Friday, September 12, 2008

Anatomical Model



Thursday like usual was my anatomy lab. We are learning about the thorax at the moment, and during this particular lab we were mapping out the contents of the thoracic cavity. It seems like a rite of passage in most medical schools to draw out the locations of these internal structures on fellow students. In the future when we may need to perform procedures like a pleural centesis to remove liquid buildup from around the lung, so we use these exercises to get our bearings on the exterior surface. I was volunteered by my fellow group members for today's activities because my torso is devoid of most of the stuff (muscle and fat) which would obscure the underlying structures that the group was trying to palpate, like counting ribs for instance. So scrawny boy got marked up like a connect the dots puzzle. Unfortunatly I was volunteered before I was told the markers were Sharpie™. Jenny did give me the helpful advice that alcohol helps remove it. So last night I rubbed some cheap rum on myself to get it off. The above picture is of the DiVincis working on their perfectly sculpted canvas.
After this lab I came home with a hungry stomach, and the 2 bags of fully ripe mangoes were still sitting on the refrigerator since I'd shied away from them the week before. Because all my allergy symptoms were gone, I decided not to let the mangoes go to waste. I threw some of my anatomy gloves on and gave the mangoes a shot. I washed the exterior of the mangoes with dish soap to get rid of any sap residue left on them. Since I was still wearing my scrubs from lab this whole process was probably pretty comical to watch. I proceeded with my paring knife making a complete rostral to caudal sagittal incision and removed the flesh with a spoon. I also played it safe by washing my mouth afterward to prevent and more swollen lips. It's been 2 days since then and I don't feel any effects, so the mango surgery was a complete success. Although I think it may be a little too much work to justify buying anymore.
Monday is the unified quiz that I mentioned before. I overshot the estimate on the weight of the quiz for each class. Apparently it's only worth like 7% of each classes grade. Nonetheless, I still feel pretty anxious about it since all the work is finally starting to pile up. I talked with a friend of mine tonight from undergrad that worked in the same research lab as me. He's currently in a DO school (also a med school but grants a DO and not an MD) in NYC and he's in the middle of midterms right now, but he's also feeling the strain. So, it's comforting that there are also people out there suffering like the rest of us book worms here in Grenada. I'll write an elated post on Monday night after I've finished the dreaded thing. But, until then I'll be stuck studying all I can this weekend.

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