for regular checkups or post-operative patients coming in for 3 or 6 week followups. Women seeking contraceptive help can also come into the clinic. Here I brush up on interviewing skills and practice my physical exams steps of listening to heart/lungs, and checking the abdomen as well.
I have to dress up for this day. I still find jeans and a t-shirt more comfortable.
Outside of that routine, we get to scrub into surgeries our doctors perform. My first surgery was a 3 hour hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oopherectomy. Those are fancy words for "We took her ovaries, tubes, and uterus out of her." It was a surreal experience putting my hands inside her belly. I've been following her since her surgery and she's been doing alright. We're waiting for her to have a bowel movement. Yup, surgery is grand!
I enjoyed laprascopic surgery. I play video games. Controlling the camera felt quite natural. I was also controlling the lady's uterus so it stayed up and out of our way. The tension in my arms from these two actions used a lot of oxygen. I almost fainted. I'm glad I spoke up and sat down at that time. Falling down on a sterile field is definitely frowned upon in surgery.
Yesterday's surgery was to investigate a pelvic mass in a dear old lady who wasn't able to keep anything down. This was a neat surgery because as we delved down into her bowels, it was clear why she couldn't eat anything. A huge cyst had adhered to her intestines and then grew big enough to pressure the gut to close. We took out the cyst--it quivered as it came into the cold OR. It was black and blue and slowly dying (the cyst, not the lady). We're hoping she'll heal just fine now!
Today I will go to bed two hours ago. I will wake up tomorrow dark and early to go back to the hospital!
Ok, where to start...[ponders]
Gynecology - the branch of medical science that deals with the health maintenance and diseases of women, esp. of the reproductive organs. (definition from here)
Oncology - the branch of medical science dealing with tumors, including the origin, development, diagnosis, and treatment of malignant neoplasms. (definition from here)
July 7th, 4:30 AM I met with my classmates in a dark parking garage. We walked to the hospital and changed into scrubs nervously. We learned.
That early in the morning we wake up old ladies and ask them whether their pain is controlled. Whether they are feeling nausea or have vomited overnight. Did they have any bowel movements or did they pass any gas (I always want to say fart but I have to sound proper even though the patients can say whatever they want). One lady talked about popping a kid off on July 4th and another mentioned she'd let rip a big fart just the past night. We proceed on with our exam.
The exam isn't anything horrific. I just listen to lungs to make sure there's no fluid buildup and listen to the heart. This is where I start practicing listening to normal stuff and might hear abnormal stuff time to time. Then I check the abdomen. There's a variety of abdomens. Some are pale and doughy, others are pinker and more rigid. I always get nervous poking near the site of the wound.
After all that, we sit and write our progress notes. Basically a distillation of all we learned from the patient and writing down all the pertinent lab information from the computer and from the nurses' vitals' sheets. We try to finish before the residents come in--I still find this morning deadline challenging. The residents then repeat everything we did except they go much faster and they have an idea about what treatments to follow for the day. The Attending doctor arrives at some point and we proceed to summarize all the patients for him (or her) and then go to each patient as a large horde. We talk to each patient and sometimes re-examine them telling them what we have planned for them and listening to their concerns.
One day a week I have clinic. This is akin to a doctors office and deals mainly with pregnant women coming in for regular checkups or post-operative patients coming in for 3 or 6 week followups. Women seeking contraceptive help can also come into the clinic. Here I brush up on interviewing skills and practice my physical exams steps of listening to heart/lungs, and checking the abdomen as well.
I have to dress up for this day. I still find jeans and a t-shirt more comfortable.
Outside of that routine, we get to scrub into surgeries our doctors perform. My first surgery was a 3 hour hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oopherectomy. Those are fancy words for "We took her ovaries, tubes, and uterus out of her." It was a surreal experience putting my hands inside her belly. I've been following her since her surgery and she's been doing alright. We're waiting for her to have a bowel movement. Yup, surgery is grand!
I enjoyed laprascopic surgery. I play video games. Controlling the camera felt quite natural. I was also controlling the lady's uterus so it stayed up and out of our way. The tension in my arms from these two actions used a lot of oxygen. I almost fainted. I'm glad I spoke up and sat down at that time. Falling down on a sterile field is definitely frowned upon in surgery.
Yesterday's surgery was to investigate a pelvic mass in a dear old lady who wasn't able to keep anything down. This was a neat surgery because as we delved down into her bowels, it was clear why she couldn't eat anything. A huge cyst had adhered to her intestines and then grew big enough to pressure the gut to close. We took out the cyst--it quivered as it came into the cold OR. It was black and blue and slowly dying (the cyst, not the lady). We're hoping she'll heal just fine now!
Today I will go to bed two hours ago. I will wake up tomorrow dark and early to go back to the hospital!
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