Hospital #2

I had my second hospital rotation today at PMH - it was AMAZING! What made my experience so much better this time than last was that today I did not have to sweat at all - our physician had air-conditioning in his office (I was so thankful). Anyway, besides that... today was really eventful and let me tell you why.

In the morning I rotated in Internal Medicine again. When I heard my assignment at first I was very bummed out - I already had Internal Medicine last time. And I was frustrated because I requested for Surgery at the beginning of the term but did not get any. But there are classmates of mine who got Surgery twice in a row! Anyway, I shook the hand of my doctor with the frustration simmering in the back of my mind.

However, he changed my negative thinking into positive energy with only the first patient! He let my two partners and I conduct the interviews and physical exams on the patients, only interrupting here and there to steer us in the right direction. He quizzed us and stimulated us to think, to pull together the big picture and come up with many differentials! I finally feel like I am in Medicine! The cases were very interesting as well. First patient had a mechanical aortic valve and I got to listen to the irregular heartbeats as well as a SYSTOLIC (not diastolic) murmur! It was amazing! The second patient had a congenital VSD and he was 24! His murmur was pansystolic and you could not make out his S1, S2 heart sounds at all. He also had a Grade 6 murmur in his Tricuspid area from the VSD - ie, the murmur was audible even with the stethoscope a few millimeters off of his chest!!! These are real heart sounds in real people and they sound so much better than those we hear in Harvey! Our third patient had Familial Spastic Paraplegia and he had extreme difficulty walking. But he was independent, upbeat, and helpful to the medical students. I think he has done this many times because at one point when we were pondering one question our doctor asked us, the patient gave us a hint on what the answer was! It was hilarious. I think he could probably write my exam for me and get a better grade...

Anyway, the bus ride back home was rough - our driver did not bother to avoid any potholes and I was in midair half of the time. Now I feel nauseated but made myself sit down and write about my experience before this flame fades tonite. I had a great day and hope everyone else did too :) Don't forget to give thanks!

Update!! And 57 more days...

Just a brief summary of what happened today. I sent out my application for 5th semester site selection. I applied for Michigan. And school tells us that we'll find out whether we get what we want on Jun 6th, which really means June 13th or later. But better late than never! :)

Back to studying...

Sick again... in this humid weather!

I woke up in the middle of the night sweating, so I turned on the air-conditioning. In the morning I woke up with terrible pharyngitis (sore throat)! Ugh... this is when I am not a fan of humid tropics. Temperature balance is hard to find...

On the other hand, school has been stressful. This semester is packed with information and higher expectations. Integrate, integrate, integrate. My brain is burning and so is my body! 4 consecutive semesters of med school without a good summer break really is tough (now I truly understand the meaning of a summer break)... and want one badly. My mind is screaming for a vacation that probably won't come till a year later. I am trying to stay motivated, stay balanced, stay rested - all of which are floating somewhere in the thin air.

We have a lot of Pathology for this Mini and my mind is messy. Microbiology is also filled with fungi and viruses. AHHH I am tired................................ I will dream about sleeping and doing nothing but resting...

One Gram Stain a day... keep the mystery away?

Histoplasmosis is fungal disease caused by Histoplasma capsulatum. Lungs are frequently affected, leading to acute pulmonary histoplasmosis. In human body at 37C, the organism is in yeast form. It is transmitted by inhalation of spores from soil. It looks like a pocketful of jewel inside the macrophage in the picture. Initially macrophages get infected and act as vehicles that takes the fungus around the body via blood, thereby spreading the infection. Cell-mediated immunity will eventually kick in and eradicate the organism, if the host immune system is well-maintained.

No puppy photos today... Good night!

You are my sunshine :)

The days have been rolling along nicely. Ever since the new additions to the house (the lovely puppies), my days have been brighter and better organized! Ironic, isn't it? Some may say that it is absolutely impossible to have puppies while in med school. But so far it has only affected me positively! A few friends of mine are also great examples (they have dogs as well). The best thing about the puppies is the love you can give them and the love they smother you with! While here in med school, the underlying stress I experience is relieved by the lovely little ones. The picture on the left is of Sera and the puppies.

Mini 1 happened on Monday and the Beach Bash was in the evening. It was nice to see all my classmates, who had all become hermit crabs during the exam week. It was rough. 4th semester is challenging due to its goal of information integration. Yes, think like a doctor... and you must... I still find the material interesting and thus will keep the motivation flowing. ICM this semester is also full of suprises and challenges. We have learned how to perform the rectal exam, male/female genitourinary exam, and the breast exam. These procedures depend a lot on the doctor in order to make the patient feel more comfortable in the most awkward situations. Certainly some of our fellow students do not feel comfortable themselves at all - one even asked 'Do I really have to do these exams?'... That left me speechless.

Soon we will receive the talks from each of the 3 sites: Dominica, Michigan, Miami - on what 5th semester is all about. Then we will be asked to pick our preference. Earlier there were a lot of students in my class who were going to Miami. But lately I have been hearing a lot more 'Michigan'. It'll be interesting to see who goes where. I think I'm going to try for Michigan. But I will keep everyone updated on the application process.

72 days till I am off the island :) Next step? To the States.