Monday Laughs

Our class took the Cardiac/Respiratory unit Pharmacology exam nearly three hours ago. It was beastly, mainly because the professor chose to use class periods for "discussion" rather than instruction.
As a reward for surviving it and being fairly certain of avoiding failure, I designed my Christmas Housewarming Party invitations online and began perusing Pinterest for food and decor ideas.
After this morning, I needed a laugh. The following Pinterest finds did just the trick. Hope they make you smile as well!

I laugh, yet this is a medical reality...

Wearing my Cadaver

The past week has been horribly hectic, and it's not about to slow down. Aaron and I successfully packed up and moved into our new place (more on that to come) in the midst of the semester. There's a lot of new things on our home wishlist, and as our income is nada, we've become TAs in Anatomy lab to try to earn extra money...and review the thousands of structures we've forgotten since last year.
While standing over a body in the lab today helping some first years with identification of branches off the axillary nerve, I glanced at some fat globules and found myself recalling an embarrassing memory.
My group's cadaver last year was a very old woman who had undergone a lot of muscle atrophy. Translation? There was a lot of fat to remove before we got down to the not-so-well-defined muscles, vessels and nerves.
There were days when we had to soak up the liquified adipose tissue with paper towels because it was pooling where we needed to dissect. Do you have a mental picture of the degree of grossness yet?
One day, just before taking off my gloves and washing my hands, I walked up to Aaron prepared to chat about our afternoon study plans. I was met with the most horrified, disgusted facial expression I've ever seen, directed right at my face. He quickly pointed at my chin, where a large piece of yellow fat had apparently landed in my dissecting ferocity.
I have never felt so unattractive in my life. And if I recall, I washed my face quite a few times that evening. Thanks for the memories, Anatomy.

Toe Trauma

I am not a graceful person. In fact, I'm quite clumsy and prone to accidents. There was the time I tripped over some rope and slid head first into a gravel driveway while running from neighborhood dogs. Or the countless times I've stumbled on stairs or sidewalks and hoped that no one witnessed the slip.
Yesterday, I repeated a mistake I've made often - shaving my legs without my contacts in. I am legally blind without contacts/glasses. Unless you're close enough to resemble a cyclops, I won't be able to distinguish features on your face. Why I would arm myself with a razor in a handicapped state I don't know.

You may laugh, but this is me without my glasses.

I hate shaving my legs, so as usual I was rushing through the motions. I quickly lowered the blade to what I thought was my ankle and took a slice of skin off my fourth toe. Then there was blood. So much blood.
Aaron had gone to run an errand, so I tried to formulate a game plan to get from the shower to the cabinet with the band-aids without staining the towel, mat, or floor. Unsuccessful. In my blind haze, dripping wet, I located the box and found one single package left inside. I grabbed some toilet paper to try to blot the wound and dry the skin and attempted to wrap the band-aid around the stub that is my toe. The skin was too wet and the band-aid was ruined.

I love infomercials that make razor cuts seem like life-threatening situations. Side note: I do not shave my upper lip.

Meanwhile, my toe was still erupting. Who knew a toe could bleed so much? I hobbled to the kitchen, still without corrective vision, and grabbed a paper towel, which I wrapped between my toes. I then cleaned up the blood trail.
After Aaron came home and discovered the blood stain on our bed sheets (woops! Good thing we're throwing them away when we move!) from where I had tried to apply pressure with the paper towel, he constructed a poor person's bandage from a paper towel and masking tape.

In his defense, the scheduled taping clinic last year was cancelled. This being said, I was impressed with the handiwork. Future in sports medicine?
I wish I could say I've learned my lesson. Unfortunately, I know I'll inevitably be in the shower again, armed with a razor and blurred vision, this Tuesday. Shaved legs for OMM are a must.

Student Doctor Relic

Whether you're a first or second year medical student encountering your first model patients in Clinical Skills lab, or you're a third or fourth year on rotations, one question ultimately arises. How do you introduce yourself to patients?
We've been trained to say the following: "Hello, I'm Student Doctor Relic."
For some reason, I feel like a bit of a pompous fool introducing myself as such. It's as though I want everyone to know that I'm not a doctor yet, but I will be...so I'm going to stick the "Doctor" title in there somewhere and expect to be addressed as such.
I'm also imagining how I would react as a patient to the same introduction. My first thought? "So you're not an actual doctor? Please don't touch me."
I would much prefer extending my hand as "Micah, a medical student." It better reflects my position on the totem pole and the fact that at this point in my training, I know next to nothing.
So if you happen to see me next year in the hospital or a clinic, hopefully for a routine check-up and nothing serious, understand that I am not being pretentious or trying to appear more official. And please don't call me "Student Doctor."

