Friday 28 March 2008

Reflective Practice

I have to write an essay for med school about how I'm developing as a person/medical student/future dr/ blah blah blah, and its kind of a pain in the ass (and it counts for a lot of our grade!!!!!), but I get why we have to do it, and it is good to get us to think about what we've learnt and experienced (just not sure it should count for marks when things like physiology are not tested in any specific way).

Anyway, thank goodness I keep a blog, because without it I would not remember anything. Been flicking through my archives looking for inspiration. I'm struck by how much I seem to have changed since my first tentative entries.
I'm also struck by how much I've changed what I think about medicine.

This entry got me in particular. Already I have stopped being affected by the things I read. Already I see diseases not people. And that worries me. A lot. I haven't even finished my first year.

And then I'm glad that my medical school makes us write stupid essays about how we're developing as doctors, and I hope that they will keep forcing us to remind ourselves about why we are here.

Thursday 20 March 2008

Multi-species medicine.....

At home again. Am minding cousins' retriever, who has heart failure (atrial fibrillation and pulmonary oedema by my estimation), and my mother, who has atypical pneumonia.

Had to take both of them to their respective doctors today.

Kinda funny really.......

A bit of this

And this...

Wednesday 12 March 2008

6pm

And its not dark!


Wooohoo! Summer is a comin'.....

Or as they say at home

"there's a grand stretch in the evenings"

Now if only out my window looked a little more like this......

Bizarre......

Ok, this is kind of a weird question, but has anyone else noticed how their pee smells like sugar puffs if they eat them?

Go out and buy some now! I swear it happens! The Honey Monster wants you to........

Monday 10 March 2008

Don't laugh....

So. I decided to take up something that I used to do again. And I know I'm now much older....and larger...and more unfit...but....

I've decided to take an adult ballet class (stop sniggering).

I started ballet at the tender age of 4, and kept it up until I was 14, at which point the pressures of secondary school and my growing dislike of the intensity of the classes got to me. It was just too intense, and the teachers scared me....

But, quite quickly after stopping (and given that at the time I was still riding every day and playing hockey as well) I noticed I'd lost a lot of muscle tone and control.

And now 6 years down the line I don't do any other sports either (gammy knees). And I was thinking about it, and I kind of miss dancing.

So, I'm going to brave it. I am very lucky that there is actually a place where they do adult ballet classes here at uni, I don't think they're that easy to find back in Irl.

I'm in the beginners class...*sigh* lets hope I can move up to improvers......

Doesn't start till after Easter, but I'm already excited! Wish me luck!

Don't think I'll quite look like this though..... I guess it'll take time ;)

Wednesday 5 March 2008

Bad patient

Ok. I caved. And went for the drugs.

I know, I know, rebound congestion and not actually solving the problem etc. etc. , but 2 weeks of snot is too many for me!!!!!!

Tuesday 4 March 2008

Immunology

My PBL this week involves describing and differentiating acute and chronic inflammation. Unfortunately, to understand the million abbreviations and processes described, I basically have to learn the entire rest of the immunology book.

But, it is fascinating and I am enjoying it. Beats ortho anyway.....

However, I'm afraid I don't know much about it at all, and sometimes its hard to get my head around it. I keep getting questions popping up in my mind, especially when it comes to HIV which particularly interests me.... Can anyone help?

1. Is it possible to culture and then infuse a patient with NK cells, and thus treat viral infections?

2. Hepatitis can be treated with interferon, why not HIV?

3. Would it be possible to introduce free artificial CD4 receptors that would irreversibly bind HIV to "mop up" the virus in the system?

4. Is it possible that COX and LOX inhibitors e.g. paracetamol and other NSAID's actually dampen immune response enough to prolong infection?

5. Does HIV affect expression of MHC's in any way? If so how?

Sunday 2 March 2008

Bollox

Went out last night. Something I don't do that often (more out of laziness than anything) And then my student card,bus pass and bank card were stolen. Woo.

Great night.

*sigh*

So I have no money, no way to get into anywhere, and no access to transport.

Like I said, bollox.