Labor Day Auction

It's Labor Day, and this three day weekend has been absolutely lovely. Not only did I get to spend all day Saturday with my parents and sister watching football and eating tasty grub, but Aaron and I signed the lease to our new townhome on Riverside that day as well.
On an equally exciting note, we stepped outside this morning to discover that Fall weather has arrived. I just hope it's here to stay.
Aaron and I have sporadically been going to auctions over the past 2 years or so. They're a fun experience in and of themselves, but we've been able to find some amazing deals on furniture and accessories as well. We try to invest in 1-2 quality pieces every year instead of buying lots of cheap alternatives that we'll discard down the road.

Aaron and I have an exam on Wednesday, so no time could be wasted today. We brought ear plugs and our Lab Medicine material and squeezed in two hours of studying at the auction!

Last year, we bought a leather sofa, matching fabric armchair, and a gorgeous round tufted ottoman. This year, we're focusing on finishing our living room with a media console and a buffet/accent chest. We checked the latter off our list today!

 We snagged a Pulaski accent chest with deep drawers that will be perfect for storing my dinnerware and serving pieces for $350 - it's on sale at Mathis Brothers for $650! I call nearly half off a great buy! We also purchased the set of buffet lamps pictured above.
Our new additions were the perfect ending to the holiday weekend. I'm looking forward to moving in to our new place to see it all come together.

Study Carrel Saturday

The first week of medical school is completed. There aren't any impending exams, and you're exhausted from attempting to readjust to early mornings and hours upon hours of lecture and labs. Friday afternoon arrives, and you think, "I am soooo excited to sleep in tomorrow morning!"
Then you remember. It's Study Carrel Saturday (insert melodramatic "dun dun duuuunnnn!").
Our medical school has 94 private study carrels...and nearly 200 on-campus students. You do the math. While not everyone likes to study at school in a cubicle dimly lit by fluorescent lighting, a good number of us require the freedom from home distractions. The walls remind me of blinders on a horse - if I can't see what's going on around me, then I'm not tempted to investigate and lose focus.
Numerous classes before us have tried to determine the best possible method for ensuring that those who truly want and will utilize a carrel are assigned one. There is no convenient and fair method. Therefore, the same slumber party from hell occurs every semester (although I wish it were only once per year). And every semester, people grumble and complain. I have been known to be one of those people.
A line forms outside the school in the wee hours of the morning and carrels are first-come, first-served. This year, Aaron and I pulled an all-nighter to arrive on campus at about 4 A.M. We were 32 and 33 in line, respectively. Some students had been camped out since about 2:30 that morning. We were sprawled along the concrete sidewalk amongst scattered pillows, blankets, chairs, and an inflatable air mattress.
There's nothing more depressing than sitting outside school before the sun has risen on a Saturday morning.
At 10 'til 6, the doors opened and we congregated in Founder's Hall, cranky and slightly delirious due to sleep deprivation. At about 7, we lined up according to the numbered list we'd signed upon arrival and anxiously awaited our turn to pick our carrels. Luckily for Aaron and I, most people wanted the Study Gym, so despite our position in line we were able to get two spots in the library in the section we'd scoped out earlier in the week. Others were not so lucky and left disappointed, having settled for an area that wasn't ideal for their study schedule or learning environment.

tucked away in the back of the library...with this guy

After breakfast at Dilly Deli, the rest of the day was wasted trying to find the balance between getting enough rest and not throwing off our sleeping schedule a week into school. Later this evening, when I'm nestled into my office chair with my 'blinders' on in the quiet sanctuary of my library carrel, I will know that it was worth it. Hopefully.

Weekend in Mt. Ida

Aaron's Tahoe recently began making an unhealthy sound, which we were told would be fine for awhile but would eventually turn into a problem. Realizing that it would most likely turn into a problem during midterms or finals, we figured we should take care of it before things get too hectic this semester.
Aaron's parents live in Mt. Ida, Arkansas, which is about a 4 hour drive from Tulsa. We don't get to see them often, so we took the opportunity to get his Tahoe fixed by his family's mechanic and spent the weekend with his family.

Miss Rihanna, our beautiful niece!

Aaron and his youngest sister, Rachel. She just started her freshman year at the University of Arkansas.

"Don't touch my tea!" Kyrah loved my sweet tea - mixed with some baked potato pieces she threw into the glass.

Kyrah with Uncle Aaron

Aaron and his dad.

Aaron and his big brother, Brian

Sweet kisses for daddy

Kyrah loves her baby - it goes everywhere with her, even on a quick trike ride

We had a great time catching up with his relatives and playing with our sweet nieces. They've gotten so big since we last saw them! Although we didn't get to study near as much as we would have liked, we're glad we chose to spend some precious time with family. Life is all about relationships!